• LEMPI ROIKO WILL BE 90 YEARS YOUNG IN APRIL....WOULDN'T IT BE FUN IF SHE GOT 90 CARDS FOR HER BIRTHDAY?  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEND HER A CARD, HERE'S THE ADDRESS:   57 JUNIPER AVE. NW,  MENAHGA, MN  56464
• NOT SURE WHAT DATE THE BIRTHDAY IS, BUT I GUESS IT DOESN'T MATTER?

A VISIT TO LONGVIEW, WA.;  COOKIE WITH MY BROTHER EARL'S SON BRUCE, WIFE LORI, AND ME.  WE HADN'T SEEN THE LONGVIEW RELATIVES FOR MANY YEARS.  IT WAS GOOD CONNECTING AGAIN.

                no new pictures till about april 9 or 10....busy.

BRUCE KANGAS

CARL KANGAS

COOKIE, CARL, TRUDY AND ME

ME WITH BRUCE, LORI KANGAS AND COUPLE OF THE KIDS

COOKIE, ME AND JOYCE KANGAS

ME WITH SARAH & PHIL DAHL FAMILY, LONGVIEW
SARAH IS HOLDING COOKIES GRANDSON

                          

MY TWIN BROTHER EARL AND I, AT OUR 75TH BIRTHDAY PARTY IN JAN. THIS YEAR, 2013 IN CALIFORNIA WHERE HE LIVES

SAME TWINS AT OUR 17TH BIRTHDAY PARTY, A SURPRISE FROM OUR CHURCH"KYDS"
WE LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE PIC ABOVE, EH?

KATHLEEN HELPPI AND DAUGHTER

COUPLE OF GIRLS...? AND AN YLITALO 

BOYS AT CHURCH; YOU CAN SEE HOW HIGH THE SNOW IS!!!

CAROL JURMU'S BIRTHDAY LUNCH
FRONT:  ANNA ANTTILA, CAROL, JUDY ROEPKI
BK ROW: VERNA DAAVETTILA, MARIE COOPER, SUE WITTENBERG, ME,  CORRINE LEPPEN

MARGIE AND BRIAN HELMINEN...MARGIE'S 52ND BIRTHDAY

THIS IS A SUCCULENT PLANT, IT WAS HUGE, BUSH WAS ABOUT 5 FEET ACROSS AND THIS ONE HEAD WAS OVER 12 INCHES ACROSS.

DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS FLOWER IS, BUT IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL

COOKIE AND HER GRANDSON TYBERIUS.  HER SON JIM IS IN PORTLAND FOR A YEAR INTERNING FOR INTEL.  THEN HE WILL COME BACK TO MARQUETTE TO FINISH OUT HIS LAST YEAR OF COLLEGE.

DANA AND BABY TY ON THE BEACH AT HAYSTACK ROCK, ORE.  THIS IS A BUNCH OF KELP THAT WASHED UP ON THE SHORE.  LOOKS LIKE HUGE HOSES. (we are "out of order" here, beach pics. below.)

BACK TO THE TRIP...PORTLAND, ORE.

COOKIE LAUGHING HER GUTS OUT ON THE TRAM....WE LAUGHED SO MUCH AT MANY THINGS, THAT OUR GUTS JUST ACHED.  IT FELT REEEEEAAAL GOOOOD!! (she was wondering what the lady next to her was thinking when she sat there and laughed!

Dana, Cookie and baby Tyberius at the Portland zoo...rained, but we were dressed for it.

THE BOXCAR BLOCK....A WHOLE BLOCK OF WHEELED TRAILERS AND KIOSKS, WHERE YOU COULD BUY ANY KIND OF FOOD YOU WANT.

THEN THE PEOPLE WOULD GO TO THIS PARK TO EAT THEIR LUNCH.

HAYSTACK ROCK, OREGON...(ME IN THE MIDDLE)  IT LOOKS LIKE I AM STANDING IN THE WATER, BUT IT WAS JUST A BIT DAMP.  IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL BEACH, LOTS OF PEOPLE AND DOGS WALKING AND A GREAT DAY.

ANOTHER SIDE OF HAYSTACK ROCK

FIRST JAMES GOT CAUGHT IN THE TIDE COMING IN, GOT WET UP TO HIS KNEES.  THEN HE THOUGHT HE MAY AS WELL WALK IN THE WATER, AND THE TIDE PULLED HIM IN AND HE FELL AND GOT SOAKED UP TO HIS NECK. (JAMES IS COOKIE'S SON)

ME ON OCEAN BEACH...THIS PIC WAS SPOSED TO BE FURTHER ON BUT CAME AT THIS PLACE.   THE VIDEO BELOW IS AT HAYSTACK ROCK.

                       JAMES GOT CAUGHT IN THE TIDE; HE WAS STANDING ON A ROCK LOOKING FOR SEA CREATURES WHEN THE TIDE CAME RUSHING IN!

More Fun in the sun without the beach...Ellie, Emma, Lyle and Alex Lasanen, children of Tom and Lana Lasanen.  In front of my apt., check how high the snowbanks are!

Snow in front of Helminen's...you could walk on the snow right onto the roof of the garage if you wanted.  When we lived here, one winter one of the neighbors dogs was lying in the sun on the roof of this garage.

This snowbank is in front of my apt.
The bank is up to the 2nd story where Judy Roepke lives.  My car shows how high the bank is.  Notice the yard light is almost covered.  There are anywhere from five foot snowbanks to 15 foot ones.  This winter, the Copper Country got SNOW!!!

YOU CAN EVEN HAVE FUN IN THE SUN IN NORTHVILLE
ENID AND PAUL PENNALA'S GRANDCHILDREN AND THEIR GIANT SNOWMAN
(pic. from Pearl Loukus)

These two pics are me and Dave goofing around with
my i-pad...they have an app that screws your
face up royally.  I laugh everytime i look at these
pics.  Mine looks like a lady that I see around
town sometimes. (maybe it's me in the store window?)

                                                            YEEEHAW!!!

Alaska Services recently...I don't know some, but there are 3 Helminen boys, two w. wives and kids, Bekkala family, Aho couple, Ylitalo couple, Annette and Doug Roiko...Mikko in left corner.
Pic. sent from Annette...thanks!

Jodi Danielson from Cokato with her grandson, at  Stephanie Aho's bridal shower recently

Sarah Aho, daughter Stephanie who will marry Caleb Roiko in April, and my good friend Syv Larson.  I asked her, do you know all these young people here, and she said no, only a few.  I said, That's ok, they don't know us, either!

Larson sisters:  Janet, Kathy, Judy, Margaret and Sarah

 Multnomah Falls, Ore., plummeting 620 feet from its origins on Larch Mt.  Multnomah Falls is the 2nd highest year-round waterfall in the nation.

IT WAS A COLD RAINY DAY, but still glad to see this awesome waterfall.
in the video, there's a bridge high up, which we didn't go on, but saw people up there
the sound of the falls was a deafening roar

ME, COUSIN SHARON OLSON AND SISTER COOKIE (HARJU)

Entering the falls area...the white objects are sandbags for spring flooding
didn't know if they were bringing them there now or were they from last year

YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE BEACH SAND TO HAVE FUN IN THE SUN!
Pic. from Swedetown ski hills......this is a school outing today.  what an awesome sight.

One of the older snowblowers along the Swedetown road
More "fun in the sun"?

COPPERDOG SLED RACES, CALUMET, 2013
COMING IN SUNDAY

COPPERDOG SLED RACES, COMING IN
photos from jeanie dunstan
real exciting time, tons of people, dogs yipping and howling, straining at their harnesses and raring to go!
fireworks in the park after they took off friday night

                                   Recent birthday of Martin Helminen....he and Ina had a new baby girl
                                       on the 12th of February, 2013

More about this video below...cookie's friend took us to this place where the elephant seals come to give birth, all the way from alaska each year.....video is a few pics. down.

Donelle & Jim Aho...celebrating her 48th birthday recently

Lowell Torola's birthday party with his buddies recently

Margie Helminen baking with her grandkids, Amie and Cassie (Dan & Heidi's)

Paul Torola's birthday party  recently with his family (Dave & Ann's)

At the Piedras Blancas viewing point north of Morrow Bay.  Elephant seals as far as the eye could see.  They made such a racket with their barking, snorting and honking.  The come to this shore to give birth, eventually breed again, and when the babies are large enough, they head back to Alaska.

The males can weigh two tons or more, and their noses are so huge and long, is why they are called elephant seals.
When the babies (pups) are born, they weigh from 60 to 80 lbs., gain up to 10 lbs. a day. It was an awesome sight and sound.  I hope this video works.