Our Red Bull

We went to Scroo-Loo's brother's deployment ceremony in Mankato yesterday and it was quite the scene. The governor and first lady were there, and yes, the governor still has those pearly whites. He is also very eloquent and has a wonderful ability to capture the moment, as he marveled at the generosity of Minnesota's finest toward complete strangers in a foreign land.

Speaking of capturing moments, John Cross of the Mankato Free Press captured the moment pictured here of my brother-in-law and members of his family. What a great photo.

Scroo-Loo has a whole lot more on the ceremony and her thoughts on saying goodbye to her dearest brother for a year. He's headed to Kosovo along with about 400 more Minnesota National Guard troops. Interestingly enough, according to one of the speakers at the ceremony, the Minnesota National Guard has been selected for this mission because it has the highest readiness status in the nation.

It is just another chapter in what is rapidly becoming the legend of the Red Bulls, which has already made quite a name for itself in Iraq, so say members of the Marines deployed along side it, as interviewed by the irreplaceable Michael Yon.

The Sgt. Major and I had been trying to find sometime to go riding together this summer, but we never did. Now his scooter is up on blocks. I tried to tell him that it would be better served if it were ridden once in a while, a task I would more than willingly perform, but he saw right through me. Damn.