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I'd like to know what you think about the Brendan's Island web site.
Please leave your comments in this public guest book and share your thoughts with other visitors. New comments have not been possible with this guest book since July 2, 2007. Too much spam has been coming through, and I am no longer able to shovel through the gravel to get at the nuggets of your comments. On July 6, 2007, I tried an alternative method: unsuccessfully. Please be patient. I hope, at some time in the future, to have a working guest book available for you.
I Contacting meIf you have something to tell or ask me, and a Google Plus account: that's here I spend most of my online time. (Brian Gill) Thanks! Brian H. Gill, webmaster |
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Here's What You've Said:12 May 2007 11:03 PM [Central time, USA] Hi My Name Is i v a h j s. [I trust that this was the comment you intended to leave. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 31 December 2006 9:02 PM [Central time, USA] Hi, [Thanks! It's "refreshing" to get messages like this. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] [6 November 2006. A word from the webmaster: Once again, I'm catching up on guestbook entries. Thank you for your patience. Between a layoff and surgery, this has been an eventful year for me. A few details are in the Sauk Centre Journal. Thanks to everyone who has helped me and my family, by word and deed! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 16 November 2006 1:44 PM [Central time, USA] This site has pretty dang long web pages [Thanks for the observation. The Sauk Centre Journal archive pages are particularly long, and there are other pages that take a lot of loading and scrolling. Brendans-Island.com has a sort of remodeling project in the works, so I am particularly glad to get input about what it's like to visit the site. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] [6 November 2006. A word from the webmaster: Once again, I'm catching up on guestbook entries. Thank you for your patience. Between a layoff and surgery, this has been an eventful year for me. A few details are in the Sauk Centre Journal. Thanks to everyone who has helped me and my family, by word and deed! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 4 November 2006 9:25 AM [Central time, USA]
Thanks for standing up for "small town life"! I
found your site looking for someone else who shares my feelings. I live in
Lexington, VA, a small historic town, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley. It's
beautiful! After living all over the world with my military husband....this is
the place where I can breath. People are so polite that they don't honk their
horns at stop lights. Last year there was a car parked on Main Street with New
Jersey plates. The driver had parked and was enjoying our little shops or
restaurants and had left his "Club", car security device on the steering wheel.
People were walking by and stopping to look in his window, laughing! [Thanks for sharing the "Club" story. One of my favorites about city folks happened several years ago. Someone from a federal agency had called someone in the business where I worked, probably because we were the only place he knew of in Minnesota. He was flying in from the east coast, headed from Bemidji, and his flight ended in the Twin Cities. He wanted to know if roads extended all the way to Bemidji, or if he'd have to find an all-terrain vehicle. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 11 October 2006 8:57 PM [Central time, USA]
First of all, I hope your surgery went well. When
you have a chance, I was wondering what the story is of the picture of the 2
mail boxes way up high above a regular mail box. Are they bird houses? Are they
in the Sauk Centre area? I may just want to see them when I get to Sauk. I hope
you have a speedy recovery. [The high-rise mailboxes are on what I call the "cemetery road" which connects the three cemeteries east of town. The lowest one is, as far as I can tell, an actual mailbox serving the farmstead across the road. The others may be birdhouses, either by design or by avian conquest. They're south of the southernmost cemetery. I haven't learned why they were put up, but suspect that someone living there has a good sense of humor. Oh, yes: the surgery went well. I'm looking forward to going back for more later this year. Thanks for your good wishes. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 31 July 2006 4:38: PM [Central time, USA]
I like it alot! 31 July 2006 12:48 PM [Central time, USA]
Brendan's Island, though not the olde sod, is a
fine place to go. Thank you for your efforts. [29 June 2006. A word from the webmaster: Oops! Between some exciting job-related transitions, including being laid off, and a surgical procedure on the hand that didn't get fixed earlier this year, I've been a little preoccupied. I'm very sorry to say that two entries for the guest book didn't get posted when they should have. That's been taken care of now, and I now hope to keep up to date on this sort of thing. I've mentioned the less boring parts of my experiences in the Sauk Centre Journal. Brian H. Gill] 18 June 06 5:13 [Central time, USA] Nice site! I read that this week will your last week at
work. I hope you'll find another job soon. [I hope so, too. In the meantime, I'm working on some improvements for Brendan's Island, and a few new features. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 19 May 2006 9:24 PM [Central time, USA]
You often mention your "day job." May I ask what
your day job is? [I've been working at Vocational Biographies since 1986, Right now I'm their list manager, 'computer guy. and webmaster. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 18 May 2006 9:34 PM [Central time, USA] I'm sorry that you're losing your job this
coming summer. I will pray for a brighter future to go your way. [Thank you! It will be interesting to see what happens next. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 28 April 2006 5:55 PM [Central time, USA] [Having a large national chain store on the south side of town will certainly make a difference in Sauk Centre. However, since I've spent most of my life in places bigger than this town, a new business moving in doesn't seem so odd. I'm not at all sure that a Wal-Mart in town will be disastrous. I haven't seen Alexandria become blighted after Wal-Mart, Target, and other ‘big box. stores moved in. Here in Sauk Centre, I doubt that the department store in town, Meads, will lose many customers. They seem to cater to a clientele which is unlikely to be interested in Wal-Mart's more plebeian stock. Winter's Main Street Drug will be easier for folks here to get to than a pharmacy at the other side of a Wal-Mart parking lot, and is the sort of neighborhood drug store that a chain pharmacy can't be. Schaefer's Market is a small-town grocery with service and convenience that I doubt a chain store could offer. As far as Wal-Mart's effect on the other grocery in town goes, I wouldn't mind if Coborns had some competition for the supermarket shoppers. And, my wife and I would really appreciate not having to drive to Alex to get all those items that we'd love do buy in town, but that aren't available here. Having a nationally-known chain store in town might even help some businesses. All those people coming off I-94 to shop at Wal-Mart may want to eat, get gas, or pick up something on their way out that they didn't find at the ‘big box. store. I talked about Wal-Mart with someone involved in running one of the convenience stores in town. That person hoped the ‘big box. store would come. With a Wal-Mart in town, I was told, we'd have more traffic: and some of the visitors would come to the convenience store's parking lot. Mostly, though, I think that we'll find out what happens, when it happens.. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 12 April 2006 8:37 AM [Central time, USA] [Thanks for sharing your knowledge of Scotland's shores. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 10 April 7:11 PM [Central time, USA]I just wanted to tell you that I enjoy this web site very much. I grew up on a farm 6 miles south of Sauk Centre. I moved to Rochester, Mn. in 1972 & have been there ever since. I still go to Sauk Centre, about every 4-6 weeks, to see my dad, who lives in the new assisted living center. It is very interesting to read what has been going on there. I call dad & read to him what you have written. He is almost completely blind so cannot read the Herald. So, he too enjoys what you have to say. Keep up the good work. Linda Utesch [Thank you! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 30 March 2006 9:10 PM [Central time, USA]I was born in Birr (1933) but did not realise there were at least 2 St. Brendans until recently. The school, Catholic & Church of Ireland were all named after him. Good to read your writeup. Regards ~~ Brendan Smyth, Quispamsis, New Brunswick, Canada [Thanks for sharing your knowledge of names in Birr. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 8 March 2006 7:04 AM [Central time, USA] 16 February 2006 11:39:10 AM [Central time, USA] 12 January 2006 3:57 PM [Central time, USA] 21 December 2005 7:30 AM [Central time, USA] Of course those of us that care about small town
Minnesota, always recall how Sinclair Lewis put Sauk Center "on the map" years
ago. Keep up the good work. [I hope you enjoy return visits to Brendan's Island. (The Sauk Centre Journal is updated twice a week.) Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 12 December 2005 2:36 AM [Central time, USA] Cool website! I just stumbled on it while googling Sauk Centre. I agree with you that Sauk Centre is a great place to live. I grew up in Sauk but then moved away when I went to college in Crookston. Since then, I have worked for the past quarter century at Honeywell in Minneapolis. I purchased a cabin on Big Birch Lake about 10 years ago and have been wanting to make the permanent move to there ever since. I finally decided to do it and am moving up there on Dec. 30th! Even though I am a bit closer to Melrose than Sauk, I consider Sauk to be my town. I much prefer the pace of the smaller town to the high-stress, corporate environment that I've grown to detest. The stress was actually affecting my health and that was the final straw to allow me to make the decision to move. Small town boy come full circle I guess! Keep up
the good work! [Welcome back, and thanks! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 30 November 2005 10:18 AM [Central time, USA] [Thanks for sharing where you read about Brendan's Island. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 20 November 2005 2:42 PM [Central time, USA] [I'm glad you're enjoying it. If you haven't seen it yet, you might be interested in the Sauk Centre Journal page. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 17 October 2005 7:19 PM [Central time, USA] [Thanks for the good words. Sorry: I'm not related to the Gill families in Central Minnesota. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 16 October 2005 5:04 PM [Central time, USA] [You're welcome! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 16 October 2005 10:51:40 AM [Central time, USA] I remember the 'Ding Dong Cafe. when it consisted of 3-4 small booths, a counter & not much else. I went there for the amazing varieties of penny candy. As an avid reader, I too sorely regretted the lack of book stores. J.C. Penny had little in the way of stylish clothes, so we drove to St. Cloud to shop at least twice a month. My "hang-out" was the 'Theatre Cafe. located across the street from the Main Street Theatre. (Not a 6-plex then.) My best memory is of hot summer days swimming in Sauk Lake and playing in the park. Back then, Sauk Lake wasn't weedy & polluted. All the town kids swam there. I think it was around '61or62 when the lake became so polluted that swimming was no longer allowed. Then, kids whose parents had the time & means - drove to 'Fairy Lake. to swim. Another great memory is of going ice skating at the rink. The best part of the skating experience was "walking the ledge" to get there! If you weren't careful, you'd slide down 50 ft. - dangerously near the water under the bridge! Our Lady of the Angels Church (where I attended) was the "Irish church". St. Paul's was the "German Church" - according to Sauk Centreites who "knew" such things. There was daily Greyhound Bus service based out of the 'Waldorf Cafe'. In high school, my circle of friends went to the 'New Munich Ballroom. on Fri. nights. (It burned down some years ago.) Some really decent/talented rock bands were booked...not local polka bands. The 'Hi Ho Cafe. was after I moved away (one day after graduation). Places to go for good food were the '52 Club, Theatre Cafe & Diamond Point. There was no Burger King or Arbys or videos or
computers or book stores. For me, Sauk Centre was oppressive and depressing.
However, I do have a few good memories and I will continue to visit your web
site to indulge my occasional nostalgia. [Thank you for sharing your experiences! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 7 October 2005 12:28 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 23 July 2005 11:31 PM [Central time, USA] [I hope you found your wallpaper, and thanks for the good words. Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 23 June 2005 7:03 PM [Central time, USA] [I don't know any Cullens in this area, I'm afraid. I'm glad you enjoyed this website! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 21 June 2005 5:21 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you! Brian H. Gill, Webmaster, Brendan's Island.] 8 May, 2005 9:36 AM [Central time, USA] [You're welcome, and welcome to Sauk Centre! I hope you enjoy living here as much as I do. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 27 April, 2005 7:51 PM [Central time, USA] [You'll find a little more about Brendan the Navigator at A Monk, A Boat, and a Legend, on this website. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 13 April, 2005 11:16 PM [Central time, USA] 3 April, 2005 4:23 PM [Central time, USA] [Briefly, Sauk Centre has nothing to do with St Brendan the Navigator. I called this website ‘Brendan's Island. because like Brendan's Island, it is a fine place: and because North America is, in fact, the fabled ‘Brendan's Island.. I say a little more about why I chose this name in the Visitor's Information Center. Finally, I wrote about St. Brendan because I like the tales that come to us of his voyage, and because about half my ancestors are Irish.] 18 March 2005 9:27 PM [Central time, USA] 6 March 2005 6:33 PM [Central time, USA] I will have to come back later... [Sauk Centre is almost in the center of the state of Minnesota, halfway between the Twin Cities and Fargo, North Dakota. I think heaven is actually a great deal more pleasant than this place, but this small town is a great place to live. Thanks for your comments! (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 28 February 2005 1:42 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you for your enthusiastic endorsement of this website! (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 18 February 2005 7:09 AM [Central time, USA] 30 December 2004 7:12 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. May St. Brendan's stay in your heart, and may you find blessings where you are, as well. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 11 November 2004 3:20 PM [Central time, USA] ["Brendan" is the spelling I've run into most often, and I believe it is the accepted spelling for St. Brendan's name. "Brenden" has been used as a personal name, however. I'm glad the article on St. Brendan was useful. Sorry about taking so long to attend to this entry. The last few weeks have been very hectic for me, here in Sauk Centre. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 21 October 2004 3:20 PM [Central time, USA] [Genuineness? That doesn't sound crazy at all! I'll admit that I am biased, though. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 15 October 2004 7:10 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you! I will try. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 5 September 2004 9:58 AM [Central time, USA] [Sorry, I haven't run across the name of St. Brendan's Boat. Naming it the St. Brendan sounds like a fine idea to me. By the way, although the navigable waters of Minnesota lake country are well worth the visit, I do not believe that you will find a place officially called Brendan's Island here. You might be interested in reading why I called this website "Brendan's Island," in the Visitor's Information Center. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 26 August 2004 9:24 PM [Central time, USA] 15 August 2004 10:42 PM [Central time, USA] 11 August 2004 11:11 AM [Central time, USA] 4 July 2004 6:10 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you! I added this message to this website's page on St. Brendan, A Monk, a Boat, And a Legend. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 1 May 2004 2:49 PM [Central time, USA] [Very good news! I've updated OMNI Hobby's entry on In Praise Of, on Brendan's Island. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 22 Apr 2004 7:08 PM [Central time, USA] [Thank you, for giving me and my family this opportunity to pray for another. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 26 Mar 2004 7:25 AM [Central time, USA] [Thank you! 25 Mar 2004 1:59 PM [Central time, USA] [This is most probably a response to a photo in "Attack of the Amateur Photo Album." The caption reads, "One thing is certain about the University of Minnesota, Morris: They have good self-esteem. This sign has been celebrating the institution since the summer of 2002, and through March 2004." I'm not sure how that indicates anger, but perhaps I need to clarify my position. My reaction to the sign is one of amusement. The sign proclaims the University of Minnesota, Morris, to be "America's Best Public Liberal Arts College." For all I know, they are. I've been to the U of M, Morris, campus several times, and was impressed. However, I still think of hubris, or what was popularized as "self-esteem," when seeing a claim that. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 14 Feb 2004 3:34 PM [Central time, USA] 11 Feb 2004 2:10 AM [Central time, USA] 31 Jan 2004 10:07 AM [Central time, USA] [When she's right, she's right! I've corrected the January 28, 2004 entry of
Sauk Centre This Season. 29 Sep 2003 4:58 AM [Central time, USA] [Thank you! (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 6 Sep 2003 5:46 PM [Central time, USA] I live in a town called Avilés in the region of Asturias on the northern coast of Spain. Avilés was an important harbour in the Middle Ages and there was a trade link with English ports such as Hastings, Sandwich, Hythe, etc. We happen to have a small beach near the entrance of our estuary called San Balandrán. I think it is a corruption of St Brendan or Brandan because the same happens with other place names referring to this Irish saint on the Canary Islands. A well- known legend on those islands refers to a "flying island" or "ghost island" known as Island of San Borondón or San Balandrán and in Tenerife there is a shrine devoted to this saint called the same way, too. As far as I know there is no evidence of St Brendan or his disciples traveling to northern Spain. Nevertheless, this place name of ours is quite amazing and I wonder if you could tell me anything about any likely voyage of St Brendan to Avilés. Once again congratulations for your fine page. [I am not an authority on St. Brendan, and so can't say much about a voyage of St. Brendan to Avilés. I intend to check some sources I have, and will see what I can learn. Just a word about medieval and ancient travel: During the twentieth century, conventional wisdom got a reality check about what people in the middle ages and ancient times could do. Thanks in part to Timothy Severin's voyages, the possibility that folks in pre-Renaissance history made sea voyages can be taken seriously. St. Brendan was one of the Irish monks, people who routinely voyaged to continental Europe in what many still insist on calling the "Dark Ages." A voyage to Avilés seems perfectly possible, even routine. In fact, the northern coast of Spain seems much more easy to reach than some parts of Europe where Irish monks are known to have gone: Rome, for example.] 22 Aug 2003 8:22 AM 13 Aug 2003 2:51 PM [I've found that the saint's name is more often spelled Brenainn, just as you pointed out. And the Book of Lismor is one of the places where it is spelled so. As to where I came up with Brennain? I looked for my notes on that matter, and alas! They seem to have gotten put in some unusually secure spot: so safe that not even I can find them. When I find them, I'll see what I can about just where it was I found that spelling. Now, as to the question you posed. Certainly! Not just the spelling - more of that later - but the name itself has surely changed. And thank you for bringing up an interesting point! Sure, look at the name Sean now, just as an example. It's a fine name, and one that has been around for a few millennia. Well, all that time has taken it to many lands. In the lands where my immediate ancestors made their abode, the name came to be called Sean, Ian, Iain, John, Jan, Jens, or Hans. A bit farther to the east than I can trace my family's roots, and the name found itself to be Ivan. And so it has been with Mirit or Miriam, Maria, Maren, and all the other variations of the name that found its way into English as Mary. And spelling? Well, first, remember that even today we don't have completely standardized spelling, even in our own language. and further, although the alphabets of western Europe are derived from Latin, each has been adapted to its own language. And further yet, when St. Brendan was among us, English didn't exist yet. And so, the name has come to us through many centuries and several languages. In short, I believe that it would be remarkable if a name or a word had not changed, and more than somewhat, as a millennia and a half passed, and it traveled across thousands of miles of ocean and one or two different languages. I've gone on at some length: but I'll lay some small part of the credit for that to those of my ancestors who lived and sang in the Emerald Isle. (Brian H. Gill, webmaster)] 26 May 2003 7:09 PM 24 May 2003 9:24 AM 21 Apr 2003 11:23 AM 18 Apr 2003 9:37 PM 10 Apr 2003 12:29 PM Here in southwestern PA, where the sun is struggling today to break through a leaden layer of clouds and "green things" are struggling to break through some still frozen patches of soil, I needed a "respite"...a Caribbean cruise, as I call my hookey moments, and you provided that for me. Thank you...and keep writing. I will definitely keep checking on you in your
attic. Blessings by the bushel, 14 Mar 2003 9:54 PM 22 Feb 2003 8:19 PM 22 Jan 2003 7:10 PM 18 Jan 2003 8:53 AM 14 Nov 2002 7:02 PM 25 Oct 2002 2:46 AM 21 Oct 2002 3:48 PM I'm doing research on Brendan for a college history class (Eastern Oregon University, on-line) and came across your wonderful tale. I've been fascinated with Brendan since I read the Nat Geographic article years ago. If you have an idea where to find said article, I would appreciate it! Ta, and t'anks for a lovely time [Brendan's Island will remain silent for the time being. Now, articles about St. Brendan, there's a fine idea: which may find itself on A Monk, a Boat and a Legend, when I find the time. (B. H. Gill, Webmaster)] 13 Oct 2002 9:24 PM [One St. Brendan's Island is a tiny but picturesque community called "St. Brendan's Island" on the Kittiwake Coast on The Island of Newfoundland. Once called Shoals Cove, it has a population of about 260, and lies on Cottel's Island in central Bonavista Bay. The Island of Newfoundland, of course, is that big island east of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Another is the legendary St. Brendan's Island is off somewhere in the Atlantic: but it doesn't exist, except in the imagination. This Web site is called Brendan's Island because to me, the lands of central Minnesota are as wondrous as the fantastic realm described in the Navigatio Brendani. There's more about why I call this site Brendan's Island at the Visitor Information Center. (B. H. Gill, Webmaster)] 24 Sep 2002 8:51 PM 13 Jun 2002 2:46 PM 24 Apr 2002 9:32 AM [eieio refers to a page on the Life in a Small Town site, where a copy of I Love It Here! is now published.] 15 Apr 2002 1:22 PM 27 Mar 2002 5:26 PM 22 Mar 2002 6:46 AM 22 Mar 2002 6:33 AM 4 Feb 2002 9:32 PM 27 Oct 2001 3:37 PM |
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