'Day in the Life' Short Reels

Matchup Music Video
“The Simple Solution“

Take a wild ride through Adventure Land Golf, to the tune of “The Simple Solution,” by Gene Walden.

(For the sub-caption version, go here: Simple Solution }

Matchup at Adventure Land Golf Trailer

We take a swing through Adventure Land, as the boys traverse mountains, deserts, plains, icebergs, and even the moon in their quest for the Ice Cream Trophy.

**The Making of Matchup: Intro and Part 1**

Best-selling author Gene Walden takes a look at the early creative process and the real life inspiration that led to the making of Matchup at Adventure Land Golf The Epic Journey of Two Fearless Boys.

**Making Matchup: Part 2. A Star Is Born**

Walden didn’t have to look far to find an ideal model for one of the two Adventure Land Golf rivals, although finding the other boy was a different story.

**Making Matchup: Part 3. Grooming a Co-Star**

Walden traveled from Minneapolis to Michigan to meet and train a 4-year-old boy to serve as the model for the second star in Matchup competing for the Adventure Land Ice Cream Trophy. Although he had never swung a golf club, he was still a perfect fit for the part.

**Making Matchup: Part 4. I Meet the Great Bud Chapman**

The late Loyal “Bud” Chapman, Jr., was golf’s greatest artist, known for his Infamous 18 Golf Holes. Walden, who met him in the 1980s for a magazine interview, discusses Chapman’s influence on his Matchup illustrations.

**Making Matchup: Part 5. Setting the Artistic Style**

While golf painter Bud Chapman had an influence on Walden’s style in Matchup, so did pop artist Andy Warhol, Roger Rabbit, and Jumanji.. But with more than 100 illustrations to create for Matchup, Walden had to add some ingenuity to his creativity to finally finish the book.

A special reason I always buy GirlPScout Cookies

Girl Scout Cookies are good for the soul and the sweet tooth, but there’s also another reason I always buy the cookies.

My shivering experience with Cryo-Fusion

Library crisis in America: From funding cuts to book bans

When you go to the library, it’s always a relaxing time. But now, it’s not so relaxing because, from book bans to funding cuts, public libraries face growing political pressure – which leads to growing financial pressure.
This 3-part series lays out some of the key problems facing libraries and how you can help (primarily by donating to libraries and contacting your Congressional reps to encourage them to keep the funding coming).
Part 1. Brain drain. The race to erase funding for libraries and education
Part 2. Saving history. When libraries fall, history is lost
Part 3. Book bans and burnings. Unconstitutional and UnAmerican

Shout out to two library advocates whose articles provided much of the information for this presentation, including Patrick Sweeny, Political Director of the EveryLibrary Institute and a lecturer at the San Jose Information School where he teaches courses on politics and libraries (see his article here), and Cristin Dorgelo of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (see article here).

Children’s book trends: Art vs. action

With one million new children’s books coming out each year, it’s hard to sort out the key trends in children’s literature. There are some wonderful new stories from a growing diversity of angles, but there are also some mind-numbing trends that can grab kids’ eyes for hours on end without teaching them a thing.

First swing of the year

Early March in Minnesota is busy at the indoor driving ranges, so Gene headed out to shed his splint and hit his first drives of 2026.

Children’s book lessons from the streets of Minneapolis

Part 1. Using images to support and amplify your message

We visit the Whipple Building, ICE headquarters, and the memorials of two fallen Minneapolis residents.

Part 2. How images can amplify and expand your message

We watch a dance for unity by the Ojibway Tribe at Renee Good’s Memorial and go inside the fence at Whipple.

Part 3.

We take a look at the icy ICE operations on the ground, swing through George Floyd’s memorial, and try to figure out what message came out of all this.

Epilogue
Part 1. Words worth a thousand pictures

Signs of the times: We look at dozens of the best placards of the protest — and learn how words from long ago brought me to the streets of The Cities.

Part 2. Heroes of the siege

We watch Angry Man in action in St. Paul, take another swing through Whipple, and highlight some of the thousands of Minnesotans who stood up for their friends and neighbors in the face of the ICE incursion.

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‘Day in the Life’ Short Reels

Matchup Music Video“The Simple Solution“

Matchup at Adventure Land Golf Trailer

The Making of Matchup: Intro and Part 1

Making Matchup: Part 2. A Star Is Born

Making Matchup: Part 3. Grooming a Co-Star

Making Matchup: Part 4. I Meet the Great Bud Chapman

Making Matchup: Part 5. Setting the Artistic Style