CP's Light Show

CP polished up his LED light show device. It's running on an Arduino and pulses the lights based on music coming from his phone. When I saw it, I was blown away and had to build my own for the garage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHA6NKz1dTQ

Red Wing

This weekend, we took a road trip an hour south to Red Wing on the MS River. It's a charming river town and the home of Red Wing boots. We checked out Barn Bluff (the hill in the photo) and decided that the two-mile jaunt to the top would be better saved for another day when we bring real shoes and the dog.

We started at the south end of town with the Red Wing boots flagship store and wandered all the way north (1 mile) to the pottery museum. The train depot is still in use by Amtrak.

Based on a recommendation, we hit Kelly's Tap House for lunch. As we sat down, the bartender was was preparing three monstrous bloody Marys that included a little bit of everything. Had we not been facing 1.5 miles of walking ahead of us in the heat, I might have been talked into having one...

 

Salut

CP had an in-person interview with a place in Shakopee. He has really been putting in the effort on the job hunt, so we figured it's time for a little celebration. He has been wanting to try Salut, a French bistro at 50th & France. Tasty!

CP's tastes have definitely matured along with him. He had no problem digging snails and mussels out of their shells. JP got the bouillabaisse and it was incredible. CP got a steak sandwich, and I got the walleye, as usual.  

 

SUP!

The lake is full of paddleboarders and we've been wanting to give it a shot, so we hit Scheels in Eden Prairie. It's bigger than the new Scheels in Lincoln and it features a life-size Paul Bunyan in the entrance.

We got an inflatable stand up paddle board (SUP) and it took us a good 20 minutes of effort and sweat to pump it up to 10 psi with the hand pump. It only weighs 17 lbs, but it's more than a handful to carry. We're still trying to work out what way is best to get it down to the lake. 

All three of us gave it a shot and had a good time. It's so much easier and more stable than when we tried in the gulf at Clearwater Beach. 

The day we got it, it was 96°. The entire following week, it was in the 70s. 

 

The Road Less Traveled

For the 4th this year, we travelled back to NE to move the last of CP's things out of his apartment. We spent a few days at the G's pool and soaked in the sunshine.

Traffic on I-80 going down was crazy, so we took another route up I-29 and across the NW corner of Iowa. It was nearly devoid of traffic and it made for a beautiful drive. We hit Bob's Drive Inn in Le Mars for hotdogs.