Urban Ice Fishing

We watched this group drag their ice fishing sled and gear out onto Lake Harriet. It was a slow slog with the fresh snow - I'm not sure that they were anticipating that. With a sunny 20 degree day, there's no need for so much gear.

 

Dog Sledding

We hit Birch's on the Lake again this year for their dog sled brunch. It was a perfect day for it - 20 and sunny and no wind. Perfect for us, but a bit too warm for the dogs pulling people thru the deep snow.

Afterwards, we sat next to the fire table on the deck overlooking the lake and watched the rides below.

There were two 6-dog teams pulling everyone around. 

 

Foot of Snow

For a week, we had 18-24 inches of snow in the forecast. The governor was on the news telling people to stay home and off the streets. It was exciting and the only topic of conversation. 

In the end, we got a solid foot, but no more. It freshened up the dingy snow that had been exposed for almost two weeks.

It took us all day of on and off shoveling to get dug out. The snow fort walls are now 18" higher and it feels cozier.

 

Rain Rain Go Away

We had a few days of warmth and then an inch of rain. It didn't do much to the snowpack, but it certainly filled up the creek.

 

New Guitar Day

CG Left some of his unplayed guitars behind. The plan is to get them cleaned up, setup, and play them for a year or two. If anyone is looking for a decent guitar, let me know; I have too many.

 

Breakfast Walk

We ran the Gs ragged while they were here. Saturday morning we walked around the lake and hit Tilia in Linden Hills for an awesome breakfast. We caught the polar bear plunge group in the water and it was the last day of the Art Shanty project over at the bandshell. It feels like winter is almost over already.

We closed out the day with a fire in the snow fort.

 

Hockey Night with the Old Neighbors

The Gs came up from Lincoln or Vegas or wherever they live now for the MN Wild vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey game. We grabbed dinner at a fun pub on 7th St.

JP Got her "First Game Certificate" and she is quite proud of it.

CP Came along and had a good time, too. Our seats were on the 50 yard line, but second to the last row at the top. At a football game, we would have needed binoculars, but the Xcel center is small enough that there really are no bad seats.

 

Workplace Deli

Here is another masterpiece from the deli counter @ work: English cucumbers stuffed with cooked salmon with red peppers & onions and a wasabi sauce.

 

Winter Fun

One of our favorite things about MN is winter and the fact that it gets cold enough long enough to actually have fun with winter sports and activities. S loves going out on the lake. We drop his leash and he is somewhat free to run & romp on his own.

We took advantage of a beautiful day and put our skis on for the first time this year. It has been such a crazy winter, we haven't had time.

 

Klondike Dog Derby 2023

This weekend was the 3rd annual Klondike Dog Derby in Excelsior. The main attraction is the 40 mile dog sled race that does two loops around Lake Minnetonka. We had a good viewing spot near the starting line and it was fun seeing (and hearing) the excitement in the dogs as they waited for the green light. In all there were 35 teams. About half were women, and there were more than a few teens, too.

We have all seen air hockey, and ice hockey, but what about an ice air hockey table?! I need to make one for the snow fort.

We picked up CP on the way out. 

 

Longer Days

The days are definitely getting longer. The sun is still up when I get home from work. It's so nice walking the dog in the light rather than at night all the time.