Dog Babysitting

We babysat C for a few days. He & S are the same size and temperment and they get along well.

C takes toy destruction to a whole new level. He picked up where S left off and showed all the toys who is the boss.

He feels relaxed enough that he's OK taking naps in the sun, even with the cat nearby watching him.

 

Snow!!

Finally!! We got some snow!! After record heat all winter, we finally got a nice dumping of white stuff.

The forecast was all over; no one knew how much we would get other than it was certain we would get something. We got 8" the first day and then another 4" two days later with the back end of the storm. It was wet & heavy and we went thru a full tank of gas in the snowblower.

We have really missed our walks in our winter wonderland this year. The dog was VERY excited to be out and about.

 

Adam Ant

CP took my ticket to go with JP to see Adam Ant and the English Beat at Uptown Theatre. Adam Ant is one of JP's favorite bands from the 80s. CP likes them a lot more than I, and he really enjoyed the show.

Both of them came home with Adam Ant t-shirts with the design that JP always wanted to have as a tattoo when she 13.

 

Vegas 2024 #2

I spent a couple days in Las Vegas for an electric vehicle charging summit. The nice thing about going to Vegas is all the side-show extras that you don't get if you go to somewhere like Fargo.

There was an 80s tribute band that played good songs, including one from Iron Maiden.

The conference was held at the Mirage. It was a spectacular hotel compared to the place I stayed. Maybe next time I can stay there...

No trip to Vegas would be complete without hanging with the Gs. We wandered thru the Casino Roalye; it has to be the oldest casino on the main strip. Low ceilings & smoky.

 

Old Oak

The oak tree in front of this house was a neighborhood spectacle. It had wide low branches that extended way out and were supported by cables. It defined the house. Not sure why it had to come down, but the house is not the same now.

 

Turkeys in the Hood

The Richfield turkeys are well known, but these are new to our neighborhood. These were at 52nd and Penn, above the creek.

 

Aroboretum

We hit a quiet day at the Arboretum. There was still snow on the ground and everything was open, but no one was there. We accidently stumbled across the conservatory and took in all the lush tropical plants.

We even saw a dinosaur footprint.

 

Early Ice Out

This winter has been exceptionally warm. Normally, we get a few warm days that quickly go back to winter. This year, it warmed up and stayed warm. The last day for the ice was March 11. 

 

Big 10 Women's Husker B-Ball

The Big 10 basketball tournaments are being held here in Minneapolis. Every night on the news has been chatter about how it's sold out due to Caitlin Clark (Iowa Hawkeyes all-time NCAA scoring recordholder) and tickets are $200+. What they weren't saying is that the other games are not sold out, and tickets are cheap.

I scored two second-row courtside seats for the Nebraska game against Purdue. $8 each! DK picked me up from work and we had a fun time. It was a double-header with the Illinois-Maryland game up first.

We were sitting close enough that we could hear the girls' and ref's chatter. We were also close to thje Husker band and had fun with all their antics. By the end of the game, DK was chanting "GO BIG RED!" with the rest of us.

The Huskers won this game as well as the next one against Michigan State.

 

Nine Mile Creek

With the warm temps, we should be in knee-deep mud season, but the lack of moisture is keeping the mud at bay. We tried out a new place: Nine Mile Creek in Bloomington (10 minutes south of us). It starts off in a canyon in a residential neighborhood and winds down to the Minnesota River. Along the river is a bird santuary. We watched four bald eagles soaring above their nest and a bazillion geese, ducks, and coots in the water. We even saw an old beaver lodge.

S lost all of his winter coat last month and he's ready for snowless walks (until it gets above 50°). He is smart enough to know that when he's hot, all he has to do is go for a swim.

 

Warm Spring Fireside

The weather has been absolutely balmy. We are taking advantage of it by being outside as much as possible. CP came over and we had a nice firepit family night.

 

Spring Training

After the Up North show, we wandered around downtown. I had a 40% off coupon for the Twins store, so we hit Target Field where CP got a new Twins shirt. Only one month to go until baseball is back!

 

Up North Show

CP joined us for the Up North Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We had fun checking out the cabins and backyard saunas. It would be nice to have a cabin, but all the ones we like are $600k+.

With cabins scratched off the list, JP is talking more and more about a hard-sided camper. This one is made in St. Paul and it's top notch. I think I could get into something like this. It would probably fit into the front stall of the garage (if somehow you could back it in for 35 feet with zero clearance).

 

Ducks

The creek coming out of the lake is always packed with ducks. It's nice ice-free clean moving water. 

 

Pike Island

With temps in the 40s and zero snow, we (and at least 11 boats) got out on the river. 

The three-mile hike around Pike Island is pretty, and at this time of year, bug-free. It's where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers converge. Even though its surrounded by city, it is peaceful and uncrowded.

Mud season is upon us. 

 

Hamster Maze

On our list of things to do is to walk the entire skyway system downtown. We took it to the Home & Garden show, but on the weekend most of the shops are closed. Need to take off a weekday and go exploring.

 

Home & Garden Show

We hit the Home & Garden Show downtown Minneapolis for something to do. JP fell in love with this little crooked greenhouse.

This gas-fired pizza oven would look good next to the grill on the deck.