Sea Salt Season Opener

We had beautiful weather for opening day at Sea Salt next to the falls. JP had the crab cakes, and S & I enjoyed a basket of clam fries.

There was still a fair amount of ice beneath the falls.

We hiked down to the confluence of Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi.

 

Morning Walks

I've been taking advantage of the ability to waste an hour or two walking around the lake with the dog. Springtime is happening, and the bandshell restoration construction is nearing completion. Hopefully the Bread & Pickle will open soon!

 

Sofa Cat

V enjoys sitting with us on the sofa each night. She won't usually lie on the pillow unless we put down a soft blanket for her.

 

Pantry

JP's new pantry is complete except for the door that is due in three weeks. She is very happy to not have to lug the mixer, instapot, or slow cooker up the stairs any more.

The pantry project was a good warmup and wakeup call for us about doing the rest of the kitchen floor. There's a lot to it, and with a 100 year old house, nothing is as it seems.

 

Loon Season

The loons and mergansers have arrived and taken up residence in the lake. S could not care less. He is still mad about the ice going away.

 

Pantry Project

The pantry project contains a bit of everything other than plumbing. We framed in a doorway and cut & stained the oak trim. Getting a decent match was a pain! We ended up doing four coats of stain; not ideal in a 45° garage. 

 

Long Way Home

We took the long way home from dropping the boys off at the train station and explored a bit. The falls were on the way and there was no one there, so we stopped for a quick look. The ice is almost gone.

 

Train to Chicago

The boys took the train from St. Paul to Chicago for a concert at House of Blues. 

For the outbound journey, they rode the Empire Builder on its way from Portland. It had eleven passenger cars and a dining car. They took the new Borealis commuter train back, which was spartan and only had four cars. Both said they really enjoyed the big train.

 

Spring Snow

We got a surprise snowstorm that dropped 3" of beautiful wet snow. The dog was loving it!

Pantry Demo

With the new floor complete, we decided to convert the wine bar area into a pantry. We like the wine fridge out in the main kitchen area, and JP doesn't have enough storage space for all the kitchen appliances.

The glass tiles were stubborn; we ended up pulling off the sheetrock on the back wall.