Planetary Alignment

Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon were in alignment for a few days every morning.

 

Evening Show

S doesn't mind live music, but he does not like the hot walk to get there and back.

We were treated to a beautiful evening and show. The band has been together since before wives & kids. Now they have their kids doing a song with them on stage. 

It's back to getting dark before bedtime,

 

Window Office

This is the view out my office window. Right now it's a big open field and the yet-to-open Boston Scientific campus across the way is nearly complete. A year from now I will be looking out at another large white industrial building.

 

Early Trash Truck

The garbage trucks begin their day promptly at 6 AM per city ordinance, and their first stop is Broders' Deli on the corner.. This fool showed up at 5 AM and sat idling for an hour. I'm up & walking the dog by then, but a lot of the neighborhood is not. 

 

Paddleboards on a Wall

I've been wanting to do this for a long time. The paddleboards on their trolleys take up way too much of our precious garage space. 

 

Sucker for Succulents

JP is a sucker for succulents. She cannot pass them up. I attribute it to having lived in AZ for 4 years.

She also loses her way when in Bachman's, our local 100 year old garden/landscaping/gift center.

Succulents, Bachman's, and a 50% off sale? It's just too much!

 

Paddleboard Morning

We had a Sunday morning with zero breeze at 10 AM. Usually it's calm at sunrise, but as soon as the sun comes up, a breeze starts to rustle the leaves. We're not talking about Nebraska wind, a Minnesota breeze is just enough to feel, but out on the water paddling a paddleboard, it feels amplified.

S tolerates his life jacket and being out on the lake. Mostly. He would enjoy it more if we brought some cheese along.

The lake was like glass. It was impossible to judge that we were making any progress until we'd pass a piece of seaweed. We ended up going all the way around the lake 100 yards from shore.

 

SKOL!

We had a blast watching the Vikings beat the Texans. Before and after, we explored and found some new places to eat.

Because it was a pre-season game, we could afford some decent seats in the club level. For a regular season game, the same seats go for $600 each.

 

Minnetonka Cruise

We hit Excelsior and Lake Minnetonka for a bite to eat, some live music, and a tour of the lake from CH & JL, friends from my last job. 

It was a perfect evening for a concert in the park along the lakefront with good friends.

 

National Night Out

National Night Out is a big thing here in Minneapolis. It's on a weeknight, so all the neighbors are home and everyone come out for a picnic in the street. We were treated to a visit by the Mayor as he made his rounds through the city. He stopped and chatted with the group for 45 minutes about the state of the city.

Each block has their own party. If you look closely, you can see the next block doing the same thing.

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Messy Birds

The rodents clean up all the birdseed that the sparrows throw on the ground.

 

Smoky Start to the Day

We've been getting a lot of smoke from the forest fires in Canada. It's not as bad as last year when it smelled smoky like a campground, but it's noticeable. 

 

Tubing the Creek

We haven't had any rain this past week, so the water in the creek is nice & clear. It originates at Lake Minnetonka rather than drainage from a feed lot or corn field. Due to all the rain we've had this summer, the lakes are high and the creek is running at 200 cfs, so we now have rapids.

We are able to walk down Penn and put in there. We float down to the creek draining the lake and then walk home half a mile.

Except for the bridges, it feels like you're out in the woods most of the way.

 

Box Labels

If/when our neighbors are out of town, we pick up their Amazon deliveries. Some of the boxes are well labeled. 

 

Yam House @ the Bandshell

We caught the Friday night concert at the Bandshell: Yam House. They are a local band with quite a following. This was the largest crowd we've seen. S was HOT. The large orange dog in front of us got up, stretched, and then leaned over on the two women to his right for a pet. Then he laid down on their blanket.

All the benches were full and the surrounding park was packed with people on blankets and lawn chairs. We've given up on standing in line at the snack bar; we just pack a bag and go picnic style. It saves us $50, too.

New Rug

JP has been wanting this rug from Ikea for the last year. It has been out of stock until this week. She enlisted GP to swap it out for the old rug. It goes better with the floor and radiators.

The cat thinks it's OK, too.

 

Gust Front

We had a week of super hot & muggy days with severe thunderstorms every night. I took S for a walk before the storm hit and we watched the gust front sweep across the lake. With the lake level up from all the rain, the waves were splashing up onto the walking path. By the time we got back to the house, the sky had gone dark and the wind was tearing up the trees.

 

Perfect Day for Reading

Some days in the summer are hot and miserable. Others are 75, dry, and perfect for reading out on the patio. We have tunes, cheetos, a cold beer, and a good book: Old Heart by Peter Ferry, DK's high school English teacher. I highly recommend the book; it was our July selection for the Lynnhurst Men's Book Club.

 

Garage Shelves

The front corner of the garage was turning into a heap of stuff, so I built some shelves to get it up off the floor. We just have to be careful not to hit the asbestos-wrapped radiator pipes with the cushions & pillows.

 

UFO Landing Zone

At the sledding hill, there is a perfect circle of ginormous toadstools. My guess is that they mark where a UFO landed last night. Or maybe they are markers for a UFO for landing. Either way, they are not normal looking and the only explanation is something UFO-related.