Pride Theme Night

We hit Pride Night at Target Field and scored some really nice Twins Pride Jerseys,

It was a perfect night for a ballgame and our seats were awesome - right by 1st base.

 

Baby Ducks

 All the baby geese & ducks have hatched and are everywhere 

Our backyard duck came by with her babies, but could not get them up the step to the birdfeeder. They wandered down to the lake and we haven't seen them since. The mom still comes by every day, but without her ducklings.

 

Brickwork

The bricks on our front stoop have always been a bit wonky. They were installed with construction adhesive that gave up its grip before we moved in. We fixed the bottom row a couple years ago and now it's time to fix the next row up.

The most difficult part was grinding & scraping the old adhesive off. After that, it was just like laying tiles.

 

Five Year Old

S turned 5 this week. He has been a fun little dog.

 

Backyard

JP has been hard at work on the yard this year. It's so pretty once everything comes back to life!

 

Live Music on the Lake

One of the things we love about summer is the live music across the lake at the bandshell. Monday, Wed., Friday, Sat. & Sunday there are bands of all kinds playing.

The bandshell looked a little rough three years ago when we moved here. It's in really bad shape now, but it's under construction. The roofs are supposed to be replaced later this year. 

 

Gerten's

We are in the market for some additional tall/skinny evergreen trees for the backyard. When we had the landscaping done, they charged us $800 for the little 4-footer. We need something more affordable. Everyone told us to check out Gerten's, so we did.

WOW! What a place! JP was so overwhelmed she didn't buy a thing. The property stretches over half a mile and it took us an hour to walk it.

Edina Art Fair

CP came over and we all walked down to the Edina Art Fair. We got there as it was opening, and it was already abuzz with throngs of people. CP picked up a really cool Minnesota Wild logo made out of license plates. Before the walk home, we cooled off at Red Cow.

 

Mulch

CP Came over and helped out with mulching the front yard. Home Depot has mulch on sale for $2 a bag, so we loaded up and put down 45 bags. We still need another 20 to finish it up.

We smoked some ribs and had a much deserved feast out on the patio.

We ended the day with a great 4-player game of Scythe. It's a boardgame with 200 pieces and rules that requires too much thought, but it's fun to play.

 

Baseball Afternoon

This week I organized my calendar at work and realized that we are going to be busy! Also realized that it was way too nice of a day to be at work and my time would utilized at Target Field. JP & I took the bus downtown and caught a perfect win against the Giants.

 

Kitchen Seating

The kitchen seating area is done. 

For now.

 

Off to Work

We got back from Lincoln on Saturday and GP had Sunday to rest. Monday morning the two of us carpooled to work where he started his summer internship in the sourcing department.

 

UNL Pickup

We made another journey to and from Lincoln to pick up GP for the summer. If all goes well, we will only have to make the trip two more times!

 

Smoky

The forest fires in Alberta are sending their smoke down to us. It's not as bad as it was last year, but it's certainly noticeable.

 

Springtime

We lost a lot of plants over the winter, but the crabapple made it.

The new trees in the backyard all made it, as did the grass. The mugo pine did not - we need to find a replacement.

 

Neighbor Kid Graduates

It has been fun watching all the kids grow up. SN graduated from NIU. We are so proud of her!

 

Tettegouche State Park Waterfalls

We did a day trip half an hour up the coast to Tettegouche State Park to check out the waterfalls there. Most of the snow is gone, but there's still a good flow coming down the river.

The Baptism River flows thru the park. The highest waterfall is 70 feet.

 

North Shore

The north shore of Lake Superior is as different from Siesta Key Beach as you can get. There is no soft sand or warm green water. It's all rocks and blue ice water.

 

Split Rock Lighthouse Campground

We tried out the the campground at Split Rock with the Ks. They have a 1970s camper that is completely decked out. 

 

Split Rock Lighthouse

We spent Mother's Day weekend on the north shore at Spilt Rock Lighthouse State Park.

We had beautiful weather and the lake was an electric blue.

We have been to the lighthouse, but I think the view from afar is much better. 

 

Camp Dog

We finally figured out a solution for S in the car. We fold down the back seats and put his doggie bed there in front of the rear A/C vents. For the first time ever he did not need to sit in JP's lap.

S Loves being outside and camping and exploring.

 

Kitchen Painting

JP Moved the pear painting that someone else painted into the freshly painted kitchen that she painted. It's complete for now.

 

New Eagle

This year we have a new eagle in the neighborhood. Its head is not yet white, but the crows and blue jays know who he is.

 

Neighborhood Dining

CP Usually stops by on the weekends to check in. It's really nice having so many places within walking distance for lunch.

 

Star Wars Day

We scored tickets to see the original 1977 Star Wars at the Parkway Theatre. CP and the Ks joined us for dinner at the Town Hall Tap next door.

The show was sold out and there were more than a few characters in uniform.