St. Paul Cathedral

The St. Paul Cathedral is across the street from the Hill House, so we popped in to check it out. Wow!!! It's stunning!

 

Hill House

We've been wanting to see the Hill House since we moved here. JP finally pulled the trigger and got some tickets. 

 

Oh Deer

On our walk around the lake, we spotted six deer on the north side in the bird sanctuary. I've seen some of their tracks on the ice.

 

Chilly Open

An ex-Toro friend invited me to join his team for the Chilly Open, an ice-golf tournament on Lake Minnetonka. The theme of the event was Saturday Night Live. We had the Weekend Update news desk on skis an pushed it from hole to hole. 

Instead of golf balls, we used tennis balls and hockey sticks.

I was glad to have the landshark outfit on; the wind picked up and it got chilly on the ice.

 

Wooden Ship

I met up with a friend at Wooden Ship, a local brewery in Linden Hills. The last time I was here, the average age of the crowd was 50+. Since then, they knocked out a wall and doubled the size and started karaoke night. The place was packed and the average age is now 20-30 years younger. 

 

Art Chanty Project 2026

The Art Shanty Project on Lake Harriet this year was the best we've been to. The shanties were done up really well and the weather cooperated on the third weekend. The first two weekends were -10 °F with wind and snow.

A crowd gathered round some witches that were casting spells to drive out evil and bring peace to Minneapolis. 

The ice bike races were exciting. This guy had it nailed.

The disco shanty is always popular.

 

Rush!

Months ago, tickets went on sale for The Rush Tribute Project concert. Rush is one of my favorite bands, but the cheapest tickets were more than I'm willing to pay. I've been keeping tabs on the resale ticket sites and finally, a day before the show, some cheap tickets popped up! $17 each, including fees!!

JP took one for the team and accompanied me. We hit Gluek's and split a rueben for our tailgating.

The show was absolutely fantastic. We had great seats on the main floor and the crowd there was OK remaining seated for the entire three hour show. There was no opening act; just three hours of Rush music, including the full 2112 and the entire Moving Pictures album. 

 

World Snow Sculpting

We hit Stillwater on a weekday for lunch and to check out this year's World Snow Sculpting winners. It was a brisk day with a high of +10 °F.

This is Mongolia's entry - it was our favorite and it took 2nd place.

 

State of Hockey

We watched the Wild take on and defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in a post-overtime shootout. What started out a a 3-0 loss turned around in the third period and made for an exciting finish.

The cat is saying "I could not care less about your flag. Just turn on the water!"

 

Winter Festival

On our way to the hockey game, we had dinner at Burger Moe's on 7th Street and wandered over to Rice Park to see the ice sculptures. It was dark enough that they were all lit up with cool LED lights.

 

Exploding Trees

In addition to frostbite, we also have to beware of trees exploding from the extreme cold. Who knew this is a real thing?

 

Brrrr

We LOVE our radiators!! They keep hats, mittens, gloves, coats, and boots warm and ready.

We had a 90 degree difference between indoors and outdoors. We are not looking forward to this month's gas & electric bills.

Add a breeze and it starts feeling face-stinging cold.

 

Dress for Success

Phone & video interviews have replaced the traditional show up and talk in-person interviews. Regardless, it's still important to look like you didn't just roll out of bed covered in pet hair for a video interview.

 

Happy Guitar

The replacement for the Sad Guitar arrived with its neck intact. It's way better than I thought a $150 guitar would be. JP doesn't like the blue color, so I guess I will have to try another one and see if she likes it any better.

 

Wind & Snow

Because there are no trees growing on the lake ice, it gets Nebraska windy. This, and the low angle of the winter sun make for some beautiful wind-carved snow features as the wind erodes through the layers of snow.

 

Let it Snow!

We've had a fair amount of snow this winter. It doesn't stop walkers, joggers, or fat tire bicyclists from getting out. The intersection at the south beach is nearly as crowded in winter as summer.

S likes the lake being frozen, but he doesn't care much for the slippery bare ice. He jumps from snow drift to drift.

With each fresh snow, the snow fort gets a little more definition.

 

Cold Carp

We spotted this 2-foot long carp swimming in the frigid water coming out of the lake. I suppose the water here is warmer here than a few blocks downstream where it's frozen over.

 

Extras

We volunteered to be extras in a photo shoot for a commercial for the Special Olympics games being held here this summer. We sat in the stands and cheered and clapped for imaginary players on an empty basketball court. It was fun & interesting to see what it takers to create just a short commercial.

 

Another Sunrise

 

Snow Fort

 

I took advantage of some warm weather (in the teens) and added another row to the snow fort.

The Sad Guitar

I couldn't pass up an offer for a $150 Les Paul. Sadly, it arrived with a broken neck and had to go back.

 

Iowa Trip

We took a few days for a trip to Iowa to see the G's new home. It's big, new, and beautiful. 

They even have a space set aside for doing puzzles, complete with its own beer fridge.

 

Winter Sunrises

Although chilly, the lake, sky, and city skyline are magical in the winter. The dog doesn't really care. 

 

Puzzletime

This time of year is perfect for puzzles. JP is the puzzlemaster.

 

Skating

Today it was 25 with no wind, so we ran down to the neighborhood park and got out skating. JP is graceful and can get around pretty well. Neither of us fell, so we considered it a successful outing.

We were both dripping with sweat by the time we tired ourselves out (20 minutes).