The south shore fishing dock went back in.
After floating offshore all winter, it had a nice thick coating of bird poop.
Sunday, May 31, 2026
State of Hockey
The Wild are playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.I finally got around to making a flagpole out of an old hockey stick for CP's flag.
Get the Lead Out
Everyone on the block got their old lead pipes replaced this week.
The entire block was torn up with equipment running every day from 6 AM to 7 PM.
Native Plants
Down at the lake, there's a plot of land roped off with "Native Plants - Do Not Disturb" signs. For the past two years, it has looked more like a weed patch. This year, it really took off and is noticeably different than the surround untouched areas.
Whitewater SP
Our first camping trip of 2026 took us with the Ks to Whitewater State Park, two hours south of us on the Whitewater River.
It reminded us of the Palisades, except 3x bigger.
The K's camper serves as base camp. Our tent is not as exciting.
Neighborhood Construction Season 1
Construction in the neighborhood has commenced. There is a multi-year project to improve the storm sewer drainage for our alley. It involves running a 6x6 foot chamber the length of the block and new pipes down to the lake. Before that could happen, we had a new gas main put in last fall, and this spring everyone is getting new lead-free plumbing. The gas main runs under the sidewalk, so there's a section missing in front of each house so the connection could be made. Last fall, the sidewalk was temporarily patched with asphalt. This year, it was dug up and we're waiting for new concrete.
Sick as a Dog
For a while, S hasn't been feeling well. He's been puking at least once a day, and his stomach has been a mess. It got to the point that he became very lethargic and we could barely get him to his feet. We took him to the vet and they did some tests and gave him some pills. The next day he was looking even worse, so JP ran him to the doggy ER where he stayed for two nights. Had we taken him to the Waldorf Astoria in Hawaii, it would have been cheaper.
He had some ulcers and his digestive system was shut down. They unblocked and rehydrated him. When I went to pick him up, it took him a full 15 seconds to recognize me; he was really doped up.
He's now back home and doing well. He has a two-week course of medications to ride out. We're glad to have our pup back!
Kitchen TV
We have been talking about the need to mount the kitchen TV on the wall since we got it. This is the weekend to get it done!
Cutting into plaster walls is a nightmare. Next time I'm going to use the router.
Monday, May 25, 2026
Portrait Lighting
We took GP with us to celebrate the end of my first week @ work. The window lighting and wall paint made for a perfect portrait setup.
Pre-dawn Dog Walks
The days of sleeping in till 6 are over. It's back to early morning dog walks before heading to work.
John Mulaney
JP joined the neighbors for a night with John Mulaney at the Armory. I would have gone, but the following morning was my first day at the new job and I needed a good night's sleep.
MIA
The Minneapolis Institute of Art had a special exhibit of pre-WW2 German art. We did the self-paced audio tour. Most of it was pretty depressing.
Once you see the Japanese warrior outfits, you start to understand where all those crazy characters in the Godzilla movies originated.
Big Shoes
I needed some new steel toed boots for work, so we headed to the best boot store in the world in Red Wing, MN.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Twins Game #2
A little known strategy with the Twins is to get cheap seats for the opener and then get good seats for the next day when demand is low. CP & I scored some great club-level seats for $30.
I learned my lesson with the cold the day before, so we dressed in full winter gear and enjoyed sitting in the snow.
OKC Fun
While I was dealing with spring snow in Minneapolis, JP was having fun with the kids in OKC.
Birds of Spring
Our lake birds are back in force. It's fun hearing a loon call out. If it's quiet and the wind is right, we can hear them at the house.
The birds of prey are hungry.
Home Opener
I make an effort every year to hit the Twins first and last home games. This year it was 35°, raining, and windy. The sold out but no one wanted to sit in the rain, so the corridors were packed solid with fans seeking shelter. An hour before first pitch, the power went out.
Without power, there were no sales of $2 hotdogs and $2 beer. I waited 15 minutes and bailed out to Brits for a nice warm fish & chips. When I left there were still thousands of fans standing in line in the rain & wind waiting to get in the stadium. The power came back on after over an hour and they were able to play ball and beat the Rays 10 to 4.
Spring Flowers
While the Twins were dealing with 35° and rain, JP was in OKC planting flowers with Nana.
Home Opener Breakfast
The Twins put on a big breakfast from 6-9 on the morning of the first home opener. Free hot dogs, brats, & coffee!
Ice Out
3/31/26: The lake is finally free of ice. It's so weird how it can be frozen solid ice all the way across at 6 PM and then 12 hours later be completely open. This fishing dock must have broken free while it was frozen in the ice. Overnight, it floated up against the south shore; it belongs on the other side of the lake!
All that was left of the ice was a band of shards along the south shore.
Charlie Berens
JP got tickets to see Charlie Berens for our birthdays, but due to the ICE-related turmoil in the city, he (and several other performers) backed out and rescheduled for March. It worked out for the better, because we got to go to the Rush Tribute Project for our birthdays instead AND we still got to see Charlie Berens. Here is my favorite CB video.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)