Exploring Minneapolis

We've been trying to get out and explore new places. Last weekend we hit Tap Society, a brewpub. It was high-90s sweaty hot, so we drove the 1.3 miles instead of walking. The food was great, and we had fun watching the women's soccer game between USA and New Zealand. It's on the #4 bus line - we'll return during football season to catch a game.

This weekend we went downtown and hit the rooftop of Brit's pub. We didn't get to do any lawn bowling, but it was a beautiful day for relaxing in the sunshine.

After that, we hiked all over downtown. It's really surreal - there are no people. Most of the large employers send their workforces home and have not returned and it's a ghost town in the business district. Next time we will do some more research and hit someplace with more activity.

 

Smoky

Normally we have a nice view of the downtown skyline from the south side of the lake.

This past week we had smoke from fires in Canada blow in. JP watched it roll into the neighborhood like a haboob (dust storm). It burned the eyes and smelled like a campfire. We could barely see across the lake and the skyline (and sun) were completely blotted out.

 

Paddleboarding

JP picked up a dolly for her paddleboard so that it's super easy to get it down to the lake & back. She is out paddling on the lake almost every day. It's really nice that motor boats are not permitted on the lake. It's only sailboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. 

I'm not as steady as JP, but I am able to get out and go places.

 

Breakfast Bike Ride

With the dog in IL and not needing a walk first thing in the AM, I did a morning bike ride around the lake and hit the Bread & Pickle for a 3 lb breakfast burrito. It lasted the whole weekend.

 

Tree Removal

J & C took off to IL for a weekend and helped Nana take out some trees alongside her house.

JP picked up an electric chainsaw at Ace and it didn't take long to git'r done.

 

CP's Light Show

CP polished up his LED light show device. It's running on an Arduino and pulses the lights based on music coming from his phone. When I saw it, I was blown away and had to build my own for the garage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHA6NKz1dTQ

Red Wing

This weekend, we took a road trip an hour south to Red Wing on the MS River. It's a charming river town and the home of Red Wing boots. We checked out Barn Bluff (the hill in the photo) and decided that the two-mile jaunt to the top would be better saved for another day when we bring real shoes and the dog.

We started at the south end of town with the Red Wing boots flagship store and wandered all the way north (1 mile) to the pottery museum. The train depot is still in use by Amtrak.

Based on a recommendation, we hit Kelly's Tap House for lunch. As we sat down, the bartender was was preparing three monstrous bloody Marys that included a little bit of everything. Had we not been facing 1.5 miles of walking ahead of us in the heat, I might have been talked into having one...

 

Salut

CP had an in-person interview with a place in Shakopee. He has really been putting in the effort on the job hunt, so we figured it's time for a little celebration. He has been wanting to try Salut, a French bistro at 50th & France. Tasty!

CP's tastes have definitely matured along with him. He had no problem digging snails and mussels out of their shells. JP got the bouillabaisse and it was incredible. CP got a steak sandwich, and I got the walleye, as usual.  

 

SUP!

The lake is full of paddleboarders and we've been wanting to give it a shot, so we hit Scheels in Eden Prairie. It's bigger than the new Scheels in Lincoln and it features a life-size Paul Bunyan in the entrance.

We got an inflatable stand up paddle board (SUP) and it took us a good 20 minutes of effort and sweat to pump it up to 10 psi with the hand pump. It only weighs 17 lbs, but it's more than a handful to carry. We're still trying to work out what way is best to get it down to the lake. 

All three of us gave it a shot and had a good time. It's so much easier and more stable than when we tried in the gulf at Clearwater Beach. 

The day we got it, it was 96°. The entire following week, it was in the 70s. 

 

The Road Less Traveled

For the 4th this year, we travelled back to NE to move the last of CP's things out of his apartment. We spent a few days at the G's pool and soaked in the sunshine.

Traffic on I-80 going down was crazy, so we took another route up I-29 and across the NW corner of Iowa. It was nearly devoid of traffic and it made for a beautiful drive. We hit Bob's Drive Inn in Le Mars for hotdogs. 

 

Father's Day, Anniversary

For Father's Day, we hit the MOA and bought some shoes. One of our favorite places is the Twin City Grille there; they have terrific martinis. CP was not impressed.

Our anniversary this year was pretty low key, despite being a big one. Good thing we have a florist on the corner - it was an easy stop on the way home.

 

Southside Squeaky

We have chipmunks everywhere! I thought that maybe it's because I have been feeding them, but they are just as prevalent all over the neighborhood. They don't actually eat; they only go around hoovering up everything they can. I'm sure we have underground caches of tons of birdseed buried all over the yard.

This one lives on the south side of the garage. He was getting close and then I realized that another one had come up behind me and was going to crawl over my hand with the camera. I moved, and that made everyone jump a little.

 

Mediterranean Cruise

For the last few years (prior to 2020), we have been dreaming of a Mediterranean cruise for our 2021 anniversary. Then 2020 hit. JP did the next best thing and set us up for an afternoon cruise on Lake Harriet. It was an absolutely perfect day: 75°, sunny, and just enough wind to fill the sails. JP manned the rudder for most of the cruise, and I tended to the jib lines. We had a blast! 

We did some math and came to the conclusion that if we did this every weekend, we would still come out ahead vs. buying a sailboat.

It has been a wonderful journey through life with JP; I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

New Tennis Courts

S's friend from next door C joined us for a walk down to check out the newly refinished tennis courts at the park down the street. We need to pick up some tennis rackets and take advantage of them being so close. It looks like there are also lines painted for pickleball, too!

 

Twins vs. Astros

JP was out of town so we took the opportunity to catch an evening Twins game. We took the bus downtown and hit Brit's Pub for some amazing fish & chips tailgating action. 

It was free umbrella hat night!!! 

Our seats were front row 3rd level and centered on home plate. We scored four runs - all of them were homers. It was perfect! 

...except for the Astros winning 6-4.

 

Hot

We had a warm streak of 9 days over 90°. We've done this before, but this was the earliest on record and we broke records on several days. This was the weekend that the N family came up. DN and I took the snow tubes and floated around in the lake for a couple hours.

 

Vegas Girls Weekend

JP went out to Vegas for a week to see KG and her new condo as they were getting some remodeling done. While she was there, a forest fire popped up just outside of town.

 

Old Neighbors

D & MN brought the family up for a warm weekend in Minneapolis. The boys explored downtown and hit a couple places for drinks & wings; it was noticeably empty and deserted.

No visit to the Cities would be complete without a stop at the falls.

 

Loving the Lake

We are really enjoying living by the lake. With the warm weather, JP takes S for a swim every day to cool off. He doesn't swim like a lab, but he loves it.

 

Memorial Day Hike

On Memorial Day, we cruised up to Banning State Park to show CP the Kettle River and all the cool things there. We got there at 9:30 and the parking lot was empty. By the time we left at noon it was overflowing.