Backyard Seating Area

With the pathway stones that were pulled up for the backyard remodel, JP put in a nice little seating area under the dogwood tree.

We were able to use up about half of the stones. The plan is to fill in all around it with more plants next spring.

 

Camping Season Again

With the temps finally cooling off, it's camping season again! We went with the Ks (next door neighbors) at Interstate State Park on the Wisconsin side. It was perfect weather and there were no bugs.

We hit Stillwater on the way home for a sit down lunch at one of the riverside pubs.

 

Sweltering

We had a the all-time driest September on record. It was another scorcher of a summer and we are looking forward to getting into some more sensible temps. The official high on 9/20 was 92°. After that it cooled off 40° and later in the week we had to turn on the fireplace.

The cold front that came thru gave us some absolutely perfect weather. I've been taking the bus home from work in the afternoon, and the walk home takes me past the beach. It was a picture perfect afternoon.

 

Twins Night Game

We hit an evening game with the next door neighbors. It started with a rain delay of an hour and ended with extra innings and a loss. We had fun anyway.

 

Cleaner Clothes

After doing battle with our washing machine for a month, we got a new setup that works much better. We had better luck with the dishwasher that was also behaving badly - a $20 part fixed it and it is working well again.

Summer Concert

We only caught one show at the bandshell this year. We walked over with DK and the dogs. It was a beautiful late summer night and the music was good, too.

 

Dog Walks

We never tire of our walks in the neighborhood. We have a screechy eagle that hunts the lake. His favorite perch is the top of this tree off of the parkway.

There is always a heron, loon, ducks, or turtle to be seen along the shore.

Twice a week the Lake Harriet Yacht Club has a regatta.

 

KG's Baby

We got to meet the newest member of our extended friend-family: KG's new baby.

 

Sunset Storm

One of our favorite places to be is at the G's pool. We were treated to a beautiful Nebraska sunset-lit storm.

 

New Suits

GP was here all summer and only realized once he got back to Lincoln that he needed a new suit.

CP's friend got married - time for a new suit.

 

Year 4 @ UNL

We drove down with GP and got him reinstalled into his apartment. JP found a great desk at Ikea that fits perfectly in the corner.

 

New Shoes

We put some new rubber & rims on GP's Toyota. The old tires were hard as rocks and the steel rims were starting to rust.

 

Inaugural Firepit Night

The stars & moon aligned: Friday night, G wrapped up his 2nd class and internship, new firepit, new cushions for the chairs, new backyard, neighbors, and temps in the 60s.

The new firepit is simply amazing. No smoke and it puts out a ton of heat.

 

Green Grass

We have green grass!

 

50th and Bryant Construction

Part of the Bryant Ave. reconstruction project involves the intersection at 50th. It's going to look a whole lot different in a few months. Right now, the 1919 Bachman building with the awning looks right at home.

This week, the Malt Shop reopened after their major renovation. JP & I stopped in for a yummy malt and some tasty salmon spread. It's another great restaurant withing walking distance.

 

Afternoon Twins Game

I took an afternoon off and we caught an Twins game. We had time for a nice lunch before the game. It was an awesome game and we came away with a win against Detroit. Afterwards, we hit O'Donovan's for their amazing Corked Corned Beef sandwich.

While waiting for our ride home, we stood in front of First Ave and gawked at all the bands that have played there over the years. Each star has a band name painted in it.

 

Neighborhood Night Out

JP Ended up organizing the National Neighborhood Night Out event for our block. Most of the neighbors came out for hot dogs, watermelon, games, and a pet parade. We have a ton of kids on the block and they all had fun, despite it being 96° with a dewpoint of 78°.

 

New Backyard

Over the past week, out backyard transformed from a jungle garden to a blank slate with green grass. The garden was pretty, but it did not have any usable space.

The old block retaining wall was leaning the wrong way out into the alley and we were afraid that a storm would push the trees and wall into the alley and we would be faced with an emergency cleanup.

The retaining wall is now half the height it was and it's made out of big boulders. 

All we need now is a lawn mower...

 

Hot Twins Game

We took the boys to see the Twins play. We got lucky - our seats were in row 18 and in the shade. Rows 16 and below are in the sun, and everyone there cooked all afternoon.

 

PC Maker

GP used some of his summer job money to buy computer parts. What started out as an upgrade for the video card turned into him building an entirely new PC.