Stadium Doors

We finally got to see the doors open up at US Bank Stadium (home of the Minnesota Vikings).

They swing open 90°. Each is driven by a bunch of huge hydraulic cylinders.

The view of downtown from inside the stadium is spectacular. It was really cool to enter thru the big doors rather than small normal doors.

 

Mouser

While we were listening to the Twins game by the firepit, we noticed a mouse running around in the shrubbery. 

Then, out of nowhere, this little yellow cat came by and caught it. She played with it a bit and let it go. JP gave her some cat food, so hopefully she'll come back later to finish the job. V does a good job of keeping the indoors mouse-free; it would be nice to also have an outdoor mouser. Just as long as she doesn't eat all the birds.

 

Double Header

I took the afternoon off an we hit Target Field for an absolutely gorgeous day of Twins baseball. The high for the day was in the 60s and our seats were in the shade.

We watched the Twins take the first game of the double header against Cleveland with a walkoff. The tickets for this game were the ones from one of our rained-out games. It was a much better day for baseball. 

We listened to the second game on the radio while enjoying the cool evening. It was an exciting game, and the Twins won again. We could hear the fireworks from Target Field afterwards.

When we moved here, we thought it would be nice to get a cabin, Then we realized that we basically have a cabin near a lake. And it has nice showers, a full kitchen, and no bugs.

 

Thom the Elf's Tree

Thom has really been working on his landscaping. His tree house by the dog beach is looking nice.

 

Steamy Lake

After too many 90 degree days, our seasonal weather is back. The water is warm and the morning air cool which makes for a steamy lake in the morning.

 

Mahjong

We had one of those weekends where there was nothing to do, and even if we did, it was too hot & muggy outside to do anything. I pulled out the Mahjong set and read thru the directions. That gave me an idea of the names of the tiles, but still have no real clue as to the rules of the game. 

 

Friday Night Twins

Another gorgeous night for a baseball game. It cooled off into the low 80s and there was enough of a breeze to make it comfortable.

We took on the White Sox and won 10-2. Go Twins!!

 

Action Day

I participated in the United Way Action Day at Target Center. They had four shifts of 28 teams come in and build school backpacks. Each team setup an assembly line and packed up the packs with notebooks, pencils, crayons, etc. My job was to tape the boxes shut once they were filled with eight packs. It was non-stop taping and stacking boxes for 90 minutes.

Our team was in the second level and we had a bird's eye view of the floor. All together, the event produced 45,000 backpacks! 

 

Rainy Day Target Field

Target Field in the rain on a weekday non-game day feels strange. The team store was even more strange - it was easy to walk around and all the racks were full and in order.

 

Vacant Lot

This is a vacant lot above Minnehaha Creek that we walk by every morning. It's hard to see, but below the creek is at the top of its channel and running fast. 

 

Bowling for Soup

We hit First Ave. for the 20th anniversary tour of Bowling For Soup's album, "A Hangover You Don't Deserve". They played it in its entirety, plus another 10 songs. The boys grew up listening to this music in the minivan. The opening band, Keep Flying was my favorite - lot's of energy.

This was JP's first time at First Ave., and she had a good time. 

 

Farmer's Market @ Work

We are working with a charitable group that puts people to work farming. They are now coming in every week with fresh produce at work. 

 

Smoky Sunrise

We have not had the forest fire smoke like last year, but it still noticeable in the air. The sunrise on my way to work was strangely orange.

Gas Leak

We love our squirrels, but they are testing our patience. First it was JP's tomatoes, and now it's the gas line to the grill. Not only did they chew thru the rubber outer coating, but they also managed to pierce the inner metal-protected core and cause a gas leak.

 

Destroyers of Tomatoes

JP has been so excited about her tomato plant this year - she planted it on the south side where it gets full sun all day, we've had rain every day, and she wrapped it in chicken wire. She as a bunch of tomatoes, but as soon as each one turns red, a squirrel manages to defeat the chicken wire and take a bite out of it. 

 

International Traveler

CP went on a business trip to his factory in Mexico. He was told on Friday that he needed to be on the Monday flight down there. He had a good time, and we were very anxious to get him back safe & sound. We watched his flight status in anticipation as he made his way home. He returned the day before the big computer meltdown - he could have been stuck there for another week.

Dog Walk Sunrise

I never tire of catching sunrise on the lake for our morning dog walk. We're a month past the solstice, so it's getting easier.

 

Windstorm

We had a severe thunderstorm blast thru in the middle of the night. It took out at least one major tree on every block. 

 

Dominoes

We introduced M&DN to dominoes. It's good for rainy nights or  hot & muggy days.

 

Pub Crawl

DN had a hankering for a walleye sandwich, so we hopped on the bus and headed downtown. We hit Gluek's, Minneapolis' oldest bar and home to the best walleye sandwich in the Twin Cities. It was pouring rain when we left, so we ran across the street and had a pint at Kieran's. 

We darted from pub to pub for the rest of the afternoon. It was very therapeutic to explore and sit & chat about life, kids, & the upcoming next stage of life: retirement.