Journeys 3.1

My friend and I cycled to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum, a place filled with several large model railroad layouts and interactive buttons to push. While we were there, one volunteer, an older guy like most of the folks helping out, told us that he actually has more fun at the museum than the visitors do. The photo shows a mid-century view creatively based on my Minneapolis Mill District neighborhood, including the Stone Arch Bridge.

We have six paid news subscriptions, all digital. Today I decided to check the ownership of each news outlet to understand which could be most susceptible to political interference. None is owned by a conglomerate or individual with strong ties to a political party. Click through for a table showing ownership of each news source.

Tore out a tangle of irrigation tubes installed by a former landscaping contractor in two of our building’s planters because half the drippers weren’t dripping. I replaced them with a system based on pressure-compensated manifolds (bottom right) that deliver a reliable 2.0 gallons per hour to every single emitter, regardless of water pressure. Thirty years ago, a fresh-grad landscaper introduced us to this technology, which back then was mainly used in farming.

My learner texted me to cancel the usual Friday tutoring session because she’d lost her voice. Suddenly, I had a free morning, so I decided to cycle somewhere I hadn’t been before. Spotting this overpass across a huge BNSF rail yard in Fridley on a map, I had to go and investigate. The grain elevators are part of a massive General Mills plant.

On my walk, Fragments Reimagined, a call to end gun violence in our communities, at MCAD (Minneapolis College of Art and Design). For me, these paintings hit the mark because they focus on our common humanity. Many of the pieces focused on guns and violence which I suspect many perpetrators would find exciting and may promote more guns. Until we all agree on our common humanity, I believe gun violence will not be contained.

I’m grateful for modern science, and for a comforting bowl of tonkotsu udon a couple blocks from the hospital. My oncologist had just recommended a newly developed test that sequences the evolving DNA of the tumor and white blood cells to point toward new, targeted treatments, including immunotherapy. In old movies, it’s a little doctor in Vienna proclaiming, “You shall play the violin again.” In real life, it’s just science.

The objective of today’s adventure with a friend was Holman Field, a general aviation airport across the Mississippi from downtown St. Paul. It’s named after Northwest Airlines’ first pilot, who died performing stunts. The top picture shows the 1939 terminal where we popped in for a cold beer on a steamy hot day; the staff were incredibly welcoming of two grungy cyclists. The lower picture shows a gate area, where the stairs lead up to a U.S. Customs office.