Filling time between scans

To fill time between body scans at the U, I peeked into “221B Baker Street” (the U has the world’s largest collection of Sherlock Holmes artifacts), explored an exhibit on Minnesota women architects, and enjoyed uplifting piano-playing at Coffman Union. Earlier, while waiting for my first scan, a pianist played funereal hymns, including “Abide with Me.”

An evening of received pronunciation at the Guthrie

Walked over to the Guthrie to see The Mousetrap, a play that’s inexplicably been running in London since 1952 (my mum fell asleep during it 70-odd years ago). I asked Dwight to have an elbow ready to prevent me from continuing the family tradition. By the intermission, he was ready to doze off but he had deduced the identity of the murderer. In keeping with the play’s tradition, we were asked to maintain the secret.

Categorized as Arts

Walking into a peaceful place

Snow-covered tables were waiting for warmer weather as I walked into Northrop Auditorium for a cuppa. While I sipped, I was struck by the hushed atmosphere in the crowded cafe where U of M students were hunched over their study materials. Occasionally, there were quiet murmurs between study partners. No one was talking on their cell phone.

Cherry blossom time at Himeji Castle

The cherry blossoms have opened at Himeji Castle, Japan, prompting an update to our LEGO model today. When I visited exactly a year ago, the blossoms were late, allowing me to experience the castle without the usual crowds.

Dates from Coachella Valley

We have a small box of Coachella Valley dates. Today we snacked on a couple, but we’re reserving most for date ice cream and other goodies. Almost all dates grown in the US are from the Coachella Valley, with seeds originally brought from the Middle East.

Categorized as Eat

Swapping spring and fall trips

Today we flew back and are getting reacquainted with home. “Now, where are the cutting boards?” The next trip was to be to Italy with family but we just learned my SiL busted a knee, so we’re rescheduling to the fall. That was an opportunity to move my fall solo Japan trip. It’ll be too cold to start in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, so while I was flying to Minneapolis, I changed the start city to subtropical Fukuoka, Kyushu, leaving in 12 days.

Funding beautiful homes, one dress at a time

On our walk, Desert House, commissioned from architect Richard Neutra in 1946 by department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann. The LA Times lists it as one of the ten most important homes in the LA area (stretching it geographically). Kaufmann also commissioned Fallingwater from Frank Lloyd Wright, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. While Desert House was being built, Kaufmann stayed in the much more modest Villa Hermosa, where we’re staying.

How we got our bikes: the kindness of strangers on Reddit

Took the bike for a final spin while Dwight cycled to the pool for laps. Renting bikes is expensive–it would’ve been cheaper to buy bikes–so I posted a call for help on Reddit and received many helpful responses. One person offered to lend us his two Treks for a reasonable fee. After checking his previous posts and seeing his good karma rating, we agreed. The proceeds went to his wife’s nursing education fund.