Met a friend early (8:00 a.m.) to cycle to an unassuming bakery in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul. Trung Nam, owned by a Vietnamese family, makes some of the best croissants in town. They sell out fast, hence the early start.
Category: Living
Home of Breakfast Cereal
In Northeast Minneapolis, cycled past a node in the global industrial breakfast cereal supply chain.
Model Railroad Sale
Locked up my bike outside the Twin City Model Railroad Museum. In a dark room where the lights had failed, other nerdy old guys were pointing their phone flashlights at tables filled with surplus models that were on sale. I did likewise, looked, but didn’t buy.
Veggie Paella
My first (almost) veggie paella tasted pretty good, but I need to cautiously work on developing a deeper, more caramelized base crust (socarrat). Used Arborio rather than Bomba rice (I’ll do that again next time), and chicken (rather than veggie) broth.
Ferns by a Trail
The trails were so lovely today. Ferns on Brown’s Creek State Trail.
Pedestrian Lift Bridge
Cycled to Wisconsin across a rarity: a working lift bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. Rode in a friend’s truck part-way, then cycled the Gateway and Brown’s Creek State Trails to Stillwater where the bridge crosses the St. Croix River. A new bridge now carries vehicle traffic.
Minnesota-Grown
Leftover mushroom risotto tasted pretty good: made patties for dinner. The mushroom, lettuce, tomatoes, and asparagus are all Minnesota-grown.
How to Control Housplants
Posted How to Control a Houseplant Irrigation System.
How to Control a Houseplant Irrigation System
I’ve just finished building an irrigation controller supporting two watering zones for a rolling houseplant rack. As I learn and experiment, I’ve changed the design of our irrigation controllers several times. Currently, the focus is simplification, reliability and autonomy. With the previous design, the Internet had to be available for plants to be watered at…… Continue reading How to Control a Houseplant Irrigation System
Norwegian Nordic Blu Salmon
Towards the end of my cycle ride, picked up Norwegian Nordic Blu Salmon at Coastal Seafoods, claiming their over 55 discount on Tuesdays. Dwight cooked it to smoky, silky perfection on a cedar board. The foil was an unsuccessful experiment to save and crisp the skin.