Installed VPN on the TV so we can ring in the New Year with TVE 1 (Spanish TV) at 5:00 pm Central Time, which is midnight in Spain. New this year: optional/necessary automatically generated English subtitles. Our home is filled with the wonderful aroma of sofrito, the base of the paella I’ll finish cooking once it’s midnight in Madrid.
Category: Living
Campus Art Hunt
A friend and I embarked on a quest to check out public art on the University of Minnesota’s east bank campus. At the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, we peered through windows, eventually finding doors to a fancy lobby housing a sculpture called Humanaissance. Noticing us testing doors, a receptionist kindly buzzed us in. I suppose our age made us look harmless enough.
2125 LEGO Pieces Later…
Completed Himeji Castle today. It was a team effort, with Dwight building the top three floors. There’s a surprising amount of detail, including ancillary buildings and a walled courtyard. It can be opened to reveal an interior. I’ve taken this low-angle photo to highlight how the vertical tapering of the main building creates an illusion of extra height. Click through to see how tapered it is.
Walking Between Raindrops
Walked in a general northeast direction until rain started, as forecast. Took a bus back.
Revisiting Himeji Castle
Back in April the cherry blossom (sakura) would be late at Himeji Castle, providing an opportunity to check out the most visited castle in Japan before the crowds of sakura season. I arrived early in the day, my hunch was correct, I was able to walk straight in and explore without the usual crowds. Afterward, I ordered the LEGO model. It’s an engaging alternative to our usual fall-back at this time of year: a jigsaw puzzle.
Thank You Bear-y Much, But…
Mr. Têdé politely declined a gift of dinner for two at Owamni by the Sioux Chef, a restaurant with a national reputation and the first in the nation serving dishes made from ingredients known to the original Americans. Although it’s a short walk from our home, we’ve never been, deterred by sometimes challenging-to-secure reservations. Mr. Têdé expressed concern about the possibility of bear being on the menu.
Home for the Holidays
The two of us are cooking up a storm just for ourselves. Santa’s received the “please, no gifts” notice. “I do not want what I haven’t got,” as sung by Bettye Lavette, sums it up. Grateful and contented, I am.
On My Foraging Walk…
My walk took me to three supermarkets: Seward Co-op, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s. Along the way, caught a glimpse of these unique buildings. On the left, built in 1965 for Northwestern National Life, the building is sheathed with beautifully matched-up marble. On the right, built in 1972 for the Federal Reserve, the building hangs from 24 cables connecting two concrete towers, much like a suspension bridge.
Under the Tree
LEGO Snow Village designed by Dwight. 4-seasons lamp made by a former colleague of Dwight’s. My grandma’s 1940’s radio; after she passed, it was in constant use by my bedside when I was a child. Model of the family’s second farmhouse, built by Dwight’s uncle; the first house was a dugout in the earth to establish homestead rights. The small stocking belongs to my snooty teddy bear, Mr. Têdé.
The Secret of the Chef of the Duke of Lévis-Mirepoix
Today, I’m feeling lazy, so I took a shortcut with my pot of beans. I used half a container of mirepoix from Trader’s, saving me from chopping carrots, onions, and celery. I don’t know of any other store selling mirepoix, which always mystifies me. Dwight used the rest of the mirepoix to make a pea soup, adding a handful of his homegrown pea shoots and bringing it all together with an immersion blender.