A cycle ride with a friend included St. Paul’s Midway industrial district. We were surprised by the vibrant murals scattered throughout the district, including this one. The stylized butterfly behind the girl honors missing and murdered indigenous women. Later, I learned we had stumbled upon the Midway Chroma Zone where local and national street artists…… Continue reading Unexpected Art
Category: Living
Bicycle Expressway
My bicycle route today included several miles of trail from St. Louis Park to Minneapolis that have recently opened after being closed for several years for light rail construction. The trail has been upgraded and now includes underpasses under roads and this structure that bridges the light rail tracks, a freight track, and a busy…… Continue reading Bicycle Expressway
Sunday Roast
Veggies from the barbecue, chicken thighs still on the barbecue. Simple Sunday dinner, easy cleanup.
Planning a Beast
Continued planning my next LEGO adventure: the front-end assembly of a front wheel drive truck. It’ll feature steering, a differential, and independent suspension: plenty subsystems for me to study and build. I’ve been checking my gears drawer for parts and building a shopping list. In the front, note my proud display of shock absorbers. In…… Continue reading Planning a Beast
Visiting Minnesota
It was a perfect summer’s day for a long cycle ride with a friend visiting from the UK. Here we paused at Bde Maka Ska (Dakota for “White Earth Lake”), formerly named after a slave owner and slavery advocate who never visited Minnesota. Later we stopped for grilled cheese sandwiches (a favorite) at Longfellow’s named…… Continue reading Visiting Minnesota
School’s Out
It was the last day of the semester, classrooms have gone silent for the next two weeks. After the break I’ll be back here for summer school. (The device on the table on the far left is assistive technology for a visually impaired learner. The tower rack in the back corner stores and charges laptops.)
Faces of a Declining Economy
Walked over to the Guthrie for Skeleton Crew, set in a Detroit factory break room during the 2008 recession. Four Black characters brought the struggle of vanishing blue-collar jobs to life.
Pushing Our Limits
A friend and I made our annual expedition to Reservoir Woods and up to a 30-million gallon tank serving St. Paul. We cycled slowly up in low gear, realizing in coming years we’ll need to dismount and push. The humidity was high, so by the end of the ride we both felt we’d had a…… Continue reading Pushing Our Limits
Halibut and Gratitude
Tonight’s our anniversary, so I whipped up a special (well, for a Monday night) dinner. Halibut baked in parchment is so easy, yet feels a touch exotic. Accompanied by an eight buck bottle of New Zealand Sav Blanc from Trader’s we had a fine meal, grateful for our years together. The extra halibut (in the…… Continue reading Halibut and Gratitude
Portals to the Imagination
Spotted these tiny houses on Nicollet Island on our Sunday morning walk. The little door and windows on the left definitely look like a “mouse house” by local artist Mows. The house on the right is likely a mass-produced fairy house.