It’s Sausage Saturday, which means sausage, cabbage, and a movie with ice cream at intermission. Tonight’s feature is Rob Roy (1995) and his ‘fight against a corrupt aristocracy,’ a story that feels relevant for our times. Set in 1712 and 1713, the plot follows the fallout after money lent to Rob Roy is stolen. While the ‘baddie’ is an invention, the performance nearly won an Oscar, so we’re expecting a well-told tale filled with ‘epic Highland sword battles.’
Category: Living
REI refresh
Headed over to REI Co-op to freshen up our hiking wardrobe. Clothes shopping at a brick-and-mortar usually isn’t my thing, but I make an exception for hiking gear. Besides, I was almost out of bike chain lubricant, and they carry that too.
Glasgow gear swap
Over the years, we’ve learned to travel light with just carry-on backpacks, even for month-long trips. For our Scotland hike, we’re bringing hiking poles, which must be checked. Dwight found a sturdy, 3-ply box in our building’s recycling area, which turned out to be just the right size despite my doubts. In Glasgow, we’ll swap the poles for our noise-canceling headphones and other items we won’t need on the trail, then mail the box to a post office to collect at the end of our hike.
Mapping the real Rob Roy MacGregor
Later this month, we’ll hike the Rob Roy Way in Scotland. I abandoned Sir Walter Scott’s Rob Roy, irritated by the convoluted prose and historical inventions. Instead, I found a solid history book and used it, along with Wikipedia, to map out some actual locations (as blue pins) from Rob Roy’s life. Red pins mark our hotels. The Clachan Inn, once owned by his sister, is the only Rob Roy pin on our trail, so we will have to sample it.
Exploring Tokyo’s layers
Visited the Minneapolis Institute of Art to view Utagawa Hiroshige’s “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” (1856). In 2011, artist Emily Allchurch photographed some of these same locations. I’m planning a multi-day hike across Tokyo that includes remnants of Tokyo when it was Edo (pre-1868). I’m collecting materials and layering historical maps over Google Maps. The city has faced destruction more than once, yet traces of its past remain.
Waymo in the wild
Spotted this Waymo in the wild today. They’re currently being trained for our harsh climate. I’m looking forward to having vehicles on our streets that actually stop at pedestrian crossings, pause before right turns on red, and never run red lights.
No kings, no ICE, no war
Rode a crowded light rail train to what might be the largest protest in Minnesota history. Along the way, we sang the national anthem. At one point, the train passed a senior living building where residents lined the road, some in wheelchairs, holding up their own signs. No kings, no ICE, no war.
No time for silence
My walk included a tutoring session at the Franklin Library and a bison melt at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Along the way, signs reminded us we are well past the time for silence.
Mind games at the Guthrie
Tonight: Sleuth at the Guthrie. Plenty of mind games.
Contemplating compromise and conscience
At the Minneapolis Institute of Art today, explored German art from 1910 to 1945. In the foreground ‘The Fallen Man’ was created in 1916 as a memorial against war. Like other pieces in this gallery, it was declared ‘degenerate’ in the 1930s. Moving through the exhibit, I saw the contrast between artists who resisted and those who compromised their work.