Category: Place

Pad Thai

Dwight drove to Burnsville (a suburb) to catch up with a friend at Red Lobster. Meanwhile I walked to Thailand for a solo pad thai at Sawatdee in an old (1856) building. Japan was closed today.

Frozen Mississippi

On my walk, crossed a frozen Mississippi. The University of Minnesota East and West Bank campuses are directly behind me.

Blues for an Alabama Sky

Looked out at our apartment (among many apartments) through a mirror-framed window at the Guthrie Theater while sipping a pre-show glass of wine. We then stepped into a world of Harlem apartments in the 1930’s: Blues for an Alabama Sky, finding family, fulfilling dreams.

Rising from Ruins

Towards the end of our Sunday walk, stopped to take in the hodgepodge of structures of Mill City Museum. A modern museum rises out of the carefully stabilized ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill.

A Special Place

Dwight showed a friend and me around the University of Minnesota teaching and research greenhouse where he volunteers. This gorgeous space has four rooms, each with a different climate, including this desert room. The rainforest room smelled and felt wonderful on this frigid day.

Arctic Journey

After three days sheltering from the Arctic blast, screwed up the will to walk one block to our local bar for Reubens and beer.

LEGO Art

Followed building instructions while marveling how Hokusai created Great Wave off Kanagawa in 1831 before the Impressionism movement had started in Europe and while Japan was still closed off from the world. The quasi-pixelated style of the over-loved print lends itself to a LEGO interpretation. Note Mount Fuji and the three boats.

Japan Plan

On a bone-chilling day, planned for warm weather in places I love. Made hotel reservations for a three-week trip to Japan with Dwight, our nephew, and his dad. We’ll fly to Kagoshima, then slowly make our way to Tokyo by train. The pandemic put the kibosh on previous attempts at this trip.