Microblog

Cycled the 28th Street Greenway, Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Creek, Mississippi. Topped up with beer and flatbread at Longfellow’s. On the final stretch, we were reminded we were in a different league when a guy in lime green spandex, precisely matched to his bicycle, overtook us.

Looked up at the ceiling of our “indoor garden.” Up-lights were projecting shadows of palms, gently swaying in the breeze from the ceiling fan.

Dismounted at the Fruen Mill to look up at 130+ years of tacked-on additions modified by decay and vandalism. Got to look down on the dereliction when I struck up a conversation with a guy who was capturing high definition drone footage.

Marzipan, almonds, sponge, strawberry jam, whipped cream: my once-a-year cake. Three score and ten. Life’s good

Pleasantly surprised by a mystery box in the package room, clearly from someone who knows how to treat me right. Apparently the person on the front desk who signed for this wasn’t intoxicated and is at least 21 years of age. I’ll learn more when I open this tomorrow.

Cycled the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail with a friend. Neither of us recall ever riding this lovely rail trail, but the joy of discovery may simply be an advantage of being old and forgetful.

Built a quick prototype of a pneumatic mechanism. The yellow baseplates are a new LEGO Technic part that makes it easier to explore a mechanism before incorporating it into a more formal beam structure.

On my cycle ride, puddles were a welcome sight in this summer of drought.

Cycled part of the Mississippi Regional Trail to Hastings with a friend. Along the way, some guys from India were setting up a game of cricket. Tongue-in-cheek, we inquired how many days the game would last, but learned the plan was for just 3 hours.

Edited a video I took yesterday while exploring an industrial area of Minneapolis: Scrap Magnets.

Stopped to take a snapshot of a North Minneapolis building salvage yard. An employee invited me to wander around and take photos. Surrounded by 20-feet-high racks of materials, I framed scattershot photos which lacked focal points. With these pipes I regained some sense of order.

On our cycle ride: yesterday’s heavy rain at Minnehaha Falls. A couple days ago it had run dry because of the drought. It dried up in another drought in 1964 before a visit by President Johnson. Out of sight, the city opened many fire hydrants upstream, draining into the creek.

Lightning and welcome heavy rain made it a good day to imagine an adventurous trip next summer with our nephews and their dad. We’ve booked the flights, now we can plan possibilities.

Pushed my bicycle alongside railroad tracks until I spotted a familiar building: the California Building, home to 80 artists and a decent coffee shop.

Posted Cycling Walker, Minnesota.

It’s sausage-and-cabbage Saturday: summer on the Weber, winter in a braise.