Microblog

As usual, our Sunday morning walk took us under the bridge that carries 3rd Avenue across the Mississippi. Built over 100 years ago, it will reopen at the end of 2022.

I like to cycle through this yard in Northeast Minneapolis, behind the Casket Arts Building, and observe the creative process. The juxtaposition of works in process and abandoned always intrigues me, especially when Mother Nature adds serendipity in the form of a large puddle.

Got our electric bill today: pleased with usage compared to last year. This past year, I’ve been measuring electrictricity usage on individual devices, and, in a few cases, making inconspicuous changes to reduce usage. We got a similar improvement last month. 100% of the energy is wind.

Replaced failed electronics in a powered subwoofer. However, the failure had damaged the speaker, so now I need to replace the speaker. Polk has been great: under warranty they sent me the replacement electronics, and now a speaker is in the mail at no cost.

With Dwight in Fargo, visiting his mom, eating Norwegian food, I continued my ramen journey. Zen Box Izakaya, near our home, does a fine tonkotsu ramen, but they only serve al fresco for now. It was magic to select an Asahi draft on my phone, and for it to appear a minute later.

I no longer take for granted being able walk into a restaurant and order a ramen bowl. Grateful for lunch at moto-i.

Woke up to a misty morning: slow fade to white.

Posted Superior Hiking Trail, Spring 2021.

Spent much of the afternoon applying for a UK passport: my old one expired 15 years ago. Post-Covid travel with 2 passports may give more flexibility: when I arrive at London LHR later this year, I’ll choose the shortest immigration line. (Current wait times are up to 7 hours.)

Walked on a boardwalk beside Lake Superior to breakfast. Lakewalk, Bluefin Bay resort, Tofte, Minnesota.

Superior Hiking Trail, lunch, Temperance River.

Lake Agnes from the Superior Hiking Trail. Normally we do a through-hike, here, but today we did an in-and-out. This meant we got to see places we love twice, from different angles. The lake would be smaller and more than four feet shallower without a beaver dam.

End of our hike, looking down Baptism River towards Lake Superior, Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota.

Hiked above Duluth, then checked into a hotel for the night.

On my simplification journey, it was time to send 6 of my rattiest tee shirts to recycling and replace them with 4 shirts. Cooking takes its toll: olive oil is for ever; holes mysteriously appear when drying sharp kitchen knives on my shirt.

Stocked up on gorp ingredients to fuel upcoming hikes: cashews, granola, pistachios, Asian rice crackers, sesame sticks, wasabi peas, generic M&M’s, raisins, and dried pineapple.