Microblog

On a walk with a friend, stopped to take in the view from the Boom Is­land-Nicollet Island Bridge, a former railroad bridge, now a pedestrian bridge.

Took our usual Sunday morning walk and enjoyed the lingering fall colors.

At Orchestra Hall, admired a LEGO model of the venue, part of a display celebrating the building’s 50th anniversary. The model captures the auditorium’s angle relative to the rest of the building and the street grid, a tricky feat with LEGO. Inside the auditorium, we enjoyed a concert featuring Shostakovich, Bernstein, and a recent commission by Chinese American, Zhou Tian.

A visit to the Walker always transports me. Today, the draw was a new exhibition, “This Must be the Place,” exploring the multifaceted concept of “home.” Anything I would write on this worksheet seemed pretentious, so I held onto my thoughts about home being more of an idea woven from experiences, relationships, and memories for this aging, gay, technocratic, married, …, immigrant.

Woke up to a supermoon setting over Downtown, ushering in a beautiful fall day.

Finally got around to scratching my birthday gift from my sister-in-law. The first card revealed I’d won $2. In the end, my total winnings were $7. 

Picked up a bunch of local Swiss chard to stir-fry with dinner. Normally this veggie is not on my radar, but Dwight suggested I should look out for some.

It felt brisk this morning as I set off for my walk. Passing the university’s steam plant, I could hear its gentle roar as it warmed much of the Minneapolis campus and generated 20% of its electricity. Changing leaves were another sure sign that fall had arrived.

Nursing a cold, I didn’t stray far from a box of Kleenex.

Downsides of long-haul travel are jet-lag, possibly layered on a cold or worse. Today I failed a COVID test, which is some consolation.

Looked straight ahead as I walked past Kramarczuk’s extensive display of cakes to pick up garlicky house-made Ukrainian sausage at the meat counter. Next, I braved the chilly walk-in beer cooler at Surdyk’s, just down the road, for a local brew. Earlier I’d picked up crusty bread, a massive cabbage, and ice cream at Seward… Continue reading All Set for Sausage Saturday

Working for a few hours in this classroom made jet lag disappear, at least temporarily. Bright light, mental focus, and social interaction all helped.

From the 3rd Avenue Bridge, the Mississippi and the Falls looked rather trippy today. The reflected sunlight was purplish above the Falls and earthy below. Weeks of drought had calmed the water; the whirlpools I’d seen earlier in the summer were gone. I used a slow shutter on my phone and cropped, but no other… Continue reading Day Dream

It was a day for embracing jet lag and planning future adventures. Later this month, we’re day-hiking sections of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) on the North Shore of Lake Superior. To mentally prepare, I organized timelines of previous SHT hikes at my Web site. And for next year, I started researching a potential multi-day… Continue reading The Day After

Dwight’s carrying grocery bags of fresh produce we picked up at Trader Joe’s on the way from the LRT station. After over two weeks on the road, we are a little deficient in the fresh produce department.

Waited at Bridport Bus Station for a bus to Axminster where we would catch a train. Rain seemed set in for the day, a first on our trip and a good reason to be in transit. Until recently I thought Axminster was a brand or style of carpet, but now I know it’s also a… Continue reading Bridport Bus Station