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Hiked part of the Superior Hiking Trail above Duluth before checking in to a hotel for the night. The trail was sometimes obscured by fallen leaves, but blaze marks on the trees—blue for the main trail, white for spurs—kept us on track.

Booked a round-trip to Japan using miles earned from a United Airlines credit card I opened earlier this year. The sign-up bonus and other perks covered the cost. I’ll be flying with ANA on the transpacific portions, which generally offers better service than United. My outbound flights will take me to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, a gateway to Daisetsuzan National Park. Traveling on the cheap adds to the adventure!

Tomorrow, as I do every four weeks, I meet with my oncologist. Rather than speculating about lab results, I like to cycle over to the University the previous day for a blood draw. Results then trickle in to an app on my phone over the next two hours.

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