Microblog

Well, I never! On my walk today, I stumbled upon the Washington Monument right here in Minneapolis. I can’t recall if I knew about it before, but re-rediscovering things is a delightful perk of aging. I had to contort myself to take this picture then managed to return to an upright position.

On a walk through the Minneapolis North Loop with friends, paused to take in this hotel/retail project. The building on the right had become dilapidated, but is being brought back to life. The old white building sandwiched between new construction was moved to this location.

Thursdays are our service days: Dwight in a university greenhouse, me in ELL classrooms. This leaves us with little energy for cooking, so we typically have dinner out. Tonight: our local Izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant).

Cycled home from the university hospital as the sun was setting after a day dominated by medical appointments. Grateful there are new options when I’ll need them. Home is just beyond the end of this tunnel.

It was plenty warm enough to relax on these chairs and enjoy a cuppa with a friend. The coffee shop’s Web site promised “a magical experience that will transport you to Paris with every bite” of their “incredible pastries.” Coffee sufficed, there were no pastries, only dog treats, and that’s OK.

Sandwiched a few moments of zen sitting at the counter of Al’s Diner in Dinkytown between full body scans at the university. Surprisingly, clogged arteries aren’t on my healthcare problem list.

Researched unobtrusive nighttime front lighting for plants on a vertical grid on a moveable rack. Tried various paradigms, including: green wall, large artwork, trade show display, and wall wash. The sun shows backlighting is also a possibility.

Walked between lines of rail cars parked across the river from our home. The hopper cars on the left usually carry tiny plastic pellets. “Hot 3257” hazmat placards on the insulated tanker cars on the right warn that the contents are hot and molten, probably asphalt.

On my walk, former industrial land awaits a new purpose. To the right, a railroad embankment abruptly ends at a stone buttress that once supported a bridge. Behind me, many of the warehouses in the Minneapolis North Loop have been converted into condos and apartments, creating a vibrant neighborhood.

Today, I tentatively reintroduced lactose to my diet. Tomorrow morning, I’ll pour heavy cream over my oatmeal, along with the usual maple syrup. Note the ready time: I’ve become a morning person in my senior years.

My morning walk included Stone Arch Bridge, so of course I took a picture.

My friend and I planned to have breakfast at this diner, but it was closed this morning despite Google saying otherwise. We ended up getting a pastry and a surprisingly decent coffee at a nearby multispecialty clinic, but the important thing was to catch up and have a good conversation.

For six weeks, I’ve been on a restrictive eating plan to eliminate any food for which I may have developed an intolerance. Now, I’m slowly adding back foods to discover any culprit(s). First back are caffeine and gluten, which I much enjoyed today at FRGMT Coffee.

Salmon smoking on a smoldering cedar plank for dinner tonight. This is probably the last time we use the barbecue until spring.

Today I had to accept symmetry in my LEGO gantry crane isn’t always achievable. Here’s the hoist and grabber subassemblies, operated by pneumatic pistons. Scissor mechanisms are inherently not symmetric in operation, so I had to consider choosing symmetry in either the extended or closed positions, not both.

View from the lobby of Orchestra Hall while enjoying a pre-concert glass of wine. Tonight the Minnesota Orchestra featured pieces by six black composers, including two women. The art form tends to be Eurocentric, sometimes stodgy; tonight was refreshing, mixing it up.