Microblog

Explored Downtown with a UK friend, focusing on fine old buildings, many sensitively adapted and reused. This former Milwaukee Road ticketing hall is now a hotel event space. Later, we rode a 21 bus along Lake Street to see how well it has come back after the protests of 2020.

Dwight brought coffee to me in bed and showed me this photo he’d taken of the sun rising over Lake Superior.

Crossed the Poplar River on our hike from Lutsen to Oberg Mountain.

We hiked a long hike. Towards the end, at Cascade River, our nephews still had plenty energy. How the younger one got on that rock, we’ll never know. His brother was being more cautious.

On our Superior Hiking Trail hike today, a view we’ve seen so many times before. The evergreens were punctuated with something I don’t recall seeing before: golden deciduous tamaracks, a member of the pine family that loses its needles in the fall.

Hiked trails, including part of the Superior Hiking Trail, in Jay Cooke State Park.

Stopped at Bordertown Coffee to warm up from a chilly cycle ride with a friend. In the colder months, there’s often a fire going, but apparently today wasn’t cold enough.

My monthly drug run, / Walking past the county morgue, / Leaves corralled by wind.

Cooked in volume: stock in a slow-cooker and a large root vegetable/lamb braise still doing its slow magic in a stovetop Dutch oven. Plenty washing-up today, more to come.

We usually rent a movie on Saturday nights. Tonight: Spirited Away from Japan’s venerable Studio Ghibli. They’ve just opened up their catalog for online rental. Tonight we got to watch this imaginative anime, probably their most famous production. It won an Oscar in 2003.

This morning’s wake-up view. Time to get out the mittens and down jacket.

While Dwight was having his hair cut, wandered around the campus of Macalester College. Saw signs of hope that today’s young people might be better stewards of the planet than my generation. Notable alumni like Kofi Annan and Walter Mondale did their part.

With a hiking trip Up North next week, it was time for the annual Curation of the Gorp. I like to select a range of ingredients so we can vary the mixture each day.

In glorious fall weather, cycled across the Gateway Trail Iron Bridge, one of the few remaining wrought iron bridges in Minnesota. Built in 1873, this is its third location. A sign warns the maximum load is 250 bicycles (presumably with riders).

On my cycle ride, stopped at Sheridan Memorial Park which has a plaque for each of our wars. I appreciate how the plaques don’t whitewash or romanticize war. Minnesota’s US-Dakota War of 1862 is a case in point. Click through for more…

On our Sunday morning walk: this maple delivers every year. The steeple belongs to Our Lady of Lourdes church. The church dates back to the 1850’s, the steeple is a later addition (1880’s).