Microblog

Dwight jogged, I walked. Found a home on a half-block lot crammed with kitsch. Neighbors in this up-market, residential, Movie Colony neighborhood don’t appreciate this free expression. Frank Sinatra, who once lived in the next block, would surely have sent his boys round.

Our urban hike included a botanical garden founded by a Keystone Cop, and an architecture museum in a former bank. Important chairs, arranged chronologically, from the past century, included examples by Frank Lloyd Wright and Eero Saarinen. Here, the drive-through window remains.

With the continuing heat wave, stayed in our neighborhood with ghosts of Hollywood legends. Elizabeth Taylor’s former home is two blocks away. Later, walked past Peter Lawford’s house where Marilyn Monroe met President Kennedy. Later still, Marilyn Monroe’s house, shown here.

View from the balcony of our rental apartment. Earlier we hiked uphill, but turned around with temperatures, unusually, in the 90’s. When the sun goes behind the mountain, the desert air is suddenly comfortable. Next week we’re promised daytime temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s.

An urban day. 4 miles round-hike to a supermarket to fill our backpacks, back to our rental apartment. Cooled off with beer and pizza at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Silently thought about juxtapositions of art pieces, as suggested by a curator on our last visit a few years ago.

I thought it was for real, and found the idea of tap dancing au naturel mildly disturbing. Dwight managed to assure me it was a joke.

Ready to doze off, Princess Leia headphones, en route to Palm Springs, hiking poles and boots stowed in the hold. Tomorrow we move. MSP–SLC–PSP

Paused my frigid Downtown walk for a moment of zen by a fireplace.

Made Japanese curry for lunch using odds and ends lurking in the fridge. It’s quick comfort food in most Japanese homes: curry cubes (available in Asian markets) and rice from the Zoji make it easy to assemble this dish. In Japan it’s always eaten with a

Walked across this unusual Mississippi double-deck bridge, while avoiding a chilly wind. The enclosed walkway protects students from the elements as they cross between two University of Minnesota campuses. Periodically, a light rail train rumbles beneath.

On my chilly Minneapolis North Loop walk, with temperatures hovering in the single digits (Fahrenheit), spotted a woman in a bikini walking outside. It took me a few moments to realize she was walking from a wood-fired sauna to an ice sauna.

Walked the skyways of downtown St. Paul. Ventured outside briefly to admire the Winter Carnival ice sculptures at Rice Park.

Well that’s a first: today, the dental hygienist declared my gums to be “good.” Maybe it’s the interstitial brushes I’ve been using every day for the last six months. Or, maybe, the hygienist was simply in a good mood.

Looked towards Northern Pacific Bridge Number 9, now a pedestrian and bicycle trail, from the newly reopened 10th Avenue Bridge.

Without leaving home, went on a visual journey through my body, guided by a Mayo oncologist. Like traffic lights, stopped at two bright red lymph nodes, signifying prostate cancer cells. Two additional drugs should help for a while. I’m grateful.

Assembled a kit for a friend to connect her VCR to a new television for playback. Remarkably, the AV to HDMI converter was delivered today, Sunday. I already had the other parts, so it’s good to know they’ll be put to good use