Some Kinda Possible

Goodbye Harry, Hermione, Ron,.....

While Rock. Whatever that means. Out this morning to Synder's Drug Store to get Nasonex. I mark the start of my hayfever season as yesterday. Early. But, can't deny that the conditions have been just right: days of 90 degrees, and then a bunch of rain.

And the bad news about the nose spray: I should have done it via mail-order, because it doesn't look like my health insurance paid for any of it.

And, since I am in this neighborhood, I stopped at the White Rock Coffee shop.

Yesterday, I went to the performance of Madeline's Stepping Stone theater presentation. It is a summer day camp sort of thing. This was the culmination of two weeks. The kids ranged in age from 9 to 12. Madeline sang, she danced, she had lines. I think she really enjoyed it.

She was hyper for the rest of the day. We all went to the Groveland Tap for dinner, including her friend, who ended up sleeping over. Juicy Lucy and a Redneck Blonde for me.

After that, Liam and I went to the Science Museum. Love the Science Museum on Friday nights 'cause there is hardly anyone there. I was looking at the calculus display. Liam wanted to do the miniature golf, which is also a lesson about rivers. Also we went through the maze. We both had thought it was a labyrinth, but there you are. Stopped at the top of the Smith Avenue bridge to look back over downtown St. Paul just after sunset.

Finished HP6. Goodbye Harry, Hermione, Ron,..... I have been in that word for about two weeks. One does get attached to the characters. In fact, surprise, the play that Madeline and her cohorts made up was sort of a Harry Potter-rip off, what with witches, wizards, wands. Special attachment for me because of reading probably the first three books aloud to Madeline, and it was Harry Potter that got her interested in reading.

Yest another in a long list of cell phone rudenesses: In line to get my coffee, and the woman ahead of me continnued yapping as the clerk stood, awaiting her payment.

Did quite a bit of a New York Times Wednesday puzzle online from their archive. I might just go ahead and pay for a year membership.

Coffee News Cafe

Yesterday evening, we all had dinner together on the picnic table that we've put on the boulevard. Trend/style to put outdoor furniture on the boulevard. Benches, patio chairs, tables, all facing the house, often set among copious gardens and landscaping along the street.

Dorothea put the tablecloth on and fastened it with the bee clips. Burgers and hot dogs. She's taken to buying grass-fed beef, although she had a veggie burger. Madeline had crepes (which she had made) with powdered sugar and Nutella. (And a Gatorade to wash it down.)

Liam and I started another dining room table chess game. We're up to about move 10 or so. That little stinker trapped my white bishop. When I told him that, he said "I know."

Through various briberies and conjolings we got the children to go for a bike ride with us. We biked to their old elementary school--Liam went to kindergarten there, then the school moved to a new building.

Ended up lying on the grass, looking up at the clouds. Cumulus nimbus, I think. Little, puffy, wannabe thunderclouds. These, moving to the southeast, were jostling and piling up like ice flows on the river. Maybe their storm dreams would be fulfilled over Winona.

Ordered online for Liam from Best Buy and Oregon Scientific "point and shoot" digital camera. We had been saving together for it.

Also, told Madeline that if she comes up with $100, we'll take care of the balance on a mini iPod.

And I am looking at Treo 650s, but am flagging. This old Palm m105 still does most of what I want. It is four years old now.

Allergy season approaches with Mid-summer's Eve. I called in a refill of my nasal spray, though these days, am not sure if that is the thing to do--just as likely, I am supposed to order it through the mail-in service.

Dunn Brothers.

Ah. Almost done with Harry Potter. An article about college entrance guy saying that, asking prospects what they have read lately, says it better not be Harry Potter, or they're not getting into his school.

Yesterday, I stopped to get gas. It now costs well over thirty dollars to fill the tank. And I bought a carwash at the pump. Problem was--I had totally forgotten about the bike rack on the back. In fact, I didn't even think of it when the carwash went wacky becuase of it. Nor as I pulled ahead because that is suddenly what the sign ahead of me was flashing. So, I bent that sprayer bar. I stopped and went in and told them. The young guy said that even if I had driven away, they'd have had me on camera. I guess that I have probably been overdue for something weird like this to happen. Their insurance company will probably be calling.

Last night was a Madeline night. Dorothea left to take Liam to his baseball game. Madeline and I took Stella for a walk, then we went to Madeline's soccer game, her last of the season. It was a hard fought tie that the refs kept letting go into yet another overtime. Team pictures, Dairy Queen afterward. Madeline seems to be doing quite well in soccer and says that she likes it. There is soccer at the school next year, and she seems interested.

After we'd gotten home, I realized that I had missed the last yoga class.

Bread and Chocolate

Cooler today, 63 F. Seems like it has been inn the 90s for a month.

Ah, the juices are flowing slowly this morning. Reading HP6. Nothing. Maybe my brain is out of practice for writing at this time of morning. Maybe Rawlings has adled my brain.

Yesterday, Dorothea drove two hours to take her mother to a medical appointment. A great deal of reshuffling was required. Madeline to overnight at a friend's house. Liam to a neighbor's at 8:30. Adjusting to details.

The old guy with the totebag dog is seating out front. (Older guy. I am an older guy.) He has a brace on his left ankle. And he is feeding the birds. Stella would be wanting to chase the birds. This dog is shivering, but it isn't cold enough to be shivering?

Service restored

I posted on Thursday, July 21, and then I wasn't able to post until this morning, Monday, July 25. livingdot.com, my host (really like them, kind of picked them out of a hat, highly recommend them) eventually said that my permissions and access had gotten screwed up and that they'd have to restore from a backup. Of course, on the way, I figure that first, my database was hosed (not the case)and then that my templates were hosed (also not the case.) But scared me enough that I went into phpAdmin and did an export from MySQL, which turned out to be quite easy. Hopefully, I will soon have a nightly cron job set to do the same thing.

Desk, bedroom, AC.

Still 90 outside. Heat Island. As I write this, the blog is down actually. I am into the third email to the provider. Actually scared the pants off me--thinking that I'd lost my index.html (Movabletype Main template) or thought about my database being fried. But I can't relax yet. Once Upon a Murder; Art Car Parade; Gateway Bike Trail Saturday moning, and this morning driving over to Lake Hiwatha, Dorothea, Stella, and I, and Stella swimming in the lake and otherwise being a pain because of too much stimulus; and, the "high school reunion" at Como Park on Friday evening. I have pictures, and could be working on getting them ready, but I am now going to retire to the torn, worn out, brown naugahide Lazy Boy and continue reading Half-blood Prinnce.

"He wandered off into a long-winded reminiscence."

Art Car Parade

On Saturday afternoon, we went over to Minneapolis to the Lyndale-Lake Street area to see the art car parade. So that is just a feast of colors. Everyone is clicking away with their digital cameras--some better than others. In chronological order of how we saw them: First, the bowling pin truck

followed by the

reptile Cadillac

and the iconic motorized couch--cropped this, especially fond that I got the traffic cop in there

This wonderful woman from Kansas with her three-wheel, 1959 BMW

Would you open the door? I remember seeing a car like this when I was a little kid, and being most awed by the steering wheel's attachment to the door. I most have missed the detail of how the steering wheel connected to the wheels, though.

The boat car

and just a colorful, jammed full of stuff photo

High School - College Reunion of sorts

There is a group of people that started as a group in college. The core was people from the same high school who went to the state college in town. (a la Breaking Away?) Living on the Island and involvement in peace activities. Generally don't see each other but for one guy who comes back to visit and gets us all together.

Black Bear Crossing

I just finished a nice ceasar salad. I suppose that is a capital "C." It is about a fifteen minute walk from my work to here, and most of that is very pleasant, along a bike/walking path, and through the trees and grasses of Como Park. Hot and sunny.

There are three postal mail carriers who just got up from the table across the room from me. I think of mailcarriers as pretty up there on the heirarchy, not so much as Norm on Cheers. Routines, though.

It is a beautiful day. Probably 90 again, donn't even know. But it is drier. The grass is turned brown. So much for all the rain that we got earlier. But this seems to be the pattern--way wet late spring, way dry in July and August.

I am slowly working my way through the fifth Harry Potter book. Madeline finished the sixth already. I did read the fifth. Umbridge really reminded me of that. Still not sure that I finished it, but am leaning that way. If I realize that I must have finished book five, or get sick of it, I'll move on to book six. Made me realize that M. has way more time than I do.

Gingkos

Slept in today. But day and after day, I am getting to sleep later and later, especially as it's summer, and because Liam is getting older and staying up later. Gone are the days when you could get him in bed, and asleep, by 8:00.

But, my work has changed too. I think I am in a groove where staying later is a natural. Unlike the group that I used to be in, for four years, where the norm was in at 7:00, out at 4:00, in my new group, and other people I work with, things start happening around 4:00 or 5:00. I think that is the response of people who spend most of their day in meetings.

Random thought that doesn't have anything to do with anything else: But the other day, I was Googling, looking for an answer for the crossword (I know, pathetic, though I doubt that I am alone; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the people who write crosswords have adapted)--the clue had to do with the Katie and Allie TV shoe from the 80s. So, there I am, sitting in front of a PC in 2005, broadband Googling over the capital "I" Internet, and looking at webpages with dates from the mid-80s, and pictures with period clothes and hairstyles--and I suffered a massive dose of cognitive dissonnce. There was no Internet then, as we know it now, certainly noboby was posting webpages. Perhaps that is more accurate--there was an internet, and there were PCs, even LANs, but there was no world wide web.

Yesterday, Dorothea came upone the hippie food bus. Will have to do some more research. (Did. Here's the link: Sister's Camelot.)But the general idea is that there is a group of people who gather organic food to give away. They drive around the Twin Cities in an old bus, randomly, and stop and give food away to people. Organic food. Dorothea brought home some really nice bagettes from French Meadows Bakery, berries, and a couple of pineapples. There are now some organic bananas in the freezer.

On to Norm Coleman, our senator. He attacks Kofi Anon, and now he is defending Karl Rove. Attack nobleness; defend sliminess. Norm the Death Eater, would if he could, easy to imagine. (Reading book 5; Madeline just finished the new 6th.)

A cool thing--Madeline got an invitation to the B'not Mitzvah of her classmates. The invitation was screened onto a yamika, and that we a CD with. (Didn't work, but hey.)

The instant answer to everything algorithm; Or: You are so here

Turnkey solutions that are appealing in principle, but rarely work the way imagined. Dog, for instance. Woman, bending down, plastic bag, boulevard, two small dogs on two leashes. I bike by on my way to here (Coffee News Cafe, on way to work.) So it is early morning.

A dog is a turnkey solution, You don't assemble it. It doesn't appear gradually, bit by bit. One day, not, next day, is. You have a dog.

People buy these elaborate pools from Target or Wal-Mart, or trampolines, with the netting up the side, and expect that'll keep there kids out of their hair. I see a lot of derelict pools and trampolines.

Technology seems that way, to offer instant, simple answers to complex problems. Or--maybe simple problems with complex solutions? The Goldberg thing again?

Certainly there is this trend of complicated things becoming no-brainers. Cars, of course, hence the origin of "turnkey," I suspect. Things go from being inticate technologies, inoovations, to being utilities. Article in the paper about people throwing out their PCs and buying new, $400 ones to get rid of the problems of viruss and spyware.

I am on bike again, the first day since I don't know when. We had a string of nine, ninety-degree days. Nine, ninety-degree days in a row happened in 1988, three times in the 1930s. Come to think of it don't recall seeing news about old people dying in Chicago, or much (maybe a little) of charities dispersing electric fans and air conditioners.

Ozone heat island. Not the "Twin Cities." Ozone Heat Island is where I live.

Ah, you guessed it. I have reach that point, the nexus, the nadar, the two lines meet, the "x" and the "y." My brainn is done writing, but my coffee cup isn't empty.

There is a large canvas on the wall opposite me with the letters (anagram?) "U" "R" "S" "Hr". I suspect that is where I got the phrase "you are so here." The tendrons of my assimulation are reaching out all around me. Infinite speck, eternal universe.

I was listening to "Question of Faith." Parents of a schzophrenic adult child were being interviewed. They (he or she or both, together or seperately0 had written a book about it. Their adult schzitophrenic son had writting a book about himself, being God. He's crazy, he's saying some crazy things, and yet, who's to say, and, some of the things he said seems provocation and wise. Though I can relate to their profession that dealing with him, loving him, being there for him, is just difficult. I have been around enough mentally ill, mentally handicapped, and physically handicapped people to have an appreciation for this.

Osmo Vänskä, Pekka Kuusisto, Sibelius -- by accident

Last night, Dorothea and I drove to the the LRT station and took the train into Minneapolis for the Minnesota Orchestra's free "Day of Music" kickoff of its summer festival, Sommerfest. I guess the Minnesota Orchestra is the only major symphony that does its summer festival at the regular setting.

I thought this picture of shopping carts, brush, and the Minneapolis skyline might turn out.

I remembered to bring my camera and finally got the shot of me with my hat next to the Mary Richards statue on the Nicollet Mall.

We were late and didn't get to see Debbie Duncan, the reason that Dorothea went. But we went inside Orchestra Hall, and ended up with superb seats--first row, first balcony--and heard the Grieg, the Sibelius, the Beethoven (8th).

Pekka Kuusisto is a Finnish violinist--rock, jazz, folk, classical--he does it all. Charismatic, entertaining. Playing a 1753 instrument. Sort of a Finnish Sting. Very good. Standing ovation. I wonder if a standing ovation from a non-paying crowd is as sweet.

The audience clapped between the movements of the Eighth. But, than, the is exactly who the orchestra should be after--hopefully they will buy tickets in the future.

As we walked by Sawatdee Thai Restaurant on the Nicollet Mall on our way back to the train, there were all these young people who'd just pulled up on bikes. And they were quite loud. And then I looked up, and saw people sitting in the second story window.

Then Dorothea commented on the sign saying that this was the restaurant's last night. Then we noticed that the buildings on the block looked--well, like they were ready to be torn down soon. And sure enough, that block is the location of a soon to be built 600 foot residential tower. We looked around, and that would seal off the third of the four corners of that intersection with sterile, new architecture, and remove an interesting older one. I don't know if it is the Quinlan Building that'll be torn down, but if it isn't, it's one as attractive.

On the way home.

200507150720 Coffee News

Ah, didn't know what to do today. Got to bed late last night as Dorothea and I went to the Guthrie to see His Girl Friday. Cereal at home? (Not an option if we'd been out of cereal--always a distinct possibility. But there was a box downstairs, in the tall, particle board cupboard that we use as a pantry. Celine and I put it together. The doors are on upside down, so that the rough, particle board edge that should be facing down is facing up. Didn't realize it while we were putting it together, as it was laying on its back on the floor amid it's cardboard box, and the plastic bag that the parts had been in, and the tools, and leftover parts, and the directions in five languages and the exploding diagrams. At the time, doing all that un- and re-screwing that would have been necessary to correct the problem didn't seem worth the effort. Still doesn't, even though I am reminded everyday of the flaw. Maybe that is a good, the having the memory everyday. That particle board cupboard, pre-Ikea, is also the place that we all go for junk food. It is in the same room as the TV, and when the kids are down there, you periodically hear the squeak and slam of the doors as they go in for chips or bars.) Or go out for breakfast? The Y?

Finally I decided that shower at home and cereal. About 6:30, Stella started to wimper in her box. Not a full-blown whiining, but an almost restrain plea. So I went up and let her out, downstairs and into the backyard, where, happily, she sat and watched birds. After I got done with my Kashi Good Friends, we went for a walk.

Family was up when we got back, so I just let her run upstairs, which is kind of a new thing. And now I here.

His Girl Friday. Very well done, tones of dialogue, constant dialogue, like a Shakespeare play, except in Chicago English. Didn't stop me from resting my eyes for long stretches, and it went a bit long--three hours, with intermission. I guess I am spoiled and expect any sort of show to wrap up in 110 minutes. I always hope that there won't be an intermission. But there was.

After the intermission, we found other seats, further back and more to the side where there wasn't anyone else sitting around us. I was able then to put my legs over the seat in front of me. Live theater is about getting scrunched up with other people. A fat person sat next to D. And all around us was the over-poweringn smell of perfume, asphyxiatingly so.

Before the show, we were abble to wander around the new Walker for awhile. It was free Thursday. An architectural "icon" rather than just a building, it is, on the inside, a dark, low-ceilinged, clustrophobic jumble of odd angles and jutting curves. A carpenter's and plumber's and electrician's nightmare.

200507140725 Dunn Brothers on Grand

Went to yoga last night, in the midst of Wednesday activities--baseball, Liam;soccer, Madeline. Dorothea had worked during the day. I was not in gear with all that was going on until informed me of all that was happening. I also ate the last of the Bunny Tracks ice cream, "her" ice cream. As to the ice cream, all I have is a shrug--a) looks to me like she ate half and I ate half; b) as Salem the Cat on Sabrina the Teenage witch says, in that distinctively Martin Mull voice, "I'm weeeaaak."

Tonight it's the Guthrie for His Girl Friday. The bank is now offering 20% discounts on tickets to the Guthrie and the Minnesota Orchestra.

There's a guy here that i know of from the Y. He's both very nice and sort of annoying. I know I should get beyond the annoying thing. I was just thinking that one reason that I am a loner is my sense that all relationships have costs. Others are needy, or wig out, or whatever.

I talked this morning with Madeline about online messaging, about software for auditing it and tracking time. She's opposed. But I am thinking that limiting time on computers and TV is an inherently good thing, and that her argument that auditing would take away her privacy is spurious because nothing, in my opinion, about computers is private.

Well, I have a couple of meetings today, and I can start moving to a new cubicle. Yahoo.

Y

200507130750 Y'd this morning, and no sauna or hottub. Guess that is a sign that I've had enough of the heat.

This is another alley photo. I just thing it a rural looking setting.

Last night Dorothea and I went to Midway Stadium, St. Paul's Triple "A" ballpark, and sat outside the fence and listened to Bob and Willie. They were both great; well, Bob's band was great. Okay, Bob is default great. But I must comment that his voice was much less that of the reedy "Mr. Tambourine Man" and more Tom Waits. And for the record, I would have paid to get in, especially for the sake of poor Willie--I suspect he probably still owes back taxes. And by sitting outside, we didn't have to deal with the whole crowd thing. And, as Dorothea pointed out, we were probably closer to the stage than we were to the main stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival a few years ago.

200507120730 Coffee News Cafe.

This place is a bit out of the way, but way more climate controlled then the Gingko. Cooler today--overcast, chance of rain. Am on my bike anyway. Gambling. Though yesterday, Dorothea did find my windbreaker.

Took Liam to soccer last night. He hasn't even played a game for weeks. I think that he has gone to one practice since returning from camp. Some of his teammates are way good, heading the ball, dribbling. Great ball "handling" skills. Liam is right in there. Lord knows what he could be doing with practice.

Afterward, at his insistence, we stopped at Tea Garden. For some unknown reason he had this thing about wanting to sit on their patio in the back. It was a small area, mostly a place to go smoke, as far as I could tell. But there was a little cedar-chip garden with a menard's fountain. I suppose that he liked the fountain. We both had sugary drinks with gelatin beads in them. Must be the up and coming thing. Too much for me.

Dorothea was invited to her refugee's house to celebrate that person's graduation and certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Kind of a hot day for it, but the woman had made tons of food. The discussion was of elephants. Oh, to own an elephant. You could really get stuff done with an elephant.

I am sitting next to a bay window, and on the shelf of the window is a display of pottery--www.llpots.com. Very pretty. Would make for a nice picture if I had a camera.

Well, now I have reached that point where I don't have much more to say, but my coffee isn't done yet. So I must keep writing. A flattery would be to say that perhaps it is in these times that I do my best writing . But I doubt it. Even as I wrote that second to last sentence, I thought "how awkward, how abstract, "it"s and "is"s and "in"s. What the hell does that mean?

So I look out the window again and contemplate the sky. High overcast. From this perspective, completely overcast. But cooler because the sun's rays are filtered. And I am sorry, but I don't think it is going rain much if at all. As far as I am concerned we've moved from the rainy to the dry season. And, lately, when it is dry, it is very dry. Lawns will turn brown for the rest of the summer.

Dorothea took my stitch out. Took her awhile to find the right implements, especially a scissors that was small enough. But out it came. That it happened in the morning before I had left for work is part of a novel trend of Dorothea getting up earlier. I have not been taking the dog out since they all got back from cammp, so it is Dorothea or Madeline. But I think that camp for two weeks readjusted Dorothea's internal clock. So now, in the mornings, she's around in the kitchen while I am eating my sticks and twigs cereal, talking. But this is not a good time of day for me to comprehend.

She told me about the refugee celebration. Perhaps I am over using the word. But it strikes me as a good and accurate word. We talked of plans for camping this weekend, and how the release of the new Harry Potter book interferes.

Last night she told me that she called Kerri about starting music lessons again, and that Kerri said that'd work, she's got openning. Mostly, I think this will be great for Madeline, in the sense that she needs a mentor/counselor/confidant, all of which used to work great when she was taking lessons from Kerri.

Back to Dorothea and her celebration. The woman's brother was there as well. Dorothea described him as outgoing and very "on." She added that he must have to be that wasy because he takes care of his kids. Taking care of kids means you have to be "on."

One more gulp of coffee left. I will leave you to judge the quality of the writing from when I was first ready to quit to now. Was the extra effort worth it?

200507110800 Ginkgo's

Well, I know that the coffee is hot today because I spill some--then some more--on my hand, walking from the counter to the table, lidless, thinking that I'll leave the lid off to let the coffee cool. It was the barista's fault for filling the cup too full; it was ...; no, stupidity on my part. Bad choice. I am still alive.

This carving is alley art that Dorothea and I found.

Hoping to cool off here. Today is instant sweat. Though doesn't feel like the air condiioning of signage fame is on.

Yesterday was driving to visit gandmas. I oouldn't see my mmm much, except that I credit Dorothea in being supportive. If it wasn't for Dorothea, I wouldn't be seeing my mom much at all. And lately, if Dorothea is going with me to visit my mom, we'll stop and visit hers, too.

I am not cooling cooling off. The guy in the wheelchair, meeting with a young woman and giving the impression of being a math professor at Hamline University across the street, just moved to a table more directly under a ceiling fan. Wonder if it would be better to sit outside? Nope. So I didn't finish my coffee and headed off.

Bread and Chcolate

The other day, as I was walking into the lobby of the building where I work, I watched a security guard passing a metal detector wand over a delivery peson's two-wheel cart of boxes of ice cream cones.

Last night I went to the Half-time Rec bar to play bocci ball with the people from my new group. The Half-tim is in an old building, and the bocci ball courts (two) are in the basement, which is kind of creepy. Loose, gray limestone foundation with stuff growning through the cracks.

When I walked into that place, there was a former colleague sitting at the bar. He told me--again--how crappy things are for that group, how lucky I am that I was moved, and, as a new twist, that he now is just hoping to make it to the end of the year. The significance of that, I don't know.

I only stayed for about half an hour, not even long enough to finish a game. Next stop was the Olympic Hopefuls at the Mill Ruins Museum. The idea was to meet Dorothea and the children there.

I parked on the other side of the Stone Arch bridge, and walked across to the mill side. An extremely pleasant walk.

The setting for the music is a courtyard. What they did was to restore the abandoned mill to the point where it still looks like the ruins of th e mill. The courtyard is the four remaining walls of one of the mill buildings. A very interesting setting for a concert. It was kind of like cocktail hour--food and liquor for sale.

I did not see Dorothea or the children though. Later, when we both got home, turns out we just missed each other. Oh well, good start.

200507090930 Dunn Brothers, downtown St. Paul.

Just left Liam off at soccer practice. Kind of an odd spot, at least from my perspective--east St. Paul. But an easy drop into here, at least on an early Saturday morning, with nothing going on.

This morning has been all about timing. I got going about 7:30. I decided that I want to ride the Gateway Trail. I want to find the trailhead over by the State Capitol. And I knew that the more quickly I found it, the more time I would have for ride. There would be futzing around, and there was, but I catually planeed pretty well for my ineptitude. I was on bike at the start of the trail at Cayuga and L'Orient at 8:00.

I planeed to ride for 45 minutes out and 45 minutes back. That way, I'd be done in time to drive home and get Liam to take him to his soccer pratice.

That all worked out. In 45 minutes, I made it to the 8 mile marker on the trail, and turned around.

Was thinking about rails, since this is a rails-to-trails. Thinking back to last weekend and the Greenway through Minneapolis, which was also a rail line. And as you ride that former rail bed, below grade, you pass under a seeming tunnel of bridges, as each north-south street of the grid has a bridge.

That leads me to think of how some of those streets that used to have streetcars running on them. Rails over rails.

Gingkos -- "Air Conditioning and Ice Cream."

Second day on the bike to work. Helped Madeline get up to take Stella out, which she did, complaining; but, later, when I left, she was still at it.

Last night I posted Dorothea's camp pictures of the tree that fell on the van. Second thoughts. Maybe it was a poplar. Found a great photo editing freeware and have been using it to crop and fixup the pictures. Went a bit crazy with the photos.

Well, here I am. Pretty much committed to staying until y coffee is done. IBM is having a thing at a St. Paul Saints ballgame. I signed up for two. And the bank is offering a discount to Guthrie tickets, so I need to look into that. Should get a birthday card to Bill, my brother-in-law, since I didn't see him at their stay at this summer. I started filling out application material for St. Thomas to do a graduate certificate program.

Got home last night. First work night, summer night, post-camp, post-Michigan, post-sailing on Lake Superior. As Dorothea pulled out the leftover stirfry from the night before, I protested. We had BLTs and salad. Madeline and I did the salad as D. did the bacon.

Dorothea took Liam to his soccer game. M. and I cleaned up the kitchen. Dorothea shrongly suggested that I mop the floor, which I did. But it is an odd contrivance, a Swipper mop, but with an empty bottle, and instead spraying with a hand squirt bottle. Then we took Stella for a walk and went over to Macalester to the big swings. We'd only been there a few moments when-horror--a family with two little kids showed up. So we moved off. And had one of those now common incunters with a little kid and parent who are attracted to Stella. This was a two-year old boy and father and stroller and balls. (Soccer, tennis, etc.) The guy gave Stella water from a waterbottle that he got out of his stroller. (You are your stroller.) He squirted water til it pooled up in his hand and Stella lapped the water out of his hand.

Madeline is still young enough that she gasp, when she first sees the Macalester swings across the field, "Ooh, can we go on the swings?" Of course that is why we are there. And takes off her flip-flops, hands them to me, and runs across the wide, football field-sized lawn with Stella, looking up and jumping alongside her.

Need to write to Bleue in Chicago too about arranging a visit.

The part that I love best of the bike commute to work is the image I must create as I bike on the pedestrian bridge over Interstate 94, a biker sihouette against the morning sun over the freeway.

The Minnehaha light is green. The coffee, almost done.

The Fourth

Dorothea and I rode to the Stone Arch bridge and to Nicollet Island. Beautiful weather, beautiful day. We sat at Amy's Cafe patio and had an ice tea. It was like sitting at a Paris cafe. Just enough people around to make it interesting.

Later that night, she and the kids went over to a friend's house down the street. I was tired and didn't go. Staying up for fireworks on the Fourth has never been my thing.

But, now that Minnesota has legalized fireworks, I feel like I am right there, even while lying in bed. The bangs and pops and fizzles don't make me feel festive, though. Rather, they make me think of small arms fire, mortars in the distance, RPGs, and IEDs. Yuck.

On the bike ride, north along the west side of the river, approaching downtown Minneapolis.....this photo is an attempt to capture slab modernism and overgrown nature, like an abandoned Brazilia...

And the Third Avenue bridge...

At the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mill Ruins....

Old railroad bridge to Nicollet Island...

Downtown Minneapolis skyline framed in prairie grasses...

July 3 and family is back

Well, Dorothea and the children have returned from French camp. We are all re-adjusting. Madeline is off to a friend's house and Liam is across the street and doing a birthday party. Dorothea and I did a pretty extensive bike ride--Summit to Grand Avenue hill, to Shepard Road, across the 35E bridge, Mendota, Mendota Bridge, Fort Snelling, Minnehaha Falls, and back. Most interesting are the photos of the tree that fell on the bike rack of the minivan while it was parked at camp. Note that Yakima rack was holding up the tree, and that no other cars were affected.

The tree, whatever kind of tree it was, landed square on the Yakima bike rack. The bike rack (and the van) held up the tree.

And from a slightly different angle--

This shows that the minivan was parked in a row with other cars, but...

I am thinking it might have been a basswood?

And a view from Dorothea's nurse's office, what she calls "the tree house"

And the beach...

Deck, patio table, backyard

200507021830 In the shade. Dog at my feet. Title for today is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Communicating with Idiots." Saw that yesterday at the Uptown Borders.

Two doors to the east, the neighbor's are sitting on their patio, having dinner. Clicking of knive and fork on plate. Behind our yard, beyond the lilacs, a dad and kids.

Arnold Palmer(half lemonade, half iced tea, at my left. I added carbonated mineral water, and am about to add gin.)

Just got finished putting away the last bit of me last shopping frenzy. Whole Foods--kefir for Liam, meat (steak for me, hamburger for the children), lemonade for my Arnold, creme cheese and bagels. Videos--four of them--National Treasure, Racing Stripes, Miss Cogeniality Two, and something else--in anticipation of a long two days ahead. Though, the children won't have watched any television for almost two weeks.

Just remembered that I needed to take Madeline's sheets out of the dryer, put Liam's in the drier, and make Madeline's bed. Trying to be nice and give everybody clean sheets for their return. I can feel (and smell) the dryer exhaust, which comes out right under the patio.

Liquor store and Kwalski's. $68 and $150 respectively. I was worried about liquor store closed on Sunday and was thinking Monday too, but that is not the case. Too unpatriotic.

Starship Exeter

Totally seduced by the media. I took a vacation day today with the hope or desire or compulsion to "get things done." But for one thing, my back is sore again. Therefore, I was lingering in the kitchen, icing my back and looking at the deep back pages of the Star Tribune after taking Stella for a walk. I happened on an "item" about hobbyests who'd created their own Star Trek episode and posted it on the web at www.starshipexeter.com. Amateurish, but good amateurish, and, well, humble.