Watching the lake

Part of the weekend included a visit to Tin Fish at Lake Calhoun, a patio that I've visited more this year than ever before. When I first visited, halfway through a bike ride on a warm Friday afternoon earlier in the summer, the lines were long and the patio was packed. Lately, with cooler weather, the patio has been much quieter.

When Josh and I were there over the weekend, we sat in one of the bar-height double Adirondack chairs overlooking the water. It was a windy afternoon, and instead of the usual kayakers and paddleboarders, we saw lots of people sailing and zipping around the lake on windsurfing boards. I'm not sure windsurfing is in the cards for me anytime soon, but it was beautiful to watch.

Our view:



I'm hoping I'll be out on this lake at least once more yet this fall for more kayaking. It's a wonderful place.

Calhoun sunset

Kayaking with Sara

Today Sara and I figured out that, two years ago this week exactly, we were on our Boundary Waters canoe trip together. It was kind of fitting, then, that we'd made plans to kayak on the Chain of Lakes tonight - for our first time paddling together since that trip!

Even though it was a perfect late summer night for being out on the water - 70-75 degrees or so - the lakes were much quieter than when I visited on a Friday afternoon a couple of weeks back. And the sky was spectacular! We paddled around a little bit of Calhoun, Isles and Cedar and watched the sun get lower. Sometimes we just sat in our kayaks and drifted.

My little scrapbook for the evening:

I give weeknight kayaking a ringing, resounding endorsement.

101 in 1,001 update: August 2014

Nearly a full season has passed since my last 101 in 1,001 update back in May, and I'm about six weeks away from the this project's end date. It's time for a report.

Here are some of the items I've checked off my 101 in 1,001 list this summer:

17) Participate in an adventure race/scavenger hunt in the Twin Cities.

Josh and I did this together in June! I saw a discounted race entry via Crowd Cut for the City Solve Urban Race Series event in Minneapolis, and I figured it'd be our best opportunity to try out an urban scavenger hunt.

From the event's home base at Cowboy Jack's on a rainy Saturday afternoon, more than 600 people (more than 200 teams) solved a clue that sent all of us out of the restaurant and over to a nearby intersection. From there, each team got the packets containing the clues, each directing us to a checkpoint, some of which were mandatory. We had to get to eight of them over the course of the afternoon or else risk a big penalty added to our finish time. Most checkpoints required a photo of all teammates next to the checkpoint's signage; others required completing an activity. And you figured out each checkpoint's location by solving puzzles that, through exercises like word finds and crosswords (often with local trivia), eventually point you toward an address. Then it's up to each team to figure out their strategy for getting to each of the checkpoints the fastest!

This was one of the most fun parts of the event for me. I don't watch Amazing Race but I am one of several people in my age bracket who still keeps up with Real World/Road Rules: Challenge. We mapped out our strategy (literally and figuratively) and then made our way around Minneapolis on foot and via the newly opened Green Line trains. (The rules stipulated that transportation modes were limited to walking/running or public transit.) We ended up walking several miles around the city, mostly in downtown Minneapolis and in Dinkytown by the University of Minnesota. 

The checkpoint I'll remember best, the one that still makes me laugh, is our last one. By the end, the rain was coming down harder and the wind was picking up—my baseball hat was great protection from the rain until the wind lifted it off my head and dropped it squarely in a puddle—and Josh and I got a little lost getting to the last checkpoint on our list, a Crossfit place. We'd had a great time but were both pretty tuckered out at that point. It turned out that our last stop was the only one that required serious physical activity: to be specific, one teammate had to do burpees while the other held a plank, until the team accumulated 40-50 burpees. Burpees are among my least favorite calisthenics and we were not especially fond of this stop, but after that, we were heading back to the finish line!

Even with the burpees, the whole event was a fun and novel way to explore a familiar city for the afternoon, and it was definitely outside our usual weekend routine. I'd do an urban scavenger hunt again for sure.

68) Have a progressive dinner party.

This happened last weekend! Our group met at our house for appetizers, then went to my brother's house for dinner, and then returned to my house for the homemade ice cream we had assembled earlier in the evening (vanilla with Golden Oreos, to be exact).

Here they are, in motion to show that we are indeed progressing to my brother's house:

The key to the main course at a progressive dinner is something that can be prepared in advance or without much attention from the person cooking. My brother figured out a great solution by making chicken in the crockpot, so by the time we arrived at his house, all he had to do was shred the chicken and broil it (like preparing carnitas but without pork) for tacos. Nicely done, Brother!

71) Sew a dress.

This happened in June!

73) Take a photo of the same place every month for a year.

This happened from August 2013 to July 2014, and I shared the final results last month. I want to repeat this project and am brainstorming new locations for it.

100) Read 30 minutes per day for two weeks.


I mentioned this before, during one of my unsuccessful attempts to complete this goal, that for someone who calls herself an avid reader, this project was trickier than I expected! I usually read magazines in the morning and books in the evening, and I learned that I was prone to reading for a few minutes and then falling asleep at night. But the upside is that this kind of goal is a great way to really delve into books. Sometimes I have a hard time getting drawn into a book when I'm reading it 5-10 minutes at a time. When you're reading for half an hour per stretch, getting hooked is much easier. During these two weeks, from July 25 through August 7, I read Americanah, Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference, and The Circle.

I believe that leaves me with 74 items complete. My list's items are grouped into 11 categories, and I reached another little milestone this summer when I closed out my first category by finished all the projects in the "Creativity" section.

But I'm not done yet. Six weeks to go!

Kayaking on the Chain of Lakes

With the exception of some rain over the weekend, the last couple of weeks have been really enjoyable summer weather in the Twin Cities: low 80s, partly cloudy skies, and usually not too much humidity. On Friday afternoon I decided to make the most of this weather by renting a kayak and puttering around the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis before meeting up with my mom.

As you'd expect on a gorgeous summer day, the Wheel Fun Rentals kiosk was bustling, but I filled out the paperwork and got a kayak surprisingly quickly. Instead of meandering out into the more open Lake Calhoun, most people went into the tunnel that connects Calhoun to Lake of the Isles. I decided to follow the crowd through the first tunnel. (I'd guess that Wheel Fun Rentals has definitely expanded its paddleboard fleet in the past couple of years!)




After crossing under one more bridge, I arrived at Lake of the Isles, a more irregularly shaped lake than Calhoun with more little bays to explore. It also offers a view of the downtown Minneapolis skyline, only a few minutes away from where I was sitting merrily in my kayak.







I took this trip at a very gentle pace and effort. After the narrow water connection between Calhoun and Isles, people spread out father apart, and there were times when it was completely quiet on the water. I'd paddle for a little while and then let the boat drift while I watched the water or sky.

I paddled under another bridge and entered the little canal that connects Isles to Cedar Lake. Parts of this stretch were very quiet - and so green, with all of the trees reflecting in the water:




And then I was in Cedar Lake! Last time I kayaked on the Chain of Lakes, I was with my family and we went across Cedar Lake and into Brownie Lake. I eyed the beaches on the other side of Cedar and wanted to head over there, but my leisurely pace meant it was almost time to turn around.



I paddled back up the canal and across Lake of the Isles. The closer I got to Calhoun, the more people I saw:




And more sailboats, too!



If you're seeking a paddling adventure in which you may be the only person for miles, the Chain of Lakes on a summer afternoon may not be the right place for you. But even given how many people were out there, it was more peaceful than I expected - and renting a kayak is an easy way to access being on the water within the Minneapolis city limits to spend some time paddling (and drifting) on these pretty lakes. I'm glad I took this little local adventure.

Visiting Mill Ruins Park

Last weekend I got to practice some local tourism in Minneapolis for a marvelous, unexpected window.

Josh needed to go into work for a couple of hours before we met our friends at Medicine Lake, so rather than driving separately later, I decided to go with him and visit the Mill City Farmers Market while he was in the office. I've always wanted to check out this farmers market but in past summers had been doing long runs on Saturday mornings when it's open, so it never worked out.

The market is next to the Guthrie Theatre, with many of the vendors in the Mill City Museum's historic train shed. I got there at 11 a.m. (too late for blueberries!) and there was a great crowd. I liked wandering through a farmers market in a new-to-me place.

I've been picking up a bouquet of flowers at the farmers market (usually the St. Paul one) most weekends this summer, so although it wasn't entirely practical given that day's upcoming trip to the lake, I still had my eye out for flowers. At one table, I noticed a bouquet composed entirely of snapdragons of all colors, and any sense of practicality flew out the window.

I liked my market visit a lot, but here's where the true little adventure begins: I decided to amble back to Target Field (and maybe the main Minneapolis Farmers Market) the long way, via the river parkway. I walked down the street toward Mill Ruins Park, across the street from the Mill City Museum. Just for fun, because I wasn't in any hurry, I wandered a few steps into the park and saw a new view of the museum and theatre right away:

And then I noticed that people were walking on paths way below the ruins and the Stone Arch Bridge. (I think I really said "What!?" out loud, followed by "How did they get there?!") Cradling the huge bouquet of snapdragons in one arm a tad awkwardly, I followed the sidewalk around the corner toward the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, an area I had previously thought was restricted.

And all of a sudden, I found myself almost literally under the Stone Arch Bridge...

...and then literally under the Stone Arch Bridge!

I've run over the Stone Arch Bridge many times, but always with a focus on getting across and turning left to make my way back to St. Paul (or admiring the skyline at bridge level). I had no idea it was possible to wander under the bridge's first few arches. The museum, theatre and "Gold Medal Flour" sign are an iconic view of Minneapolis, and it was pretty amazing to be gifted with an entirely different perspective.

I love being caught by surprise like this in a place I thought I knew well.

2014 All-Star Game

Yesterday was an all-day All-Star extravaganza!

I decided in the morning that I wanted to see the Red Carpet Show at 1 p.m. and scrambled a little bit to get over to downtown Minneapolis in time. I had no idea what to expect from this event - besides a parade featuring many of the All-Star players - and when I got there, I realized I had drastically underestimated the crowds. I should have figured it out when my train was full of baseball fans so early in the day!

This was basically my first peek at Nicollet Mall:

I worked my way a few blocks up the street and found a spot to watch the parade. (My dad arrived shortly after that and stood closer to Target Field.) Most of the mascots from around Major League Baseball trotted around the red carpet to rally the crowd, and then the parade began. Every minute or two, a pickup truck or convertible would motor through with an All-Star player sitting in the back, often accompanied by his family (and sometimes his friends, too).

The parade was so neat. I was struck by how close in proximity the players were to the fans. The awestruck kids to my left caught all kinds of trinkets tossed by the athletes - and to my right, a guy was shouting good-natured, informed comments about each player's performance so far this season, and a bunch of the guys acknowledged him directly. The cars moved slowly enough to allow the players to actually look around and make eye contact with lots of the fans. The whole fan engagement experience was great. (And I loved seeing the players with their families, especially the tiny kids!)

Then my dad and I met up and strolled around Target Field...

...before going to an All-Star pre-game party in a parking lot next to the stadium.

We stayed there for about an hour and then met my brother at the train station, then decided to walk over to Fan Fest at the Minneapolis Convention Center about a mile away. The area around the stadium was filled with fans wearing all kinds of different teams' jerseys and hats (in addition to lots of Twins gear). This was the scene at Target Field - three hours before the first pitch:

Good news: those Peanuts statues I liked seeing in downtown St. Paul had indeed made their way over to Fan Fest.

The Fan Fest setting really called for two or four or six hours to properly take in all of the activities, exhibits and kiosks, but we only had half an hour to look around before we needed to head back to the stadium, so we just peeked at a few exhibits.

Then: back to Target Field for the game!  There's a green line painted on the sidewalk leading visitors from Fan Fest back to the stadium, just for this week:

In contrast to Monday's blustery weather and gray skies, last night was gorgeous: upper 60s and partly cloudy. I tested my panorama function on the cameraphone before the game got underway.

Here are the players lining up on the base lines for introductions (before an enormous flag was unrolled in the outfield). This was Yankees star Derek Jeter's final All-Star Game before he retires, and I won't soon forget the ovations during his introduction, his first at-bat and when he left the field.

(Josh worked on Monday night but joined us in the stands for yesterday's game just before the introductions!)

This is probably the right time to talk about our section of spectators. There was a large group higher up in our section, and I have no idea who they were or where they were from, because they cheered wildly for many different teams' representatives. During the pre-game events, a band on the field played the Canadian national anthem, and the group in our section sang along so beautifully that I thought the vocals were being piped through the speakers above us. (The rest of the audience nearby gave them a great cheer afterward.) They maintained the same high energy through the whole game, and they were funny and happy and loud, and I loved it.

After Idina Menzel sang "The Star Spangled Banner" (wonderfully) and the jets flew over Target Field, the game began. The American League "home team" got on the board first, with three runs in the first inning, but the National League answered with two runs of their own in the second. Target Field was ready for the spotlight, with a Minnesota state outline and "ASG" lettering in the outfield and All-Star logos on the base lines:

And, finally, we took a group photo! (Credit to my brother for the selfie.)

The game moved at a leisurely pace because of the breaks and substitutions and pitching changes, but it was amazing to see so many of today's baseball stars on the field at once. To end the game, the crowd got loud when Minnesota closer Glen Perkins trotted in from the bullpen to pitch the ninth. Much to the crowd's delight, it turned out that he'd be pitching to the other Twins All-Star player, catcher Kurt Suzuki. It gave the end of the game a wonderful hometown feel, and Perkins retired the three National League batters he faced with no trouble. The AL won, 5-3!

The final at-bat of the 2014 All-Star Game:

It was a sweet, fitting conclusion to a fantastic All-Star Game experience - and truly, a once-in-a-lifetime week.

Home Run Derby report

Oh, wow. I can't believe the All-Star Game is still to come! We had a wonderful evening at the Home Run Derby, rain delay and all.

Pre-Derby: Josh was working last night, so our group was my dad, brother, brother's friend and me. I hopped on the train and met my dad at the stadium, and we walked over to get a table on the rooftop at Cowboy Jack's, across the street from Target Field. It was breezy and cool, but the sun was shining and we were happy to be outside. As soon as my brother and his friend arrived a few minutes later, it started raining and we had to scurry inside to wait out the rain. Then the sun came out again, a band started playing live music, and we got to enjoy dinner outside after all.

For the early part of the evening, the rain clouds continued to be erratic. Just as the Derby was scheduled to start, a delay was announced because of rain moving toward Target Field. Our seats, up high and down the third base line, were actually protected by an overhang on the top of the stadium, so we stayed dry, but a steady rain was falling. We kicked back and watched the rain delay video footage, which consisted of some of the franchise's greatest games as well as an early home run derby between Mickey Mantle and Harmon Killebrew. As you can see, the delay didn't dampen our spirits (though I was happy to have my fleece jacket).

After about an hour's delay, the Derby was underway, and wouldn't you know - a rainbow popped out!

The Derby: Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Bautista were the stars of the first round, although former Twin Justin Morneau got the biggest and most wonderful ovation in his return to Target Field (current Twin Brian Dozier got a great reception, too). Stanton in particular very nearly hit a ball out of the stadium - it was incredible to watch his home runs. Actually, it was amazing to see what all of the contenders could do when they were working with the pitcher instead of against the pitcher. You know the cheer you make when one player on your team hits a monster home run? We saw more than 70 home runs like that last night. My throat is sore from that cheer! Yoenis Céspedes from the Oakland Athletics won the whole thing eventually, the first time a competitor has won in back-to-back years since Ken Griffey, Jr.

Whenever I've watched the Home Run Derby on TV, I remember lots of commercial breaks. It turns out that in person, there are all kinds of things going on during the breaks: a mascot home run derby, mascot relay races, a high school Home Run Derby and more. Most of the All-Star Game players sit on the field and watch the competition, often with their kids, so there was some fun footage of the dads and kids goofing around, too. There was also a segment between innings that featured impeccably trained dogs sprinting across the outfield and leaping into the air to catch frisbees, which I loved!

Post-Derby: After the derby, Josh and I went to the All-Star Gala at the Mill City Museum. (Ballpark attire, though, not ball gowns.)

The party stretched out over the entire grounds, inside and outside the museum, and the structure was neat: all over the party, there were small plates served at food stations hosted by great Twin Cities restaurants. Despite being a chilly night, it was a beautiful venue for this kind of event. I love that the out-of-town attendees got to see the museum.

It was just a great night. Onward with today's All-Star Game festivities!

Night at the ballpark

Preserve Minneapolis walking tour

I branched out to more walking tours!

After how much I enjoyed the Minnesota Historical Society's Summit Avenue tours, I wondered if other Twin Cities organizations offered similar excursions. Late last summer I discovered Preserve Minneapolis, a group dedicated to identifying and preserving the city's historic architecture. A big part of its mission also includes creating educational opportunities for the general public: A couple of months ago, I attended my first event with the organization: the regular Breakfast with a Preservationist event, held every other month at the Mill City Museum. (A Happy Hour with a Preservationist event is held in months that don't feature the breakfast discussion!)

In addition to these year-round events, Preserve Minneapolis also coordinates more than two dozen walking and biking tours around Minneapolis each summer. When I first read about the tours last summer, they were all sold out, so as soon as this year's schedule was available, I chose my first one: the "East Hennepin: Behind the Scenes" walking tour of Northeast Minneapolis.

An excerpt from the website's description of the tour:

"The bustling commercial district surrounding East Hennepin Avenue has hosted many names throughout the years, but everyone knows its unforgettable landmarks: Surdyk’s, Nye’s, Kramarczuk’s, Historic Main Street, and Our Lady of Lourdes Church. . . .  The last decade has brought dramatic change and the area around East Hennepin is now considered one of the trendiest and most exciting places in Minneapolis to eat, shop, and live. Fortunately, the area has managed to maintain its old-world flavor to this day. Join us for a “behind-the-scenes” history of the busy streets, unique businesses, and colorful people that have shaped this popular walking neighborhood."

The tour was set for a Sunday morning that happened to feature an ominous forecast. I drove over to Northeast in steady rain that turned into an on-and-off rain for the first part of our tour before the clouds cleared out by the conclusion. (Rain isn't a problem for the tours, but they are cancelled if there's lightning.) Lots of umbrellas in the early stages made for a spread-out group, especially since there were about 18 of us on the tour.

One of the tour's overarching themes was the neighborhood's layers: different cultural influences shaped by immigration waves, businesses and storefronts that ebb and flow and change. I was aware of the neighborhood's strong Eastern European heritage, but I didn't know that the neighborhood includes the city's oldest church, which was founded by French Canadian settlers and continues to connect to its deep French heritage.

That's Our Lady of Lourdes Church, its steps and doors with the fleur de lis symbol visible in this picture of our group (in the rain):

As we walked along the route, covering about 10 blocks, many of our stops included explanations of the layers of businesses and history that preceded a given space's current occupant. As promised in the tour description, the guides also talked to us about longstanding, well-known and well-loved Northeast institutions such as Surdyk's liquor store, Nye's Polonaise Room and Kramarczuk's Sausage Company. 



Across the street from modern condominiums, the interesting give and take between old and new continued: the tour ended in Chute Square at the Ard Godfrey House - per that website, the oldest surviving frame home in the Twin Cities. It's a space I've run by many times and always wondered about its history.



One of the tour's memorable highlights was our knowledgeable guides: two longtime Northeast residents that made the tour richer and stronger because of how much they love their neighborhood. The 75-minute tour was a great introduction to the area that also showed me how much more there is to learn about the neighborhood, its intricate history and its current era of development. It was only my first Preserve Minneapolis event - but if that was representative of the others, I'll be back for more.

Lake Calhoun afternoon

Back on two wheels for the first longish bike ride in ages: to Lake Calhoun and back, via the greenway (also for the first time in ages), with a break at Tin Fish. I have a hunch my legs will be feeling those miles tomorrow, but this was a good start to the weekend.

Sunday assortment

A few from the camera this week:

And of course, happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad - and to Josh's dad, too, and all the fathers out there!

Dad is out of town this weekend, but make no mistake, we will celebrate all together next weekend. I am so grateful for all that he does. Much love to you, Dad.