A mighty wind

A windy day while I was away demolished my porch door.  I've been nursing the door along for a long time.  I think it is finally not fixable.

Trying blogger app

Ok, here is first  attempt at blogging from my new smart phone.

Including pic of wisteria near my hotel in Charlotte.

In memory of

My Aunt Margaret passed on Tuesday.  Should would have been 93 this year.

This isn't a good picture of her but I remember her great laugh and it kind of looks like she is about to burst here.

I think you could have called Aunt Margaret a good 'ole broad and she'd appreciated it.

Got 'em might as well use 'em

I got a new phone for work.  It is a smart phone.  It wasn't so smart in the beginning...or was it the user?

But today I decided to take it out for a spin.  I used the location function to find a restaurant near my hotel.  Then I found out what kind of restaurant and price point.

I then used the map and directions app to find my way...walking to the restaurant.  While at restaurant, I was able to check and respond to work and personal email.

Previously I used the google sky map app to check out where the stars and planets were.  When I was leaving the restaurant, I was able to easily locate Jupiter and Venus together in the west and orange Mars in the east sky.  Shared this information with a couple, really just the husband, leaving the restaurant.

Ahhh...technology.

Way busy weekend

The main reason for no posts this weekend is I was barely in the house.

Friday night had dinner at Szechaun Spice with Kay and Jan.

Saturday morning had coffee and did the New York Times crossword puzzle with Christine.  My last workout at Fitness Together was at noon.

Saturday, 4pm was "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" at Open Eye Theatre.  James at the great idea to see this puppet show designed and directed by Michael Sommers.  Rose, Amy, Bunny, Linda, JT and James and I went.  It was fabulous.

Also Saturday evening Christine and I went to Minnesota Opera's "Lucia di Lammermoor".  A beautiful sung opera.  Ran into my realtor and his wife.  I had not seen him for years.

Sunday had breakfast with Jan, Rachel and Christine and Maria's Restaurant.  Sunday afternoon helped move Rose's friend Jeanette.  What we thought would take 1 1/2 ended up taking 3 1/2.  Rose, Bunny, Amy and Loretta and I went to Old Chicago to recover.

Sunday night bowled.  Had a really good first game.  The other two...not so much.

I need a vacation from my weekend.

A weekend up north

Jenny and Andrew so kindly invited me to their cabin in northern Minnesota.  North of Duluth not as far as Grand Marais.

We drove up Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning we went snowshoeing around their property and the lake that it sits on.  It was 20 degrees which was warmer than we expected.

I had never been snowshoeing.  Jenny rented me a pair of snowshoes from RMI.

We circled the trail behind their cabin then headed across Gust Lake to a tral to the next lake, commonly called Long Lake.

Being in the lead is literally the trail blazer and takes a good deal of energy. We were all sweating while getting an amazing workout.

This the view from the cabin deck.  You can just make out the trail we made across the lake.

Sunday was much colder but with blazing sunshine.

On the drive home we ran into a big lake effect snow squall.  Though you can't tell it by this picture bus visibility was reduced to a few feet.

It was all so beautiful and truly a winter wonderland.