Wisconsin Mississippi Bluffs (Dianne and Bob's)

 We were treated to a spectacular sunset. Here is the sunset sequence...

We were also treated to delicious food, games, and fun stories.

The pickleball tournament finished with Bud as the big winner (including a trophy). An ankle dip in the pool was much needed to cool off from the heat.

Pepin Pava Pool

Another Trip Up the North Shore with Maggie

Maggie and I made another trip to the Minnesota North Shore for a day of camping and a couple of days with Jenny B at the Gunflint Lake Resort. Click here for the video recap.

The drive up on Friday, June 30, was nicely uneventful with the usual stop at Duluth Grill for a delicious lunch. We arrived at Cascade River State Park in, what seemed like, record time.

Got the camp site set up and Maggie ensconced in the tent. It still stays light out well into 9pm hour. Got Maggie in her backpack and took a short hike along the Cascade River. We've been here a few times so rather than heading towards Lookout Mountain, we hiked along the north side of the river. To my surprise there was a fading Pink Lady Slipper right along the trail. This was my first encounter with the Minnesota state flower in the wild!

Lots of wildflowers including creeping dogwood, columbine, northern bluebells, wild roses, false lily-of-the-valley, and Clinton's Lily.

I had dinner at the Cascade River Lodge restaurant Friday night. Saturday, I made coffee while packing up to head into Grand Marais to meet my ex-boss from Nash Finch, Holly and her husband Bob. We met at Java Moose Cafe, of course (I follow the owner, Sarah, on Instagram).

Stopped at the Grand Marais IGA to pick up a few supplies before heading up the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lodge. We arrived to beautiful sunny weather. Jenny was ready for us in a lovely cabin. Maggie settled in and was glad to have room to roam, I'm sure.

Friday night, I grilled up all the meat (hamburger, brats, and turkey burgers) that I brought. Additionally, we made a salad with some very tasty homemade salad dressing.

The bed in the cabin has seen better days which resulted in a crazy-dreams night. Saturday, I made a big breakfast of scrambled eggs with a little bit of everything that was in the refrigerator.

Maggie stayed in the cabin while Jenny and I headed a few miles further up the Gunflint Trail to Magnetic Rock Trail. This is a relatively easy 3-mile roundtrip hike to a crazy monolith...and yes, magnets stick to it, but we didn't notice a strong effect to our compass. More incredible wildflowers including daisy and wood lily. Ask Jenny about the fellow hiker we met and the odd connection they have.

Saturday night we went to Poplar Haus down the Gunflint Trail. Our waiter did not seem so happy to see us, but he eventually warmed up. The bus boy was wearing a 99er volunteer shirt do I asked him how that adventure race went this year. My friend, Brett, was doing it again this year. Jenny ordered the BLT and claimed it to be the best BLT she has ever had!

Sunday, Jenny and I went to Loon Lake for a hike and hopes of seeing moose. We hiked the Crab Lake spur to the Border State Trail. We made it to Crab Lake and a bit beyond which turns out is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - we didn't know. FYI - there is more than one Crab Lake in the BWCA.

The path was well maintained up to the BWCA entry point but after was very, very overgrown. We were hoping to gain some elevation for a nice overview but gave up on bushwhacking through.

No moose but lots of birds singing and a good trail except we did end up with ticks on our socks (me more than Jenny) but thankfully did a tick check before getting in the truck.

We stopped at the Loon Lake Lodge to treat ourselves to handmade ice-cream sandwiches. This resort is worth another check.

Sunday night I cooked up one of the grain meals I brought, added a bunch of the meat, and we ate heartily. I figured out the mattress by sleeping on the very edge.

Jenny got up super early Monday morning to meet students coming out of the BWCA (Project Success). Maggie and I packed up the truck and headed to Grand Marais for breakfast. It was very cold and foggy down by Lake Superior - a stark contrast to where we had just come from.

The drive down to Duluth was in intermittent downpours of rain. South of Duluth it started to get warm...very warm....and humid. By the time we stopped for a break in Pine City it was in the 80's with the same amount of humidity. It was crazy.

New kitchen faucet - finally

New fixture

Finally replaced the kitchen faucet. I did not particularly like the old fixture and not only because the flow/pressure was bad, but the hose feature was awkward. I tried replacing the aerator to fix the flow problem but was not able to find a replacement.

The new fixture greatly improves the flow/pressure, and the extractable hose reaches where it needs to go and does so easily.

---

Old Fixture

Celebrating a friend's milestone birthday

How about a trip to Ashland, Oregon, to celebrate my friend Jill's milestone birthday (No. 70). There were some travel snafus so I didn't make it there until Saturday (was originally scheduled to arrive on Friday). The birthday was Sunday so all turned out well.

Birthday day was spent participating in a sound float at Country Willows Inn. A group floats in a pool and a team of people use recorded sound, Tibetan and crystal bowls, and other instruments to create a sound bath. I was apprehensive of it being to new-age-y but I totally enjoyed it.

Birthday dinner at Beasy's in Ashland with friend Robin. Then a search for the milky way.

Jill's birthday also is Flag Day

Deer outside the front door

Returning this lizard to the great outdoors

New sofa and cushion slipcovers (UPDATED)

New sofa. No slipcovers.

Finally got a new sofa. I've been wanting a wood armed sofa for quite a while and this one was at Room & Board's Outlet store thanks to my friend, Bud, for finding it.

It is smaller scale than the previous blue upholstered 3-section one from Burrow but now I'll have room for an armchair and possible footstool. Additionally and hopefully, Maggie won't be able to scratch the arms.

Fearing the dreaded cat hair situation that occurred with the previous sofa, I decide to make slipcovers.

I went to TJ Maxx in search of a twin sheet set. I figured I could use the fitted sheet for the bottom long cushion and see if the pillowcases would work for the back pillows.

The fitted sheet was good. Definitely the right length and currently has safety pins keeping it in place.

The twin set only came with one pillowcase and it was too small, so I retrieved the very old Montgomery Ward's sewing machine from my storage unit and decided to custom make pillow cushion covers.

Mockup. Pillow sham design.

I decided a pillow sham design would be the easiest - no need for closures like zippers or buttons. I used the pillow shams on my bed as examples.

First, I measured and cut out a paper pattern and made a mockup with an old full-size sheet that I had saved. Once I was good with the mockup, I used the twin flat sheet to make the slipcovers, however, there wasn't enough fabric to make both the fronts and backs so used the old full-size sheet for the back material.

The old sewing machine is not particularly reliable but with the help of some YouTube videos I was able to get it to work well enough. However, I can neither cut nor sew a straight line but since this project is just for me, I stumbled through and am very happy with the results.

Slipcovers.

I did prove to myself that when I put my mind and effort to a project, I can get it completed in a timely manner.

UPDATE: I originally just had safety-pinned the fitted sheet together but knew that wasn't a long term solution.

I sewed buttons onto the fitted sheet and used elastic from the pandemic mask-making project to fit the fitted sheet to the long cushion. It looks a little rough in the photo but that's the underside.

Maggie likes the new sofa very much.

Chicago via Amtrak

St. Paul's Union Depot

A quick trip to Chicago to hang out with my friend Julie who was there on a business trip. The addition to the adventure was taking Amtrak both ways. Here is the video summary.

Rode the Empire Builder from St. Paul Union Depot to Chicago Union Station. The Empire Builder originates in Seattle, Washington so it is a longer train with sleeper cars, a dining car, and a vista car.

The Empire Builder was not completely full so I had a seat all to myself in a coach car. The train makes several stops between St. Paul and Chicago but only at Winona, MN are you allowed to get off, stretch your legs, and get some fresh air (though it is also a smoking stop).

I'd day 75% of the passengers in coach were Amish families. It was a relaxing ride and not much longer than driving yourself. In Minnesota, the train travels down the Mississippi River. I saw several bald eagles. You cross the Mississippi at La Crosse, Wisconsin then travel due east to Milwaukee.

I arrived in Chicago around 5pm and walked to the Hilton Hotel on Michigan Avenue where I met Julie. At dinner, I got to meet yet another one of Julie's cousins, Katie.

The next day while Julie was at her conference, I walked through Grant Park to the Shed Aquarium. It is huge. I really liked the Amazon River exhibit. There is huge tank for dolphins and separate tanks for beluga whales. The building sits out on a peninsula into Lake Michigan. This provides outstanding views of the Chicago skyline.

I debated about going to the Field Museum but after spending $50 to get in the Shed and the Field Museum is enormous, I decided to just wander back to the hotel for a nap. On the way back, I happened upon the Special Olympics Eternal Flame memorial. The sculpture was designed by Richard Hunt.

After my nap, I ventured into Grant Park hoping to get to Lake Michigan. The park was being set up for a huge event, Suenos, so a lot of the park was blocked off including access to Lake Michigan. I got over to the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, which is gorgeous.

Cloud Scape (The Bean)

After Julie's conference ended, we tried to go to Trader Vic's at the Palmer House only find out it closed down a decade or more ago. We walked over to Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate aka "the bean." A sculpture that gathers a crowd. The weather was perfect. From Millennium Park, we walked to the El to get to Second City to see Pandemonium, Please Hold. It was a fantastic show of improv and scripted pieces. There was one particular piece by Cat McDonnell that had Julie and I losing it.

I took the Amtrak Borealis back to St. Paul. The Borealis follows the same route as the Empire Builder (I thought they were slightly different routes).

The Borealis is a shorter train without a dining car nor a vista car and is all coach cars. Being shorter, you hear the train's whistle being blown at EVERY track crossing. There are A LOT of train crossings in Wisconsin.... A LOT. The Borealis was also sold out so I shared a row with another St. Paul-bound rider. There is a cafe car where you can get a meal or snacks to take back to your seat.

I would recommend taking the train but perhaps just one-way. It makes for a long day but if you have a book or crossword or work to do, it is better than the hassle of flying. The train stations at both ends are easy to get to and you certainly don't have to arrive super early for boarding. There is no security so boarding is simple. There is no wifi on the train but there is cell service the entire way except for a short tunnel in Wisconsin.

The video.

 

Another trip to the North Shore with Maggie. We drove up on Monday and back on Wednesday. Link to a short video is here.

We stayed at Solbakken Motel and Resort in Lutsen again. I like staying here because it is right on Lake Superior and is pet friendly. The motel rooms have a little kitchenette for keeping and fixing food.

We stayed in Monday night after arriving. The trip was a chance to relax outside the cities. It was forecast to snow a little and there was still snow from the winter season.

It did snow a little over night which gave everything a clean cover. Maggie and I drove up to Grand Marais to meet my friend (and former Nash Finch Company boss) Holly at Java Moose Espresso. Java Moose is owned and operated by Sarah, an Instagram poster that I follow.

Holly and I discussed the recent events in the Twin Cities and Grand Marais. Different customers overheard us speaking and offered their support and stories. Holly, who is retired now, writes poetry. April is poetry month and she has taken up the challenge to write a poem every day in April. Her April 1 poem is below.

From Grand Marais, Maggie and I drove up the Gunflint Trail to the George Washington Pines Trail - an easy 2-mile groomed trail through spectacular red and white pines. Maggie rides in a backpack and is usually fairly quiet. About halfway through she started to get antsy and very vocal. I turned the backpack around so she was in front and that seemed to satisfy her.

The fresh snow was lovely. We saw lots of animal tracks, a live grouse (always seem to see these birds), and a bizarre flying insect.

Back at Solbakken, Maggie didn't want to go out again so I hiked a trail that I had not seen before and was directly across Highway 61 from the motel. Encountered 3 deer along my way. There were lots of deer on this North Shore trip.

Tuesday night was dinner at the Cascade River Restaurant. Irish Stew was a good way to warm up.

It snowed a little more overnight, but we did see the sunrise out on the big Lake...and a deer walk by our window. We left for home after stopping at Caribou Cream to get maple syrup.

Clear here for a short (2 min) video review.

Poem (04/01/2026) by Holly Lamond:

I cannot save this world 
and the snow is still falling
my soul still wintering
I cannot save this world 
yet I ache for the parents
fear-frozen by impossible 
choices
I cannot save this world 
and my heart harbors the cold
reality that Easter is almost here 
(and you are not)
I wonder if I can save myself – 
life feels Lenten-long
winter, this world acting like 
twin thieves, robbing me of
spring
Yet today, I had coffee with an old friend
and we shared our winter stories – 
a stranger who teaches fifth grade  
overheard, shared hers and soon
we were three with tears running 
like rain 
I am reminded thaw can happen 
anywhere, anytime, and right now
 
just before green,
hope trembles
and soon it will bud

--Poetry Tracks In Snow by Holly Lamond

https://poetrytracks.substack.com

1961 Hooker Furniture Walnut Six-Drawer Dresser

Splurged a bit and purchased a restored 1961 Hooker Furniture walnut six-drawer dresser from MidModMen in St. Paul.

This replaces a not-so-cheap dresser from Wayfair that was not real wood and had required assembly.

I like that this is vintage piece but fits my somewhat modern bedroom set.

The grain on the doors is matched and the drawers also have etching that follows the curve of the pulls.

Sixty Hours in New York City

30 Rock

My friend, Julie, and I flew to New York City on Thursday, had a whirlwind adventure in Manhattan, and flew back to Minneapolis early Sunday morning. For a quick trip this is a long post...we did SO MUCH!

We saw four Broadway musicals in three days, caught up with friends and family, and still had time to tour the Empire State Building and the New York Public Library. A 3 1/2-minute recap video is available here.

We landed at LaGuardia right on time, took the free bus to the subway, then the #7 subway line into Manhattan to Grand Central Terminal. We walked from Grand Central to our basecamp for the 3 days - 2nd Avenue and 48th Street East (just a couple of blocks from the East River and the United Nations).

Our first adventure took us to Lincoln Center via 5th Avenue and dinner with my friend Robin. We stopped at 30 Rock and took pictures of the Luise Vuitton inspired construction masking. The impetus for this trip was to see Ragtime, the musical, at Lincoln Center. I have loved this show for years and especially since I had the opportunity to work very temporarily as an ASM on the touring show many, many years ago.

Waldorf Astoria with Julie

The production at Lincoln Center exceeded all my expectations. It was stunning and even if we hadn't done another thing, my trip would have been complete.

Thursday was the rainy day and night. From Lincoln Center the plan was to take the subway to Grand Central so that we wouldn't be out in the rain so much. 

We made it to Times Square but the subway to Grand Central was not operating (probably too much rain) so we ended up walking from Times Square back to the apartment. We were doing pretty good until about 2 blocks remaining when it really started to pour. Everything got hung up to dry.

Friday morning, we met a cousin of Julie's at a nearby coffee shop then a walk-through of the stunning Waldorf Astoria. Back to the apartment to get our host who was joining us for lunch with my friend John Arnone.

We met John at Grand Central and ended up at The Brasserie - lots of theater stories were shared. A woman walked by our table and I did a double take - it was an actor I had worked with at The Guthrie years ago - Brenda Wehle. She was headed to the train to go to Connecticut. We chatted briefly.

From Grand Central, Julie and I walked to the Empire State Building. The company Julie works for has a connection with the building and a co-worker lent us his VIP access card. It was incredible. Friday was cloudy but no rain and no fog so the views were amazing.

Friday night we saw All Out: Comedy About Ambition. This is the show Julie had on her list primarily because of the band Lawrence. The show had announced it was closing March 8, so we caught one of the final performances. The band was fantastic. The stories by Simon Rich and read by a quartet of stand-up comedians were not as fantastic.

New York Public Library reading room

Saturday, we met Julie's cousin Chloe at the New York Public Library. Besides being a beautiful and historic building, there are exhibitions to visit. The exhibit, 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity, was enlightening and stunning.

Chloe joined us for the remainder of the day and evening. We walked to Times Square to stand in line for TKTS tickets. We were in line for 1hr+ but brilliant-ly we ordered food online and Julie and Chloe picked it up while I kept place in line.

We made it to the ticket booth in time to get tickets for two shows. We decided on Buena Vista Social Club matinee and Moulin Rouge. Our host clued us into Buena Vista, and I've wanted to see Moulin Rouge ever since the movie.

Both were so, so good and we got great tickets to both. Between shows we ate at a French restaurant, visited the M&M Store, and had pizza slices.

We contemplated going to a club after Moulin Rouge since we were so fired up from both shows but also so very tired. We ended up saying good-bye to Chloe and walking back to Michael's apartment for a quick 2 hour "nap" before catching a Lyft to LaGuardia.

Wow! What a trip! Click here for the 3 1/2 minute video recap.

Mazatlan - Carnaval

I traveled to Mazatlán during Carnaval but didn't participate in any Carnaval activities! It was just nice to get a break from the cold and chaos of Minneapolis and to spend time with friends Pam and Bud.

Walked the beach and saw baby sea turtles struggling. Also, so a sea snake wiggling its way back to sea. Unfortunately, also so a few dead puffer fish. These were all firsts.

Had delicious home cooked and restaurant food (though we had one rather not-good restaurant meal). Met new and old friends.

Finally got to play in the Pacific Ocean!

You will notice in the video that I am obsessed with the birds flying by Pam's condo. 😊

Palm Springs - pre-birthday trip

View from Bud's backyard.

Quick post just to list out some of the adventures (and relaxing) in Palm Springs for a few days before my birthday. I stayed with my friend, Bud, who is snow-birding again this year in Palm Springs. Video here.

For my birthday we went to a new (6 months) restaurant, Ash and Vine. It is housed in a bungalow on La Plaza. The food and service were special.

Our first hiking adventure was to Anza-Borrega State Park, California's largest state park and about 1 1/2 hrs south of Palm Springs. The park is west of the Salton Sea.

Our destination was Maidenhair Falls Trail which starts at Hellhole Canyon Trailhead. We had like 3 different map apps which all had different trailhead locations. So you know, the trailhead is just out of the town of Borrego Springs (it isn't 3 miles out or 6 miles out).

Before you get to Borrego Springs, the drive takes you through the Badlands which is reminiscent of the South Dakota Badlands and worth the photo-op.

The trail to Maidenhair Falls is well marked for the most part until you get closer to the falls then you end up scrambling over boulders and around cacti but nothing too strenuous. But the "falls" -- oh boy. With all the recent rains, I was hoping for water falls though the name gives away the supposed real attraction - maidenhair ferns. There wasn't much of either - water or ferns. 😆In fact, you have to nearly crawl under overbrush to get to the cliff face (and Bud opted not to).

The hike to the "falls" and back is 5 miles or so. We enjoyed perfect temps and I am always amazed that there are oases with palm and deciduous trees. It was also very green for being in a desert.

We stopped in Borrego Springs after the hike for a meal and peruse a very interesting Fredericks Ancient & Ethnic Art gallery.

On the return drive to Palm Springs, we saw a hot air balloon that really looked like it was going to land on the highway or possibly a parking lot. For the longest time it was just stationary in the sky and not very high up. As we got closer, the igniters were turned on to try to get some elevation but didn't seem to work. No idea where it finally landed.

For another birthday dinner, we went to The Purple Room, a supposed rat pack hangout. It was very old school, very entertaining, and very Palm Spring.

On my departure day, we went to the popular Murray Canyon on the Agua Caliente Reservation. The palm trees are crazy tall. We took the Victor Loop that goes up above the canyon for dramatic views of Palm Springs and the surrounding mountains. Along this trail, we did encounter a big horn sheep. 

Video link here.