Breakfast with the bikes

>> 8.31.2008

No, I don't ride a Harley, nor have I ever touched one. But I heard plenty of them this weekend, thanks to living in close proximity to events for Harley's 105th anniversary. I also found some creative routes home from work to avoid traffic logjams.

I did get invited to dine with the riders on Saturday, leaving my car safely ensconced in the garage, where it stayed most of weekend. Our neighbors were kind enough to include us, probably to make up for all the bikes parked on our street. Here's what it looked like in one direction:







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Giving credit

>> 8.22.2008

After my post in which I was stressing about Target bags, I needed to write a follow-up. Today I visited a different Target, not one of the three within an arm's reach of my house.

Besides being pleasantly surprised about the good selection of natural and organic foods, I had a wonderful cashier, who made it her goal to fit everything I bought into my canvas bag. It helped that at this store, the registers are designed to put bagging operations between customer and cashier, so I could assist. She succeeded, and I went away happy.


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This is wrong

>> 8.20.2008

Given the title of my blog, this sign doesn't bring me joy.

One should never have to face this reality.





















P.S.: We went in the water anyway. Budget cuts, not pollution, made this the default "suggestion" for the summer. "Swim at your own risk" would have been more accurate.

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Vacation

>> 8.17.2008

Need I say more? Of course.

Here's a summary of the trip Up North, with more photos to come.

The good:

  • Didn't go near an airplane, except to watch sea planes take off and land in Duluth and Madeline Island. The old Accord got 32mpg, so everybody's happy.

  • Perfect weather for each day's planned activity. Walk along the lake to the Duluth harbor and maritime museum? Breezy with whitecaps and wispy clouds. Day at a Lake Superior beach? Warm and sunny. Unless you happened to be a mile away, where it was foggy and cold. We didn't care, but love that Midwestern weather.

  • Excellent accommodations and dinner conversation, thanks to my aunt and uncle.

  • Walked the Lake Walk to our destination once or twice a day in Duluth. So much better than driving.

  • Saw the beautiful rose garden still blooming. Have been up there in October the past few times.

  • Checked three more Wisconsin state parks off our list. These were enjoyable visits, not drive-throughs.

  • The "water park" hotel in Ashland was much cheaper than the Dells, and the five-year-old had a blast.

  • Everyone behaved.
The bad? Nothing really. If there was, I've forgotten it.

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America's Dairyland

>> 8.03.2008

Most of my dairy consumption is in the form of low-fat yogurt or string cheese, but sometimes in America's Dairyland, you succumb to temptation and end up eating a lot more dairy than you'd planned on. Welcome to August in Wisconsin.

It started innocently enough. In my part-time summer gig, a preview of State Fair was delivered to my desk: one cream puff. I hadn't had a chance to eat dinner, so what's the harm. (Surprisingly I managed to stop eating halfway through to capture this image.)

It's a nice treat, in recognition of the last full month of my favorite season, before the downward spiral to snow and cold begins. I didn't even get any powdered sugar on my clipboard or walkie-talkie!

Then, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had two Gilles sundaes this weekend. (I mean, really, how often does your brother-in-law, a visiting New Yorker in every sense of the word, announce that we're all going to Gilles, NOW, just two days after you've made your annual pilgrimage to the frozen custard stand you frequented as a child?) It was a big hit with the New Yorker, by the way. He even bought two shirts as souvenirs.

On Monday, I promise to return to my regularly scheduled, all-natural granola, yogurt, and blueberry lunch.

For the record (and self-justification), I did walk six miles on Saturday and hiked a state park on Sunday. State park beach photos to come in another post. I couldn't let you leave without a beach reference.








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