House on Minnehaha River Parkway.

They have this thing here in MSP about keeping their houses lit well into the new year. I've taken quite a few pics of stunning, usually large, houses in tony neighborhoods... all of which were taken after Jan 1st.

The one above is a prime example. This is on the Minnehaha River Parkway, which is riverfront property that runs through much of Minneapolis. The river isn't too big or swift, but the views near and above it are great. The entire parkway has paths all along it for walking, running, cycling, sking, etc. This was taken on a night with about 8 inches of snow and I just thought it looked great. Of course, it's more impactful in person, but you can see how much some of the properties rise up above the waterfront.

Results, Poll #53, Bed wetting.

So, looks like we couldn't hold our water as far as filling out my poll. About the normal number of respondents and here's what we said about bed wetting, plastic sheets not included:

> 1 person (10%) chose 'yes, and still wetting' - you poor thing. what will you have to look forward to when you get older? I guess it all Depends.
> 2 people (20%) chose 'yes, and proud of it' - at least it's not just me this time. maybe it's someone else from my family? does anyone know what "they" say about kids that bed wet? maybe it's affecting me in ways i'll never be able to comprehend (said the 34 year old single guy).
> 1 person (10%) chose 'maybe a coupla times after lots of soda-pop' - sure, it happens. don't sweat it. i'd be more concerned about your high-fructose corn syrup intake right before bedtime.
> 3 people (30%) chose 'don't think so..."mom!?!" ' - like your mom would remember. she spent most of your childhood in the bottom of a hiram walker bottle or trying to dry herself out, let alone your urine soaked mattress. (i don't know where that came from)
> 3 people (30%) chose 'no, not that i can recall (under hypnosis)' - sure you didn't. and i never stole candy on a dare from the local five & dime. Five-finger discount Hubba-Bubba lasts the longest.

Sorry it took so long for results. My fingers get frozen and it makes typing difficult.
New poll up as soon as I think of one and can get online.

Spyhouse.

I know what you're thinking, and I wish this was a post about a house where current and former spies hang out, but it's not. The Spyhouse is a small chain of coffee shops here in Minneapolis. There's one not far from my house and I appreciate it for it's unique coffee shop look, clean standards, good staff, and generally upbeat clientele. And who knows, maybe they get their name from a spy background or from an owner that's a former CIA or KGB operative. That'd be funner.


They have a nice front counter area, with labeled condiments and accoutrement.


And a nice rear :), with some larger gathering space, etc. See the classy tin ceiling!? (oh, and bathrooms too - phew!)


Plus, baked goods! I believe this double chocolate cake and hot chocolate soy were part of my NYE celebration. Not too shabby... well, maybe a little shabby for NYE.

Winter Fun, III, Luminary Loppet.

If any people in the world know that you can’t spend all of a winter season indoors, it would be the Minnesotans. To combat cabin fever, get some exercise, and just have a little fun, there are quite a few things they do during the winter. I’ve highlighted a couple in previous posts, but since I was feeling cabin fever pretty bad as of late (and since I seem to have to make and participate in my own fun), I decided it was time to find something else.

Enter the City of Minneapolis’ “Luminary Loppet”. No, it’s not about Oompah-Loompahs or a fancy new Scandinavian drinking game (“Viking Master, Viking Master – hooh hooh!”) – but it is a wonderful cross-country skiing event held on and over one of the many urban lakes here in Minneapolis.

From the research I did, a “loppet” is basically a Scandinavian term for race, but I’d say it has now come to mean more of a casual loop of some course with friends or a festival-type event. In this rendition, there is no winner, age groups, or pressure to do well. Most people probably only get on their skis or snow shoes a few times per year.

Now, my plan was to avoid looking like I wasn’t just a creepy middle aged guy hanging out on a lake (like the previous post) by volunteering at the registration tent for the event. It’s a short walk from my house and I knew it would be easy (so long as you’re literate). The race is held on one of the lakes and the start/finish line is in the hip, happening, hustling, and bustling neighborhood known as Uptown.

It took me a while working the registration tables to understand exactly what was going on for this loppet. 3,000 people had preregistered (and about 1,000 more day of) to make as many or as few laps of the 3km groomed cross-country ski trail. But, what was cool is that the event is held at night. Yep, once the sun sets, the race starts. At 6:30pm with the sun well down, the “loppet” officially got underway.

Now I’m guessing you’re thinking – “How do people see!?!” Well, they have that covered too. On the outer border of the groomed x-c ski trail, they have placed large, lit, votives made out of a block of ice. One is placed about every twelve feet along the trail. It’s one of the coolest sights to see.

Oooohhhh!

Aaaaahhhhhh!
[You can just make out the groomed x-c trail in this shot too - taken about 10pm]

I didn’t participate in the event (outside of my volunteering), but maybe when I own some snow shoes or x-c skis, I will. Oh, and when I know someone to do it with me too.

Results, Poll #52, Snow Play.

It's getting more and more difficult to pirate a wireless internet feed at my apartment and work is busy. So, my posts and polls maybe more sporadic than usual - I hope the 9 of you loyal t.c readers will understand?

Here's what it looked like for snow play:
> 2 people (22%) chose 'yes, in the last week' - good for us! fun, wasn't it?
> 2 people (22%) chose 'yea, couple few years ago, i think' - might be time to get back on that frozen, snowy horse, don't you think?
> 4 people (44%) chose 'no, but i wish someone would go sledding (etc) with me' - i hope all your wishes comes true! if you come to MN, they will for sure.
> 1 person (11%) chose 'no, i don't do winter sports' - is that Ebenezer Scrooge? or Scrooge McDuck? Ba-hum-bug... get outside or take a trip to a snowy place. You'll thank me.

New poll up now... a very retro-topic for most of us, I suspect.

Wintery Pic.

Just a lil pic from the grounds here at work. Makes me think of a old western movie... or the time I spent running cattle up along the San Gabriel mountains... on my trusty and sure-footed steed named 'Buttercup'.

Winter Fun, II.

Not 10 blocks from my apartment are two large lakes, right in the heart of MSP. One thing that was pretty strange for me to wrap my head around was that almost every lake (proabably all) freeze over in the winter here. Sure, it makes perfect sense (and has helped ice fishing become so popular), but coming from IL where the lake is one of the Great Lakes (and doesn't freeze over)... it's kind of hard to understand.

But it's true. I went out the other day on a quick walkabout and saw why Minnesotans spend so much time outside - it's easy.


YES, Margaret, I'm standing on a frozen lake... very thick ice with no fear of falling through (well, besides my irrational fears of falling through ice)


Want to get in some hockey practice for your pee-wees? No problem. The moms and dads were busy shoveling off the ice (on skates) and making sure everyone got along.




The half dozen or so rink/hockey areas on the lake don't even take up all the ice (and this is the smaller of the two). People were also X-C sking and taking the dog out for some fun on this lake. Me, I was just walking... some snow shoes would be nice though.

The nicest part (though boring to see in a picture) was that they have a warming house (i.e. double-wide) set up right near the lake. You can spend hours out on the ice and be able to properly blow little kids noses during a change in periods. I think I even saw people bringing food... like a winter picnic - that's dedication.