Nelson Family Farm (Corn Maze+), Litchfield, MN

It happened again. No, not that. My coworker that lives in the "western suburbs" (aka, rural) of the Twin Cities texted me late at night. Ok, so it was the afternoon. In any case, he wanted to know if I was up for a surprise outing in his neck of the woods. At this point, there's almost nothing he can suggest that I won't do, so it didn't take much convincing for me to accept the invitation. I would meet them around 1pm on Sunday afternoon. I should dress to be outdoors and maybe not in the best clothes I own (aka, no tuxedo).

So, I did as I was told. I met them at their house and we took a relatively short drive from Delano, MN to Litchfield, MN (Google it, I dare you). We arrived at the Nelson Family Farm and were directed to find a parking spot...

Once we paid our $8 adults fee for entry, the world of fall fun opened up. We could do any number of activities... trebouchet spectating, rides, pet animals, corn maze, pumpkin shopping, almost a you-call-it of autumn fun. And we did almost all of it...

Rural "Energy Bar"? Yes

The "punkin' chunkin" was particularly dramatic, especially for a city boy like me. A large 16lb pumpkin wound up smacking right into a large tree - whammy! It had no chance.

Though I did take a hard look at the "Farm Hideout", I opted not to do this, this time... I'm already regretting it.

In one hole and out the other in total darkenss. Not for the faint of heart. Hopefully no kids are stuck in there either. Next year...

I did say yes to all this though...

Telephone pole balance beams? Yes

"Maze practice"? Yes

Snowless Tobaggan Ride? Yes.

Crazy, herky-jerky tractor ride? Yes... each car had a double hinge that made normal forward movement almost impossible, and more fun

That rear cars are the most fun, duh!

Animal petting? Maybe. You could pet til your heart's cow-tent

Jump into an old silo, just for fun

And another pitch-black maze thing... no thanks on this one ever

Farm humor!

Can you see me? I'm only two rows in on the maze trail

We wound up finishing off our day with the maze, then a pic or two on a huge, retired combine.

During much of the 2-3 hour adventure, I was surprised I'd seen no child get hurt on many many opportunities in this veritable rural obstacle course. Sure enough, I just had to wait until the last thing to see it. While I waited for my turn in the combine, we watched, in slow motion, a mother carry her 3-4 year old daughter out of the combine cab. With one hand on the ladder and one hand on the child she made it about one step down before she turned 180 degrees the wrong way on the ladder and dropped her daughter about five feet to the hard-scrabble farm earth below. The daughter hit with a limp thud and then began the tears (which I could not have held back myself if I were in her shoes). Before we could rush to help the young girl, her mom had made it all the way down the ladder and picked her up. Of course, we saw all of them on the way out a few minutes later and the little kid was already back to her normal self. Phew, a corn-miracle.

If I'm ever in the 'hood again, I'd do this in a heartbeat. Highly recommended.

Finally! Samsung Galaxy Alpha

It took some time, patiently waiting like Gollum in the dark, but it seems and feels worth it so far. Of course, I had to port my number back to AT&T and sign up for one of their new-fangled Next plans, but it's done. I'm back to a capable Android phone.

Some specs:

- 2.5Ghz Quad-core processor

- 12mp camera

- 32gb internal memory

- 4G capable

- super AMOLED screen

- Android OS, 4.4.4 KitKat 

Dimensions:

132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7mm (quite thin)

115g

 

Mine's actually one of the black versions (2nd image).

Now, I just have to deal with finding a case. Since it isn't a hugely popular phone, it doesn't have quite the "case-following" as others. I will probably wind up with two options - 1. sticky back wallet pocket from Distl Union that I can keep in the front pocket without another wallet and 2. a simple, snap-on case to protect it when held in the back pocket.

My precious.

Le Town Talk Diner, Minneapolis, MN

This may turn out to be one of my most unique restaurant posts, as I don't really have any pics of the food, and will likely not talk about it too much. In a nutshell, the whole trip to Le Town Talk Diner was good, maybe even better than good. Except, I don't know if it's the somewhat bleak neighborhood, the chilly air in the restaurant that night, or the semi-empty rooms, but it was missing something.

Even the decor is better than average, pretty cute if you have a group for the large round table, or want to tuck into a booth. Though, in the middle of this neighborhood, I found the French theme a bit out of place. I do understand that the owner(s) are from Marseilles, but the French music, menu, and drinks just didn't do it for me. That's not to say any of the fare was bad, again, it was all good, but I just didn't get it. Maybe I need to go back again or have this in my own neighborhood as my "go-to" spot. 

Here's the rundown of my food choices:

- ocktoberfest beer, amen 

- tomato soup with creme fraiche and chive, hit the spot on a chilly, windy October evening

- Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald porter, delicious

- a bite of a shared appetizer, tartine (a French twist on an open-faced grilled cheese with tomato and fennel)

- steak frite, was told at the bar it was 6oz, but it came out as 10oz. Alright. I ordered it medium-rare and it was just rare...I just ate it. The fries were thin and crispy.  

- for dessert we split their chocolate mousse, this had very little mousse structure, almost sticky, but did have chocolate and a warm spice/heat, and since another person in our group sent her under-cooked steak back, we got it comp'ed 

This tomato soup with creme fraiche did hit the spot after my first beer, while I waited for my fellow diners at the chilly bar

This round table would be fun for any group, no doubt

The menu is well laid out, relatively simple, and not overwhelming

Update #3: Admitting the problem is the first step...

It's been a busy cellphone year as I've been trying to find something acceptable on the Android side again. I've gone through a rash of options recently (in RED below) and wanted to update this while I could remember them all, mostly for my own benefit... you already know I'm nuts for phones.

Nokia

6030
6590 (2)
E62
9300
3360
5140
8210 (one of my all-time favorites)

Panasonicg51m (that super small one)

Samsung

x495
Captivate from the Galaxy S Series - junk
Galaxy S III - warrantied multiple times, sent back

MotorolaUnidentified (found it on Navy Pier)
Razr
Rokr w385
Atrix - not a bad little phone

Razr V XT886 (one of my all-time worsts)

RIMBlackBerry 7300 (work issued)

Sony Ericsson

w300is710a (hand me down)

Xperia Z1 Compact - great size, waterproof, dustproof, not a great OS and terrible company support

Apple

iPhone 3

iPhone 5
iPhone 5S - great size, power, speed and apps, but not a huge Apple fan anymore

HTC

Aria - total crap

One - the one with the front-facing speakers, it's ok

LG

G3 - the biggest phone I had ever used and did not get used to the size within the return window, perhaps a bit hasty on my part

Blu

VIVO IV - this is one odd brand out of Miami and a terribly clunky OS

That's 28 in all now, I think. I better slow down... but there are already new contenders - OnePlus One or the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.

Concert: Phantogram @ Myth Nightclub, St. Paul, MN

I was lucky and brave enough to head out to what is basically White Bear Lake, MN (ok, in fairness, I think it's Maplewood...big diff) to an honest-to-goodness nightclub known as "Myth" to attend the Phantogram concert a couple nights ago.

Rumor has it they do MMA fights here too. The yellow in the letter "Y" looked like mold growing down the sign

The club wasn't as bad as everyone seems to comment, though it is a far piece to get there (in terms of going to a show on a "school night"), and the concert was AWESOME!!! This group is known for their high energy and literally bright lights, and this proved very true. The production value of this bands show are like nothing I've ever seen, again, it was AWESOME!!! Both the front man and woman seem to give the group and the audience all their energy too. It was a great night. Check out the few pics I could capture on the terrible, crappy cellphone I'm currently using... 

Symbolism? Don't go there

At one point, she put on a lit or sequined coat and the lights just radiated off of her, it was cool

If you ever get the chance to see Phantogram live, do NOT pass it up. Just go... even if you have to cross state lines.

It just makes me laugh...

MC user or not, funny is funny. I think it's the kids that make it great.

Tilia, Minneapolis, MN (Linden Hills)

I've written posts about Tilia before and you'll find another "mini" one below, and that's because I love this place. It's easily one of my Top 3 restaurants in the Twin Cities, maybe the US. Why? 

Well, it's pretty simple, they hit on my personal 4 P's for Companies - product, people, process, and passion. 

They have great product alright. Nothing I have put in my mouth here has ever been bad. Once, while I sat at the bar area with a kitchen view, we watched them send our orders back because they weren't cooked to order, though I have no doubt I would have loved it anyway. This last trip was no exception - I had a great turkey burger and awesome Brussel sprouts (yes, I love anything from the cabbage family)... washed down with Pumpking beer, perfect for fall.

Though we know people can have bad days, I don't recall anyone here being in a bad mood when I've visited. This last time was no exception. My waitress was always helpful with a smile and could answer any question I had, some quite nerdy.

If you've ever been to Tilia on a busy Friday or Saturday night, you might think their process is broken (I know I have), but having had the chance to sit at the bar with kitchen view a couple times now, I don't think that's the case. The kitchen staff is working as hard as they can possibly go. They also crank out amazingly tasteful dishes with insightful inspirations. If you think the process is broken before your food arrives, ask yourself if you still think so once you're done with dessert.

Finally, it is my belief that this place and the people that work there have a passion for serving the local Linden Hills neighborhood and surrounding clientele. I know because of how well they consistently do the three above.

In a nutshell, and though I've said it before in one way or another, if you're in this neighborhood around any mealtime, go in and have some great food and drink.     

Pumpking - delicious for fall

Turley burger with, I believe, Morbier cheese and house-made pickles

Brussel sprouts with ham and walnuts

See how fast his hands were moving...?