When Labor Day had come and gone, and after thousands of convention Republicans had left the Twin Cities, we returned for the month of September. The weather was beautiful again, we settled back into the comfortable life parked in a suburban driveway, and Menominee resumed her quest to find mice.
One day, Menominee wandered away. Now, she's a good cat, and isn't inclined to run away from home, but she is interested in exploring. And I'm not a bad kitty dad, either — Whenever she goes out, I buckle her harness and attach her leash. This time, her leash was anchored to a stake in the ground, but evidently the leash slipped off the stake, and in the middle of the afternoon she wandered off, trailing her leash behind her. I wasn't too concerned, as I figured she was still nearby and would be easy to find. I walked up and down the block, calling her name and talking to her, without luck. Then I did it twice more, with the same result. When it got dark, I gave up and decided to wait for morning.
About 11:30 pm I walked out the door into inky blackness, in sandals and shorts. I felt something... it was fur rubbing against my ankle. Without even looking down, I knew Menominee had returned. There she was, minus her harness and leash. Probably her leash had caught on something, so she wiggled out of her harness and left leash and harness behind. And now there she was, her tail in the air, pleased to have gone exploring, proud to have found her way home, hungry and thirsty, ready for bed, happy to be home. I was happy too.
One of the high points of September was taking the motorcycle driving test. I made an appointment and showed up at a DMV site where a course was laid out on a parking lot. One by one the examiner tested the applicants, explaining how to ride through the maze, what to do, where to stop. We gave it our best shot, and although it was a difficult test and I didn't make a perfect score, I did pass, and am now officially a Minnesota-licensed motorscooter rider.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Summer in Northern Minnesota
Midwestern summers are hot and humid. By July, Minneapolis was becoming uncomfortable, so we headed north to Lake Superior, way up in northeastern Minnesota and not all that far from the Canadian border.
Our first stop was Two Harbors, a small town on the lake, where we found a private campground we liked so much, we stayed for a month. Two Harbors has a decent grocery, a good hardware store, several restaurants, and enough local people that tourists don't obscure the genuine character of the town. I walked out to the end of the breakwater between the harbor and the lake, and one day toured an old, retired tug boat, the Edna G, with its coal-fired boiler and steam engine.
Next we spent a week in Grand Marais, an even smaller town, even farther north on the lake, whose principal business is tourism — it has the kind of restaurants that tourists can afford but locals can't, souvenir shops that sell fudge, and a picturesque bay that draws tourists like a magnet.
Our last stop was Duluth, an old and busy terminal for Great Lakes shipping. I walked along Canal Street, visited Duluth's iconic lift bridge, and toured the William Irvin, a retired Great Lakes freighter that had seen decades of service.
The scooter came right along with us, pulled behind the RV on its tiny trailer. Wherever we stayed, I really enjoyed the convenience of using the scooter to buzz into town for lunch or shopping.
Our first stop was Two Harbors, a small town on the lake, where we found a private campground we liked so much, we stayed for a month. Two Harbors has a decent grocery, a good hardware store, several restaurants, and enough local people that tourists don't obscure the genuine character of the town. I walked out to the end of the breakwater between the harbor and the lake, and one day toured an old, retired tug boat, the Edna G, with its coal-fired boiler and steam engine.
Next we spent a week in Grand Marais, an even smaller town, even farther north on the lake, whose principal business is tourism — it has the kind of restaurants that tourists can afford but locals can't, souvenir shops that sell fudge, and a picturesque bay that draws tourists like a magnet.
Our last stop was Duluth, an old and busy terminal for Great Lakes shipping. I walked along Canal Street, visited Duluth's iconic lift bridge, and toured the William Irvin, a retired Great Lakes freighter that had seen decades of service.
The scooter came right along with us, pulled behind the RV on its tiny trailer. Wherever we stayed, I really enjoyed the convenience of using the scooter to buzz into town for lunch or shopping.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Springtime in Minneapolis
We spent two glorious months, May and June, in a southern suburb of Minneapolis.
Green was everywhere. In spring and summer, Minnesota's default color is green. The grass, the trees, the shrubs, the flower beds, the vegetable gardens, all lush and green. (It was a welcome sight for us, having spent the previous six months in the southwest looking exclusively at the earth tones of sand and rock.)
Menominee spent many enjoyable hours patrolling the shrubs in the yards, proving time and again what a Great Hunter she is.
We marvelled at the magnificence of an apple tree in full bloom.
We saw baby ducks and geese paddling in the lakes.
Especially, there was the bliss of riding the new scooter. The scooter turned out to be ideal for buzzing around the city and ran perfectly, right from the start.
Now we needed some way to bring it along with us on our travels. So we ordered a trailer kit on the web, and eventually seven cartons of steel parts arrived. They provided many days of amusement with wrenches (like a giant Erector Set) to get it assembled into a tiny trailer with just enough room on it for one motor scooter. Exactly what we needed!
Green was everywhere. In spring and summer, Minnesota's default color is green. The grass, the trees, the shrubs, the flower beds, the vegetable gardens, all lush and green. (It was a welcome sight for us, having spent the previous six months in the southwest looking exclusively at the earth tones of sand and rock.)
Menominee spent many enjoyable hours patrolling the shrubs in the yards, proving time and again what a Great Hunter she is.
We marvelled at the magnificence of an apple tree in full bloom.
We saw baby ducks and geese paddling in the lakes.
Especially, there was the bliss of riding the new scooter. The scooter turned out to be ideal for buzzing around the city and ran perfectly, right from the start.
Now we needed some way to bring it along with us on our travels. So we ordered a trailer kit on the web, and eventually seven cartons of steel parts arrived. They provided many days of amusement with wrenches (like a giant Erector Set) to get it assembled into a tiny trailer with just enough room on it for one motor scooter. Exactly what we needed!
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