New Students Beware

We are a force of nature.

I posted the other photo I took at the same time... I think it is better and it is wider and focused on more people on the other side of the circle. But I love this one too and feel like it is neglected... so you get to see it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Wayne Yust.

Dad and I suited up today and went to check on the bees. They're doing well, thank you. Also, I got stung. It was really very exciting.

Casualty

We walked home quite late and encountered a cacophonous scene in the inersection... Once it was all cleared of cursing Italians, police, and mild wreckage, this was all that was left.

Dueling Pianos, Part Two

Mickel' and Jay took me out for my b-day. We went to the Shouthouse in MPLS for dueling pianos. I think these guys were even better duelers than the other ones. Impressive.

If I had to pick 5 favorite places on earth...

...small places -to stand and exist and get drunk on the sensory-richness- this would for sure be on the list.

Lunch with Mom

Two words: The Harem.

Sobriety, day 5

I didn't mind adhering to the no-booze orientation policy, but being back in Switalia and staring at this lovely collection as we ate lunch would have been enough to tempt the Virgin Mary. So I took a photo.

What ho! Could it be another bucket list?!

I opened up one of my new thrift store purchases and for a brief, shining moment I thought I, too, had discovered a bucket list!
But really it was just a sheet of paper with "Cindy Anderson" written on it. I'm wondering why Cindy thought she needed to write her name so largely. Really, Cindy, you were getting rid of the book anyway.

P.S. Yes, it WAS the book on Oprah's book list and no, it was not good. Really, it wasn't.

Panama Jack, Marcela, and other things to look at while I should be paying attention...

Isanti County Park

Dad and I went on a photographic excursion today, to the park. Our goal was to get some good pictures of wildlife, and we did get some pictures, but it was a little too dark for them to turn out very well. We got within about 40 yards of some of them, but we spooked them and dang those things are quick.
We did find about a million tracks, though.

Making Friends... in Piazza Riforma

At the urging of Ms. Fanara....

I did some baking today. Remember those Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies?

Yeah. Exactly.

Lifelines (or cycles)

I love Franklin because people tell and live good stories. Even the ones that aren't conventionally exciting are beautiful and well-told. Seriously. I have never laughed so hard or felt so emotionally drained.

This was Lura's, exceptional and eloquent as could be expected.

Huh? What?

So, this picture was taken at a very special place called Ben Franklin. I really don't know what to say about it, except that many things there caught my eye. This was in the section called "Crafts, Styrofoam, and Birds." ???

We also found an assortment of clown figurines.

I still don't know what else to say about it.

Mai Flower

Seriously, I love her. She is level headed, she cracks me up, she interprets dreams, and her shopping lists look like the secrets of the universe.

PS- I have been playing with iPhoto and it is so easy to mess with photos that it makes me feel dirty and unethical (because lots of the photos have started out sucking and I don't want to be that person who takes crap photos and posts amazing ones. I call that lying... but I like this anyway)

Wow, Alauna. A bug on a flower...How original!

Maybe not. But I can never resist.

I love rolls of paper.

But I did not feel like working on the stuff I had the paper for, so instead I spent time taking strange photos through the paper tube. Profound, eh?

North Country Coffee

This is the local hot spot for coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and many other delightful drinks. My new favorite is probably the Blended Italian Soda. Raspberry.
These teas, however, would be very exciting on a cold day, so once September hits we're set. One was called The Laughing Hyena and I thought it sounded like a beautiful wonder.


P.S.
Everything in this part of Minnesota is called "North Country" (i.e. North Country Coffee, North Country Credit Union, North Country Insurance, etc.)

From Girasole.

Things are looking good... real good.

A Day at Canterbury

When a Minnesotan hears "Canterbury," thoughts turn not to Chaucer, nor England, nor cathedral. Our Canterbury, you see, is a racetrack. And we spent the day there and it was a blast. We placed bets, laughed at the commentary, and generally enjoyed the tiny-ness of the jockeys. While most of our bets didn't win big, we did have a bit of luck with a horse named Sheriff Hotdog....

We happened to be at the park on Extreme Race Day. This was an especial treat, as there were not only horse races, but also ostrich and camel races. I got there quite late, so I missed 'em, but apparently they were real funny. Canterbury also offers an annual wiener dog race. Mickel' thinks Myshkin (who she described today as "a warrior") might be a good contestant.