Lakes and prairies and people

There's something about Minnesota in the summer... the long-lit days under big skies, the fresh air, the sounds of loons while we sleep... It's hard to believe this is the same place we visit each Christmas, when the world looks so gray. Our vacation this July was dipped in equal parts blue, green, and gold. If the weather doesn't worsen one of these years, our perception of Minnesota might become rather inaccurate, shaped by a streak of lucky weeks.

I really enjoyed seeing our families. As much stress, money, and travel time it takes to plan and execute these trips, they always end up being worth it. Thank you very much to our hosts for taking such good care of us! The rides, the food, the comfort, and the catching-up are much appreciated.

Many a photo was taken (801 to be exact). See some of them here. I would normally be more discerning and keep the gallery smaller/stronger, but I couldn't bring myself to exclude many shots of our niece and nephew. The little darlings are so dang cute. They remind me of why I like to take photos in the first place and make me want to have kids of my own (one day).

The Winnipeg Folk Festival -- our trip within the trip -- was awesome this year as well. It had the best line-up of musicians I've seen in my five years of attendance. My absolute favorite performance was by a band called Okkervil River (you've probably already heard me yakking or tweeting about them). I had been listening to a few of their albums off and on for the last couple of years, but their concert on Saturday night still took me by surprise. I've never seen a band win over an initially uninterested crowd they way they did. The front man's "this moment, right now" speech during the final stretch of tunes captured the energy of the night and cranked the volume. It brought people to their feet, rushing to the stage with hands in the air. My list of top 5 concerts needs to make room for this one.

One last note: My little bro-in-law and I shot a quick animation test during our time on Lost Lake. Sorry, Nate-dog, it's not ready yet. I plan to work on it this weekend and will post it shortly thereafter. I'm anxious to see it too.

Transient times and 4th of July

A month ago I was living in Delaware. The following week I was living in California. The week after that I was on vacation in Minnesota. Then I worked at a client site in Wisconsin for a week. Now I'm back in California, thinking of three different time zones each time I look at a clock. I need to start work at 9:00 EST. I have a daily meeting at 12:30 CST. R comes home at 4:30 PST. This is getting confusing.

Our definition of "home" continues to blur. Each place we leave is moving on without us. Our first week in California obviously wasn't enough to establish roots, but right now it's the best we can do. Returning to it after a two-week trip sort of cemented it as our current home. Some of our possessions, 10 boxes that didn't go into storage, have been delivered to the apartment. That helps, even if it would still feel more natural to fly into Philly and pull up to our townhouse (we do still own it -- not much luck with the sale). I think R would agree with me that there is an appeal right now to being somewhere familiar, somewhere settled again. There is certain amount of comfort involved with being in your own place, and we haven't been there in a while. That's not to say our temporary living space isn't comfortable; it's just not long-term.

Our vacation in Minnesota was great. Thanks again to our wonderfully accommodating parents. It was nice to take a nap on a hammock, hit the lakes, see relatives, and eat a bunch of home-cooked food. Other highlights were a stop in Coon Rapids to watch my brother's band rehearse and a stop in Rochester (on my way to Wisconsin) to have breakfast with my buddy L and his fiancée. Lowlights were R coming down with a cold for the second half of our vacation (she's doing better now) and a five-hour delay due to thunderstorms in Phoenix on my way back to Cali. Isn't Phoenix supposed to be a desert -- what's with the rain? Normally I would have loved to have the extra time to read, but I had finished my book during the first flight and didn't bring another one with me. Total bummer.

By the numbers:

- 1600 miles driven in a Yaris
- 540 photos taken
- 5 thunderstorms witnessed
- 4 long days worked
- 3 hours slept on Thursday night
- 2 go-kart rides taken
- 1 clown band watched

I've narrowed down my photos to a more reasonable number. Check them out here: EmptyGym rehearsal and the rest of the vacation.

Sorry, no pics from the Madison leg of the trip. But don't worry -- you didn't miss much.

Minnesota eating tour 2007

Two weeks ago I had my busiest, most stressful week of the year. Last week I had my most laid-back and relaxing one. Together, they balanced out to an average two-week period that I need to get you caught up on. Time is a factor as I write this, so forgive me if it gets a little sloppy.

The cause of my stress was, of course, my job. I was expecting a busy week, but I never saw the extent of the overtime hours and flat out mental exertion coming. At 5:30 on Monday evening, my boss gave me a week's worth of work to do... and he needed it done that night. Well, getting it done that night was impossible, but I did finish by Wednesday evening after working on it for pretty much two days straight, taking breaks only for dinner, commuting, and a few hours of sleep. I was telling myself I would take it easy for the rest of the week, but Thursday and Friday were frantic, full days of work as well.

Needless to say I needed a vacation. It started out strong with a four-course dinner at the grand opening of a Wilmington restaurant called The Exchange. We met some friends from Out & About magazine there and had a great meal of gazpacho, salad, steak (salmon for R), and a French toast dessert. I had a beer with the first course and a glass of wine specially paired with each of the others. What a way to end a tough week. I recommend the place.

We got home late that night, packed for our trip, and slept for three hours before catching a flight out of Philly. We were in Duluth by early afternoon. My parents picked us up and took us to their place on the Range. That night we attended my 10-year high school reunion. I enjoyed seeing my old classmates again, some of whom I hadn't seen in the full 10 years. It was as interesting as expected, but I was more than happy to leave at the end of the night. We went back to my parents' and crashed into bed like a train off the tracks.

The next day we ate a turkey dinner with my grandparents and also stopped by my cousin's house to see his and his wife's new baby. That night and the next day we hung out with my parents and ate some more -- my parents' famous South Americans, dinner at the Wandering Pines, fresh walleye prepared by my talented mom, and various other snacks and desserts. The weather was poor, but we still managed to play some ladder ball, go for a pontoon boat ride, and soak in the hot tub. The relaxing had begun.

On Monday night we headed west for my father-in-law's house, where we woke up on all three mornings to massive breakfasts. There was also a wild rice meatloaf dinner comsumed at Itasca State Park's Douglas Lodge that was quite memorable. It was a good visit. I was able to relive my youth with my cool 11-year-old brother-in-law by taking the Super Mario World by storm. The two of us also took a spin on a carnival ride called The Orbiter on the night of the 4th that had me hanging on tighter than I like to admit. The rides were set up in Bemidji, the town we visited to see some fireworks. Our time with R's pop, bro, and sis also included a mosquito-y hike to a fire tower, an afternoon at the beach, and many fierce games of croquet.

The third leg of our trip was spent at R's mom and step dad's house. By this time in the week, the weather was perfect, and we made use of it on the lake, swimming and sailing. The eating continued as well -- think shrimp, grilled steaks, good beer, and tons of summery finger food. We made a trip down to Sartell to visit R's grandparents (and eat a pizza) and also spent an afternoon back on the lake with R's extended family. Good times and good people.

We spent our last night in Duluth catching up with my older brother and his wife. He was nice enough to wake up at 3:30 on Sunday morning to drive us to the airport. The return trip was pleasantly uneventful. It felt really good to get back here early enough on Sunday to do the laundry, buy groceries, and even take an afternoon nap before beginning another busy week.

Recurring themes of the vacation: food, relaxation, and family (like, but not quite like, the loons above). Thanks to all of our accomodating hosts!

North Country

We encountered many lakes during our sojourn to the north, which I guess is pretty typical when you visit the land of 10,000 of them in mid-summer. Minnesotans love their lakes, and they love to share them. Lost Lake, pictured above, is found on my father-in-law's property. It is probably the most natural-looking one of the bunch we visited, which is charming in its own right, but not as welcoming for a swim. We did, however, take a dip in Pleasant Lake, Ely Lake, and Lake Itasca over the course of our vacation. We also pontooned, jet skied, and tubed thanks to the hospitality of our parents and some excellent weather.

The weather was great in Winnipeg as well. Highlights from the Folk Festival include watching Neko Case bring on a rising (and then passing) storm at sunset, napping in the prairie breeze, walking across a moon shadowed campground to the perpetual cadence of multiple drum circles, and just generally soaking up the free-spirited Folk Fest atmosphere with some good company.

Aside from the perfect Neko Case performance in the perfect concert conditions, a favorite act of R's and mine was Crooked Still, a contemporary, "alternative" bluegrass band that brought the house down. Their CDs sold out before they even played their main concert, but R and I were able to order one online. I'll be happy if it's half as good as their live performance.

As nice as it was to visit family and old friends and to listen to some outdoor music, by the end of our trip, I was more than ready to come home. Ten days is a long time when you are away from your bed, your computer, and a shower (for the second half). The travel really wore us down too. On Monday, we woke up at 5:10 am, packed up our campsite, drove for eight and a half hours, and were still only in Minneapolis. By the time our flight brought us to Philly and we drove home from there, it was 12:30 am. Subtracting an hour for the time-zone change, that's 18+ hours one way! Ah, but it was worth it.

Speaking of being worn out, I'm signing off for the night. Have a good one.