Eskies on Display 4/23/06

Stopped by a dog show today. Our trainer/dog lover/owner of Gnocchi's parents suggested we come. She had wanted us to show Gnocchi, but that would have meant grooming him then protecting him for two days from dirt, grass, and other outside fur color changing entities. We opted to leave him at home. The primary focus of the show was American Eskimos. I think it's more or less a pass time for those who have decided to make their dogs their hobby. Most owners were women except for Juan (below) who owns Derby, Gnocchi's brother. That's derby on the table.


















Lots of playful white dogs.


















Judging must be difficult as they all look the same, except some are smaller than others. Sukoshi.












The woman in the middle is the judge. I think it was likely easier for her to decide which owner she prefers and which should get the blue ribbon. Regardless, I'm sure the white dog won.

Saturday 4/22/06

Today, like most weekends, I went looking for some picture opportunities. There's a railroad bridge by our house that I've always wanted to check out. On the down side, it was cloudy in the morning, making for some grey pictures. On the up side there were some guys relaxing on the bridge. On the down side they were toward the other end of the bridge, so they appeared very small. On the up side I still got to take some pictures.

Look for the little men in the pictures. No, there are no guard rails so I'd imagine that standing at the edge of the bridge in the center looking down is intimidating. One guy was doing it. I chose not to.

















































For dinner we went to a bar in north Minneapolis called The Times. We actually went looking for another restaurant that later appeared to have been closed. In all, the atmosphere where we went was fun and the food average. That must be what we get for ordering gorgonzola ravioli at a bar. There were singers performing familiar songs, but we were glad we sat on the other side of the bar so we could at least hear each other. In all, everyone looked to be having a good time...













On the way home we noticed this...

easter 4/16/06

It's Easter. Time to head to the parents house for brunch and to see the family. Even Grandma was there. But the center of attention was our beautiful niece Sofia. She's really growing quickly... and she seems to change every time we see her.

Of course she posed for pictures. With a little help.



















But sometime, no matter how hard you try...













... she's really, really wondering why you want to take her picture.

expect the unexpected 4/15/06

Today we visited another of the restaurants on our "to do " list. We were in the area of an Old Country Buffet and decided we were hungry enough to go in.

This restaurant was on the list not because it's something you'd recommend to a friend. I probably wouldn't even think to recommend it to an enemy either as it's pretty unremarkable. It was on our list because one day we passed one and Hiroe became curious. I explained the concept. I tried to represent it for what it is. I tried to keep it off the list. But, there it was... on the list.

So we went in. On the good side it's cheap. All you can eat for something like $7.30. However, I was thinking Hiroe would laugh at the food when she saw it. It's typical American food with lots of sauces, nothing original, and growing cold under heat lamps. But to my surprise she really liked it. And for a reason I wouldn't have thought of. She liked it because it's amazingly similar to eating at the state fair! Corn dogs. French fries. Macaroni and cheese. And twist cones too. Everywhere you look. I think just about everything would have worked "on a stick" just as it is at the fair. There are chocolate chip cookies and rice krispy bars. And lots of large people. Just like the fair. So it seems we'll be going back. Amazing.

ah.... 4/10/06

Need I say more?

spring 4/9/06

Today was a great day to stay at home, enjoy the weather, and get some spring things done. Time to finish chores that are too easy to put off for too long, like removing the christmas lights from the bushes. No they haven't been turned on since January, though we do have neighbors who leave their christmas lights on most of the year. Their's are a funky neon color, so I guess you could consider it art. I just checked to see if I could capture a picture of their lights, but they're off tonight. Oh well.
It was time to clean the garage too and in doing so we added a new member to the family. He was taking shelter on the garage floor. Not a great place to stay safe.











His name might be beautiful-chan, after another pet Hiroe had as a child. Or his name might be fuzzy-chan. We'll see what he turns into and if he wants to stay with us.
Hiroe is very busy creating a garden and she's up to 8 planters like these. As frosty nights are still common, all of the vegetation and greenery are staying indoors at night. I'm really looking forward to seeing what pops out.


























We already have life in some of the planters...


















If it can hold dirt, it gets seeds.


















And finally, my tree got some new dirt and a big new pot. His old pot is to the left in the picture below. I've had this tree since college and during that time it's endured a lot. It spent about 3 weeks in a tall clothes box in storage when I moved to Colorado and then froze in the back of a trailer on the move back to Minnesota. It froze again when I moved from my house in Wayzata. He survived the ritual of my dog P.J., who buried my socks in his soil almost daily. Another time, all of the leaves fell off when it went without water in my parents basement for several months. Each time I thought he was gone for good. So, it was time to reward him for his survival skills by giving him a nice fresh start and room to grow. Yes, I know it's just a tree... but he's a fighter. We should all be so strong.

chocolate bunny 4/8/06

On Saturday night we had dinner at the Lake Elmo Inn. On the way out Hiroe noticed the bunny in this picture. Upon closer examination, it's ingredients were verified. Yes, 100% chocolate. Almost 1 meter high. I wonder who the lucky kid is who will receive this on Easter...

Hamlet 4/2/06

Sunday night was date night including dinner at McCormick & Schmick's in downtown Minneapolis. It was "lobster special" night.














Hiroe had the lobster. I didn't. I chose poorly. Her meal looked and tasted much better than my Tilapia.


















Afterward we went to see Hamlet at the Guthrie, the last performance at the old theater. They've build a shiny new Guthrie on the banks of the Mississippi river in downtown Minneapolis that opens this spring. I'm sure I'll get a picture of the new place in the coming weeks.


















Sayonara to a great landmark. What will happen to you now?

Sushi!!!!!!!! 4/1/06

Homemade sushi. Made by us. By hand. Not necessairly pretty, but easily the best tasting nigiri sushi I've ever had in the cities.

Looking at this picture makes me hungry again.

Keeping a tally 3/28/06

Every day on my way to and from work I pass this truck. He's been keeping a tally of the number of deaths in Iraq since Goerge said the major fighting is finished. On Wednesday, the total on his truck was 2322 deaths.