Minnesota State Fair 2009!

Scenes from the 2009 Minnesota State Fair! We took it in last Wednesday.

Giant Pumpkin:
Apples! Honey Crisp, our favorite Minnesota-grown variety. Cannot wait until apple-picking 2009 in a few weeks!
It's not the MN State Fair without deep-fried cheese curds!
Joe and I split this - which is enough grease to last us both a year or 2...but total yum!
We were afraid to get too close to this one.....
Another classic MN - Hotdish on a stick! Featuring tater-tots, I am sure....
This is what I come for.....
I don't know how they do it, but the seasoning and cooking is out of this world!

This was a big thick hunk of bacon....on a stick....at least it was not chocolate-covered.
Crop-art is always cool.


I really liked this one:
Mid-way rides! No thanks!!


Joe and I went on this one one year...after eating. I will never be the same.....
It spins round and round and then the floor drops out from beneath you...the force made me notably sick.

This one was new...and again, no thanks!


Princess Kay of the Milky Way! The State's new dairy princess...who gets her head sculpted in butter!
Part of the parade....
SANTA!!
Excuse me, but there seems to be a cow coming out of the back of your car....
And a giant pickle attached to the side of yours!!
Horsies!
Little horsies!!!
A fun time. Can't wait till 2010!

9,997 to go.....

Today was Gus's 1-year birthday, so we celebrated that and the beautiful weather by taking a walk around Lake Nokomis!

This continues our series of exploring as many of the local lakes as possible. In the past few weeks, we have hit Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet, so today's adventure makes 3. Being the Land of 10,000 lakes, that leaves 9,997 to go! Ha!

It was a really pretty setting and not overly crowded. And lots of little nooks and crannies for getting close to the water:We came across this guy just enjoying the scenery:
But when he saw us, decided 4's a crowd......That's Minneapolis in the background:We also spotted this guy and his sailboat:
I think the doggie had a few reservations about this plan.....

After we got back, we celebrated Gus's day with a special cake that Joe made just for him....
He and Max enjoyed this very much :)

What $1.50 Can Get You....

....at Garage Sales! All this!
Who can resist a Mickey plate for a quarter? Not me!

And holiday dish towels?! YES!
I gor the 2 towels AND this Halloween candle holder thingie for a dollar!
What a negotiator.....Joe was not impressed and said I should have gone down to 75-cents for all 3. He's probably right, but I am NOT a good haggler.

What fun!

Remembering an old friend

Hard to believe, but it's been one year today since we had to say goodbye to Spike.
What a wonderful, amazing friend and companion he was for his 18 years.
There will never be another one like you, my friend.
We miss you lots, sweetheart puppy-dog.

Minnehaha Falls

Today we decided to take Gus to Minnehaha Falls - Joe and I have not been there in years, and it was such a nice holiday weekend!

The falls are still spectacular:
And you can still go down to the base.
Years ago, you could actually walk behind the falls, but not any more. Oh well, safety first, I guess.

Guess took s brief moment to pose for a picture going back up the steps:
I liked this covered walkway:
I decided I really did not have to go to the bathroom that bad.....
I am sure it was pretty classy in it's day, though.....

Not sure who this is, but he/she must have been important enough to warrant a sculpture.
I shall research further....*

All in all, a great day to be outdoors and a great way to enjoy the local scenery for free.

*Research update: Created by contemporary native artest Ed Archie Noisecat in 1994, the mask was made so the viewer can see through the eyes of Chief Little Crow (his real name was Taoyeteduta).

The mask is located just south overlooking the Minnehaha Falls in an area considered sacred to the Sioux.

Today's Project

Project time! This area has bugged me since the snow melted.
Looked great when we moved in! But it didn't last long - after 2 winters, with all the contracting and expanding, these stone just break apart and are impossible to walk on in your bare feet.

So! Today was Fix It Day! Yesterday, we got a truckload of soil, several rolls of sod, and tackled this disaster.

After taking out most of the stones, we filled it in and raised it a bit (for drainage) with the soil:
After getting that all levels out and sloping the way we wanted it, we got it all filled in with the sod!
Instant Lawn - I love it! Water the daylights out of it for 2 weeks, and we should be good to go.

Next, repair that crappy area right in front of the new sod. Woo!

Gus In Action!

Last weekend, Joe, Gus and I took part in the annual Humane Society's Walk for Animals. As a team, we raised over $1,000 (and got these cool hooded sweatshirts!):
Turned out to be a nice day by the time we finished the 5 mile walk. We had someone snap this picture of us in front of a giant bone (which Gus Really wanted to bring home):
At the halfway mark, Gus showed some signed of being tired, but after a short break, was raring to go for the 2nd half.After we got home, Gus grabbed bone to head upstairs, but only made it halfway up before deciding nap-time could not wait.....Today, no walk, but we did take some time to play ball. This was one of the action shots I was able to snap:
In an unrelated note, after the walk last Saturday, we turned around on Sunday and planted about 430 strawberry plants! We are nuts. This is one bed:...and this is the other.I hope our freezer has enough room in a few months.....