Getting in the spirit. . .

 Katie and daughter, Marcy, love the Popovers at the General Store in Minnetonka, and try to make a pit stop during the busy errand day, usually a Tuesday. Cafe & Bistro is the name of the restaurant, and they'll often bring Stan a sample for staying home with the cat.

I Do, I Do

Aaron had something special for Diane the other day on our walk through the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

 

Just stopping by to pose

 When the season ended last year,  Wayne left his trail cam behind, mounted near his deer stand. He let it run, until the battery ran out, some time in June. He was delighted to find a trove of game photos when he returned to his stand for the new season, like this one of a visiting turkey vulture. 

Our favorite polar bear family

Soon to be six month old Ellie and her parents made the rounds the other night, and we think they're the best candidate for the cutest polar bears ever.  She's Hai's granddaughter. He misses her dearly from California. He won't stay away long.

Feeding the need for speed

Brother-in-law Ron took a spin on the new trike too. It was chilly and windy out so a few spins around the garage had to do. He gave a thumbs up while perched in the backseat, reaching 17 MPH in the sub basement straightaway.

Historic first light rail train at Southwest Station

At long last (Trump authorized this project in his first term) the Green Line Light Rail extension to Eden Prairie whispered past our place this week. They're just testing the systems and will be for quite some time, but it was fun to see. The red arrow marks our unit, a great vantage point to monitor the future service. There is great entertainment value for us seniors. We don't know how often we'll go downstairs and take a ride, but it opens up a lot of possibilities for trackside restauranting from here to St. Paul. The dangers of freeways with its drunk drivers, speeders, ragers, carjackers, weavers, lane jumpers, black ice, winter driving conditions, construction backups, jams and deadly accidents will be a thing of the past. An occasional mugging would be child's play, be front page news and scare everyone.

She married a six-footer

 Kathleen was once much taller. Here she is in 1963 with her 57 year old Mom. She's 20 and has a beehive hair do popular at the time, giving her that extra height. She's 20 and loving hair dye as well. Florence had great legs all her life. She passed at 99.

L. O.

 Kathleen's Dad, Leonard O. Neilson, died too soon, two and half years before Stan married his daughter in 1980. But he would have been a fun father-in-law. A recent upgrade of bedroom furniture, brought to light again these carefully saved pre-wedding photos, revealing a man of many interests. These keepsakes are now committed to the iCloud, giving Leonard some kind of permanent remembrance, an upgrade from the dresser drawer at least. He loved his St. Paul backyard of flowers, his cars, his hi-fi, his family. A good man, only briefly met, but known always through his loving daughter.

Spontaneous Ice Cream social drew 25

 "How about this Saturday?" 

"Too soon?" she wondered. 

What the heck, let's advertise it and see if anyone comes. So we sent out invitations with our contact list, knowing full well that people make plans for their Saturday afternoons more than three days in advance. Let's see who's free.

But not everyone had a previous priority. Sure enough, a couple dozen were available for a cone and other sugar treats on Saturday, and below is proof. Attendees gorged on the new poison, some nodded off with a dreamy sugar high, but a good time was had by all, as they streamed in and out of our Unit 601 all afternoon. We had fun. Thanks to Diane and Aaron for putting it together with an epic Cub/Costco run Saturday morning.

We have leftovers. They keep. Ice cream anyone?