Tasty Minnesota

Nothing says "Taste of Minnesota" like a row of (empty) satellite toilets. I had a bike ride this morning across the river to Harriet Island where the Independence Day festival of music and junk food was just getting off the ground. This festival has been around a while. They used to stage their activities at the state capitol, but for the last few years they have been filling up Harriet Island with holiday revelry. This year they are featuring a concert by Elvis Costello. They also have a really nice fireworks display every night from the second to the fifth of July.

I went to the first Taste of Mn at the capitol when Unky Herb was a mere toddler in about 1984. UH was amazed by the lights exploding in the sky and kept exclaiming "I did that" after exceptional displays.



I managed to ride 15 miles on the old Trek that GZ gave me several years ago, so my total mileage for the year is getting dangerously close to three figures. I rode up Benhill Avenue for the second time in a week and decided that I'm still fit enough to make it without getting off and hiking.

Yesterday I went to see the victory speech at the state capitol by our new Senator, Stuart Smalley, rather Al Franken. The longest election in Minnesota history was finally decided by the Supreme Court, so I thought it may be a moment in history. Perhaps it was, but there were a bunch of speeches by political talking heads, Senators, Congress members and a couple of big city mayors, and then Al talked. I hope that he does a good job and serves the people of the state, but the speech was predictable and I left early. The faithful seemed to enjoy his rhetoric. Al is off to Washington next week to be sworn in.



Wimby update; Serena and Venus are in the finals again against each other. I pick Venus.

PP was home this afternoon. She rode over on her bike to check on the native plants growing in the garden. While she was here she had a hankering for a bison burger. Why? I don't know for sure, but we went to Kowalskis and they had some ground bison for $6.99 a pound. So we grilled up some burgers, sliced some tomatoes and ate a midsummer feast. My first bison burger. Tasty. Minnesota.