Big election tomorrow

I've heard someone who should know say that November is the cloudiest month here in the People's Republic of Minnesota. Today was cloudy and glum. But there is an election tomorrow and I thought I might be able to get some photos of lawn signs or something election related of note. It seemed to me that if I had a walk around the area of a private liberal arts college, I might see some political action. Lucky for me there is such a college not far from here - near the corner of Snelling and Grand.  Close enough.  I took a hike through the heart of that campus and found it pretty much devoid of political signs and activity. Maybe they are sitting this one out. Even the areas around the college where I suspect some students and faculty might live, there weren't that many signs and the ones I found were of the preprinted variety. Kind of boring after that home made Nader '08 sign from yesterday.

So I went to some recent archival material for a blog photo. This is the Governor's Mansion on Summit from a walk yesterday. There weren't any political lawn signs there either, but the front door had been tastefully decorated for Halloween trick or treaters. The guv gave out candy on Halloween between 5:30 and 6:30 pm that night. I think he may have got in some politicking later in the evening and no doubt he's at it again tonight.

And finally, a not so cuddly looking cat, a big cat living a lonely life at Como Zoo, doing its level best to be cute. Taken yesterday afternoon. I don't have a house cat, or dog for that matter, so this is close as I can get to a cute cat picture today.

Black Friday

Black Friday, the consumer spending holiday is also known as Evacuation Day (there is also a Daily Show video) and Buy Nothing Day.   I, personally, did not participate in the shopping blitz, but I did manage an hour's walk around the neighborhood and later ninety minutes of Fort Snelling tennis.  The walk was pretty pleasant for the 25th of November.  The temperature peaked at 52 degrees - not a record, but pretty exceptional for this late in the fall.  The Governor's Mansion on Summit has decorated for the Christmas season in a simple, understated, but premature manner.

 Christmas decorations are up at the governor's mansion.  There is still a little snow on the lawn, too.

The walk continued along Summit and past the law school until I discovered a previously unpictured bench next to the Steppingstone Theatre on Victoria.  The bench is a little off the beaten track and not easily accessible, but seemingly well constructed.  It's getting so I can't walk by a bench without snapping off a photo.  It's only memory that I'm temporarily using.

Another pretty nice public bench with freeze dried flowers (roses?) in the foreground.

Tennis went pretty well, and then I came home to try to make a dent in the mountain of Thanksgiving food still resident in the fridge. I'm not yet tired of tacos made with lefse, Turkey, dressing and gravy. I'm thinking about adding a new series to the bench, cute cat and barn series that sporadically show up here and on other related blogs. How does non-rectangular windows sound? A new series might come in handy during the November blogging marathon.