Rafa Bows

After 31 straight wins at Roland Garros, Rafa Nadal lost today to Robin Soderling, a 24 year-old Swede in four sets. A huge upset. The four time French Open champ will have to wait until next year for his fifth title. The way is somewhat clearer now for Roger Federer to win his first French Open.

It was another of those great days in May that are not nearly common enough. The lilacs continue to bloom. This is another variety of lilac that always blooms about ten days after the common variety. The blooms and scent are somewhat alike, but recognizably different. The back yard smells mah-velous.



St Paul has a poetry project as part of the maintenance of the sidewalks in my part of the city, at least. They have a cache of poems that they imprint in new slabs of sidewalk when they are put in. Public Art St Paul had a contest to get people to send in short poems suitable for public display. They had an entry fee and a first place prize of $150. Their site has an explanation and the poems themselves. I discovered this example on Goodrich Avenue, I think, several blocks east of here.


Herb is back from another trip to Chicago and he brought back some of that Japanese candy Pocky. He says that he drove the rain on the road between here and Hudson. The sidewalks here remain dry.

A Sweet Day

The lilacs are still blooming in my own backyard.



It was United States Tennis Assoc. (USTA) tennis night at Wooddale. It was my first chance to play for Jerry's 8.0 team in quite a while. Sundays have been the province of permanent court time at Fort Snelling until yesterday. My partner, Barb, and I played second doubles against a couple of thirtysomething players. I don't usually go into much detail about matches, because you really have to be there to get the full flavor, but the flavor of this match was sweet, wild honey sweet. We lost the first set, without any service breaks, in a tiebreaker, 7-6. The second set went along pretty well until the opponents got a service break to go up 5-3. We were able to break back for 5-4. Then it was my serve and we had to fight off two match points to tie the set at 5-5. The next two games were close, but we won both and the set at 7-5. Then, in USTA tennis the winner is determined by a super tiebreaker - the first team to 10 points and ahead by at least two, win. We won some key reflex points and cruised 10-3. The victory was sweet. And we had fans to watch - nine of them - the other two matches had finished and they and captain Jerry stayed to watch.

So I came home and PP and I had some almost Mexican food from Chipotle as celebration for a day well spent.

When is Lilac Time in Your Town?

The lilacs came out today. They have been working on gaining flowerhood for a few days, but they are pushing out their unique fragrance in earnest now. Today was the first day. These lilacs are in my own backyard. The bush is actually in my neighbor's backyard, but it generously overflows into my space, and I appreciate that fact. I think that in other parts of the country the lilacs flower at different times. Maybe the lilacs in other parts of the Capitol City aren't flowering now, but in my neighborhood the fragrance of lilacs is all around. [My blog history shows a lilac photo on May 10, 2007 - the day I took it.]



I was busy during the sunny part of the day, mowing and watering and checking out my new plants - tomatoes included. It rained tonight, so it's wet and not conducive to outdoors activities. And the weekend is expected to be coolish.

I managed to get in a couple of sets of tennis at Fort Snelling. The after effects of my activities of the last couple of days got to me by the second set, and I found myself with more than my usual share of mis-hits. The tennis was still good enough and close enough to be entertaining, a key measurement of contentment. It was the last scheduled indoor session at Fort Snelling, and we were the only foursome in sight when we left the building at 2:45. Tomorrow we go outside to Marie Park and the vagaries of wind and sun. Let the summer tennis season begin.

Lilacs

The later lilacs - the Japanese version, in my own back yard - are under the direction of Wilson, my good friend and servant. They are fragrant and light lilac in color (as amazing as that sounds).



No bike ride today. The temperature got all the way up to 60 degrees, but by the time it got there I was at the Marie Park courts slamming forehands with the gang of geezers. There were eight of us participating in the strange kind of round robin that we've stumbled onto. We end up playing 24 games (unless there are tiebreakers) and change partners every fourth game. It was breezy, but I'm getting used to the conditions outside. The secret is to watch the ball very closely, all the way to the strings. Easily said.

I bought gas at $3.199.

The Target store on University is changing into a Super Target. I tried to stop there to pick up basics, but it is closed. When is it opening again?

Herb and I chatted with Ms Kagami Sensei on the internet this morning. She is likely going to be home in August. See the link to her blog.

Trek to Old Man River

A beautiful day in this river city. It's easy to forget that the Mississippi runs through this city sometimes, but it does and along its banks for many miles there are forest and parks, and then there is downtown. I rode both sides of the river today - my first 20 mile ride of the year. This photo was taken in Hidden Falls Park - the east bank - as I rolled past the river. I had to scramble to get off the bike before the riverboat got too far upstream to be in the photo. I like the juxtaposition of trees, bike, river, and boat.



There were a lot of walking primates out and about with their canine companions. I crossed the 35E bridge past the old Lilydale Tennis Club and rode to Harriet Island to where the railroad tracks cross the bike path. The tracks were in use by a long string of freight cars, so I turned and rode back past the water front park, through the forested bike path, and home. The trip up Benhill Road at 19 miles took my breath away, but I got it back.

Leftover pizza for lunch. I played some tennis this afternoon: ground strokes and overheads. Now I may need a nap.

I'm considering a plan to plant new flowers in the back yard. The native grass garden planted by the good Kagami is thriving, although it's getting competition from quack grass and other weeds. I think there will be black eyed susans galore. I have come to the conclusion that the term "weed" is a social construct. One man's dandelion is another man's lilac.

Gas was $3.259 in Mendota Heights. A nice jump for those who profit from our addiction.