Last Friday of the Week

Unky Herb and Kagami Sensei in the backyard under the maple tree together.


This was day three of the visit of the English teaching environmentalist. She finished the last of the Harry Potter series and pronounced it satisfying enough. Apparently young Harry was not killed off by Ms Rowling. She's off with some friends tonight, and tomorrow she's getting her hair cut. There may be pictures sometime later.

Herb rode his bike to work today. It was reasonably pleasant and he got home sweaty, but unscathed from his trek through Minneapolis.

I checked in on the French Bike Race again, but it was lacking in drama, and there was no obvious doper to root against. The top riders retained their positions. Tomorrow is the big time trial to determine the final yellow jersey guy and the winner in Paris the next day. Lance Armstrong is in Iowa doing the RAGBRAI with John Edwards, so it won't be him. Rasmussen and Vino went home early. I predict that it'll be a new guy.

Hottest Day of 2007, So Far

The last of the heat stroke inducing days is nearly done. It was 97 F. this afternoon in the Capitol City, according to Minnesota Weather Underground. After some rain, the temp has fallen to a pleasant 77 as I peck away here. KS and I had a walk around Como Lake in the heat to check out the shore line restorations and the rain gardens planted with native species. I learned the names of some plants and also learned that butterflies lay their eggs on milk weed plants. There was a lot of evidence of egg laying on Como's milk weeds. The walking paths around the lake were nearly empty today, a silent tribute to the heat index, and the TV weather creatures who keep us aware of its existence.

Below is pictured an icon of Como Park. Shown is a gate-like structure that is planted with flowers which, on Saturdays, when a lot of weddings occur, is the backdrop for photos of young ladies in white dresses and guys in tuxes. Who can argue with tradition like that?


We took in a movie at Rosedale to get through the heat of the day. We viewed "Harry Potter 5" or "Order of the Phoenix" I fell asleep during the most exciting part and was chided by the lass for my lack of attention. It was an exciting part, but only if you had read some of the books that form the basis for the filmed abbreviation. I had not. I should perhaps be given a pass, since I did buy several of J.K. Rowlings books over the ages - for other readers. [KS only caught me napping twice.]

I didn't watch the Tour d' Fr. today. My heart wasn't in it. My rooting interest against Rasmussen has lost its edge with the skinny Dane (alleged) doper going down the road.

Days of Harry Potter

The Kagami Sensei is slogging through the latest iteration of Harry Potter. She's on page 225 (of 759) after spending much of this overly humid day perched as you see in the photo, in the backyard, under a tree, with a mint julip at hand.


I spent some of my time trying to get her green Bianchi ready to ride. I had to fetch it from the attic in the garage, where the temp must have been close to 130. Both of the tires were flat. That was to be expected after two years without a ride. I inflated both tires to 65 psi and they seemed to hold the air ok. I went inside for a moment to escape the mugginess and some ice tea. I heard a loud pop and a crash. The tube blew out after holding for about five minutes and the bike fell over. I don't have an explanation for the delay, nor for why it took so long to expel Rasmussen from the Tour, but I knew what to do. I took the green Bianchi to the bike shop where they sold me a tube and a new Michelin tire, installed. I pronounce the bike "road worthy." Ready to roll.

It was much too hot for a comfortable ride so we drove off to get Thai food at Pad Thai, near Macalester. As we entered, they explained that the air conditioning had failed. It was hot like Bangkok in the eatery. We ate there anyhow, in the mugginess, and enjoyed their cuisine as the sweat poured off us.

The Tour de France has seen better days than today. It was an exciting mountain climb, followed a few hours later by the exit of the wearer of the yellow jersey. I'll be reading Mr. Moohoo for more details.

Happy Birthday, Santini. Remember to hydrate.

The Days of Jet Lag

I went to the airport and brought back Ms. Kagami Sensei. She was later reunited with Wireless and her old friend, Harry Potter. And then Herb. She has some reading to do, and hopes that the plot spoilers keep their distance for a couple of days until the jets stop their infernal lagging.


There was a high dew point today, so I laid low. The humidity is supposed to be out of here by the weekend, and life will resume at a normal pace then. There was no bike race in France today, and, with the doping and the subsequent drop outs, it has become a hollow contest. So it goes.

Nice Neckties on an Elm

The last time I rode up the gut-busting Benhill Street hill, I stopped at the top and took this photo of some excellent elm tree art. It's a special catagory of art, because it nearly always resides on the boulevard and it relies on the death of a large, regal elm tree nearly a century old, for its raw material. The people who live by this carving are really into this attraction. They have planted flowers at the base and have blessed the characters - Christopher Robin, Pooh, and Eeyore (I think) - with really colorful neck ties. It's nice to arrive at the top of Benhill and be greeted by these denizens of the Hundred Acre Woods.


Another old scanned in photo from 1945 or 1946. Santini is the "baby" and I know when she was born. The guy in the sailor uniform is Julius Hanson, my mom's first cousin, son of Jake Hanson. I scanned this in because one of my second cousins called and was looking for old photos of her side of the Hansen clan. Her dad, Nels, is not in the photo, but her Uncle Julius is, and looking good in uniform right at the end of WWII. It's a nice shot of Tommy, Santini and T. Tousan. Santini is the only child civilized enough to be wearing shoes. It has always been thus.


I played a single set of tennis with the Gang of Geezers tonight. It was humid and the sweat was flowing off my body. I've always been a pretty good sweater, a sort of lost art. [There must be a pun there somewhere.] Jerry and I won an 8-6 nail-biter.

I see that Vino was not completely fried yesterday at the French Bike race. He was able to snatch another stage victory in the high mountains. I wonder if he was doping today. He looked quite strong.

Ms. KS returns on a jet plane tomorrow in the afternoon for blueberries and Thai food.