August seemed to go by very quickly, due in part to more rainy weather than usual, which meant less time outdoors enjoying summer. Sara completed two summer medical school programs in CA and PA, and returned the first weekend of the month. I had a housewarming party on the first weekend and that turned out well. The next weekend a neighbor had a party in the building on a Saturday evening as well, where I met a few more neighbors. During the day on that Saturday, Sara and I attended part of the 2007 Pizza Luce block party at their Uptown location, where Heatbox and other local artists performed.
The third weekend brought family visits: cousins from WI and Washington D.C. respectively. The second day was rainy when my family was visiting, so we went to the Walker Art Museum for the traveling Picasso art exhibit, then to the Midtown Global Market to check it out. During the week that followed this visit, Sara and I prepared for our road trip down to Alpine Valley to see the unification of Rage Against the Machine for an amazing outdoor concert. In the final week of August, I had some more family visiting from St. Louis this time, on their way to WI, so Sara and I gave them a brief Minneapolis driving tour and had lunch with them. The final days of summer spent at the State Fair, where the highlight was meeting and getting an autograph from local weatherman Paul Douglas, who for some reason has always charmed Sara. More quickie highlights: 12-13 foot tall plastic dancing and singing robot, turkey pita, footlong hot dog, sweet corn and Sweet Martha’s. Next was helping Sara move to a new neighborhood and apartment in St. Paul. We spent Labor Day weekend (perfect weather) hiking at Minnehaha park, grilling hot dogs/pork chops/corn on the cob for a couple lunches, and soaking up a little sun on the North beach at Lake Calhoun.
Sara was between trips for medical school in California, and Pittsburgh, Pensylvania, spending just one day with me in Minneapolis. The next weekend was the wedding of Stephanie and Brett, a nice service in Shoreview, followed by a great reception at the Lake Como area in Roseville. The groom’s parents were teachers at my elementary school and high school, so many of their friends were invited by the groom (who I went to school with K-12), and I was able to catch up on 5-10 years of history with most of them.
The next weekend Ruth visited to check out my new home. We started off the morning at the Midtown Farmer’s Market, about one block away, picking up some vegetables and raspberries. For lunch (and people watching) we went to the Midtown Global Market and caught the last few minutes of some free salsa dancing lessons. We had lunch at a Mexican seafood restaurant (mariscos) called La Sirena Gorda. My shrimp dish tasted great and reminded me of dishes Sara and I had in Mazatlan. Parking is free on weekends and evenings for up to three hours at the Global Market, in the convenient attached parking ramp. There was also a solo guitar performance and cooking lessons taking place on that particular Saturday. Most of the evening was spent picking out some items at Ikea.
Located in South Minneapolis, East of Hiawatha Avenue, Adam’s Inline is a residential business that specializes in high-end and professional inline skate equipment. I’ve been looking for a store like this for years, but never expected it to be run from someone’s basement. Adam explained there isn’t enough margin on skates and equipment for resellers to lease commercial sales space. There is also more profit margin for resellers on more expensive equipment, as opposed to Rollerblade and K2 brand equipment (for example) that can be purchased at your local Sports Authority (or similar large retailer). I was always curious to try on a race skate, but never found a retail store where this was possible prior to Adam’s, and was reluctant to order equipment that I wasn’t sure would fit right and that I’d be happy with. Adam is a skater himself, and has his own custom skate setup. He explained that he does high volume sales at his business with a good amount of repeat customers, has been operating for 8 years, and offers unlimited free adjustments on skates purchased from him. He also participates in and sells/advertises at local race events.
Adam mentioned RaceReports.net to find out more information on USA inline skate race events. RaceReports lists race events in Brainerd, Minnesota and Wisconsin that I hadn’t heard of, along with the St. Paul Inline Marathon and the Northshore Inline Marathon that I participated in last year. Despite the snow and cold weather outside, Minnesotans can skate year around inside the Metrodome as part of a program called Roller Dome. Now I have my eye on a entry-level marathon skate package from Bont, which Adam explained has traditionally been a boot maker but recently switched production from Australia to China and now offers the best entry-level product for the price. The introductory Jet model is part of a package that includes an aluminum frame and 4×100mm Hyper wheels. The boots have a carbon composite material that is heat-moldable to the wearer’s feet. Adam explained that the boots would go in the oven for about 20 minutes, then I’d put them on to let them settle around my ankle, then wait 24 hours before skating with them.
This year my coworkers decorated my cube with balloons and streamers for my birthday. Some friends took me out for a nice lunch at Big Bowl. After work Sara treated me to dinner and a show at Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, where we saw Christine Rosholt and her ensemble.
I completed my 2006 income tax returns using TaxAct (web version), and recommend the software. There is nothing to download, your information is shared between federal and state forms, available from year-to-year, and your return is paperless if you E-File. Some will qualify for free (E-File, paperless) federal returns. The Minnesota income tax return fee was $12.95.
Tax notes for my personal reference: deducting my education expenses (up to 4000) was more advantageous than taking the Lifetime Learning education credit (2000 per return). I was no longer eligible for the Hope credit (1650 per student) since it is available for 2 years of post-secondary education only. The Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, a 400-3400 tax credit (depending on car model) is available for those with a hybrid vehicle.
Sara and I went to the Holidazzle Parade in downtown Minneapolis (which rolls down Nicollet Mall going North nightly for a few weeks prior to Christmas). For those unfamiliar with the details of the parade, Holidazzle is a half-hour event where participants and floats are decorated with tons of colorful electrical lights. There are some Christmas icons like Santa and his reindeer mixed in with traditional parade band and choir performances (but no candy throwing!). The Nicollet Mall area bustles with activity prior to the parade, food and drink vendors abound. Macy’s does an annual, free Christmas event where visitors can walk through various scenes from some theme and read a little about what is going on. The event is popular with Holidazzle spectators. This year they covered Mary Poppins, with miniature people representing the characters in the story, and many scenes that resembled the Disney movie version.
Sara and I walked around Loring Park and outside the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis on the last warm day of the year. We saw several weddings taking place in the sculpture garden of Walker. We had planned to visit the art museum but we arrived too late. The afternoon was mostly a chance to take pictures, but we also walked around and enjoyed the warm weather and downtown atmosphere.
We had a beautiful fall day last Saturday so Sara and I went to Pleasant Valley Orchard near Taylors Falls, MN to check out their apples. The orchard had Cortland and Haralson apples available for picking. We took a short hay ride, walked on a trail around their pond, and enjoyed two delicious caramel apples. We saw chickens eating apples that had fallen from the trees. Sara wanted to take a bite of an apple from a tree, but I told her eating the fruit was forbidden since we hadn’t paid for it. She tried to convince me it was okay to take a bite. Externally I disagreed, but internally I felt like maybe it was okay. Moments later Sara saw a small snake as we walked amongst the beautiful orchard.
Minnesota Music Cafe is a medium sized bar and music venue just outside downtown St. Paul, where local artists play blues and jazz. We saw Willie Walker, an older group that played soul and stirring blues. Willie Walker attracted a diverse middle-aged crowd on that particular evening (regulars?). Some couples danced to the more up-tempo songs while most remained at their tables. Minnesota Music Cafe is a great place to go if you are looking for a relaxed, inexpensive bar with good music.
Saturday Sara and I celebrated two years of dating with an all-day “power date.” We started the day by visiting a strawberry patch to pick some fresh strawberries. The patch had several different varieties of strawberries, some sweeter, some firmer, all delicious. Next we had lunch before making our way to Winehaven Winery located in Chisago City, MN. Sara and I didn’t even know wine was made in Minnesota, but it turns out there are several types of grapes, fruit wine, and even wine made from honey, that all are unique to this area. We sampled some red and honey wine and bought a couple of bottles. After the winery we headed to Taylors Falls, a bit further down the road, and arrived at Interstate State Park. We spent an hour or so at the park, hiking around, checking out cool rocks and potholes left over from glaciers. Finally, we boarded a paddlewheel boat (that actually uses the paddlewheels for propulsion and steering) and enjoyed a Taylors Falls Scenic Boat Tour. The boat tour included a dinner and live entertainment (that was minimally entertaining). The return trip down the St. Croix was relaxing, a cool summer evening; we were fortunate with the weather, a Saturday to remember.