the magic hour

sister's birthday yesterday

on the coney island boardwalk 

i have loads of new york photos to sort through, but i will leave you with these for now.

the finale first.  

this is the end of summer in minneapolis.  my lovely friend gretchen came to visit from texas a few weeks ago.  we rented nice ride bikes, roadtripped to lake superior, frequented my new favorite treat shop (glam doll doughnuts!), saw some local bluegrass and went out for coffee a hundred times.  when they invent teleportation, i will have coffee dates with gretchen every day, all over the world.  

yesterday i finished my waitress gig downtown.  the staff poured a pitcher of water down my pants, gave me hugs and sent me off into the world.  it's movin' time.  the leaves are falling, and things are happening.    

i leave for new york in about an hour, to visit sister in her big beautiful city.  

we took home trashbags full of beets and my nana taught me all about pickling.
the next day i was the waitress with the strange purple-stained fingers.

enjoying dank oysters on the middle coast
sea salt eatery, minnehaha park, minneapolis

these are the unrivaled rocks at artists point.  and this is a most spectacular campsite for happy winedrunk citykids.  and this is a powerful lake that will forever impress and intimidate me.  and that is the highest point in minnesota (eagle mountain: 2300 ft.)

i could spend a whole summer sitting on rocks in grand marais.  maybe someday...


today was my last day nannying, and i am now faced with boundless free time.  i get to play in the city for a few weeks until i get my winter gig figured out.  bike rides and coffee dates and livin' on the cheap.    

the view from our campsite
temperance river state park

the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
walleye and eggs from the blue water cafe in grand marais

these are from our completely great north shore trip this week!  a magical misty morning on lake superior, at temperance river state park and the harbor in grand marais.  timmy and i drove up from the city for some much-needed lake and forest time.  more photos soon... 

mumsey's birthday dinner at the bachelor farmer last weekend has us feeling pretty enthusiastic about the minnesotan nordic experience.  we ate seafood toasts and duck and swedish meatballs in a perfectly delightful converted warehouse space in the north loop.  this place, where farm to table cooking meets old-country scandinavian charm, is so quintessentially minneapolis.    

wanna get even more in touch with your stoic northern side?  minneapolis is a smorgasbord of scandinavian treasures.  tour the castle at the american swedish institute.  have a swedish coffee break at FIKA.  buy scandinavian gifts and interesting meat products at ingebretsen's.  or there's always IKEA, if you like a cheaper meatball.