Lake of the Isles

I highly recommend renting a kayak to float around Lake the Isles. I normally don't write much on my blog posts - it's usually just photos. I think I should write more. I'm not going to think about what I write because I should just write for the sake of writing. Who cares what I write anyway? Just me.

So last week Jessica and I spent a lovely two hours out on Lake of the Isles. We rented a kayak for two and it was wonderful. We certainly saw our share of wildlife including turtles, great blue herons and a muskrat. Nature in the heart of the city. I'd like to go back for more kayaking once the leaves start to change color.

University Avenue.

This picture is from a few weeks ago. I was driving home from a meeting in St. Paul via University Avenue. The storms were really rolling in and providing some relief from the humidity.

camping food. yum.

art.

I got crafty last weekend and made some art to hang in my cubicle at work. Here's what I came up with:

This is the symbol for Public Health.

minneapolis.

University of Minnesota Transitway.

patisserie 46.

Sometimes happy hour = fancy dessert!

my sister's garden

it's days like these...

...that I wish I was a photographer and could spend all day scouting out perfect spots to take pictures. But alas, I had to take this picture while I was driving home tonight.
The stormy sky today is so captivating.

neverending summer.

It's hot. It's been hot all weekend. But it's summer and that's the way it's supposed to be. My summer days have been long and full and I'm loving every minute of it.

12 weeks from now I'll be competing in the Iron Girl Duathlon. I've been running and biking, but now it's time to step it up a notch. My goal is to get in four to five workouts per week. Today I ran 3 miles. I'm excited to have this goal to work towards.

contrasting colors.

Thank You Joel.

I'm sending a big thank you to nearby angels for watching out for me today. I was on a bike ride tonight and had just crossed over the Martin Olav Sabo bridge and I was stopped waiting to cross 28th Street. It's a four lane roadway, with two lanes of traffic in each direction. I got caught in the situation that I have heard about a thousand times.

The two lanes of traffic closest to me were clear. The third lane away from me had a vehicle that stopped to allow me to cross. On my bike, I proceeded into the crosswalk and just as I got in front of the stopped vehicle I heard someone shouting for me to stop. I hit the brakes just in time. Thanks to Joel for watching out for me and alerting me to the oncoming traffic. The vehicle coming in the fourth lane of traffic did not stop and I stopped just in time to avoid a huge crash.

Once I was safely out of the roadway I introduced myself to Joel and thanked him. He told me that he had just witnessed a bike crash 10 minutes prior, with this same scenario at a different intersection. I'm lucky that he was behind me on the trail today. I like to think that I am a predictable and safe bicyclist. I follow the traffic laws, I use hand signals, I make eye contact with motorists, etc. Even if you do all those things there is always the possibility of a crash. Thanks to Joel I continued on my ride unharmed.

brick.

perfect view.

I love the view from the top of the hill at Gold Medal Park.

technicolor.

Yes, this is what the sky really looked like tonight.
And yes, I took this picture while driving my car.
But I was at a red light.
And yes, I think we should all watch more technicolor movies.
Good night.

make this.

I first tried making this recipe last year and it turned out really well. So it's made a few more appearances and each time I just love the flavor. I'm sure any other fresh veggies would work in place of the peas/zucchini - maybe I'll make it with asparagus next. Try it!

Spring Risotto with Peas and Zucchini
by Martha Stewart

Prep/Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 large zucchini (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Parmesan

Directions
1. Heat broth and 2 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat; keep warm. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zucchini to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Raise heat to medium. Add rice, cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

3. Cook, adding 1 cup hot broth at a time (stir until almost all liquid is absorbd before adding more), until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

4. Add zucchini and peas; cook until peas are bright green, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Serve, topped with more cheese.

blank slate.

A little off-kilter but still a blank slate.

hot yellow.

It's hot and steamy outside today.
Stay Cool.

hot pink.

Success. The hot pink cake looks good and tastes good.

bike finds on etsy.

Just a few fabulous finds on etsy.

northeast trivia. part 2.

Let's see who's paying attention out there...
When was the last time the Grain Belt sign was lit up?
How much will it cost to re-light the sign?

northeast trivia.

What does the A mean?


And what year was the Stone Arch Bridge built?
1883. By James J. Hill.

cake eater

Any cupcake is a good cupcake.

grow.

out and about

Just a few pictures from my recent adventures. Enjoy!

Things that make me smile.

Flash Mobs!!!

yay for cheese!

biking on the brain.

Biking season is certainly here. I'm already behind all the 'real' bikers because my bikes are still in the basement. Lame. I think Minneapolis is actually going to make it through March without one single snowflake. That's pretty monumental. Temps this week will reach the 70s. A must-do for this week: a bike ride!

spring green.

goodbye green. day 5.

Here's my final green attire for the week. I wore this green shirt and scarf to work with a brown sweater. Yay for green.

green. day 4.

St. Patrick's Day. Green Day 3.

Here is day 3 of being green. I really wanted to wear a green dress today - but it's a summery dress that just didn't work with my schedule for the day. Instead, I chose a spring green and white plaid shirt. Still green. Still fun. I went out in St. Paul for happy hour and made lots of friends at the Wild Times and McGovern's. Yay for St. Paul and green beer.

it's not easy being green. day 2.

Day 2 of green. Everyone at work kept telling me today that I should have waited to wear this on St. Patrick's Day. Little do they know how many green clothes I have!

it's not easy being green. day 1.

I was thinking about what green shirt I would wear for St. Patrick's Day this year... then I realized that I have too many options. So, what better way to celebrate than to wear green all week long! Sounds like a plan to me. Here's the shirt I wore today.

drops of sticky goodness.

sneak peak.

Here's just one of the pictures I took last weekend.
The blue hue is captivating to me. Enjoy.

dreaming of green.

I was walking into the gym earlier this week and a gentleman said to me, "green must be your favorite color." My green boots, green backpack and green water bottle must have tipped him off. Then I noticed my entire workout outfit was green - shirt, shorts and shoes. I can't help it. I just love green! I'm really ready for green grass, green leaves, and green on St. Patrick's Day.

home sweet home.