City Life

This past weekend our good friends, Matt and Phil, hosted Mark and I at their really nice townhouse in Minneapolis. We had so much fun--like we always do--with these guys and I cannot tell you how nice it was to "get away" and just relax for a couple of days. Thanks for being such great hosts, Phil and Matt! We'll be baaaackkkk!

Although we definitely did fun activities outside of the townhouse, Matt and Phil were also gracious enough to indulge our wii curiousity, for neither Mark nor I had ever played a wii game before. IT IS SO MUCH FUN!! We mostly did archery and bowling, but in this picture Mark is teeing up in a golf game against Phil.

Nice form, Phil!

We also got to design our own "mii" and let me tell you, I think we had just as much fun doing this as we did playing any game. In the foreground of this picture of the TV set is my mii, "Lulu" and in the background is Mark's mii, "Stripe". These characters become our little mini-avatars when we are playing games. Lulu looks like me with a little toughness, right?

After an enjoyable leisurely Saturday morning with a savory breakfast prepared by Phil, we ventured around the Twin Cities area, first going to a farmer's market in the downtown. The market is located next to the Guthrie Theater (pictured above) and a massive building which used to be an old flour mill until it exploded many years ago (below).

I think Phil and Matt said that this building does have a museum component to it, but we did not actually go inside.

Strolling inside part of the market.

I just liked the look of these two parked scooters.

Our next stop was at the sculpture garden and even though it was incredibly hot and muggy, we all really enjoyed walking around and interacting with this truly unique outdoor museum. This sculpture is entitled "Molecule" and is made of steel.

Phil, Mark and Matt pause for a picture before we entered this trellis walkway.

Yeah to vacations!

Now I can't really do the explanation of this particular exhibit, entitled "Two-way Mirror Punched Steel Hedge Labryinth," justice since you have to see it to really get the full effect of it--which is a pleasant combination of being both entertained and slightly creeped out. In this picture, please note that Phil is standing with his arms akimbo and is wearing a dark T-shirt while Matt is standing next to Mark with the green shirt and light khaki shorts. Now examine the picture below.....

What you are looking at in this photo is the melding of Phil and Matt. The head belongs to Phil while the body belongs to Matt! Phil was standing on one side of the mirror (the side where I am taking the picture) and Matt was on the opposite side.

This time, it is Mark's head and torso mixed with Phil's legs (and you can catch the top of Phil's head in this one). This display was really fun but a little creepy too!

Unfortunately this striking equine is a little hard to see because of the trees blending with the art itself, but this horse sculpture is called "Woodrow" and is made of sticks, branches and bark that have each been individually cast in bronze and welded together.

You must walk down and through a small tunnel to get to the exhibit which I think is just called "Box".

Inside the exhibit is a large square cut in the ceiling that simply frames the sky. There are carved benches on the perimeter of the room itself, where you can lean back and gaze at the heavens.

Mark, Phil and Matt contemplating great celestial mysteries and perhaps enjoying the opportunity to rest in a shaded spot.

We also toodled about the lakes of the cities which were bustling with crowds of people walking, biking, swimming and playing games. To quench our own thirsts we stopped at a neat bar called the Muddy Pig, where I couldn't help but be charmed by someone's delightful depiction of a prideful pig.

Matt has quite a green thumb and tends to many houseplants as well as some outdoor plants, including this luscious mint.

Saturday night we grilled fresh tuna steaks and scallops and had a wonderful vegetable medley and couscous.

My brother Bill and his friend Scott came over for dinner and yardgames. Here, Mark, Matt and Bill compete against each other.

Goofballs: Phil, me being covered by mean ol' Phil, Bill, Scott, and sassy Matt.

Cheese! Matt, me, Mark and Phil hammin' it up.

After we left the Cities Sunday morning, we drove to Cornell to attend my step-nephew's high school graduation party. Congratulations, David! Pictured are my sister Lisa, David, and Jon.

That's Emma taking the picture for Lisa and Jon with their camera.

Emma assisted with entertaining and watching Leila at the party.

This was a very "busy" social week for Mark and I--plus the activities were mostly in urban areas. Before our Minneapolis trip, we spent an evening out with brother John and his partner Jim in Madison for the first Concert on the Square. We met at their condo prior to going and enjoyed some appetizers and conversation. Pictured are Jim and John with a few of their friends (I think maybe Jennifer,Katherine and Ed?! I'm so sorry...I'm horrible with names!).

John and I

Jim and John

A reflection of the capital in the window of a neighboring building.

The capital lit-up at night.

Close-up at night