Self-styled Retreat

Rose the Gypsy and I put together our own annual autumn retreat this month (we did it last year too).  

We had a number of activities during our week ...

History of Minneapolis walking tour with food.   I learned things about the Guthrie Theater which make me dislike the new building less.  But the old building was better.  One of my favorite local beers was featured at one of the stops too :)

We went to see great art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, including an exhibit of 18th century Instagram paintings :)

 We went on a Knitting Cruise sponsored by Darn Knit {Anyway}

And we went to an author talk and signing at The Workshop.  (Clara Parkes is awesome).

Yarn was acquired.  Rose the Gypsy was introduced to two more LYS: Amazing Threads and Linden Yarn.  

This is the super-special-edition Knit the River skein from the cruise:

Other shopping was done too, including another book of photos from a museum shop.

And shoes.  Quite a few pairs, as a matter of fact, including these special-edition Minneapolis Toms from the Mall of America ...

... as well as suede Toms in a favorite color.  Seriously, I needed teal shoes and Rose the Gypsy had to get Toms because believe it or not, she did not own a pair before.

I also found a new dishtowel.  I have to set a good example for my grandchildren, after all, by keeping a tidy kitchen.

We had special foods galore including (but not limited to) Murray's, Birchwood Cafe, Tavern on Grand and The Oasis.   

Oh, and we knit too.  I'll post about that later.

Whirlwind London: Day the Second

First thing on day two I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Unfortunately, the special exhibitions don't allow photography, but since I got there before they opened I ended up taking a few pics in the South Kensington neighborhood.

This is, I believe, the Natural History Museum:

Random art-deco style building:

Sticker on a post.  No idea what it means.

Empty church (Catholic).

Italian sports cars.  In London traffic.  What a waste.

People don't need phone booths any longer, but WiFi, yes.

I do love old and new together.

When Soak Becomes Spill in front of the V&A

This is one of the exhibits I saw at the V&A.  It was wonderful.

I also saw an exhibit on Indian textiles and jewels from India.  After four hours I had to get something to eat, so I skipped the permanent collection.

Surviving a Toddler for 24 Hours

The Girls had a date in Wisconsin - something that was planned before the arrival of The Babies.  I was chosen to care for Baby Girl from Saturday noon 'till Sunday noon.  

She seemed a little suspicious when she was dropped off:

But we got settled in the condo with Duplos and other assorted things, and we fell into a rhythm pretty quickly.

Who says bar chairs don't come in handy with children?  The low setting worked perfectly as a high chair - and it's made of easy-to-clean plastic.  Hooray!

We went shopping and got new tennis shoes.  Who knew but that there are baby Toms and chucks and all manner of fun stuff for toddler feet.

The Girls thought I would have tons of photos, but really I was too busy chasing after Lulu to be snapping many shots.  First thing I did after they picked her up was take a nap ;)

Nothing New to Report

The Girls went with me to the Guild meeting last week. It was fun to have them along. There were lots of beautiful things to see at the meeting but in general there were fewer knitted items that inspire a knitter like myself - most were much more complicated than I would make. Lots of color work and few (reasonably sized) shawls.

I finally worked in the ends so that Girl-child can wear her new mitts. The children at school think she is just that much more awesome now that she has superpower mitts.

I don't know if I mentioned I am ripping the carpet out of my condo.  It was my summer project.  Getting the bookshelves moved was the hardest part since all the books had to be taken off the shelves.  It was kind of hard to walk through the place until I had it done.

And speaking of books, I think I instagram-ed this but never posted.  I found the most amazing card-catalog bag at The Rack this summer.  I absolutely love it.

At some point this summer I noticed that there were pianos out on Grand Ave in various spots (I think I saw three).  I don't know what the story is behind it but I found it delightful.  Wish I knew how to play.

I have not walked around the lake lately but at some point I did snap this shot of a drinking fountain for human adults and children with an additional doggie-height option.  Because I saw someone at a different fountain without the doggie height addition letting their pooch drink from the human fountain I don't think I will ever use a public fountain again.

Amazing shoe season is almost over.  Such a pity - it can be so entertaining.

This shot of the old courthouse is taken from inside the government center, basement level, through a waterfall.  It's a lovely spot.

Next weekend is Minnesota Knitters' Days.  The Gypsy will be in town for the event.  I can't wait.

Cool Dude

This guy on the bus just cracked me up, so I kinneared him.

Random Calendar Shots and a Story

I think I mentioned that I have a very cool shoe calendar on my desk. Photos were requested, so here's a sampling:

As you can see, some are more practical than others.  We have a lot of fun at work critiquing the aesthetic and practical merits of each. I seem to like the ones from the 18th century, the 1920s-1940s and the 1980s. My shoes these days are not very exciting, but I can still appreciate looking at all types.

It's hard to come up with blog fodder these days.  I feel like I don't do much, although Girl-child disagrees with me.  I told her this story over the phone tonight and she thought it was very funny….

…I went to an awesome party last weekend.  A ballet mom (from the old days) has these amazing parties to which I sometimes get invited.  Last weekend's bash had a travel theme.  Everyone was to wear something (a piece of jewelry, an article of clothing or whatever) from a trip.  It makes for a great ice breaker and interesting stories.  I met another AFSer who went to Italy in the 1970s - I went to Venezuela the summer of 1977.  There were a ton of really interesting women there.  Great party.

Anyway, I took the bus to the party since it was easy and close, and that way I could have two glasses of wine (yes, I really let my hair down sometimes).  The bus driver apparently took a shine to me and was pulling out a treat to gift me before I got off.  I said, "Oh, is it a dum-dum?!?" (They gave these out to kids at the liquor store when I was little and they still did at Lunds and Haskells when my kids were little).  And the driver replied, "Would I give a dum-dum to a lady?  What kind of a message would that be sending?!?"

This is what he gave me:

A Blow-Pop.  I'm not sure what to think.  

Since it seems like a bad idea to accept candy from a stranger, even at my advanced age, I've decided to just leave it in my bag.  Makes me giggle every time I see it.

Jury Duty Done

Did I mention that the shoes at the Government Plaza station are really boring compared with Nicollet Ave?

I was not kidding.

Finished jury duty today.

We were sequestered 'till after lunch.

Eating lunch with the sheriff's deputies nearby is weird.

Found the defendant guilty of all three offenses.

Three felonies.

Really sad. Very exhausting. Glad I don't have to do that again for at least four years.

Shoes - Nicollet Mall Station

Looking at the shoes while waiting for the train can be entertaining.

Styles vary a lot from one station to another.

I think Nicollet Mall has great variety.

I have noticed recently that a lot of hipster guys wear Tom's.

I wonder where they go to wear them out like that.  I've never seen a guy in a new pair.

Art and Shoe Art and Shoes

I volunteered for the Knitters' Guild at the Minnesota State Fair this year.  Lucky for me it was on a day that was not too hot.

I love looking at the knitting and also the Fine Arts Building.

It's hard to photograph knitting through glass cases.

This shoe was pretty awesome and photographed well enough though.

Have I ever mentioned that I have a thing for shoes?

I even found myself a pair of ruby slippers recently. 

You can call me Dorothy :-)