Category Archives: Photo

Snowshoe Commute

We had a mega-snowstorm here on Thursday, dumping a good 8-10 inches on our neighborhood in Saint Paul (better than the 18″ recorded just 100 miles north in Superior, WI!). In any normal year this would have produced a snow day, but after missing 4.5 days of school already, we stayed open. Many teachers and students faced multi-hour commutes. For me, it was just a matter of strapping on the snow shoes and trudging my usual mile. It was fun, and I tried not to be smug about the five stuck cars I passed on the way. Below are two phone pics I shot on the way. Alas, I couldn’t figure out a way to compose a selfie that included my snow shoes. (I need longer arms… or a fish-eye lens.)

The back yard from our stoop, including the ice fort.
The back yard from our stoop, including the ice fort.
Fresh snow is magnificent.
Fresh snow is magnificent.

 

 

Ice Castle

The Inspiration

Rainbow Igloo picture posted by Aunt Alli last year.
Rainbow igloo picture posted by Aunt Alli last year. Turns out that this was beyond our carton count and engineering ability this year. (Click for the original website about the rainbow igloo project.)

Preparations for a more modest structure

Over 100 milk cartons collected.
Over 100 milk cartons collected.
Lesson: Don't leave ice bricks in the sun on a black table no matter how cold it is.
Lesson: Don’t leave ice bricks in the sun on a black table no matter how cold it is.

Construction

Construction begins.
The walls begin to rise.
Drizzling water to help cement everything into place.
The bricks are mortared with a slurry of snow and water. Drizzling additional water helps cement everything into place.
Careful mounting of spiked merlons on the parapet.
Careful mounting of spiked merlons on the parapet.
Finishing touches.
Finishing touches. (Mostly testing the integrity of the wall and adding mortar where necessary to tighten things up.)

Ice Castle!

Tall battlements.
Tall battlements.
Ice castle!
Ice castle!

 

Pigs in Blankets

Pigs in Blankets
Pigs in Blankets

This is hardly an ambitious recipe, but while on solo-parenting duty this weekend, I remembered how much I loved Pigs in Blankets as a kid. Griffin was excited about the idea, so we decided to do it from scratch. We bought old fashioned wieners from the butcher down the street and eschewed Bisquick. They were delicious, so I thought I would jot down the recipe we used here, for future reference.

Ingredients

1 cup  flour
½ tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
¼ cup grated cheese (we used sharp cheddar)
½ cup buttermilk
6 hot dogs

Then the usual dough making operation: mix dry ingredients, cut or massage in the cold butter until crumbly, mix in cheese and buttermilk (don’t over-mix). We rolled the dough out lightly on a floured board (again, trying not to overwork the dough) and cut into six similarly sized sheets. Wrap dogs, bake on greased sheet at 400° for ≈12 minutes.

Griffin was quite pleased
Griffin was quite pleased

Big Kid Bed

We’ve been talking for a few weeks now with Griffin about moving to a big kid bed (partly in preparation for the baby in April). First we introduced the big kid comforter and pillow a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday Grandpa Jeff came up to build Griffin his first ever big kid loft bed. Griffin didn’t quite know what to expect other than that Grandpa Jeff was going to build him a new bed, and we think the results exceeded his expectations; when he was on the phone with Grandma Pam last night, he told her that “Grandpa built me my own new house, Grandma!” This morning after his shower, he excitedly went back into his room, “to look at my special new bed” and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s GREAT!”

We think he likes it.

 

Chutes & Ladders

Sarah found this amazing park shortly after we first moved here last year but it was too sophisticated for Griffin. This fall, with winter fast approaching, Griffin was able to give it a shot. He was slow and cautious at first, but quickly developed confidence and new climbing skills. It was amazing to watch him learning how to handle himself on the massive play structure. He quickly dubbed it the “super duper park.” The official name is the Hyland Play Area, but most people refer to it simply as “Chutes & Ladders.” The photos below are from our last trip on October 29, and the video is from an earlier trip on the 15th.

First Snow

The first snow of the season arrived today. Unlike last year’s opening blizzard (which dumped 8 inches overnight), this is a mellow snowfall, which should max out at 3 inches. Sarah and Griffin are missing it while they galivant around the Bay Area, but I suspect there will be plenty more white stuff to play in when they return.

First snow of 2011-2012

The Eighth Wonder of the World

Just an hour from the Twin Cities lies a site that is definitely cooler than the Colossus, more magnificent than the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (who’s heard of that anyway?), and nearly as charged with New Age Energy as the Great Pyramid. Plus it is toddler-friendly, has pink picnic tables, and is totally entirely FREE.

See for yourself:

At first glance this mid-size, older model fridge might not appear to be in the same class as the Hanging Gardens, but look more closely:

Are you kidding me? In post-Jerry-Garcia America there’s an unlocked, unattended refrigerator filled with Freezee Pops and a “Suggested Donation” sign? Even after wandering the rest of this amazing, soul-salving site, I think this fridge did the most to reaffirm my faith in humanity.

Ok, enough shenanigans. It’s taken me a while to post the pics, but earlier this month we drove out to the Franconia Sculpture Park with Griffin and had a fabulous day. For those of you not in the know, it’s a 20-acre site in the middle of nowhere (by urban standards—cornfields all ’round), filled with incredible, humongous modern sculpture. Places like this make Minnesota oh-so-easy to fall in love with.

Here are some of our favorite pictures. Click to expand.