Friday, September 13, 2013

An Ode to the Late Bloomers

DSC_0415

Photo 52, Week 36:  Fresh Start

I love September.  In fact, I have been known to say September is my paycheck.
In my earlier days, September was the month I got lost in my work.
Now it is the month I emerge from my work.
There are so many things that get a fresh start in September,
but I typically get a fresh start on some of my own exploring.
Gotta bask in summer's last hurrah, you know.
So I went to the arboretum, and photographed these fish
(in honor of back to school, of course).
Along with a whole lot of late bloomers.

Here is my ode to them:

DSC_0410

Dear Late Bloomers,

DSC_0421

I am always enticed by the sweet beauty 
of your counterparts in early spring.

DSC_0439

One has to admire their boldness, after all,

DSC_0522

DSC_0405

to appear sometimes even before the snow has gone

DSC_0513

to announce the arrival of a new season.

DSC_0506

But Late Bloomers,
how easily I forget that you wait patiently
for summer's dwindling days to stun us,

DSC_0347

just when we thought all of the better things had passed.

DSC_0499

You are like the finest wine at the wedding feast
when the empty vessels had already signified
that it was time for the guests to leave,

DSC_0363

until Jesus came on the scene to announce
that the party, in fact, had only just begun.

DSC_0387

DSC_0420

DSC_0540

Thank you, Late Bloomers,

DSC_0543

for meeting me in the quiet of summer's end.

DSC_0367

DSC_0532

It is you who know me best.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Ballpark Trivia

DSC_0505

So I told you we drove to St. Louis to see the Braves play the Cardinals.  
What I didn't tell you was that while we were at it, we also drove to Kansas City.
(What's four more hours anyway?)

DSC_0526

You got it.  More baseball.  We didn't even have a team in this game.

DSC_0521

But hey, when amid a sea of blue, just go ahead and cheer for the Royals.

DSC_0522

I guess it's no secret that someone (or maybe a couple of someones) has
"seeing games at as many major league stadiums as humanly possible"on their bucket list.
Not in writing.  But still.

DSC_0534

I never would have believed I'd be a part of such a thing,
but I guess I've kind of gotten sucked in.
Ball parks are pretty cool and unique places.

DSC_0529

I mean what's not to love about sitting in dead center field in a million degrees,
surrounded by water features?  The sound of that splashing water reminded me of...
well it might have been the sweat running off my neck.

DSC_0002

As connoisseurs of the ballpark experience, we've become experts on just a couple things.

1.  Helmet sundaes.

They are not all created equal.  Sometimes it's soft serve.  Sometimes, Ben and Jerry's.
Yes to Ben and Jerry's.  That would be St. Louis.

DSC_0007

DSC_0508

Have you noticed that when I try to get pictures of Ben at the ball park,
he looks annoyed, or at least, preoccupied?

DSC_0510

"MOM!  I'm trying to keep score here!"
(Yup, that's pretty much the worst one ever.)

DSC_0010

Which leads to our other area of expertise,

2.  The scorecard.  

Best buck we ever spend.  Except in St. Louis.  $2.50 there, for a sub-standard product, I'm told.

DSC_0011

This, according to Ben, is what a great scorecard looks like. (Kudos to the Rockies!)
Extra lines for substitutions, room for the pitchers, and even spaces to mark balls and strikes
(and therefore keep track of the pitch count).
Sweet.

DSC_0012

DSC_0014

In St. Louis, your overpriced model is stripped down to bare bones.
Ben had to add in a bunch of data in the margins.

DSC_0016

Here's our very own ballpark scorecard...

Best helmet sundae:  
St. Louis Cardinals (Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  SOOO good!!)

Best scorecard:  
Colorado Rockies

Best skyline view from behind the plate:  
Tough one--St. Louis is a strong contender with the arch and all, 
but the Twins have the Minneapolis skyline.  There's no place like home.

Best kid-friendly park:
This is an important feature.  I'll go with Kansas City on this one, though Miller Park in Milwaukee
(hmm, that never actually made a blog post) and Comerica Park in Detroit are also really good.
Nine innings is a long time.  'Nuff said.

Best Between Innings Crowd Entertainment:
Miller Park.  Racing sausages.  What's not to love?

DSC_0520

DSC_0511

Three awards are reserved for
Comerica Park in Detroit:

Best Mascot  (Paws--although we LOVE T.C. the bear right here at home,
Paws helps Mom get the best photo.  WIN!)

Coolest Jumbotron (The one with the tigers!)

Best Night of Baseball Ever  (The night Clete Thomas hit a walkoff homer!)


So there you have it.  Everything you ever (or never) wanted to know about baseball parks.

One more thing?

DSC_0144

Always take a walk behind home plate with your camera.  It's the shot with the best view.
Every.  Time.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Fourteen

DSC_0292

I can hardly believe

DSC_0278

it's been fourteen years.

DSC_0283

Where once he looked for baseball cakes,
tiger cakes,
football cakes,
and race car cakes,

DSC_0284

this year, he requested chocolate peanut butter.
Much tastier, trust me.

DSC_0286

Thank you Pinterest.

DSC_0288

Who knew ganache is really not too difficult after all?

DSC_0296

The perfect complement to a BBQ bacon burger.
With Fritos on top.  That's how he rolls.

DSC_0299

Made to order!

DSC_0300

Love. This. Boy.

DSC_0306

DSC_0550

DSC_0303

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Farmers Market

DSC_0043

I love living in the Twin Cities.
Two totally distinct downtown areas.
One with the sprawling business district and abundant skyscrapers.
The other with more of the government, history and nostalgia.
This was a weekend to hang out in St. Paul.

DSC_0002

Specifically, the farmers market.

DSC_0007

Beautiful colors and enticing scents.

DSC_0004

The sound of local folk musicians.

DSC_0016

DSC_0020

Happy and appreciative crowds.

DSC_0024

DSC_0008

Bee man.

DSC_0030

Balloon Man.

DSC_0032

Corn girls.
Selling.

DSC_0038

Eating.

DSC_0050

Quick stops at the fountain,

DSC_0052

with the Peanuts gang relaxing nearby.

DSC_0053

Perfect way to spend a gorgeous Saturday!