Taking in the flourishing view from the Flora Observatory

We found an oasis of fun @TwoDots

Anotherloverholenyohead

It’s a dizzying trip along these Spiraling Streets

Guess you need seven perfect rounds to re-enter the top 50

I was convinced a few we’re missing…

These have been awesome – thanks, Brian and Patti!

We came in contact with a new type of life in the Biolab Boulevard

From different corners of the world, we still found each other…

Two Dots is my pandemic lifeline

The “new zoo” has been impacted in unique ways by the pandemic, so we were happy to help support them via the drive-thru Nature Illuminated experience that runs through January 17. Prices vary by day, with discounts for zoo members (we paid $50 for our car of four people). The inflatable animals and lighting are set up in the eastern parking lots (near the school that SK and MK attended), which you enter and exit from the main zoo entrance on McAndrews. There is an audio program you can stream from your phone that ties in with the sequence of the animals, who are grouped much like the zoo itself. You are asked to drive with just your parking lights and the leisurely pace was just right, allowing for photos and an overall time of about 40 minutes.

Still shooting for top 100

Scenes from a walk, part 396

We flew through the Binary Borough

…in the Enchanted Kingdom

The lock is no match for these locks!

Thanks for the mental break, Two Dots

Miss the treadmill (never thought I’d say those words)

The wyrm watches our every step in the Tempting Trove

A giant fortune awaits you…

Brake Bread 🍞

Don’t stray from the path in the Howling Hollow

Haven’t seen world rankings like that for a while

Ghost Dots, Pods, and Zappers, oh my!

Come freak out at the Spooky Soirée

Made it to 3000 (almost all with three stars)

Do it yourself in 2020

Find wondrous beauty in a sunken city

She is so talented

We went nuts over this Flip!

Calmly drift along the colonnades of the Pearly Palace…

Lower Pentair lobby @ USBS

We unearthed a hidden empire beyond the seaweed sanctuary

That one took a while, Two Dots

Constantly changing costumes in the Wondrous Wardrobe!

…in our Tiny Wonderland

http://extension765.com/soderblogh/18-raiders

Too bad there won’t be a fourth

We’ve got a backstage pass

Got this one done just under the wire

Iggy from the block

Up, up and away!

We basked in the light…

Outside Octo Fishbar, Lowertown

It’s opening night at the Premiere Playhouse

Wish I could’ve pulled the other two colors

Best Father’s Day card ever

Such pretty graphic design

Basking in the glow of the lofty lighthouse

Six Satisfying Years!

The Beaver House

…at Puffin Point

I found all the goodies, Two Dots

These are my people

I think I was four spots too high

She’s just a baby bird

Studying nature’s colors

In honor of Mother’s Day 2020, I thought I would finally start the “Hummel Project.” As part of the sale of the house on Lombard, I bubble-wrapped most of mom’s Hummel figurines and filled several bins that now take up half of my dining room. I’m not sure what to do with them – the market for Hummels was bad even before the current situation. My goal is to take photos of each one, then try to find them new homes.

If you see any you’d like (or know of a place that might be interested in them), please drop me a note. Photo gallery of the first bin after the jump.

Thanks again, Two Dots, for the entertainment

Following the flow in Mergansers Bay

I’ll keep trying for a two digit ranking…

Delightful treasures littered the Canine Collection

Social distancing is hard

But my mom really liked it

…in the Launch Pad Lair

Not too shabby for limited attention

Like many people around the world, the pandemic has been a difficult thing for me to process. I don’t have any particular expertise in the science behind it, but I’m married to the Corona Queen, I like to follow sites like this and I spent a lot of time last week getting our office configured and trained for an indefinite work from home scenario. Most of the things listed in my Twitter bio have shut down and it will likely be months before things return to some semblance of normal.

But we are very fortunate to still get outside to walk, run or bike, have money to order take-out from our favorite local restaurants and have reliable high-speed internet to cross off shows we always wanted to watch from our Netflix and HBO lists (and, of course, work from home). MK is doing the distance learning thing for the rest of the school year and SK has picked up some hours here and there helping out the Nive Man with take-out downstairs.

The Minnesota COVID-19 numbers so far pale with those in the hardest hit parts of the country (and world). The reports out of places like New York and Italy are terrifying and I worry about those on the front lines, like my Twitter friend @susanruns, who bravely works long hours to save lives in unimaginable conditions. My colleague was scheduled to start a new position in Hong Kong on April 1, but he is currently in limbo until the international travel and quarantine picture becomes clearer. I’m not sure what will happen with my work, but I’ve been trying to mentally prepare for all the different possibilities.

On the medical front, I had a 17-month MRI check-up this week at Hennepin Healthcare (which I thought might get cancelled under the non-essential procedure executive order). The new clinic building was empty – I was the only one in radiology and only saw one other person in the general waiting room. I never really had claustrophobia before, but now that MRI equipment feels like a torture chamber. Thankfully, the tech was done after two shorts scans (one 30 seconds, one four minutes). The resident that met with me pulled up the image and said everything looked great. Dr. Tummala will make the final call, but I shouldn’t have to go back for two more years. At that point, they will decide if it will be another MRI or a more invasive CT angiogram.

Lastly, the situation with my father’s estate made significant progress the past two weeks. With assistance from our friend John Schuster at Richfield Bloomington Honda, we were able to pay off his car loan and sell the car. Today, with the help of Kary Marpe from Edina Realty, we sold the house on Lombard. I thought that process was going to be challenging, given the hoarding nature of my mom (that would be one of my elementary school pictures above), various repairs needed and the pandemic’s impact on the economy. Kary was amazing, though, accurately pricing and listing the property, resulting in multiple offers by day two. If all goes according to plan, we will close on April 10. All that will be left is my dad’s taxes for 2019 (which shouldn’t be too hard).

Stay safe, y’all!

Back to nothing to do again

Inspired by Miyazaki-san