Great conditions at Inver Wood Golf Course
* Not pictured: worms
Quick little 5K hike around Afton State Park on a warm Minnesota spring day (78F)
Today SK called me up and asked if I wanted to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Art with her to see Art in Bloom (which honestly, I had never heard of, but it started in 1983). This annual event is free and features floral displays that interpret selected art from Mia’s permanent collection.
Turns out this event is super popular and you need to plan for crowds (both for parking and for getting around inside). The ramp and surrounding lots are $15, while valet is available at the main entrance for $20. The 2023 edition runs from Thursday, April 27 – Friday, April 30. Lots of pics after the jump.
Highly Recommended
The iOS built-in photo AI says these are Myrtle Warblers – we had a dozen of these out front in the rain this morning
These guys had no fear – swam *closer* to me as I walked towards the shoreline
Spring and fall are kinda similar, but one leads to summer renewal and the other to a bleak frozen hellscape
Apparently the Minnesota Zoo has way more members than I thought now. Still fun to get in early and make loops around the tropics and Minnesota trails…
The mountain bike trails won’t be open for a while due to downed trees and mud/ice, but the buds were popping. The bottom center pic that we think is emerald ash borer damage was at Bailey School Forest Park in Newport.
Very slow, and with a few walk breaks (and a bench or two), but Get in Gear is fast approaching
Record high temp (85F), still pockets of snow here and there, LOTS of tree damage, passed a horse rider, heard loons calling, saw lots of ducks clustered on the river and could’ve taken some turns still at Afton Alps (if they had stayed open)
Congratulations to Kid Two, who worked hard to graduate in three and half years from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environment, Sustainability & Geography (with a minor in biology). Today she accepted a job offer with Landbridge Ecological of Saint Paul to be a full time Restoration Technician:
Restoration Technicians implement a wide variety of ecological restoration projects in several diverse plant communities. Example projects include public/residential/commercial landscapes with a range from small to large scale native installation (planting, seeding, erosion control, etc.) and land management (invasive species, prescribed fire, woodland editing, etc.). Some projects entail conventional landscaping and urban interface aspects. Projects are located primarily in the Twin Cities and Upper Midwest.
The Landbridge offices are located just up the street from the original High School for Recording Arts campus on Vandalia Street that I worked at from 2003—2009. Excited to see their client list includes Lebanon Hills Regional Park and Braemar Golf Course in Edina.
Very proud of what she has achieved so far and excited to see what she will accomplish in her new career.
Bravo, MK! ❤️
Only fell once on the hill going down to the river – lots of ice and snow, but a very nice four mile loop
Need to get my money’s worth from SK’s gift – Afton State Park is only 10 miles away too
