What Are The Odds?

 

What are the odds I'd have a glorious sunrise commute two days in a row? I mean I couldn't stop myself from taking a picture!

Also because my sleep has been lacking this week, I enjoyed the sunrise and stopped at a gas station for a mandatory sugar-free Red Bull. Hey, the sun is inspiring to take on the day!

Our United Way dress-up day today was literally United Way T-shirts of any kind if you have them. That was not me. I did however "support the kids" by visiting the King Cone ice cream truck! Hey, we walked across the street to our other office so we not only enjoyed ice cream but we got lots of steps!

Today I also learned that our friends' at the Feltz Dairy Farm Store have a ton of pumpkins and pumpkin stuff. When I asked if they had my "pumpkin spice eggnog" I loved last year, I was thrilled to see them reply: "It just arrived today." 

Thus my after-work detour to Feltz's! 💛

Tonight was also my return to church choir practice. I missed the first week because I was in San Francisco. Then last week I spaced it out and missed it because it wasn't part of my usual routine yet. So I got the music at church on Sunday and plunked my way through this coming Sunday's song on Carter's Casio keyboard.

And I think we'll be fine Sunday.

Got home in time to wonder what I could wear tomorrow for our United is the Way campaign that involves a Stars Wars themed dress up. There may be something in the works. I'll keep you posted.

Pretty Tuesday

 

Although I hated to hear the alarm this morning after so few hours of sleep (I think it's an age thing). But Got rewarded me with a lovely morning commute.

It was just pretty and gave me some hope that another week of work in the office. Of course, it's still our jam-packed United Way campaign going on, so it was fun today. We got some cool pictures of our team. But I'll have to wait and share them tomorrow because I didn't get all of them from our photographer. Oh yes, when you work in marketing you can have professional photographers take your picture and not just a phone! 😁

Tonight after work I headed to Girls' Night Out at the new Rodeo Tex Mex Grill in the building formerly occupied by Polito's. Yes, second night in a row of Mexican food. If you haven't been, check it out. You wouldn't even recognize it as the same place. Secondly, my food was delicious. I got the Chori Pollo (which is spicy chorizo with chicken) and it was excellent! Nice to have a few new options at relatively the same price points as El Mezcal.

Also, great to see the lady friends!

Got home and just fielded a catch-up call from my baby boy so my day is literally pretty and pretty good!

This Whole Monday Thing

This was a little bit me today but it was lot bit our Wifi router today. I was trying to have a productive day after being off for Eric's wedding on Friday. But I just kept getting kicked offline countless times (yes, I lost count) for usually just short stretches of time. Like less than a minute.

More annoying than anything else. But that's what Mondays are!

Let's level set here and be honest that part of my bad attitude was also attributed to Sunday Night Football. Nothing more needs to be said about that. And my fantasy team is hoping to hold onto a slim lead after Monday Night Football part 2. Two games on a school night?! What madness.

My after work fun was stopping to take some action photos at middle school volleyball, then heading to Book Club. Yes, my social calendar is off the charts, isn't it?

This month's book was another by my favorite Swedish author Fredrik Backman. He wrote A Man Called Ove and Beartown among others that we've read. Those two were amazing and this even tops that, in my opinion. Mostly a 5 out of 5 rating all around. 

I highly recommend. I mean, if you had a perfect childhood, you might not identify with it. But for the rest of us, we can connect to a lot of the emotions of all the characters. This is the audio book that had me crying on the way to work and wishing I brought my makeup bag. Some authors just make the connection!

Side note: We met at El Mezcal and I had my predictably good favorite Pollo El Camino. For free. Yup. Sometimes I get gift cards as thank yous and my people know what I like! 💖

Hope you get a nice treat of some kind this week, too!

Young Love

Had a great Friday and Saturday in Minnesota to witness and experience young love. And it had nothing to do with any sports teams!

Yesterday we drove to our hotel in Eagan and took a shuttle to the Genesis Ranch in Rosemount, MN, for our nephew Eric's wedding. Despite a lovely weather drive over the Cities, the rain hit right when we arrived at the venue!

It was a gorgeous venue and they had to move everything under the rain protected pavilion where we were to just eat and later dance. It all worked out fine. And to see my nephew Eric so happy and in love was worth all of our rain-drenched hair for a family photo!

Everybody's looking at a different camera here but groom Eric and his momma my sister Romey are smiling so it's all worth it!

Here's my date and I after initial rain but ready sit for the ceremony and dinner.

And my other better half. My twin. Rainy hair. Don't care.

It was a great time. And this morning we got to meet up with Casey and Emily (who are about to celebrate their 2nd anniversary) for brunch at the Stray Dog in Minneapolis.

What a treat to see them and spend some quality time with them and...

See and snuggle and pet our number one grandpup Rey! She is the bestest!!

After seeing Casey and Emily's nice apartment with a clear view of U.S. Bank Stadium 💜💛💜, we got a nice escort back to our parking spot! 

After that is was just a 3 1/5 drive home and trying to catch what was an unusual summer-like day. Hoping Sunday is a repeat!

Just Your Garden Variety

 

I'm patting myself on the background for keeping this flower bouquet alive since I received these fresh cuts Saturday evening. 

I was particularly interested with all the angles around the vase. 

I loved that no matter the angle, it was a pretty splash of color.

And that the Glads made my hubby say he was happy to give me some GLADness with flowers. Well done!

Behind The Scenes Behind Bars

Welcome aboard for your very unofficial tour of Alcatraz! First off, the Alcatraz City Cruises company does a great job of jetting you over to the island – and they leave about every half hour during the day AND accommodate more than 200 passengers per trip. Win!

Before you board, you can get a "paper mache" type layout of the island. It's not a huge island but all the buildings are squished in there somehow.

Beautiful waters despite the ugly destination.

My co-worker Tom and I feeling rebellious going to prison!

Alcatraz was a federal penitentiary until 1963. In 1969 Indigenous activists occupied Alcatraz for 19 months.

A guard's watch tower that at first looked like a lighthouse to this lighthouse fan.

The official "welcome" entrance to Alcatraz.

A former "officers club" that burned in a fire either caused by Indians or hippies. The jury is still out on that.

Lovely sign on the roof so you know you do NOT want to land there.

Just an artsy shot.

The model industries building.

The current state of electrical...

...And plumbing. In case someone has this crazy idea to reopen this place!

More from the Indian occupation.

Well of course there's a morgue. Not everyone can survive these luxurious island accommodations.

In the cellhouse now.... no privacy for showers or anything else.

My childhood dream house had spiral stairs. But yeah, not so sure in this setting!

The narrators in our fascinating audio tour of the cellhouse...

Who knows how they got former inmates to participate, but it added a real-feel element to the tour.

Three levels of cells. My first thought was Shawshank Redemption! Such a similar look and feel. And Al "Scarface" Capone was here!

Cells were 5 feet wide so even I am too tall to sleep in the "width". Not by much.

I can smile when I know it's just a tour and I don't have to spend extended time here. Of course, women weren't welcome anyway.

Solitary confinement is as bad as it sounds. 

The prisoner on the audio tour said he'd just have to adjust to the dark and pretend to play a TV screen in from him to visualize something – anything. 

Oh just me looking at angles and finding something pretty – architecturally. 

Prison library again reminded me of the Shawshank movie!

Free time for most included smoking – they got a lot of cigarettes – and hobbies like chess and music.

The escapees in 1962 made fake mask heads to put in their beds while they burrowed out of prison via the tunnels they dug with spoons. There were three of them and they were never found.

Prison cafeteria offering a balanced meal!

The kitchen crew made sure there was a knife matching each black outline on the cutlery board. Should I be alarmed they were all missing?!

Random beauty because prison gardens were actually a thing.

An artsy shot of the Bay Bridge.

A light house that appears to be more used by birds than anything else!

Evening view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the island.

Oh yeah, we're in California. There are palm trees here! 

More surprising garden work.

And a little bit more.

Another artsy shot of the Bay Bridge over to Oakland.

Our ride.

View of the San Francisco shoreline. It's definitely a compact city on a hill for lack of a better definition. 

Thank you, Congress, for making Alcatraz part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. And thank you for coming along on my virtual (surely incomplete) tour of Alcatraz.