"We're still in the garage"

Coordinating Friday afternoons with a family of four can be rather hard, especially when a thunderstorm intervenes in our best made plans.

I thought I might make it home dry skirting between the storm clouds.  But the sky opened up just before I reached our favorite summer restaurant, Sea Salt. I ducked under their roof alongside the mostly dry wedding party, the soaked teenagers, and the many others waiting for their prawns and Po' boys. With nothing better to do while waiting out the rain, I got a beer and chatted with some friends celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary. (I have been waiting for an excuse to stop here for a beer for years).  Faithfully, I texted my coordinates.

Andy: "Sea Salt refuge"
Hillary: "Reading books in the garage"

5 minutes later the truth comes out when Hillary calls.

H: "We're locked out.  I left my keys in the house in the quick hand-off of Henry from the babysitter to me. When are you going to get here? Are you having a beer?"
A: "Yes. I"ll be home in 20 minutes. I'm leaving now." [half a beer left]

25 minutes later I call.

A: "Almost home."
H: "We're still in the garage."

I bike up the alley and spy Henry toddling out from the open door of our garage then head back in. I creep up with the camera and find Hillary and the two boys still reading books. Good thing Hil had been to a book sale recently! We all made it inside before the worst of the storm hit.

Bike walk week with a little birder on a bike

Being three days into Bike Walk Week in the Twin Cities,  I was feeling bummed that my schedule had prevented me from biking yet this week. But at last yesterday morning I was able to bike with Theo to school and then to work.

It is such a treat to ride to school with Theo.  He is so excited about being able to ride his bike without training wheels  This morning's ride was through beds of fragrant, fallen catalpa flowers.  Later we collected a bike windshield-sized catalpa leaf that we propped up in his basket.  He thought that was funny. And he gained an impromptu show-and-tell item for school.

 

Note the binoculars ready for action...

Dad, look at the birds!  (They were starlings, but so cool nonetheless.)

Nice Ride MN at our favorite Local Eatery

 

 Bike Share is here in Minneapolis!  Here is a new Nice Ride station recently installed in front of the Birchwood Cafe.  

Date night on bikes

Hillary and I try to have a date night once or month of so.  On a recent Saturday night it was the typical handoff to the baby sitter and race out the the door whose timing rests on many ingredients including mild planning, luck, and I hope to think some parenting skill.   We usually take the bus on date night.  But for lack of at least one ingredient, we missed the bus.  Headed to the Guthrie Theater to see "M Butterfly",  we quickly realized we could ride our bikes.  What an excellent decision that was.  It was a beautiful night and our route was along the Mississippi River. 

Pedaling through the warm summer evening, wind in our hair,
We are pedaling faster, hoping to beat our missed bus,
Tent caterpillars descending from the trees above,
Cottonwood fluff ascending, wafting lazily on the summer breeze.

We pull up beside the Guthrie Theater and file in with hundreds to enjoy an excellent production of "M Butterfly."

Darkness has fallen, we pedal homewards discussing the play,
Sipping the cooling air with the wind in our hair.

What a date night!