Where has all the water gone?

Looking for a place to sit and observe some water and scenery tonight, we ended up at White Bear Lake at the public beach. I remember going there as a kid where you could walk way out in the water and only be up to your chest. What a shock to see the water so low! We've heard about it, but it is amazing to see it for yourself and to see that the beach is not safe and is closed due to water levels and drop offs!

Fourth of July

I came home early from the cabin on the Fourth of July. Tom and I went to Mounds Park and found a spot along the road near 94 to view the city and the Taste of Minnesota fireworks. There were several families near us and they had a little fireworks display of their own. We were a little surprised that they decided to light these on the street right by all the cars. I took this picture from our front windshield. As you can tell, they weren't very far from us. It was fun, though, and the smoke kept the bugs down. It seems weird how many people seemed to have tons of fireworks, and how short the display time was once they were lit, but no one seemed to care about that. There were lots of little kids around. The Taste of Minnesota didn't have that great of a display, but we could see about ten major places where there were fireworks shows. They were all pretty far away, but one that was in the direction of the fairgrounds, or Roseville (Central Park?) looked exceptionally good. There were explosions in the sky everywhere!

Going, going, gone......

The other night, Tom and I went to the parking ramp at the Mall of America to watch the gorgeous sunset we saw coming on the horizon. I had my camera and caught these shots to add to my collection. It fascinates me how each one I see can be so awesome and colorful, and how fast the sun seems to sink once you fixate on it. No one else was on that level of the ramp. It was eerie in a way, but it was the best spot for a cool view!

Flowers

Unlike my parents, I have never had a green thumb. I just don't enjoy digging in the dirt, getting my fingernails black, and sweating in the hot sun. Dirt has such a musty smell to it! But, I am a pushover when all the flower marts start reducing their prices. I usually wait until school is over before I plant in the whiskey barrels, garage window planter, and across the large back window. Sunday, Tom and I ended up at Home Depot in Woodbury and they had some gorgeous plants....with good prices....so we both bought some. I don't like starting out in early, early spring with tiny little plants that haven't any blooms yet. So when I see something fully blooming like this, I have a hard time resisting. I actually got this gorgeous basket at the St. Paul Farmer's Market for only $15 and I can only hope it stays blooming all summer. Isn't it pretty?

The Flood

Last night Tom walked into the kitchen and noticed that the floor was flooded with water. My new refrigerator seems to have developed a leak where the water line is connected for the icemaker. Luckily, I purchased the full warranty, but it hasn't even been in my house a month yet! What is the deal!? It will get fixed, but is going to be a major hassle.....starting with the half hour I spent talking to 5 people I couldn't understand or hear very well from India??? or wherever and ending with the fact that I have to wait for a technician to arrive tomorrow morning (sometime) on my last day off before summer school starts on Friday. Oh bother! But.....as Tom reminded me and as I already know....it could always be worse.

Technical difficulties......

I feel very frustrated sometimes. I think I maneuver around my computer fairly well, but this blog has me going crazy! What happened to the first two posts I had? They seem to be missing. I wanted to "catch up" and do a blog for the days I missed (because I couldn't get the crazy thing to work) and I don't know how to change the date. I am going to experiment and try different things (when I can find time) so please bear with me!

Ready to Sail?

Tom has been working so hard on the pontoon, trying to get it ready to go in the water again after about 10 years of being "parked" next to the pole barn in Pine City. There were leaves and moss covering the old carpet and mold in several places, but it is spiffy and looks great now. He thinks the motor will work with no problems and we spent the afternoon on Sunday powerwashing the top and cleaning parts that were grungy. It looks so much better! The bench seat lying on the ground needs a fix which Mom and I plan to attempt soon. Looks like Jackson (Tom's black lab puppy) got hungry or, at least, curious about the taste of the old brittle vinyl. It had cracks before, but now is missing huge parts, ha ha.