Drive a Golf Cart - Check!

Inspired by the PGA Championship, we headed over to the driving range to hit some golf balls. I have always had issues with my eye hand coordination, but I really started to get the hang of it after awhile. The driving range is next to General Mills which is directly ahead in this picture.

Alex was very patient with me. He taught me some basics. Keep my eye on the ball, don't move my upper body, keep my left arm straight. There is so much to think about in the game of golf.

I did pretty well, considering it was my first real time holding a club and hitting the golf balls. I got a few in the air, but most of them just rolled down the green. I actually did get the ball to land about 2-3 feet from the flag which was pretty exciting.

As most of you all know, one of my great life goals is to drive a golf cart. I know, what a way to reach for the stars. Well, now I can reach for the stars because I finally got to drive a golf cart. Alex and I headed over to a Par 3 course and I drove him around. And yes, it was as much fun as I always imagined.

It was very relaxing out on the golf course. I enjoyed the peace and quiet except for the few expletives Alex would shout out when he didn't hit as well as he'd like. 

What is next on my list of things to achieve? Hmm . . . Eat fried food on a stick! That will be next weekend at the State Fair.

PGA Championship

Last weekend was the PGA Championship Tournament at the Hazeltine Golf Course in Chaska, Minnesota. Alex and I were fortunate enough to get tickets for Saturday. Despite the fact that I know nothing about golf, I was excited to go to see Tiger. I had no idea what to expect seeing how I have never really been on a golf course. Sure there is putt putt and my parents back yard, but I have never played or walked an entire 18 holes. I have to admit that I didn't get the magnitude of the event until we saw 2 Goodyear Blimps. One of which happened to be flying over Robbinsdale.

Unfortunately, we were not able to take photos during the weekend. So Alex headed out earlier in the week for the practice rounds. He was able to get a lot of great shots.

We got to the golf course a few hours before Tiger tee-ed (spelling?) off. Everyone was well behaved and respectful. We decided to wait at the clubhouse to wait for Tiger to arrive. Once Tiger was on site, the mayhem began. He went directly to practice his putting. So did everyone else. I would say that the entire day, wherever Tiger was, there were 10 people deep trying to get a view. That doesn't bode well for a shorty like me. I thought we'd see each hole. We quickly figured out that was not the case. After the first hole, we ran over to the 3rd hole to see it was already packed. We went straight to the 5th hole where we were 3 people deep. Tiger ended up standing so close to us I could hear his frustration under his breath. After running to a few other holes to catch a glimpse, we decided to head straight to the 18th hole. We were very lucky to be able to see all of the golfers finish from the 3rd row in the grandstands right behind the hole.

It was a great experience over all. I am glad that we went because it was a lot of fun!

Festivals and Tornados, Oh my!

Alex and I have continued to enjoy the weather as much and as best we can. The temperatures have soared above the 70s. We have been in the high 80s the past few days and will be for the next few days. There is humidity, but nothing compared to Ohio. 

This Friday will be my last Summer Day at Aveda. Fortunately, I have had the privilege of having 3 additional Fridays off this summer. (Of course, I have to work a few extra hours on the other days.) As I told my mom on the phone, that means winter is just around the corner. On a bright note, I will see my fabulous North Face jacket again. 

There is certainly not a lack of stuff to do during the summer. This past weekend we went to the Uptown Art Fair and the Irish Fair. We had a lot of fun at both. Unfortunately, there was not much to take pictures of but we had fun nonetheless. The Irish Fair was great. Alex and I had Fish 'n Chips, Soda Bread, and Tarts. yummy! We watched rugby, boxing, Irish dancing, listened to classic Irish tales and Irish music. I'm looking forward to next year already.

We were supposed to go the Robbinsdale Fire Department street dance on Saturday night, but we left 5 minutes after we arrived because a tornado touched down in the neighboring town. No one seemed to be bothered or phased by this fact. Our neighbors and Alex were giving me equally a hard time. I was most concerned about my computer and portfolio. Yes, those are strange priorities. However, my ability to get a job resides in both of those things and they ARE NOT replaceable. I cannot redo 7 years of design work. Besides the storm was sitting directly over Aveda. If Aveda blew away, where would I go to work? Anyway, everything turned out to be okay. There was damage from the tornado but nothing serious that I heard.

Alex and I are heading to the PGA Championship this weekend. I definitely know nothing about golf, but it is a once in a lifetime experience. Maybe I'll get Tiger's autograph . . .

Farming at the Minnesota Zoo

One of the neat things at the Minnesota Zoo was the working farm. We rode a tractor trailer out to the farmhouse. All of the usual animals were there; horses, cows, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, even a bull. I didn't hesitate to get up close to the animals. They all made me laugh.

I'm not sure what kind of chicken this is but I loved how he was covered head to toe in feathers. 

This little guy must have been so full and exhausted from eating that he fell asleep in his trough.

Alex and I made a discovery with the sheep . . . they don't "Baaa." Instead, they "Maaa." Can you guess which one is Alex? (Sorry for the sudden orientation change – I always forget when I am recording video.)

I have been wanting a dog but I think the zoo opened up so many more options . . .

Up Close and Personal at the Minnesota Zoo

This past weekend Alex and I visited the Minnesota Zoo for the afternoon. I had heard on the radio that the resident Moose just had twins. Since one of my life goals has been to see a Moose, I thought it would be fun to finally see three. I missed out when I travelled to Alaska and when we drove the Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota. While I would have liked to have seen my first Moose in the wild, I guess the zoo will have to do. 

The Minnesota Zoo is very different from the Cincinnati Zoo. I can't say one is better than the other. Cincinnati seems smaller because there aren't as many open space areas for the animals. The MN Zoo had a lot of open spaces for multiple animals. The Camels, Giraffe, Zebras, etc. were all in one area. The MN Zoo also sets it up so that you really feel like you are walking through their habitats. They had one exhibit for just Minnesota wildlife. I had no idea there was such a variety or that Puma live in Minnesota. Yikes!

So I have never thought there was much to say about being a Michigan Wolverine. Aren't wolverines just oversized rodents? So I saw several in the zoo, and I am thinking they are a bit frightening. Wolverines also apparently live in Minnesota as well.

The Brown Bear does not live in Minnesota. And I am thankful. When we walked up to their area, this is what we saw. 

But then a minute later the Dark Brown Bear showed his softer side. He was so cute. He also put on a show for the onlookers. I could have watched him all day. I just wanted to give him a big bear hug.

My Bike

For my birthday, Alex got me a new bike. I think Alex had intended on getting me a quality bike for "serious" bikers. We headed over to some bike shops to get myself sized. Getting back on a bike was not as easy as I thought it would be. It has been at least 8 years. 

Overall, I was a little bored with the lack of selection or rather lack of color selection. I guess when I wandered over to the bike accessories to look at flowers and cute baskets to decorate the bike, Alex decided that I was not the "serious" biker he thought I was or would be. So off to Dick's Sporting Goods for a more economical bike.

I ended up liking and receiving a Diamondback Lustre. It is white with lime green (my favorite color) surferesque graphics.

Alex and I live on Victory Memorial Parkway which is part of the Grand Rounds. A very long bike path that loops around the Twin Cities. Watching people everyday go by our house on their bikes was what made us decide to get bikes. Of course the areas that we ride closest to us are rather hilly and have a lot of stop and goes. I am not in the best of shape as evidenced by the photo and I have no leg strength. So I have found myself walking up a lot of the hills. The first 8 mile ride I walked maybe 6 times. I think the second time maybe I walked 4 times.

I think I drive Alex nuts when riding. He takes off at the speed of light. Once I make it up a hill from walking, I am riding my brakes all the way down the hill. I think I just have a fear of losing control and wiping out. It reminds me of my skiing adventure. I am currently trying to find a stylish helmet to go with my bike. That might give me a bit more confidence. 

Despite my fear on the hills, we have had a lot of fun on our bikes. We rode up to our local Dairy Queen for ice cream several times well as one of the local beaches to catch some rays. 

I would like to give my bike a name . . . if anyone has suggestions please share!

Pull Tabs and Meat Raffles – Minnesota Night life

One of the more unusual things that Minnesotans take part in are meat raffles and playing pull tabs. Neither of which I did until a few weeks ago. Our neighbors, Chris and Kristin, and us headed up to our local neighborhood bar, Eagles Nest Lounge, to try to win some meat. Our local butcher donates meat to the Lions Club so that they can raffle it off. It is a great fundraiser for the Lions Club as well as advertising for the butcher shop.

I didn't know what to expect. While we waited for the meat raffle to begin we each bought some pull tabs. I don't really know how to explain pull tabs except that they are little cards that you "pull tabs" back to see if you have 3 of a kind in a row. I actually won $55! We put that money towards our meat raffle tickets.

The meat raffle consists of buying numbers. Someone spins a wheel. Whatever number is landed on is the winner. I won in the second round. I had my pick of a variety of meats. I ended up getting 2 T-bone steaks. Kristin won the next round, picking 2 sirloin steaks. Another table was getting rowdy saying the thing was rigged. We couldn't stop laughing. Who would have thought I would be excited to win meat? Anyway, the next several rounds went to other people. I won once more picking up a dozen hot dogs and some bacon. Kristin won in the last round with 7 pounds of ground beef.

We had a great time. I think we made out pretty well. All of that meat for essentially the cost of our pull tabs which I think was about $40. Not a bad deal. We grilled out our steaks and they were delicious! Our next barbeque will be hot dogs.