North Shore Driving

Above: Copper :-)

Above: Melissa, Nikki, Rick, and myself in "The Shaggin' Wagon"

Above: Rick

Above: Rick, Myself, Nikki, Bill, and Melissa.

Our friend and coworker, Melissa; recently put new tires on her RV. The only request of the mechanics: put 50 miles or so on it and bring it back in for a look. That's exactly what we did with a trip up the Scenic North Shore. We stopped at a beautiful restaurant, Nokomis; which is right off the scenic north shore drive and boasts an incredible view of Lake Superior from virtually every seat in the dining room. On the way back, we took advantage of delicious mussels and half price wine at The Scenic; another wonderful restaurant that sits right on the lake. The staff was great, and the dining room had interesting art hung everywhere. The evening's pace was slow and relaxed; the food was absolutely delicious, and the company was warm. Thanks to everyone for a good time!

Burger Jones is the new "cool"

It was about 8 o'clock PM when i got off the phone with one of my best friends, Joey Swanson. He persuaded my to leave Duluth on a whim and meet him in Uptown (Minneapolis) for a drink, before bar close. Ok, maybe it didn't take much persuasion. :-)

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I left Duluth about 8:30 and the temp was 43F. As i pulled into Uptown, i was sweating bullets in my hoody, only to look at the temp and discover it was 86F. A 2 hour geographic distance, yet it was double the temperature!

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I met Joey at his apartment, where we walked to Burger Jones; a new restaurant and bar that had it's grand opening earlier that day. We sat on the patio and enjoyed some drinks until it was time to shut down the patio, where from we moved inside. We chatted it up with some of the other patrons in the bar, and i left with a 40 yr old mother of 3's phone number. It was all too funny, and nooo i didn't call. (just in case you're wondering, MOM!)

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It was good to see my dear friend Joey, and catch up. Thank you Joey for a good time, and letting me crash at your apartment. YOU, are a great friend!

Fun down by Lake Superior

These images were captured with my cell phone, down by the Twin Ports in Canal Park. (forgive me, these photos are some weeks old.) Some of the ladies and myself decided to crash one of the local hotels "s'more making" parties. Yes, some hotels along the great lakes have fires, s'mores, and hot cocoa available on their back area patios which face the lake. Of course, the s'mores are meant for the guests, but isn't guest such a loosely defined term? :-) Only kidding. Aside from stealing some s'mores and hot cocoa, we had a good time enjoying the sunset on Lake Superior.

Canoe Trip!

Above: Nikki, Rick, and Copper

Above: Devin

Summer has been extraordinarily busy, hence no updates since my last final. I've been having far too much fun to be posting everyday. However, some documentation is necessary. :-)

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Yesterday, a group of us verged on the Brule River in Northern Minnesota to embark on a kayaking and canoe trip. The weather was partly cloudy, with the sun peeking out here and there to provide us with some warm sunshine. The river was calm with the exception of some small "rapids" and everyone navigated the waters with very little trouble. Well, most of us. :-)

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After we completed the 6 or 7 mile trip, it was time to fire up the grill. Our tired and sore bodies enjoyed sustenance in the form of ball park franks, homemade burgers, pasta salad, and other delicious delicacies. The sun began to set, as we headed out for the evening.

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(I wish i had some more photos for you fine people, but unfortunately i forgot my camera, and my cell phone battery died quickly.)

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Chad, Olivia, and Myself headed to Wendy's on the way home, for some ungodly reason (laughs) and after i sipped down a frosty float, i rested my head on my pillow at the late hour of 10:30. :-) Thanks to everyone for a damn good time!