Kayaking in Wisconsin

Back in one of those cold months like February or March, I saw a Groupon for kayaking with River Kayak Guides. What do you do in winter but dream of the things you'll do when it's not winter? And a 2 for 1 kayak trip sounded just right! I immediately purchased one for me and John then convinced my co-worker/conspirator to buy one for him and his wife.

Then months went by....

Then I realized we only had like 3 weeks to use these suckers! It was summer!

Perfect beer holder

John, Steve, Cerina, and I played hookie on a perfectly warm June Friday and headed towards Wisconsin. Our half day water excursion started in River Falls, WI, which from what I hear is quite the party area. As Cerina said, "[Kayaking] is the most grown up thing I've done in River Falls!" Our kayak company met us and four others to unload boats and push off down the Kinnickinnic River. It's mostly protected along the riverbanks so you don't see cars or roads or any other civilization. As the Kayak Guides website informs us:

"The lower canyon of the Kinnickinnic River is a natural spring-fed class I trout stream that runs approximately eight miles from River Falls to the St. Croix River. The river has little to no development and is actively protected by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust."

Our 8 mile adventure couldn't have been better....well for everyone but John. The water was moving steadily, our kayaks had beer holders, and the weather was a perfect 80 degrees. I can't image the river being any shallower, which apparently, it gets. Our boats hit the bottom multiple times. John hadn't been kayaking in a looong time (maybe never, but he won't admit it), so he was a little rusty. He did alright for the most part except for a tree that wanted to take him out. Luckily, Steve was near by to help him out. Damn trees.

I had a fantastic time! I recommend River Kayak and the Kinnickinnic River. It took about 3 hours to float down. We topped off our adventure with a Diary Queen Blizzard. Best Blizzard of my life! Don't ask how we felt the next day. It wasn't pretty.

Summer To-do #20-- Done!!

This is an inside joke for Alicia.

Rockin' the Garden

The high mark of summer in Minneapolis is checking out the line-up at Rock the Garden, a festival sponsored by The Currect radio station and the Walker "Arts" Center. This year they stretched the one day fest into a two-dayer, June 21-22. Sadly, even with two days chalked full of diverse music, none of the bands really appealed to me. I would've chosen Sunday for Spoon and Guided by Voices, but John and I wanted to spend the annual event with our co-Garden groupies, Rachel, Jenna, and Sarah. Saturday was when they wanted to go, so be it!

Rock the Garden is nestled on the hilly green next the arts center. In case it's not obvious, the fest is all about spending hours lounging on a picnic blanket, drinking beer and listening to music. We had a perfect spot on the lawn that was graced by the shade first.

John and I used our earned adulthood to have not just one but TWO Talenti ice creams as our main meal. Sarah B. devoured an extra-long corn dog. I also enjoyed Nitch's Kitchen's New Zealand meat pie. Yum! We were in luck this year since a friend of a friend was in the VIP tent where the Summit beer flows free.

The only band I though I might like to see was Best Coast, a surfer rock band that reminds me a bit of The Breeders. Sadly, I wasn't really impressed. They played fine but it was nothing to get excited about. Jeremy Messersmith put on a good performance but it's not my thing. Lizzo and De La Soul were respectable acts that I probably would have never seen if it hadn't been for Rock the Garden. The band that did rock my socks off was Matt and Kim. Holy Mother. They were amazing! They owned that audience. Kim stood on her drums to play them. They gave out balloons to the audience to heighten the visual stimulation. They had people crowd surf backwards. Cats and dogs were living together. Mass hysteria. 

I, of course, was impressed with the recycling and composting managed by Eureka Recycling with a zero-waste goal. They work with the vendors before hand to make sure the only things served are recyclable or compostable. There were a few surprises like the Talenti ice cream wrappers and balloons that Matt&Kim threw out to the crowd.

Things to Do #10 done! 

Sarah B and her 'dog

Can't beat the view

Girls with Post-It mustaches

Matt and Kim rocking out

Free water from City of Mpls

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

A warm September evening, John took me to my very first baseball game. It was our third date and the night I realized this was more than a new-city fling. That might be why I have fond feelings for baseball or at least the Twins.

In less than two years, I've been been to around 10 games, all at Target Field. I love going! It helps that the stadium has great recycling, diverts all its food waste behind the scenes, and reuses water for the field.

Seeing the Twins play will be on my summer to-dos for the foreseeable future. This year I made a specific task of eating some peanuts and Cracker Jacks (#15 on the list) at the game. This June 5 game was my third of the season and I was enjoyed the evening with John, my friends/co-workers and company. John and most of the group got their early to get a free Puckett jersey which is a big deal apparently.

Towards the third inning of a very looong game against the Brewers, I busted open my bag of Cracker Jacks. Sad news: no more box and an insufficient amount of nuts. Semi-good news: there's still a prize. I got myself a sparkling Orioles sticker. Oh yeah.

State Park #7: Lake Maria

John and I wanted a weekend away since I've been travelling quite a bit or busy with work/volunteering. We spontaneously decided to get away for the weekend. We looked at B&Bs and historic hotels within a few hours of the Cities. The only one in our price range that was available was the Palmer House in Sauk Centre, home to Sinclair Lewis and his Main Street. The hotel left much to be desired although it did have quite the Jacuzzi (yay!) and the attached pub was delicious.

On our way back home, we found the nearest state park to explore: Lake Maria State Park a little south of St. Cloud (about an hour from Minneapolis).

The park was just starting to emerge from winter with birds celebrating and flowers scattered about. Lake Maria is a big woods forest which means it has old-growth trees of maple, basswood, white and red elm, red oak, tamarack, and red cedar on the banks of numerous lakes. This section of Big Woods used to connect all the way to Nerstrand Big Woods in southern Minnesota. John and I visited that park last fall.

An unexpected characteristic of Lake Maria is the endangered Blanding's turtle that lives in park. I chuckled when we passed the "Rare Turtle Crossing" sign posted on the road. Then a mere 10 seconds later we saw a turtle crossing the road! (No wonder you're almost extinct turtle--get out the way, yo!) We found out later that guy was probably just a painted turtle. Blanding's turtles have yellow spots and are extremely shy (self conscious?).


I didn't bring adequate shoes with me so we ended up walking on a few of the "interpretive" trails. I use quotes because they weren't really interpretive. One trail had numbers that you followed but didn't really match to any info in the given brochure. Still, it was a beautiful day for a hike (walk).

First state park of the year! I'm still working towards my State Park Countdown.

Signs of Spring

 

The Parade Engagement or How I got lucky on St. Paddy's Day

As requested by some of our out-of-state friends, here's the excitement of John and my

engagement at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. More photos and video to come!

Jenny's perspective: 

John asked me to take St. Patrick's Day off of work so we could go to the parade. I just thought it was 'cause he was a crazy Irishman. But I did it anyway (with encouragement from Rachel) to make him happy. We arrived about a half hour early to stand around for awhile with his family and a few of our friends. The parade started at noon, and it was pretty normal: a bunch of people dressed in green walking down the street; tall boys of Guinness; and bagpipes blaring. Fun to be had by all!

After about 30 minutes of the parade, the St. Paul City Council group passed by. John got in front of me and went down on one knee. I thought he was taking a picture. Then suddenly a sign from the city council group was coming towards us. I thought the parade was coming was coming at us--I was so confused! Then I saw the sign and it said "Jenny, John has a question for you". I looked down and John was holding a box and opened it to a diamond ring. He asked "Jenny, will you marry me?" I screamed/exhaled/laughed and said "yes!". He got up and slipped the ring on my finger. I hugged him and buried my smile in his shoulder.

I looked around and everyone was smiling and saying "Congratulations!" and cheering. I saw a banner being held up behind me that said "She said yes!". To add to the excitement, a large camera appeared next to us. The news heard what was happening and came over to interview us (it didn't end up airing). Crazy! I can't believe I could put together a coherent sentence (well maybe I didn't). I must have been bright red!

My friends, Germaine and Rachel, appeared out of nowhere and John's friend, Jeff. They were across the street waiting. Is this happening!!? Well we definitely couldn't watch anymore parade after that. We headed down to the pub to start celebrating!

I am completely honored and humbled that so many people would go to such lengths to make our day possible. I know John is a wonderful, caring, supportive person. And it shows in the company he keeps. I am so blessed to have him in my life. I've said it before, but I'll put it down on "paper": the universe pulled me to Minneapolis for a reason.

John's perspective:

I first came up with the idea to propose on Saint Patrick's Day (now sometimes known as John Ward Day) back in July of last year. The first people I told were my coworkers Stacey and Kelley. They thought it was a good idea. My original thought for the place to propose was at Merlin's Rest (a bar in Minneapolis) where we met back in September 2012. I was going to do it in front of the whole bar. But late last year my sister Jessica suggested I use the Saint Paul Saint Patrick's Day parade. Since we would probably know several people in the parade she also suggested we put them to use.

So over the months we formulated a plan. We would make a sign that would alert Jenny to the proposal happening. The next step was to figure out who would carry that sign in the parade. I immediately thought of my friend Nicole who works for city council member Chris Tolbert. I asked her to see if he would be interested in carrying the sign for me. Then I also enlisted another city council member Amy Brendmoen to be the other person to hold the sign. They both quickly agreed and we were off to the races!

Slowly the plan began to take shape. About a month ago Jessica and I went to Joann Fabrics and Home Depot to get supplies to make the banner. We spent probably about an hour at Joann Fabrics alone. The most difficult part was choosing what fabric to work with. Finally I decided a simple white fabric that had shamrocks in the pattern. It fit perfectly with the theme of the day. Next up we chose a few decorations to go on the fabric. Lastly, we stopped at Home Depot to buy paint to make the sign come alive with color.

Some of my family got together a few days later to put the signs together. I say signs because we collectively decided to make a second sign that I will explain a bit later. So on a cold Saturday morning my mother, father, sisters, nieces, brother-in-law, and aunt got together to make the signs. After a little back and forth we decided the first sign would say: "Jenny, John has a question for you". The second sign would say "SHE SAID YES!!". So over about 6 hours we traced, cut, played with Mircosoft Word, glued, and painted. Now when I say "we" I don't mean myself. I know my limitations and got together a crack staff of crafters. The signs came together beautifully! (Oh and special thanks to Dave Zaffrann for being my excuse for being gone all that day. We were "watching soccer" at a bar downtown.) After the sign took longer than we thought I had to tell a lie (which I hated doing) and tell Jenny that my sister's car broke down and that I had to go help her. Sigh...

Now over the past month I was able to enlist a lot of help with various tasks that I needed on Saint Patrick's Day. My friend Alex agreed to take care of all communications (texts, emails, phone calls) for the day so that I could concentrate. Nicole took care of communicating where the city council group was and let Alex know so that I could be ready when they arrived. Two of Jenny's best friends, Germaine and Rachel, were lurking in the crowd (out of sight) so that they could take pictures and then surprise Jenny afterward. My friend Jeff came down from Fargo and took pictures and also hung out with me the night before to help me remain calm. Lastly, Alex's wife Erica agreed to be my official videographer of the proposal. This was a team that had my back.

The day of the parade my father drove us down to the parade. I was worried about not getting down there on time so I had set a very firm time for us to be there. We ended up being at the designated spot at 11:30 (on time!). Some of family and Alex/Erica were already there. They had staked a terrific upfront spot at the corner of 5th and Market in downtown Saint Paul. The parade began at noon and of course I was incredibly antsy. The excitement and nervousness were both coming to the forefront but overall I was able to maintain my composure.

Nicole let Alex know throughout the parade where they were in relation to the designated spot. I was ready. The signs were ready. The City Council group made it to our spot around 12:25. I waved the group over to us as they came nearer. Then Jenny saw the sign. I've never seen a bigger look of confusion in my entire life. As she realized what was happening I got down to one knee. I struggled to get out the words that I wanted to but eventually settled on "Will you marry me?" I suppose those are the words that matter the most! SHE SAID YES! Above her Jessica and my friend Tammy unrolled the sign "SHE SAID YES" sign! It was perfect timing. All around me I could hear whooping and cheering from the entire crowd as they figured out what happened. I slipped the ring on Jenny's left ring finger. Now this was no ordinary ring. Jessica had allowed me to our Grandma Keldsen's engagement ring. She had been given it by my mother and aunt years ago. Jessica knew it was a special day and allowed this additional special thing to happen. I can't thank her enough.

After the proposal was finished we were surrounded and engulfed by people. So many friends and family members congratulating and hugging us. It was amazing. I've never felt so loved or cared about. But the thing I couldn't get over was how both Jenny and I could not stop smiling. We both seem to know that this was right and that we had both found our special someone. Her and I took a moment after the parade to just look at each other and be happy. It was one of those moments I will never forget. She's the one for me and there was no doubt about it.

But all of that was the easy part. Now we have to plan a wedding and life. That's going to make all my planning look like child's play.

Look Back and Smile Forward (Part 1)

As you know, I love traditions. One activity I've been able to keep up is reviewing the past year and looking at the future every new year with my best friend, Alicia. The last two years we've had to Skype but that hasn't stopped us! Here are my 2013 revelations and my 2014 expectations.

2013, you blew my mind! 

John. 

Simply said, I got to be with John. We created adventures, fought about trivial things (cheese?!), and decided to move all of our crap together for better or worse.

Friends, new and old. 

I made many great friends in Minnesota that I'm thankful for. Rachel, Germaine, and I have explored this strange Midwest world and had quite a few laughs because of it (you drive on ice?!). Couchsurfing, Sierra Club, work and volunteering have opened the doors for me to ask the hard question, "Hey...so...you wanna hang out...or something?"

I had quite a few visitors to my new home: Christina in January, Alicia in March, Julia in April, Mom in June, and Hannah in September. I hope to have many more visitors in 2014! (Hint: get your ass over here)

Explored my new home. 

With my new MN drivers license, I zoomed across the Cities and state to visit friends, go to events, and check off state parks. I got out during the winter to an kite festival on a frozen lake, ice fishing and ice skating. My summer was filled with To-dos (I did 18 of 25--not bad)

I turned 30!

I still feel like I'm 28. That's a good age. But alas, I'm going into my forth decade on this earth. My birthday was insanely awesome! A week of events with friends culminating in a surprise visit from Hannah for the big day. (Credit: Thanks John for my awesome birthday gift of Hannah.

I had longed to go to Italy for my 30 birthday with my sister, but that idea floated away when I couldn't make the finances work. Instead, Julia and I went to Costa Rica. I had dreamed of going since I learned about the cloud rain forests in elementary school. It was an unexpected and completely amazing trip.

Screw you, credit cards!

I am proud to say I met with a financial counselor from Family Means, a non-profit to help with your budget and debt management. I held to my budget and cash-only spending the whole year (a few hiccups occurred) and was rewarded with paying off 2 of my credit cards. I'm tired of being in debt and finally feel like I have control. I didn't use credit once last year even though I had many unexpected expenses pop up.

And now for 2014....

My first white Christmas

I stayed hunkered down in the Midwest for the holidays. After spending Thanksgiving with my mom in Branson, I promised John that we could celebrate Christmas with his family. I was a little melancholy at first; I didn't have any of my traditions here. I was excited to join in John's family's traditions, but I wanted my own, too.

One of the activities that I look forward to every year is a mani-pedi on Christmas Eve with my sister, our friend Kathleen, and the other lovely ladies during my Dallas vacation (wine included, of course). I would have never done this on my own--I hadn't even had my nails done before--but now I can't wait for a little girl time and pretty nails. Although I wasn't in Dallas to enjoy the polish festivities, I decided to make my own fabulous tradition in Minneapolis. Germaine and I went to get pampered and sip wine. What a great start to Christmas!

Another new tradition with John: visiting the Como Zoo on Christmas Day. We saw a polar bear playing outside in the snow and seals playing in the water. We had to strip off layers in the Tropics area and greenhouses. We even saw a sloth! Perfect Christmas morning! The rest of the day I could share in John's family traditions: gifts, dinner, drinks and quality time.

As my blog title suggest, this was, in fact, my first white Christmas. But didn't I grow up in Colorado? Yes, but surprisingly it doesn't snow around Christmas. I've had many (too many) white Halloweens, but never a snowy day on Christmas. Minnesota's holiday produces perfect, fluffy snow. It's all I could talk about!

State Park #6: Nerstrand Big Woods

What kind of crazy double name is Nerstrand Big Woods? Turns out there's a lot of history in that name. The town of Nerstrand was settled in the 1850s in southern Minnesota near a large area of forest. See where this is going? The "big woods" represents the contiguous forest of trees typical of southern Minnesota prior to those devilish European settlers. Settlers used the forest to plant woodlots for a more sustainable wood source.

"In the spring, the park is a wildflower garden where hepatica, bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, and the dwarf trout lily bloom. The autumn brings a burst of red, orange, and gold in the maple-basswood forest, one of the last extensive stands of the "Big Woods." When winter comes, ski or snowmobile the trails through picturesque woods."

John and I took an afternoon drive to the state park to view some colorful leaves. First we had to get me an updated state parks pass. A mere $25 gets me into all parks for a year--what a deal!

It was a lovely fall day for a brisk walk around the park. The trails are super easy and even bring you by a waterfall. The trees in Minneapolis have started their transformation from green to orange, red, and yellow. The aspens were in full swing but I bet another week would've added more color.

One more state park visited! Only 62 to go!

Fall!

How to turn 30

I was dreading my 30 birthday. I don't know why; it's never been a big deal for me. But the months leading up to my Virgo birth date, brought on shortness of breath, headaches, and a few tears.  I wasn't necessarily scared to turn 30 but hated to do it without my clan of friends from Colorado. I decided to not fear this ominous and irreversible event, but take it on with as much excitement as possible.

My birthday week--yes WEEK--was one to remember; however, I could never have made so many happy memories by myself. The bright red cherry on my birthday sundae was conspired by my wonderful boyfriend. He helped fly one of my best friends out from Colorado to share in the 30-something festivities. I can't begin to describe how much it meant to see a supportive face that has been there for me for years. I love my new Minnesotan friends. I also desperately needed some Colorado love. Dreams come true!

Bday Minus 5 Days

Germaine, John, and I enjoyed the rarely-heard-now Minnesota Orchestra at the Harriet Bandshell. The sunny, breezy day was perfect for listening to classical music in the open air with thousands of other people. Germaine packed a lovely picnic basket and let the sounds roll over us.

Bday Minus 2 Days

I was still getting over a severe head cold but couldn't resist joining my friend Rachel for dinner. Her, Ben, John, and I went to Merlin's Rest for a pub meal, draught beer, and challenging trivia. This is where John and I met one year ago tomorrow. A very special trivia night that was our beginning.

Bday Minus 1 Day

My birthday isn't the only celebration this week. John and I have now been together for one year. We had a lovely evening at the Minneapolis Institute of Art's Third Thursdays. The theme was LOL with special interactive exhibits, a band, and beer. Then we went to the restaurant of our first date: Tum Rup Thai. I've been looking forward to going back here for a year. It's so good!

Birthday!

John woke me on Friday with a small token to get my birthday started; a shiny necklace and earrings. Then I strolled into work with a smile and chocolate zucchini brownies. I actually always liked going to work or school on my birthday. It gets all involved (whether they like it or not). My bosses were out for my bday and it was pretty relaxed. I met co-workers for lunch at Red Robin 'cause I got a free meal for the occasion. John was also scheduled to meet us there. But he wasn't alone. My friend Hannah from Colorado followed him into the restaurant .WHAT?!?! He helped fly my friend in for the weekend. I almost screamed with glee! The rest of the lunch was a blur and I couldn't stop smiling.

I ditched work for the rest of the day and hung out with Hannah. Since she is my very 50s vintage friend, I knew it would be a weekend of exploring vintage stores and thrift shops. We stopped by a few after we got settled at my apartment.

Brewery tour to celebrate! We met some other friends in Northeast and made our hoppy way to three breweries: Dangerous Man, Indeed, and 612 Brew. By far, Indeed had the best beer and atmosphere. For some reason, you don't get free drinks after your 20s for your birthday. I know this now. Great beer, great friends, awesome birthday!

Bday plus 1 day

Hannah, John, and I picked up Germaine after eating delicious breakfast at Bad Waitress. Off we went to the Hastings area to the Carpenter Nature Center to meet Sarah and Ashely. The morning was perfect for an easy hike around the St. Croix River then apple picking at the nearby orchard, Fischer's. Fabulous start to the first day of fall!

More vintage shopping... Indian dinner...movie rental and relaxing at my apartment.

Bday plus 2 days

Brunch at Modern Times and more vintage shopping. Our big tourist activity was visiting the state capitol, which surprisingly non of my other friends/family were interested in seeing. I wish we had had more time but it was fun to peek in. That got us hungry for Ethiopian food. The breezy evening and full moon motivated us to stroll along the stone arch bridge.

Bday plus 3 days

Saddest day. I had to drop off Hannah at the airport today, but first we enjoyed a frou frou donut at Glam Donuts and homeless people at the Central library. Sigh. I'll miss you my sassy friend!

Bday plus 4 days

To end the week of 30 something fun, I met friends at Acme Comedy Club. They give you and 5 friends free tickets to a show Tues-Thurs. I think laughing hysterically was the appropriate beginning to my 30s.

I'd Rather Be Tubing

I got an intense urge to go on the river late last week. Maybe it was the forecast of 95 degrees all weekend. For once, I didn't have too much to do Saturday or Sunday, so I convinced John and Rachel to float down a river. The closest tubing operation is Apple River, but I read reviews and heard from friends that it's more like Girls Gone Wild: drinking, nudity and littering. The latter is what really disgusted me. Instead, we headed an hour south to Welch Mill near Hastings, Minnesota. The employees were all very friendly and efficient.

For a mere $10 each, you get an innertube and a shuttle ride up river. Anyone who's floated the Arkansas River in Pueblo (or anywhere) knows the most annoying part of tubing is vehicle logistics. Pueblo really needs to start a shuttle operation!

We passed up the short trip of 40 minutes and opted for the longer 3.5 hour trip. In hindsight we should've chosen the 40 minutes trip and gone a few times. Over 3 hours is just too long to bake in the sun. Although each bus carried 50 people every 20 minutes, the river was never overwhelmingly crowded. Tubing was a perfect way to spend a 90+ degree day!

John is super excited!

Rachel braces for the cold water

To-do #4: Art in Powderhorn, Yo!

[To-do List #4: Buy some goodies at the Powderhorn Art Fair--DONE!]

PAF 2013 design based on a flag by Maggie Dobbin

The first weekend in August is apparently art fair weekend. Three different festival were buzzing around Minneapolis: Uptown Art Fair, by far the biggest and most crowded; Loring Park; and, Powderhorn Art Fair.

I live right across the street from Powderhorn Park so I had no excuse to skip out on visual stimulation. The 2013 fair marks the 22nd year for local, regional, and U.S. artists to sell their wares. Over 180 booths wrapped around the picturesque lake to showcase pottery, jewelry, fiber art, stained glass, paintings, and woodwork.

I wish had enough money to buy some bigger artwork or jewelry, but I could only afford a few smaller items. Several friends and family have birthdays in August and the fair provided the perfect opportunity to buy some unique gifts. Some of my favorite artists were:

.

Lakestone Jewelry morphs found rocks from Lake Superior into beautiful jewelry. 

I bought a simple pendent necklace

Little Pieces of Art creates intriguing mixed media collages

Emily Gray Koehler's paintings explore nature with vibrant colors.
I enjoyed her trees so much that I bought a little piece as a gift.

Puzzle Mist carves intricate, unique wood puzzles. A mere dozen pieces can be put together literally 100 different ways. And very affordable!

Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association and the Minneapolis Parks and Rec Board puts on the event each year and, I must say, it ran very smoothly. To get as many people to all three fairs as possible, Metro Transit ran a free bus route in between each fair all day. That's amazing!

John and I volunteered for the morning shift on Sunday. We worked at the information table and sold t-shirts and tried to answer questions. Fair attendees were all around happy-go-lucky (except for the 2 assholes we had to deal with). This was the first year the event tried to go waste-free, but I have a feeling it didn't go so well. I'll just have to volunteer next year to help out with that!

People Do This!?

People decorate their cars here! Well not everyone, only the cool people and you can see them all at the annual Art Car Parade. I've been looking forward to see all the art-on-wheels roll by all at the same time. The "parade" is more of a thrown-together take-over of a street that hugs Lake Calhoun for cars and bikes decked out.

John and I were also enjoying the last of Aquatennial on Saturday. We missed all the other events during the 10-day celebration of Minneapolis mostly because....I forgot it was happening. But we did catch the free admission day at the Bakken Museum. (Side note: this museum is awesome! I recommend adults and kids going for hands on learning/fun about electricity.) We relaxed on Lake Calhoun before the parade starting by getting some grub at Bread n' Pickle and laying around on a blanket in the grass. Sigh....good times. 

The parade was cool for the mere 20 minutes it lasted. We saw about 15 cars with themed paintings and adornments including one wiht dominoes glued all over it, a VW Bug decorated in fairies, and a car-turned-Yellow-Submarine. Noticeably missing were the vehicles seen around town decorated all year: the van covered in astro turf, the car with seashells, etc. Enjoyable on a summer's eve but nothing I'd get turbo-excited about. I am excited about decorating my car for next year!!!!

Things To Do List: 

19. Check out the Aquatennial (July 12-20) Kinda done

21. Gawk at the Art Car Parade (July 20) DONE!

The Cars 

Yellow Submarine with Beatles music blaring 

This guy makes bikes that also transport your dog!

A turtle car--not E.T. as I had originally thought