Gitche Gumee

The lake looks pretty much open along the North Shore ... hmmm. It might be fun to load a kayak or two on the Jeep this weekend and make the run up to the lake. Friday night or an early Saturday departure, all day Saturday hanging out along the North Shore. Drive back on Sunday.

Lake of the Isles

Winter seems to be holding fast this year. Last year around this time, the sun and warm temps were making short work of the snow. I think the first weekend in March last year we tried skiing the Vasa Trails up in Mora, and although we found some good skiing, we also found an abundance of grass where the trail was once hard packed snow! More than once we had to remove our skis and walk to the next area with enough shade to protect the snow pack. This year I managed to somehow injure my shoulder on the ski trails, so it looks like my skiing is over for the Winter regardless of snow cover. So, I am looking forward to Spring and soon getting the kayaks out on the local lakes again. With thoughts of Spring we ventured out in the 10f temps this morning for a walk around Lake of the Isles. You can see from the photos that we may have just a bit of a wait.

Just a quick Valentine's wish

Take the time to tell that someone you care about ... that you do!
Hey V, Happy Valentines!

Brussel Sprouts and Grip Tape

Running errands all day trying to get some things done I've been procrastinating over for a long time .. in fact, my week has been sort of a house cleaning week. Things tend to pile up and before you know it the list becomes insurmountable. Well, it feels like that anyway. So after a busy day I'm looking for something to eat, the doritos on top of the fridge don't look so good, had a banana earlier, cookies!! (bad idea) so I decide on trying to cook some brussel sprouts. Now, I've had brussel sprouts cooked by someone I enjoy cooking with, but the problem is I should have paid better attention. I came up with a pretty good plan and I was on my way. I had everything I needed! Olive oil, lemons, sea salt, pepper. Even though they got a little crispy, they were pretty good.

With the Vasaloppet Relay race tomorrow morning, and daytime temps forecast to be around 40f, anyone planning to ski the race classic is going have a tough time picking the right ski wax. I'd tried Grip Tape in the past, and have friends that swear by it, I had bad luck with it. Of course, I'm thinking I just might have used to much ... maybe. So we have a few people on the two skoac teams going classic, and tonight we spent some time getting Chris's ski's ready with the grip tape for tomorrows race. I'll be curious to see what people use for kick wax when the temp gets so warm. I have a tough time with it.

the photo is last years relay team. This year we have two teams .. should be a good day!

Sunrise 2011

I probably have more sunrise images saved than sunsets, this one I took this morning. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference just looking at them, but the meaning behind them is all the difference in the world.
Many of us start new years resolutions at the beginning of the year, wouldn't be much more manageable to have that resolution at the beginning of the day? I belong to one of the local fitness clubs in the Twin Cities, and this time of year is near impossible to find a parking spot because of all the "I'm going to get back in shape this year!" resolutions. In about 4 or 5 weeks it will be back to normal, and all the resolution makers will go back about their normal lives ... ah well, maybe next year.
I guess its all about new beginnings and making the right choices along the way. Every morning gives us a chance to start over and try again. Best wishes to everyone for 2011!

Lemons and Water

I always hear about drinking enough water, and I guess I am one of those people that has a hard time drinking enough to stay properly hydrated. A way I've found recently is to keep a thermos of hot water with a lemon to cut up and add to give some flavor. Its also a great way to warm up at the end of a long day ...

Sunrise on the Outer Loop

Up early and did the 5k loop lighted trail, then hit the outer 4 mile loop to watch the sunrise. I'll have to round up some of the usual suspects for some afternoon skiing. Going to be a nice day!!