For the past 39 years the Minnesota Street Rod Association has held its Back to the 50’s Weekend here in Saint Paul. What started with just a few friends has now grown to over 13,000 members worldwide. For three days our neighborhood by the state fairgrounds has been graced with the most beautiful classic cars cruising down the streets. This weekend brought more than 11,000 custom cars, street rods, and classics that all date from 1964 and before; there was certainly something to excite everyone. I spent a few hours walking the streets today and admiring the cars. On a sunny and warm day the brilliant paint all buffed to a shine was picking up reflections from all around. This wonderful rear fin on a red Bel Air was reflecting the golden colors of the car just next to it. Instantly this whole panel came alive in brightness. It would have been impossible to not smile at these colors of summer so beautifully displayed.
summer
Kilian Donahue clematis
We have had an unusually wet spring with over nine inches of rain during the month of May alone. Although that has been a challenge in trying to schedule training miles for our upcoming bicycle ride, one of the wonderful benefits of all the moisture is that our vegetation and yards are gorgeously green and verdant. We’re fortunate to have a large variety of clematis gracing our yard, and this has to be one of the very best years to enjoy their beautiful blooms. Our Kilian Donahue clematis is in full bloom – lush with blossoms. The blooms of this particular clematis actually change colors from a light pink to a deep fuchsia to a pale lavender. It is a treat to be in the yard and see all the clematis colors, from the pinks to the purples, the reds, the whites, and the palest of lavenders.
Back on the bike
I’m pleased to say that with rest and medication my back is strong again. But after having taken a week to recuperate I was worried about the loss of training for our long bicycle ride that’s fast approaching. I did a test ride a few days ago and things seemed fine, so this weekend we were “cramming” our rides: 30 miles on Saturday, 40 miles on Sunday, and 50 miles today. I’m happy to say we succeeded (and we’re still standing too!). But our weekend brought a little bit of everything. The last half of our Saturday ride was finished in a torrential downpour. Although we waited out the thunder and lightning in a Subway store, we couldn’t wait out the rain and we arrived home looking like the proverbial “drowned rats”. Sunday’s ride was in 90 degree temps with high humidity and a 25 mph headwind. And today’s ride started with a 10 mph headwind and temps in the 70’s, but we turned the headwind into a great tailwind on the return. We’re fortunate to have access to some wonderful bicycling trails here in Minnesota. Sunday we rode on a segment of the Gateway Trail which originates in Saint Paul. Today we started our ride in Faribault and rode the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail through the woods and pasture-lands of the central area of the Minnesota. This area was once part of the “Big Woods” of the state and provided some welcome shade and beautiful surroundings. Being able to experience the landscape and surroundings on a bicycle is one of the best ways to see an area, and this week we’ve seen a lot!
A summer bucket list
I have certain expectations and rites that I associate with the season of summer. My bucket list includes: (1) a baseball game with cold beer and popcorn, (2) putting the canoe in the water, (3) sharing a late-night bottle of wine on the deck, (4) eating cherry tomatoes fresh-picked from the vine, (5) watching a sunset, (6) a bicycle ride on an early Saturday morning that includes a stop for breakfast, (7) fishing (hopefully successfully!), (8) a chocolate malt from the dairy barn at the Minnesota State Fair, (9) swimming or wading or dangling my feet in a cool lake when the temperature is scorching, and (10) sleeping in a tent. Up until last week I’d checked off all my items except the last one, so my mission was to go camping. We ventured off to the southeast corner of Minnesota. Passing through acres and acres of corn and soybeans in the center of the state, we eventually came into the rolling hills and bluff country that’s to the west of the Mississippi River. The landscape is beautiful, with two-lane highways and county roads that curve and twist and go up to the tops of the bluffs and then sky-rocket down into the valleys. We found our way to a Minnesota State Park that’s nestled in one of those valleys – Beaver Creek Valley State Park. The park is situated so the creek flows right through it. Even to get to our tent site the road crossed the creek four different times. We weren’t driving on bridges, we were actually fording the creek and driving through it. We set up our tent at the base of a hillside nestled among the trees. Our days were spent hiking and exploring the park and the valley, along with this far southeastern corner of Minnesota. With all our outdoor activities, hot temps, and warm sunshine we slept well in our tent under the canopy of trees in the valley with the full moon high above in the sky. And just across the road from our campsite we could hear Beaver Creek, babbling its way throughout the campground and the valley.
Late summer gardening
I was doing some garden work this weekend – pruning flowers, pulling weeds, and trying to tidy up a summer’s worth of growth. We’ve had an unusually wet summer which has allowed some plants to grow like weeds (and even the weeds have been growing prolifically too!). As I was going about my work I was surprised to find this grasshopper sitting and watching all I was doing. He didn’t attempt to jump away, but rather he seemed content to be out in the open and observing. He had a great place to sit, perched on the head of the black-eyed susan. It’s always fun to find creatures in the garden, whether it’s grasshoppers, bees, butterflies, or even the occasional dried shell left behind by a cicada. Within a few weeks many of the creatures will have left the area in preparation for fall and then winter. And hopefully my pruning will be done and the garden beds will be put to rest and covered before the first snowfall.
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