State Fair, Part I 2012

 

"Part I" because The Bride and I are going back for a concert Friday night - shhhh, don't tell the girls!  Today the girls had a blast on the rides and running around, but still had energy to spare when we came home.

 

 

Two of the cutest lil' farmhands you ever saw!

Gotta drive the tractor to do chores.  Said tractors are green but that's a forgivable error.

 



Um, Ella, when we said "milk the cow" that wasn't quite what we meant.

 



Double-fisting it.  PLEASE tell me this isn't a precursor of things to come!

Beaner bajas through the dunes.  Again, please let it not be a precursor of things to come.

 



These tractors had horns.  They made a loud "beep."  We have two pieces of video that would make your skin crawl.  We could only feel sympathy for the ride operator, who was pretty good-natured about it.

 



 

Matti kind of got the short end of the stick on the bumper boat photos, but since there were rides only she could go on that kind of made up for it.

 



After a lot of stuff in between that we didn't photograph, we closed out our day with a round trip on the Skyline or whatever that thing is called.  Didn't realize how long it was until I was riding on one of the cars, trying to keep a 21-month-old from leaping out.  But overall both girls were very good little passengers and we didn't lose a single shoe.

 



Mommy is trying to ask Daddy something.  But Daddy can't hear.

 



 

 

Daddy's super-duper Beaner traveling companion.



Central Corridor Construction

 

Maybe nobody cares but me, but I happen to think a big ol' hole in the ground in front of the halls of government is pretty interesting.  Plus I have to drive over it every damn day.  It's interesting to think that in about a year, this will be all finished up with choo-choo trains running over it.

 

 

From the Cedar Street bridge, looking west up University Avenue.

 

Same bridge, but this time looking east.  The line is supposed to curve onto Robert Street here.

 

Downtown at Town Centre/Wells Fargo Plaza, looking up Cedar.

 

Back on the bridge, where the workers had put in forms earlier they were now pouring concrete.

 





Tiger Face

 

Matti gave Daddy a good one for the Monday morning commute.

 



Buffett Pilgrimage 2012

 

Our journey to Alpine Valley this year was a quiet one, with only a three-person remnant of our usual team.  But with our New Ulm beer and Vikings paraphrenalia [gasp] [sob] we did our best to represent, and perhaps rub it in a little for those who couldn't attend.

 

 

Imported Kraut lubricant!



 

A sample, and I mean a very TINY sample, of the doings in the parking lot

Every concert brings some unusual flourishes of creativity.  During a random walk-by I noticed these handpainted boards for that hackysack whatchamacallit game.



Rick the Intern with Michael Utley.  Be envious.

 



Yours Truly with Nadirah Shakoor.  Be more envious.

Personalized hats for the girls!



A buzzed-up crowd waiting for the show to begin.

 



 

Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band in action.  I have a couple video clips too.



 

 

The little princesses model their new hats



Watermelon Day 2012

 

 

Nothing says Watermelon Day like touching a lawnmower-blade elephant's butt.



Kitties ... horsies ... oh so many cute animals to bring home....

It was unclear who was having more fun with the doll: the girls or Auntie Jan

 



Naked Baby!  Daddy decided the resolution was blurry enough that we wouldn't have to call the censors in.

 



Candy!  We want candy!  Now!

 

This next sequence of photos will be used to haunt our children for years to come!