Arboretum Visit

Saturday I paid a visit to the MN Landscape Arboretum with Richard. It was only partially open, but we had a good time. I’ve also got my kitchen sink back! Woot!!!

The Arboretum was so amazing and relaxing! It was a bit hot out, but the shady areas and all the green made it OK. We ventured out for the 3-mile walk, and it was a lovely fit for our 2 hours or so of time there.

There was this funky willow sculpture at the entrance…

Then it was all lush gardens, greens, and woods with the sounds of birds and bees. So very peaceful! This was my favorite tree. The branches make such a cool, shady, umbrella like structure.

I loved the koi pond in the Japanese garden….

And the turkeys in the woods…

Coming out of the woods, there was this awesome view of a farm up on the hill…

As for my kitchen, I finally got Jeff the plumber back out last Wednesday to get my sink and dishwasher connected. It’s so awesome having a sink in the kitchen again!

The dishwasher, unfortunately is bad and leaking from what appears to be the pump. Ugh… I’ve got the GE service guy scheduled to come out next Saturday, so hopefully that’ll get straightened out and my kitchen will move another step forward.

I also got the new, over-the-range microwave on Thursday, but haven’t managed to get it installed yet.

After another week of diligent work on my Japanese, my Duolingo streak is up to 54 days! Woot!!!

Oh! And I also started taking a Kyudo class down in Northfield last week! Here’s a pic to show what it’s like. The second guy back is John, one of the instructors, getting ready for a shot.

Time to re-watch the Tsurune anime. They say that the kyudo in there is really accurate and well done. Have to watch it with a closer eye to that this next time through.