Kicking Off: Summertime in the City

And just like that we have moved from spring to summer, or did we actually even see spring at all?  Welcome to Minnesota.  The weather has warmed up, but unfortunately with that came a lot of rain and humidity.  I succumbed quickly to the stickiness and I've already had my AC window unit installed. I also chose to get six inches of my hair chopped off in efforts to have a low-maintenance summer hairstyle.  Needless to say, I am ready for summertime in the city. 

Being a working girl, my summer plans are far less extravagant than in years past, but I'm looking forward to the spontaneity which will inevitably ensue.  Whether it be unplanned trips to the beach, catching an unexpected show at the Harriet bandshell, or running into friends on Stella's rooftop, I'm anxious to see what's in store.  Plus, there are so many different festivals, shows and activities right at my fingertips, I doubt I will ever find myself bored.  In fact, I've  already checked out two local festivals.  A couple of weekends ago, we braved the rain showers to sample a few brews at the City Pages Beer Festival.  The rain  didn't hold us back from bopping from tent to tent tasting an interesting array of craft beers.  

I am always fond of a decent porter or stout, but I enjoyed some of the refreshing flavor combinations and lighter varieties for summer, too. One of my favorites was a grapefruit variety, perfectly light, all it was missing was an afternoon out on the lake!  We finished off our beer tasting experience with some delicious pulled pork and carnitas tacos from the Rusty Taco food truck. 

This past weekend, I was out for lunch with a close friend and we happened to stumble upon another summer festival, the Edina Art Fair.  We planned for lunch at Turtle Bread in the Linden Hills neighborhood, where I had a delicious Turkey and Brie panini, which really hit the spot on a somewhat chilly Saturday afternoon. After checking out the bakery and eyeing up the red velvet cupcakes, we decided we'd scope out the neighborhood first, before returning for dessert. 

We first stepped into Brown & Greene Floral and I was instantly drawn back into my dreams of owning my own floral shop.  I got a chance to speak with the owner of the adorable, high end shop and she assured me that I was wise in waiting to tackle this dream.  She reminded me of the competitive nature of the industry and advised that I continue to take opportunities to grow my experience level.  She also offered up some dessert samples, salted caramel brownie bites from France 44, which unfortunately altered our plans of returning to Turtle Bread for cupcakes, but were oh so rich, chocolately and delectable! 

I realized we weren't too far from 50th and France, a fun boutique-y area in Edina, so I suggested that we walk that direction to mosey through some of the shops.  Much to my surprise, the streets were lined with tents and people...turns out it was the Edina Art Fair.  We were in no hurry at all, so we spent the rest of our afternoon ogling at decor and fine jewelry that we could only dream of one day owning. 

Some of my favorite works at the festival were the various unique pottery pieces, especially the creative floral containers and vases.  With my background in floral design, it's neat to see different containers that may not typically be used in conventional arrangements.  I also fell in love with all of the photography exhibits with their frames and canvases of various European destination cities and landmarks.  I wanted to take it all home with me to adorn my apartment walls and act as a constant reminder of my days in Italy.  Then there was the sea glass jewelry, I am always a sucker for sea glass.  That's one of my favorite parts of visiting the North Shore, combing the beaches for agates and sea glass to add to my collection.  Trying on the unique jewelry also brought me instantly back to the "Wine and Walleye Festival" in Ashtabula, OH a couple of summers ago.  It always amazes me how the little things like a simple necklace, can really strike up the memory and bring you back to another time in an instant, complete with the vivid details.  I guess I'm thankful for that ability because that recollection put a little smile on my face.

Sunday was spent in preparation for one of my first big events with my job, working a golf tournament. Mitch suggested we get 18 holes in, so we headed to MaltTees Mini Golf & Malt Shop.  Ok, ok...I was being slightly sarcastic saying "Sunday was spent in preparation," it was more or less ironic that we chose to mini golf on the day before the tournament.  MaltTees was ok, not the highest quality course, but it was fun for a Sunday afternoon.  And now I've just added another activity to my list of things to do when I'm home - mini golfing at Pier 77 on Lake Vermilion.

I've still got a few weeks before I head North, and I'm getting more and more anxious for some time away from the city.  My dad has been fueling my excitement by sending me some snaps of the great outdoors, sites that will likely never be seen in my uptown neighborhood.  Although I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of nature surrounding the lakes, especially Lake of the Isles, but that still doesn't compare to the heartwarming site of a spotted fawn snuggled up in the weeds.  My parents have also had another visitor lately, a thief in the night, a black bear has been spending a lot of time foraging for bird seed at the feeder just off our deck.  I suggested that dad take out his trail cam and put it to good use, and sure enough he captured some neat photos of the creature pawing at the feeder at 2:00am.  When I glanced at the photos, I was honestly more scared of the fact that the temperature read 39 degrees over the fact that a bear is becoming a frequent visitor to our backyard!

The summer has has already been enjoyable and I'm looking forward to all of the exciting things to come.  In just three shorts weeks, I will be northbound for a long 4th of Juy weekend filled with my favorite traditions while also making new memories, too!