Once Scott was done with work and the kids were home from school we headed to the cottage for Memorial Day Weekend. Two quick shoots and we were on our way. Along the way stopped by Lake Country Pizza for the first time in probably a decade or more in Turtle Lake.    You know the kids got the spaghetti and meatball pizza. We hadn't seen little Viola since Thanksgiving. She's grown up so much and already almost walking. She loves walking to her brother Nolan.  Today was also Blake's 33rd birthday. We missed his birthday dinner, but not the birthday balloons.

This weekend was Doors Open. We had missed the last couple years so I had a big list of places to see. I thought we'd drive to get to more places quickly, but Scott insisted we bike as it was easier to park.  Theo and I were ready to take some pics. We started out at the Rand Tower. My personal favorite Minneapolis skyscraper. Next we got to see inside a manhole. They had robots patrolling the sewer and a live video feed on a TV.  Then we walked over to the Dayton's Project. I really wish their food hall idea would have followed through, it's sad to see it so empty.  It's still mostly empty and I'm not sure if they know what to do with the space. We got to go in the nooks and crannies of the old JB Hudsons space, like this the old window display. There was lounge or bar that was opening soon to the public.

We've recently put Theo on a schedule.  Basically so we can get him out of the house. If it was up to him he'd just play video games all day, every day. Wednesdays we have named Walk Wednesday. Last week we went to the T.S Roberts Bird Sanctuary and Theo kept saying he wanted to go to the cemetery. So, we biked to the Lakewood Cemetery. The cemetery has a brochure of all the notable gravestones. Of course Mr. Loring, father of the park system, had a big one.   Hey, there's the historic street car driving by. It was actually quite beautiful in here. I want to be an Elk or Eagle. I need to get on that.  

  It's Mayday, the greatest day of the year in Minneapolis. I warned Theo that it was going to be hot today but he still insisted on wearing his high wool socks.  Can you blame him. They look so cool. We biked over like we always do. So much easier these days living just across the highway from the South Side.   We left later than planned and didn't have our bikes ready so by the time we arrived there were no more spots on the curb to sit. We hung out in the shade until we heard the Battletrain coming.       It'll be here soon. Or will it? Every 30 feet this giant cardboard castle did a little show. That would explain the long hold up for the parade to start. 

Another work trip for Scott means another Chinese buffet.  I had to try the best Chinese buffet in Dallas. It just feels like something you do in Texas. I was down in Dallas for a shoot at Parker University. Yeah, I'd also never heard of it. After the shoot and the buffet, I explored the Oak Cliff section of Dallas from L.O. Daniel to the Bishop Arts District. When I go to a sunbelt town I typically look up "most walkable neighborhood" on Reddit. Almost always your best bet in these sprawling metroplexes. Yup, definitely in Texas. I wasn't hungry at this point, but next time I'm in Dallas, I've got to eat at Taqueria El Si Hay. This place just screams, "Really good tacos, here!"