Catching up:

Took Eli to Uptown Thursday night to go to his favorite restaurant ("McDals") and then do some window shopping. He loves running around Calhoun Square. He also thought Urban Outfitters was super cool.

Weekend update:

Scottish Festival

We went to the Scottish Festival at Mac on Saturday morning with Mom. Lots of greasy sausage based foods, fun bagpipe music ("Blowing!" says Eli) and excellent People-Watching. I was amused to see the occasional Mac student/hippy at what amounted to an exercise in White Middle Class Vanity. Not saying anything bad about the festival -- it was a lot of fun, and I love going. It's just not very diverse (see May Day info below) Eli was a riot, and just keeps getting to be more and more fun, no matter how impossible that sounds. He also ate all the junk foods, which was funny. At one point we were sitting on the grass and he was in the middle just going from treat to treat.

Basement Destruction

I had gone out Friday night and fully expected to be hung over, not motivated, and generally grumpy about doing more destruction (or what looked to be hauling and cleaning) with no fun in sight.

Anyhoo, the event involved Ann and Jill and I. We took out a wall and all of the remaining wood, and even got down to the carpet. The dust was incredible, our arms all gave out for being sore, and my black books looked gray by the time we were done. But it's really empty down there, taking the wall out was a LOT of fun (whacking plaster and lathe from the other side of the wall propells plaster schrapnel a good 15 feet) and pulling the carpet tiles was particularly satisfying.

Jim's Birthday Drinking

After a shower and a nap Ann came back over and we all went out to Luce for Pizza. We took the Outback because my car wouldn't start. When are we going to have two working cars? Will it ever happen again? Pizza was good (Hawaiian Pizza with Olives SOUNDS gross, but tastes great!)

Met Jim and John and Kelly and Jane et al at the Red Dragon for lots of drinks - Jill and I had never been there, although we had both lived in that area for such a long time. Was a lot cooler/trendier than I thought it would be -- in a dirty, cost effective way, noa stylish and clean way. Got home really late and slept in. Nice! (Eli was overnight at Grandma's)

Minnescoota

The sun came out just in time for the scooter ride with 'The Regulars' -- a group of folks who meet the first and third Sunday of the month at Pizza Luce on Lyndale (close to home), hang out and then go riding.

I found them all to be very nice and welcoming, even to a guy with a non-vintage, non-Vespa scooter. There were a dozen or so scoots, and we took up half the patio at Luce for lunch.

The ride took us down Lyndale, across on Minnehaha Park, then across the Ford Bridge into Highland Park, up the river to the Franklin Bridge, and then back into Minneapolis to end up at the May Day celebration in Powderhorn park. By the time we got to the top of the River Road people were peeling off to go their separate ways, and it was 6 of us that finally got to the Festival.

Lots of fun scootering, and I really look forward to going again!

Some notes:
1. I was surprised that mine was one of the quieter scooters.
2. While I had the smallest engine, I managed to keep up quite well.
3. Fun! Fun! Fun!
4. We got a lot of smiles and waves -- Scooters make people happy.
5. While motorcycles ignore my waves when I see them alone, most of them waved at the group of us. Strength in numbers.

May Day Celebration

When the scoots got to the May Day festival I located Jill via Cel phone (she was somewhere in the crowds) and hooked up with her and Eli. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in and we all scampered home.

So I'd never been to the May Day Celebration, and I guess I had given up hope that a cool, unique, fun festival could exist anymore. WOW was I wrong. Freaks, weirdos, hippies, scary people, and oddballs abounded. It was awesome! I really wish we had more time before the rainclouds rolled in, because there were lots of interesting booths and stands and things to look at. Next year for sure. (And I think next year we're going to bring a big box of bras to hand out to all of the women, as many of them either can't afford them, or simply don't know what they are.)