Saturday
Morning: Lemonade and walk with mom. Sometimes its good to just take a moment outside the house. We put on our masks and went to Panera to get lemonades and then took a walk around the neighborhoods by my brother's work in St. Paul. It was nice to be outside, we stayed in the neighborhoods because they are shaded and have a nice breeze.
Afternoon/evening: Beer and dinner with Ben and Emily. I am not Ben's friend or Emily's friend, I am their friend. We've been friends, 3 musketeers since sept 2007 (almost 13 years). I love them like family and it was a honor that these two essential workers would make time to see me. Looking forward to a time in the future when I can hug them and their adorable daughter again.
We started at Headflyer Brewing Minneapolis
A group fave. I got Holla Honey which is a wheat beer with a nice mellow finish and MilkMilkLemon which was the Beyond the Door offering, which is their small batch non-marketed runs. This is an IPA that is creamy and tart that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Headflyer did a good job of spacing their tables. You reserve in advance a 2 hour time slot. We had reservations at another bar, but no one told us we had to leave when our time was up. They have a single order point, the lines have some spacing dots but not enough to manage their demand. Additionally they took my credit card, when they could easy turn the ipad around and have me swipe. They are doing plastic cups, single use, they have hand sanitizer at all of the points of intersection with the staff. The bathrooms have plenty of soap and easy to access towels to dry.
Our second stop was Utepils Brewing
For some good German-stylebeer. I had the Plaid Bikini. Which is a summer wheat beer.
They have an AMAZING patio over looking water and a grove of trees. The beer hall inside was empty basically, but we were able to snag a table outside. You put your post-it with your time on it on your table to show it needs to be cleaned. The tables had umbrellas to ward off the sun.
Utepils uses a reservation system as well. You purchase your first beer in your reservation so their is an associated cost, again we knew when our time was up because their was a child needing to be picked up, but no one was asking us to leave.
They sell basic bar snacks and have rotating food trucks outside.
The bathroom was clean, however only 1 sink was working, there was a dot on the floor for 6 foot distancing, soap and paper towels. They also have a foot kick on the bathroom door which I wish more places had.
Dinner: Pizza at their place, sampling the beers I brought home with me this trip. Enjoying their little one who now has words and can say my name 💗
We made an ATTEMPT to watch Hamilton while eating cookies/dough, but decided to abandon that for bed.
SUNDAY:
Mom picked me up early (9:30) and we went to Como Zoo and gardens. The zoo isn't open right now but the gardens are for a very structured walk though that rules about 30 minutes. It was a nice ways to get a little bit more time with my brother this trip and with my mom.
We dropped off my brother at home and mom and I went to the George Floyd memorial.
We walked the list of names and read each one aloud. - The photo here is not the complete list as it stands today, but it is the best aerial shot I could find.
While the art work is beautiful and there is a greatness and an awe about the space, there is a reverence you must have in being there. As a white person this was not a place for me to be in photos, this is a place for me to lift up black and brown artists, black and brown voices and the experience of those I will forever be seeking to understand, because I never will fully understand. One piece of art stood out to me above the rest as a call to action.
In times of crisis, The wise build BRIDGES, while the foolish build BARRIERS.
We are living in a divided nation, with a President whose aim is to build more barriers and divide us further. So I ask you to reflect today on your individual role in building bridges. Individuals working together create change. Who do you need to reach out to? Whose voice is missing from your work? What bridge do you need to build in your own life?
Dinner tonight is a tradition I had with my dad when I used to live here. Every Sunday dinner was our time. It is something I truly miss now that I live so far away, so tonight we have steak, potatoes and veggies before I head back to PWN.
Signing off for now
-C
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