Memories of summer

Navy Pier, Chicago
June 2009

A book worth getting if you're into HDR

The world of photography has become a strange world: there are many photographers, like myself, who prefer to create their imagery straight from the world, to capture the essence within the original snapshot with minimal post-processing their final image; and there are just as many if not more who take the original image and turn it into something else. Where is the fine line when you have crossed from straight-up photography into 'art', when the photograph is no longer exactly what your eye could have seen? After all, even Ansel Adams, the patriarch of American photography, manipulated his film images into something spectacular and almost unworldly; but nobody would hesitate to call his work anything but photography.

I'll be the first to admit that I generally declare myself on the fence when it comes to HDR (high dynamic range imaging). With the advances in digital photography to create images far closer to film than ever before, combined with a sensitivity beyond most eyes, however, photographers began experimenting with their images and have created a new kind of art, HDR.

I consider HDR to be more art than pure photography, I admit, because it IS art. Most HDR photos are combined using several exposures to create images that range from eye-poppingly color-saturated to extreme resolutions/shadings that make your eyes and brain feel as if you're looking more at a three-dimensional artwork than a flat image. (Flickr is full of people's experimentations in HDR.)

Trey Ratcliff, who has an excellent HDR tutorial on his blog, Stuck In Customs, has now released a book about HDR, and it features plenty of his own very, very excellent HDR photography. If you're interested in the HDR artform, this book or his blog would be an ideal place to start your explorations.

Prithee, may I eateth of thy brains, madam?

Miss the Zombie March in Chicago last month? Want to get your ren faire AND your zombie fix at the same time? (How awesome is that?)

Just got this update from the organizers of the Zombie March Chicago:

BRAVE KNIGHTS, FAIR MAIDENS, BAWDY WENCHES AND HUNGRY CORPSES!

Chicago's favorite zombie Kitty invites you to travel back to Ye Good Olde Days at the Bristol Renaissance Faire for PLAGUE DAY - Saturday, August 15th. What is Plague Day? ZOMBIES AT THE FAIRE! Bristol has opened its oaken gates to Chicago/Milwaukee's zombie citizens, offering a VERY special zombies-only discount, and sectioning off the Cotwolds Commons area exclusively for the undead! There'll be prizes, contests, raffles, activities and more! Also known as The Glade, the Commons will be appropriately decorated with a medieval (med-evil?) zombie theme to give it that freshly-dug-grave feeling. So come out to the Faire, grab a pint, eat a wench and enjoy the simple undead pleasures of a bygone age! Although it should go without saying, we want to see period costume zombies - no Armani Zombies! Now obviously if you don’t have a costume or simply can’t afford to come in costume, we understand. Just bare in mind that there will be contests JUST for those in costume.

For full details, tickets and information, go to http://www.plagueday.com!

Gamer zombies will also want to check out RenQuest, in its second year at Bristol.

Forget 'cheeseburgers in paradise' -- gimme my coffee fix!

Generally, when I travel abroad, I am not looking to indulge myself in McD's and Pizza Hut and the like. I try to eat like a local, although I do have my limits (namely: bugs, anything that's a house pet back home, and anything still wriggling).

However, perhaps partially inspired by Winter's 'Starbucks Everywhere' project, I have taken to hitting up Starbucks wherever I go. It really wasn't intentional at first, and honestly, I haven't tracked or written down each and every Starbucks I've been to. However, I love seeing how and where Starbucks has fit into foreign cultures, and honestly, if you're feeling a little homesick, there is no surer destination for Americans abroad than Starbucks. (You also get coffee diehards from all over the world, so it's actually quite fun to pop into Starbucks wherever you are.)

It's also interesting to see how Starbucks "culture" has translated into other parts of the world. For example, my drink of choice - as I've written about before - is a grande Java Chip Frap, no chocolate syrup, add a shot of espresso. Not a difficult drink, but it is genuinely baffling how many ways barristas around the U.S. have gotten this wrong (the most common is to leave the syrup out of the drink, but then still spritz it over the whipped cream. No syrup means no syrup. It's too sweet for my tastes.)

I have yet to get my drink wrong in a foreign Starbucks. And in some places, notably the Chinese and Japanese Starbucks I went into, they really take tremendous pride in what they're doing for their job. It's awesome.

So far, aside from various airport Starbucks (as well as those in New England, Florida, NYC, Chicago/Midwest and California), I have been to Starbucks in:

- Zurich, Switzerland
- Yu-Yuan Gardens, Shanghai, China
- Central Xi'an by the Bell Tower, Xi'an, China
- Bei Hai park, Beijing, China
- Actually, multiple locations in Beijing... I was on a serious coffee craving three weeks into my China trip
- Somewhere in Tokyo, Japan (Shinjuku, I think)
- Bangkok, Thailand

And now, I can add Nassau, Bahamas, to that list. There's several around Nassau/Paradise Island, apparently, but a need for a big Frappucino led to me checking out the Starbucks on Woodes Rodgers, the street that faces the docks where all the cruise ships come in. It's a nice-looking store, with great balcony seating (perfect for watching the tourist parade below while you soak up the sun). Sadly, their drink and food menus are a bit more limited than they are at home (no Java Chip Frap! No vanilla bean scones!), but I was able to get my caffiene fix.

Starbucks, Woodes Rodgers, Nassau, Bahamas
July 2009

The store was messy - I've worked enough coffee shops over the years to recognize that the store employees were a bit swamped. But the drink came out fast, and correct, and I happily got my Sbux buzz for the afternoon. Mmm, coffee....

Taxi driver, Nassau, Bahamas
July 2009

This gentleman was my taxi driver from my hotel to the Nassau airport. He was a very good driver, plus he was clearly very proud of his island, giving lots of information and tidbits about places we passed along the way. I should've asked if he had a business card - he seemed like the kind of guy who would be good to hire for a half- or whole-day tour around Paradise Island. I particularly liked that this gentleman was so nicely dressed, and clearly took care and effort in his appearance and his job. I shook his hand at the airport and he had a lovely, firm grip. (Learn to have a good handshake. It says volumes about you as a person!)

He was a very pleasant change from the driver I'd had when I had arrived on the island, who blasted the stereo and drove in a manner that made me worried about making it to the hotel intact!

Tropical relaxation

Sunset over Nassau, Bahamas
July 4, 2009

Friday when I got in, I was tired, the weather was indecisive, and when I went back to my room to do some reading to wait out an afternoon rainshower, I ended up crashing around 6pm. By the time I woke up, it was already dark. I almost did the same thing on Saturday night, but managed to wake up just in time to catch a few quick snaps of the sunset. (I get very frustrated when my travel time is short and I miss the sunsets!)

I guess I was really worn out... I slept a lot, especially for what was only a weekend trip. On one side, it felt very wasteful to have journeyed several hours and then spend a lot of it asleep, but on the other hand, I realized how badly I need some tropical relaxation time. I am definitely revisiting the idea of Belize or Costa Rica in the fall; it's just a matter of figuring out how to fund that. (Bad timing strikes again - right before my two weekends away, to Vegas and Nassau, I had to dish out quite a lot for car repairs. Yay. *sigh....*).

Sometimes, you don't think you need time away as badly as you do, until you actually go away. And then you go, wow, I really needed this. This weekend was definitely one of those times.

And because a visit to Vegas just isn't complete without bling...

Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace
Las Vegas, Nevada
June 27, 2009

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
June 26, 2008

The Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. Situated between I-15 and Lake Mead, it is a little under and hour northeast of Vegas - an easy half-day trip when you're looking for something a little different to get you out of the city.

The day we were there, a Korean film crew was filming up at Rainbow Vista. We went in the morning, but temperatures soar by midday. Resources in the park are limited - be sure to stop to stock up on water before you enter the park.

Treating yourself right when eating at home

One of the things I hear often from friends - and an excuse I used to use frequently for myself - was that I "don't have the time" to cook for myself. It's faster and easier, I would argue, for a singleton to eat out. Well, sure - if you can manage to keep your meals to under $5/each. And exactly how much nutrition will you be giving up by relinquishing control over your diet in that fashion?

Finally, one day, I thought about it. You travel to the restaurant, wait to be seated, wait to order, wait for your food to come out. Then you eat, and the best part - somebody else takes away the dishes and deals with the mess. But are you sure you couldn't have cooked food better for yourself at home?

For me, one of my rarest indulgences at restaurants is steak. I hate paying restaurants $30+ when I know I can make the same thing for myself for under $10. And, in fact, there are plenty of incredibly tasty, inexpensive cuts of steak, if you just know how to cook them. Yes, you can even get high-quality, organically raised, hormone-free beef at a decent price if you know where to shop. (Trader Joe's carries good meat; as does Whole Foods; and specialty grocers like Fox & Obel. Look up "butchers" in your local Yellow Pages, too.)

I would love to have a grill, but in the meantime, I've learned how to do a good job on meat using pan-searing, roasting, or even a "stovetop grill" (which is not ideal, but passes). The key difference between restaurant and home cooking, when it comes to meats? Restaurants aren't afraid to flavor their meats, be it through marinade, grill sauce, or spices. How many of you just take your steak and toss it on the grill, maybe give it a little coating of BBQ sauce?

The other thing is that unless we're serving company, most of us don't bother to "dress our food up" for ourselves. It doensn't take a scientific study to know that an attractively-arrayed plate helps heighten our anticipation of what we're about to eat. The same steak simply tossed onto a plate without fanfare will not appeal to our senses the way that even the quickest of dressed plates do: a slice of fruit or vegetable; a shake of seasonings; a dollop of dressing or dipping sauce. It takes very little effort and transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary:

Citrus-Asian Steak

Marinated in lime juice, orange juice, and Thomas marinade. Liberally dusted with Argyle Street Asian Blend spices. Seared on both sides, and then pan-roasted in its marinade. Dressed with scallions, fresh tomato, and horseradish sauce (sour cream blended with fresh horseradish).

This week's culinary treats

Eggplant-Mushroom Stir Fry

Easy recipe and takes perhaps 10 minutes to make. The amounts listed here will roughly serve two hearty portions or four side portions, but this is a very easy recipe to "resize" to larger proportions. It keeps well in the fridge overnight if there are leftovers.

- Using a 3:1 ratio of eggplant to mushrooms (I prefer Chinese eggplant and Portibello mushrooms). Peeling the eggplant is optional; I usually at least make sure any rough skin is removed. Cube the eggplant and dice the mushrooms.
- In a hot skillet at medium heat, put a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Add eggplant and mushrooms.
- Add 2/3 cup of water and 1/2 packet beef bouillon. (I prefer Trader Joe's, which comes in handy small packets.) Stir.
- Heat until the eggplant is tender.
- Add 1-1/2 Tbsp. gyoza sauce (again, TJ's makes a great one) and 2-3 Tbsp. of a sundried tomato-based dressing. (I like Cindy's Kitchen brand).
- Add a liberal pinch of Sunny Spain salt-free seasoning. (If you don't have this, substitute a little fresh pepper and a dash of garlic powder.)
- Stir and allow to simmer for five minutes before serving. Serve over noodles or rice; as a side dish; or even as the main part of a meal.

Chipolte-glazed Pineapple

The last time I was in Florida, I discovered a product called The Hot Squeeze*. This honey-based chipolte sauce is freakin' awesome on everything. With lime juice on steak! With lemon juice on chicken! Tossed with steamed vegetables! Used in stir fry!

Now, I happen to love pineapple, and when it's in season, I eat it fresh often. But even as delicious as pineapple gets, you occasionally want to do something different with it. I recently picked up The Flavor Bible, and one of the things the book discussed is pairing up opposites to really bring out flavors. Various Far Eastern cultures have for many years combined sweet and spicy; here, clearly, was an opportunity!

Prep time and cooking takes 5-10 minutes.

- Slice fresh pineapple across the fruit so you have 1/2"-1" thick round slabs of pineapple. Quarter these.
- Over medium-high heat, add about 2-3 teaspoons of The Hot Squeeze to your saucepan. Since it is honey-based, it will easily melt on the heat.
- Put the pineapple into the sauce and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes per side; the edges should start to show signs of carmelization.
- Flip the pieces over and repeat on other side.

That's it! They're delicious served straight up, or with a little vanilla yogurt or ice cream.

Another thing I do is to start with the fresh pineapple, but remove the rind and then cube the fruit. I then add the fruit and the Hot Squeeze to a pot, and cook for a few minutes, which makes a marvelous salsa-style treat, hot or cold.



* (apparently, you can buy The Hot Squeeze as a six-pack on Amazon. They have limited distribution in stores, but their website lists where you can find them.)

At the other end of the spectrum - the new Modern Wing opens

The new Modern Wing at the Chicago Art Institute
June 2009

The new Modern Wing for the Art Institute opened on May 16th. The building itself was designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, and it is a beautiful showcase for the AI's collection of 20th- and 21st-century art collections. It is connected directly into the heart of Millennium Park by a new pedestrian-only bridge.

With the opening of this wing, the AI is now the second largest art museum in the U.S. after the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

Why wait for Halloween? We have the annual Zombie March in June!

Zombie March Chicago
June 13, 2009
from Millennium Park around the Loop and out to Navy Pier

PDA on behalf of the animals

A story today out of NYC is just one of many that have appeared in the news this year about animal abuse; it has not been the first time that a minor has been caught and/or arrested on animal cruelty charges. Nor, sadly, is it likely to be the last.

Learn the warning signs about children and animal cruelty. Children who abuse pets or who find entertainment in baiting animals against one another often grow up into abusive adults. Like any social behavior, children must learn from others.

On the other hand, the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's Bad Newz kennels have, for the most part, gone on to a variety of happy endings. Of the 51 dogs rescued, only one had to be put down for being too violent. One was euthanized for medical reasons; and two died while in shelters awaiting their outcome. The most amazing part? A few of the dogs who came from Bad Newz's kennels are now therapy dogs. Those who don't know better may cry out in shock at that; but those who know the breed state that pit bulls have actually been bred for hundreds of years to be the ultimate people-pleasers. (That being said, any dog - right down to the tiniest Chihuahua - will "live what they learn".) And therapy dogs have to go through extensive training and pass many tests to prove that they will not spook/startle easily and are not exhibiting any potentially vicious behaviors.

Today's food experiments

So, as I get a weekly delivery of organic veggies, I tend to do a lot of cooking on the weekend. I always seem to have lots of potatoes, onions, and spinach, and then I get random vegetables that I may or may not be familiar with. Here's today's experiments in healthy (well, relatively healthy) organic eating:

Trader Joe's offers polenta in a 6" casing. It makes it handy to slice, cook, and make into something.

Polenta with spinach

- Heat olive oil with shredded scallions in a frying pan.
- Slice polenta into 1/2" slabs
- Heat both sides til crispy
- Remove and plate polenta
- Shred some spinach and cilantro; toss til wilted in frying pan; spoon onto polenta slabs.
- Add some olive oil, pepper and sliced onions to pan; sautee for 1-2 minutes; toss over spinach.
- Spoon a dab of sour cream, yogurt or cottage cheese on top.
- Dress with a sprinkling of sweet paprika or diced red peppers.

Peeling not necessary unless there's some icky bits on the potatoes. Scrub the skins well before cooking, through. You also don't need to pre-boil if you don't want to; I simply prefer to do so for more tender potatoes and I like the consistency better than only roasting.

Parmesan Potatoes

- Chop potatoes into 4-8 pieces depending on the size of the potato
- Boil with a pinch of salt and some spices for about 15 minutes - I use Spice House's Lake Shore Drive blend
- Drain water
- Toss with some olive oil and butter; put in roasting pan
- Dust with blend of spices - I like to use powdered ginger, sweet Hungarian paprika, and Ratatouille seasoning
- Shake liberally with powdered Parmesan cheese
- Bake in oven at 350 for about 15 minutes; cheese will have begun to brown.
- Serves well with a Caesar-style dressing, but quite tasty on its own as well!

"This embattled shore, portal of freedom, is forever hallowed by the ideals, the valor and the sacrifice."

"The heroism of our own troops in Europe was matched by that of the armed forces of the nations that
fought by our side. They and the brave men in the underground movements of the occupied countries
- all gave their blood to wipe the Nazi terror from the face of the earth. They absorbed the blows of the
German military machine during the many months in which we were building up our expeditionary
forces, and they shared to the full in the ultimate destruction of the enemy."

- speech to Congress by President Harry S. Truman




D-Day invasion troops
as posted by soldiersmediacenter (Army.mil) on Flickr

Along a fifty-mile stretch of French coastline lies a string of beaches better known by their code names - Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah, and Omaha - given for the largest single-day amphibious invasion in history. Here, on one of the longest, bloodiest days of WWII, Allied troops started an invasion at 6:30am that would mark a major victory of the European front.

More than 160,000 troops landed here, with some 10,000 giving their lives on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Of those who died, over 1,500 remain unidentified, lying under headstones with the simple inscription, "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God".

While many of us have parents or grandparents or great-grandparents who participated in the historic Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France, the number of living survivors of that fateful day are dwindling. For most of us Americans, we learned the impact through films like The Big Red One, Saving Private Ryan, and The Longest Day; the Europeans lived the horrors of that war on their soil.

The impact of that day, and those three weeks that encompassed "Operation Neptune" are not forgotten, not by the world, nor by the locals. Street names and buildings are named in honor of the American, British, Canadian, French, Norweigian and Polish troops who came ashore here to help turn the tide of World War II. By the end of the summer, Paris was liberated; and the war officially ended September 2, 1945.

The costs of World War II are staggering by any standards: 24 million military dead; and more than 49 million civilians killed. The cost of the war, converted for inflation, was over $12 trillion worldwide. (In comparison, the Iraq war has so far cost over $675 billion.)

Remember on this day those who changed history on the shores of France, and who gave their lives and limbs to do so. And, as it is also one of the most heavily documented days of any war; read a first-person account of what it was like to be on the beaches of Normandy.

American Military Cemetary at Omaha Beach
picture by Mark H. Anbinder as seen on Flickr

One of the best parts of city living - summer festival season

Summerdance also kicks off its 2009 season starting next Thursday, June 11 in Grant Park - put on your dancing shoes and come out and join the *free* fun, 6-9:30pm

The Grant Park free outdoor film festival - most Tuesdays in July and August - has also announced their summer lineup. See the Chicago Parks & Recreation website for information about other outdoor film showings throughout Chicago - many local neighborhood parks also have free film shows!

The Printer's Row Lit Fest (Book Fair) runs THIS weekend down in the Loop. Always a great event.

And summer in Chicago means tons of major festivals and special events and neighborhood festivals, many of them free (or low cost).

* * *

Chicago's city farmer markets are in full swing! Yay! Support your local farms, eat more organically, and have a good time. Thanks to the Chicago Tribune for the daily listings: Chicago city markets listed below; check the Tribune or the City of Chicago website for full listings.

SUNDAYS

Ashburn: Marquette Park, 71st St. and Kedzie Ave. June 22-Oct. 19.
Beverly: 95th St. and Longwood Dr. June 8-Oct. 19.
Bronzeville: 4400 S. Cottage Grove Ave. June 15-Oct. 26.
Erie Park: 530 W. Erie St. June 22-Oct. 26.
Independence Park: 3945 N. Springfield Ave. 8 a.m.-noon June 1 and 15, July 6 and 20, Aug. 3 and 17, Sept. 7 and 21, Oct. 5.
Logan Square: 3107 W. Logan Blvd. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 1-Oct. 26.
Wicker Park/Bucktown: Wicker Park and Damen Ave. June 8-Oct. 26.

TUESDAYS

Federal Plaza: Adams and Dearborn Sts. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. through Oct. 28.
Lincoln Square: Lincoln, Leland and Western Aves. June 10-Oct. 28.
Prudential Plaza: Lake St. and Beaubien Ct. June 10-Oct. 21.
South Chicago: 2650 E. 83rd St. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 1-Oct. 28.
Streeterville/Museum of Contemporary Art: 220 E. Chicago Ave. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 10-Oct. 28.

WEDNESDAYS

Green City Market: South end of Lincoln Park, Clark and LaSalle Sts. 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 14-Oct. 29.
Gately/Pullman: Arcade Park, 111th St. and Cottage Grove Ave. June 11-Oct. 29.
Lawndale: Green Youth Farm, 3555 W. Ogden Ave. July 9-Oct. 15.
Chatham: Seaway National Bank, 87th St. and Langley Ave. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. July 16-Oct. 1.
South Shore: South Shore Bank, 70th St. and Jeffrey Blvd. June 11-Oct. 29.

THURSDAYS

Daley Plaza: Washington and Dearborn Sts. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. May 15-Oct. 2.
Dunning/Eli's/Wright College: Eli's Cheesecake World, 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr. June 19-Oct. 30.
Englewood: 6452 S. Ashland Ave. June 19-Oct. 30.
Hyde Park: Harper Ct. at 52nd Pl. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. June 5-Oct. 30.
Uptown Market: Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. June 19-Oct. 23.
Sears Tower Plaza Market: 233 S. Wacker Dr. 7 a.m.-2:00 p.m. June 19-Oct. 30.

SATURDAYS

Austin: Emmet Math, Science and Technology Academy, Madison St. and Central Ave. July 12-Oct. 25.
Conuco: 2800 W. Division St. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 21-Sept. 27.
Division Street: At Division between State and Clark Sts. May 31-Oct. 25.
Edgewater Green Market: 6034 N. Broadway. 7 a.m.-noon June 28-Oct. 18.
Green City Market: See Wednesday listing. May 17-Oct. 25.
Lincoln Park: Lincoln Park High School, Armitage and Orchard Aves. May 17-Oct. 25.
Morgan Park: Shiloah M.B. Church, 92nd St. and Ashland Ave. June 28-Oct. 25.
Nettelhorst: French Market. Broadway and Melrose Aves. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. through Nov. 1.
Northcenter: North Center Town Square, Belle Plaine, Damen and Lincoln Aves. June 14-Oct. 18.
Printers Row: Polk and Dearborn Sts. June 14-Oct. 18.
61st: At 61st St. between Dorchester and Blackstone Aves. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. May 17-Oct. 25.
Southport Green Market: Blaine School, 1420 W. Grace St. at Southport Ave. 8 a.m.-noon June 14-Oct. 11.

A wine tour in Minneapolis? No way!

You might be surprised to find out the above picture was taken in Minnesota.

Minnesota? you ask. How can a climate that cold support wineries?

Well, let's face it - some spectacular ice wines come from Canada, after all. And Minnesota's wine industry has been around since 1973, when David Bailly started his vineyard outside of Minneapolis. There are now some eighteen vineyards across Minnesota, but the half dozen around Minneapolis make for a wonderful day of exploring, tasting, and enjoyment.

I was surprised to discover that Minneapolis had a thriving wine scene - but as I did a little research, preparing to spend a long weekend in the area, I stumbled across the Three Rivers Wine Trail website. (The three rivers in question are the Saint Croix, Cannon, and Mississippi.)

Some of the locals aren't even aware of their state's hidden treasure - after returning home to Chicago, I mentioned to a friend in Minneapolis that I had taken the Three Rivers Wine Trail last weekend, and she said, "We have wineries in Minnesota?" Oh, yes, indeed!

If it weren't for the harsh winters, it would not be so unusual to think of Minnesota as a wine-growing region. It shares the same latitude as the Bordeaux and Burgundy winegrowing regions of France, and during the summer growing season, actually gets more than an hour extra sunlight per day than the majority of California wineries. If the vines can survive the brutal winter cold, then the summer conditions are quite good for wine - bright, sunny days with cooler evenings. The long days allow plenty of flavor to develop in the grapes.

The University of Minnesota's horticultural department has worked directly with local wineries and on their own to develop grape varietals that can survive - and thrive - through Minnesota's harshest weather conditions. WineHaven, for example, worked with UoM to develop the 'Chisago' grape. UoM has also developed the LaCrescent and Frontenac grapes popular throughout the Midwest; as well as many popular varieties of fruits such as Honeycrisp and Honeygold apples, the Summercrisp pear, the Redwing raspberry, and the Northcountry blueberry.

My interest was piqued, so I pulled up google.com/maps, looked at the location for all the wineries, and saw they made a nice loop around the eastern side of Minneapolis. The local wineries kick off the spring growing season with a barrel tasting; what better excuse to take in the wine trail?

My first stop was the northernmost of the wineries - WineHaven Winery and Vineyard (9757 292nd St., Chisago City, MN). The Peterson family has three generations of farmers in the family - they are known locally for their fruit and honey (thus, the bee on their label). The winery was started fifteen years ago and has since then earned over 160 awards. The vineyard has a new proprietary grape varietal, the Chisago, which was bred to withstand the local weather demands and which produces a lovely red wine.

I was particularly enamored of their Riesling, and another specialty of theirs - their Honey Wine (Mead), which had a wonderful light, crisp flavor. The staff here is incredibly friendly, and it was a great place to start off my regional wine tour.

Next up was Northern Vineyards, located at 223 Main Street North in the charming town of Stillwater. NV has some of the longest hours (open til 8 or 9pm during the summer; 6-7pm in the winter, depending on what day of the week it is), and since they are located in the heart of town, was the busiest of all the wineries I visited. Northern Vineyards uses grapes from Minnesota and western Wisconsin vineyards, and carry varietals with charming names like Edelweiss, Prairie Smoke, Yellow Moccasin, Prairie Rose, and Lady Slipper. You can buy food from the co-op grocer next door, then come over to NV and buy a glass of wine and enjoy your meal on their open-air deck, which overlooks the St. Croix River.

Stillwater is a great place to enjoy lunch, and a monster-sized ice cream cone at local favorite Nelson's Drive Inn Dairy Store, where $4.50 will get you a cone so huge that it begs - needs! - to be shared.

Also located in Stillwater but across town is Saint Croix Vineyards (6428 Manning Ave., Stillwater, MN). Saint Croix's tasting room made me momentarily forget that I was in Minneapolis, not California, with its bustling tasting room.

Established in 1992, they have a selection of whites and reds, but are perhaps best known for their knockout Raspberry Infusion, a yummy dessert wine.

Alexis Bailly Vineyard (18200 Kirby Ave., Hastings, MN) - the granddaddy of Minnesota wineries - is a perfect halfway point on the wine tour. Surrounded by lush farmland, the 'winery' sign points you down the vineyard's road between neat vines to the barn-style tasting room.

ABV's founder, David Bailly - originally an attorney - adopted the motto "Where the grapes can suffer" for his vineyard, based on the French winemaker idea that in order to make great wine, the grapes must go through hardship - wind, sleet, snow and draught. The winery has won awards proving that yes, indeed, Minnesota wines have suffered enough to be great wines.

Falconer Vineyards (3572 Old Tyler Rd, Red Wing, MN) can be a bit of a challenge to find, but is apparently quite popular, as they were very crowded. So crowded and busy, in fact, that I had to wait to get a tasting. (It made me feel like I was on 128 in Napa on a Saturday!) Opened in 2004, they are also one of the youngest wineries.

If WineHaven was a great way to kick off the day, then Cannon River Winery (421 Mill Street West, Cannon Falls, MN) was the perfect way to end it. Located in picturesque Cannon Falls, the winery is open late on Fridays and Saturdays. Located in a gorgeous old renovated building, it is a great way to end your tour. Like WineHaven, they also have a Honey Wine, as well as an Apple Wine, and a palette of whites, reds, and blushes, including a tasty port. I particularly enjoyed their St. Pepin (white) and their 'Sogn Blanc', made from local Edelweiss grapes. The staff here was really nice and they had live music as well.

You can do all six of these wineries in about 6-7 hours; or any of them are an easy trip from Minneapolis. Doing them all in one loop is 175 miles (going mainly off-highway/direct routes; I relied on my NeverLost/GPS), driving through beautiful farm land and pretty towns on the eastern side of Minneapolis. It was a surprising discovery, well worth the time to explore, and I look forward to adding more Minnesotan wines to my collection!

Whimsical in Minneapolis

"Spoonbridge and Cherry" by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
May 2009

I don't know why I am so *delighted* with this sculpture, but it was one of the things I HAD to make the effort to find in Minneapolis this past weekend. I saw a picture of it years ago and thought, "If ever I go to Minneapolis, that's a must-see."

One of my favorite discoveries in Minneapolis

Weisman Art Museum
Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 25, 2009

Can't win 'em all

Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins (6-5, Sox)
Memorial Day - 5/25/09

One of many fun Chicago summer fairs

The Randolph Street Market Festival kicks off its summer season this weekend - Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 10-4. Part flea market/antiques fair, part indie designer mart, part food festival - it's like Portobello Market meets the Midwest. Admission is $10, and pets are allowed for the outdoor part of the Market. (Market rules state no Dobermans or pit bulls, however.)

The RSMF runs the last full weekend of the month from May through the end of September.