Relative Something

Happy February, 2012! Why don’t we celebrate a new month with at least a fraction of the energy we put into celebrations of the new year?

Yesterday being Tuesday, my friend Mike and I got together for our (mostly) weekly night out and embarked on a mini-adventure in the great outdoors. We took a hike in the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area park in Eden Prairie. It was my hope that we might catch a glimpse of a colorful sunset, because the hour of our hike put us at prime time. Unfortunately, clouds settled in and draped our world in the classic monochrome of a winter dusk.

On the last day of January, a trek in the woods usually requires snow shoes in this part of the world, but that would have been overkill yesterday. It was clearly evident which slopes of the bluff area were exposed to the afternoon sun, and which were in shadow. There was no snow on most of the south-facing areas, just a blanket of leaves. Daytime temperatures have been well above freezing for a couple of days, which has spelled doom for the bulk of the inch or two of snow we had left from the last episode of precipitation. It’s not lookin’ like there’ll be any igloo building being done by me this year.

I took a few pictures, regardless the overcast conditions, just in case something interesting might turn up. I selected three.

After our little walk, we stopped off at Lion’s Tap for a burger and fries. Figured I would mention that just to make those of you who know about that landmark institution, a little bit jealous.

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I took a walk yesterday to pick up replacement bulbs for the headlights on my WRX. I had the car checked by a Subaru dealership last week and they informed me it wasn’t the head gasket that was leaking, it was a valve cover. A much more affordable repair. I also learned that my car shows none of the rust that is typically seen in the same year models found in Minnesota. He assumed the car was from out of state. Maybe it was, before I got it, but that was 6 years ago. I guess I’ll hang on to this gem, since I’m so fond of it. Worth the price of repair to patch up a leak.

So, they alerted me to a burned out headlight. I have no idea how I missed that, unless it just happened that morning. Since it was a beautiful day, and I am supposed to be doing more walking as therapy for my back, I decided to hoof it to the auto parts store. It’s so counter-culture to resort to doing errands on foot in the suburbs. I like being able to do something contrary that is also healthy for me, and for the planet.

I grabbed my camera and cut across a golf course and into an industrial park, becoming mesmerized by views both up and down…

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