And We Celebrated at the Zoo

Those of you whom I keep in touch with already know that I have been searching for a new job since Christmas. Upon moving to the Twin Cities, I thought I would like working at a non-profit organization which dealt with European-American relations. However, this has not been a good job at all. Since last fall I have learned the difference between well-managed/successful non-profits, such as the Center for Victims of Torture (a human rights organization where I do volunteer work), and dysfunctional/poorly managed non-profits, such as the Germanic-American Institute (where I will soon discontinue my work!). It is not only frustrating to work at a poorly managed non-profit, but at the organization where I work, there are absolutely no health care/paid time off benefits. This is probably appalling to my European audience :-)

So I will now finish my lamenting and deliver the good news: I have been writing job applications and going to interviews for the past seven months. I have had plenty of time to think about what direction I would like to go in with my career. As an undergraduate/graduate student I was very  interested in economic analysis. I also had a course in quantitative research methods as a graduate student and became more interested in  quantitative data and statistical analysis. I had several internships/fellowships in which I conducted various types of quantitative/qualitative data analysis. I discovered that these skills were much more applicable than my language skills/policy analysis skills, so I began searching for jobs in this field. And starting in a few weeks, I will be a research analyst at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, working on quantitative and statistical analysis. I will not be in an academic department, but I will work in an academic unit which conducts research projects for academic departments and administrative units. I am excited to be working with a team of research analysts who will be able to mentor me and help me continue to develop my skills. I am hoping that I also might be eligible to take courses at the College. The College is located in downtown Minneapolis, approximately 1.5 miles from my home. I should be able to bike there in about 10 minutes!

The good news I received last week naturally calls for extensive celebrating. There have already been several celebratory dinners, post-dinner cocktails, and a trip to the Minnesota Zoo. It is so exciting to know that I no longer need to spend my evenings/weekends searching for job openings, writing cover letters, and preparing for interviews. This week I will also be taking out David and his physicist friends for beer floats (that's right, beer with scoops of ice cream - sounds disgusting, tastes delicious). I think David and I will continue to celebrate by taking some trips in the coming months, hopefully to Lake Superior - and Disney World, of course!

Here are some photos from our lighthearted Sunday afternoon at the Minnesota Zoo:

                          Snow monkeys: they can entertain you for hours.

                                                          Mangy moose

Gophers, also known as prairie dogs. Due to the abundance of them
in western Minnesota's plains region, Minnesota is called the "Gopher State."

                                                         Grizzly bears

BBQ at Cedar Lake Point Beach

Yearning for the rib-eye steaks which had been sitting in my fridge since early last week, David and I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperatures yesterday evening. We packed up the Toyota with our new grill and headed to Cedar Lake, part of Minneapolis' Chain of Lakes, which is only a few miles from my home.

Since we didn't arrive until about 7:30 in the evening, most of the screaming children had already vacated the beach, leaving us to enjoy the cool evening calm and sunset over the lake. We didn't do any swimming or boating that evening, but we enjoyed a lovely sausage and steak dinner overlooking the lake.

It didn't get dark until about 9:30, but we also discovered that when it gets that cool and dark, the mosquitoes emerge from the forest in buzzing swarms. We will certainly remember that for our next BBQ!

                                              Grill master extraordinaire

           Cedar Point Beach with sunset and some guy in the background

                                              Love these colorful canoes

                          Reminds you of that show Baywatch, doesn't it?

Saturday Morning at Mill City Market

After a week with temperatures in the 90s (and even as high as 100-105), we finally had a rainstorm Friday evening which cooled everything down. I awoke to a lovely and cool 70 degrees on Saturday morning, which felt glorious compared to the temperatures of the past week which were closer to the climate of Hades - or Arizona.

We were unable to grill on July 4 due to excessive heat, so we decided to grill on Saturday evening instead. Because I needed something to accompany the steaks which we were planning to grill, I decided to head to the Mill City Farmer's Market. There are many farmer's markets in Minneapolis, but this one is unique in that it is located in the old Gold Medal Flour factory. The former industrial setting creates a great atmosphere and very interesting market experience.

In order to get to the market without having to deal with negligent motorists, I took a bike trail near Cedar Lake, along the railroad tracks which lead into the Minneapolis downtown. As photographing trains is a hobby of mine, I was very pleased to encounter this cargo train on my way into the city.

                                                       Cedar Lake Trail

                     Just before downtown Minneapolis - with Target Field
                                                      in the background

Mill City Market is located in downtown Minneapolis along the Mississippi River, close to St. Anthony's Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. One of my blog posts from the fall series discusses this area. The market sells anything from free-range buffalo meat and pork to organic Swiss chard and mouth-watering pastries. Organic farming has a large presence in Minnesota, as well as farming practices which promote the fair treatment of animals. This is one of the things I like best about living in this area: organic produce and free-range meat is readily accessible and generally affordable. 

                    Pedestrian and bike path constructed of wood beams
                                             from the old railroad

                                             Silos of the former flour mill

                                        Entrance to covered part of market

       Mill City Market with Mississippi River and bridges in the background

                                                 A craftsman at his loom

 
   I realized when looking at these pictures more carefully at home that I
       accidentally took a picture of an Amish woman (foreground, right).
         Amish are not supposed to have their picture taken, so hopefully
                                                  she didn't notice!

                           Stopping to admire the view on the way home.
                                     The baguette made it home safely!


If you are looking for interesting recipes with healthy ingredients, check out the Recipe Archive of the Mill City Farmer's Market. I have already found a number of recipes which I plan to try in the coming weeks! 

Independence Day

I am not one to make much of a fuss about July 4, the American independence day. However, seeing that it had been five years since I celebrated July 4 in the U.S., I wanted to do something this year. I bought a little grill and some rib-eye steaks and planned to grill at White Bear Lake and watch the fireworks display from the beach.

With temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), I decided to scrap my grilling plans and do something even more patriotic: go to the Mall of America and support the U.S. economy! David and I did not end up buying anything, but we did watch the new Spiderman movie and enjoy the air conditioning.

Later that evening, when it was bearable to go back outside, we went down to the Mississippi River to an area called St. Anthony Main to watch the fireworks display. This street on the east side of the Mississippi River has many restaurants with outdoor seating, and there was a band playing and people dancing in the street. We managed to get a seat on a restaurant patio overlooking the river and had a decent view of the fireworks display.

 

Stillwater, Minnesota

You might be wondering why I am spending this 4th of July holiday writing my blog rather than grilling at one of Minnesota's many lakes. Well, temperatures have been in the upper 80s/90s since last week. It is not even noon in Minneapolis, and it is already 90 degrees with humidity. It is supposed to reach almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit today, so I am trying to find the coolest possible place to spend my day off.

Longing to get out of the big city last weekend, David and I decided to take a trip to the town of Stillwater. Stillwater is located about 25 miles east of Minneapolis, on the banks of the St. Croix River, which creates a natural boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Stillwater is a popular tourist destination in Minnesota, with its historical brick buildings in the downtown, a lift bridge across the St. Croix, steamships, trolleys, antique shops, and interesting restaurants and bed and breakfasts. Visiting Stillwater is like traveling back in time to the days when settlers were moving westward to the Mississippi River, and it was certainly a great way to escape the hot city on the weekend.

 

Stillwater's current population is about 18,225. The town was founded in the early 1840s when the U.S. government signed a treaty with the Ojibwa and Dakota Native American tribes, which allowed white settlers to come to this region. Stillwater's moniker is "The Birthplace of Minnesota," as it was the location of a territorial convention which began establishing Minnesota as a state in 1848.

 

                                                   Stillwater in the 1860s

One of the main draws to the St. Croix River Valley was the lumber industry. Visiting Stillwater and seeing the River Valley reminded me of my hometown, Titusville, Pennsylvania, which is also located in a river valley. Titusville was also founded around the same time as Stillwater, and Oil Creek (Titusville's waterway) was used to transport lumber and oil barrels.

                          Brewery located in caves along the St. Croix River

                                               Canoe on top of a car:
                 one of the most common summertime scenes in Minnesota

           Old Farm Store with mill (probably a lumber mill) in background

                                Downtown Stillwater with old brick stores

                                  Route to Wisconsin (just across the river)

                               Freight House: now serves as a restaurant

               Stillwater's famous lift bridge: David cannot wait to cross it!

            Stillwater's flooded riverfront: before this unbearable heatwave,
                                                there were heavy rains.

                                                       I'm in Wisconsin!

                              Old-fashioned ice cream parlor with diner

                St. Croix riverboat fleet: next time we will take a boat ride.

                                      Flooded riverfront with lift bridge