Pilates, Lakes and "Good Luck Steve"

Saturday is Pilates day.  Thanks to marathon training, I mostly got out of the habit of running on Saturdays.  (Usually I was done with my weeks miles and saving energy for the Sunday long run.)  Pilates in early afternoon almost always seems like a good idea.

At the end of class we saw some protesters walking down Lake Street.  I don't know if it was the OccupyMN people mentioned in this article because the bank mentioned in that article is across from my gym.  This march seemed more about ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (and Libya?).  The marchers were peaceful and with a police escort.  The drivers behind the march seemed less than thrilled.

I was fascinated to hear some of the people in my Pilates class think about their youth (yes, they were growing up in the 60') and that this really reminded them of the "people taking to the streets" that happened then. 

It was such a gorgeous day that I headed over to the lakes.  Originally I was going to do Isles or Calhoun but the protesters walking down the middle of the street had me literally doing all I could to go in a different direction.  I wound up at Lake Harriet which was far enough south that the protesters and subsequent traffic backups didn't impact me.

A nice sunny day, always good for a walk.  The top picture is hilarious because the place my 'head' falls and the spiky grass reminds me of my actual hair. 

I have no idea who's sitting on the dock down there, but it made for a great photo op. 

 The "walking path" logo looks odd to me.  The dude's arms are too long and out of proportion to his short little legs.  Just saying.

 This is how we roll in Minnesota - don't swim up to a sail boat.  The Muskies will bight your fingers off before you get there anyways.  It's actually a legitimate instruction at this lake because there are a fair number of sailboats, even today.

 Everybody's favorite part of Lake Harriet, the Bandshell.  One of my favorite memories of the bandshell is where the Monster Dash Half Marathon finished there last year. 

On the way home, I saw this dude on the bike path and then I was all "damn, that's a unicycle".  Swear. 

I came home and started cleaning like a mad woman.  I so rarely get the urge to clean (really clean, not just pick stuff up and wipe surfaces down enough to prevent a bio-hazard) that I almost always follow my instincts when it shows up.

Then we headed out for dinner to wish Neighbor Steve the best at his new job in Iowa.  (Happy that you got a great job but will miss having you down the hall.)  The best picture of the night came quite by accident.

 This wasn't meant to be a horsemanning shot but it almost turned out that way.

I came home and cleaned some more.  I may have finally resolved a long standing "too many cords and cables behind my entertainment center" issue.  At least it looks much better for now.  Maybe Santa will bring me a cable sleeve for Christmas.  (Maybe Pooky Bear will just take me to Ikea and get it down with.)