Filed under: Texas
We had a couple of free days during our vacation and we spent one of them in San Antonio. Bonus! We happened to be here at the start of the Fiesta de los Reyes. Even better? Lily unknowingly booked us into the hotel directly across from the festival. So lucky! Honestly, most people parked farther than we lived. (In the pictures below, you can see Lily at the festival with the La Quinta sign in the background – that’s our hotel!)
It was so much fun. Below is a compilation of the music and dancing. There were three stages. One seemed to have a DJ with dancing. We saw a Grammy nominated singer, who was an awesome performer. (And whose name, I clearly don’t remember.)
There was also a ton of food. We had tacos, gorditas, elote and fruit. The tacos were just how I like them with limited “stuff” on them. Just meat and onions. Kate was stuck being a little hungry as there weren’t a ton of vegan options. The people watching was amazing!
We did take a break from the festival to check out the San Antonio Art Galley and the downtown River Walk. Both were great. We also tried to get food at the Pearl while on the walk. Turns out there still weren’t a ton of vegan option sand we were all getting very hangry and very hot. We did what we could and we all decided that San Antonio was a super fun town to visit Oh the other bonus, was that there was an outdoor pool. We don’t see many of those in Minnesota.
Today was our travel day. Today was that one day every family has on vacation – that day that just stinks. Start with I truly hate driving but I am the only one old enough to drive the rental car and the only one with more than 20 minutes experience of highways driving. But it was way better than taking a Greyhound! (No offense to Greyhound.)
We tried to get a sneak peek at The Alamo on the way out of town. Construction meant that we are unlikely to remember The Alamo. (Although fitting in that terrible line makes it almost worth it.) We headed to Houston. Too early for lunch, Lily looked up a few things we could do. The overwhelming winner was street art murals. Picture any old low end strip mall, closed and derelict. Then picture a few folks drinking bear and spraying painting all of the back of the mall. That was it. I will never look up how far much faster it would have been to bypass downtown Houston. We did listen to Southtown Girls on the way out, which also made it a little better)
So that left us in Beaumont, TX for lunch. Kate is vegan. She had a bad day trying to find food at the street festival or the bougie food mall we went to yesterday. So she picked out a restaurant where should through she might get food she liked. So we went for an Indian meal in Beaumont. I won’t name it but there was water dripping from the ceiling in part of the restaurant and the sign in the bathroom said don’t flush paper towels or toilet paper in the toilet – but rather into the bin. Apparently their vegan food was good but I just couldn’t eat the chicken I ordered after that. It’s tough to be vegan!
So onto Lafayette. We planned to stay overnight and I had an interview at 9pm so we had some parameters. Lily found a very funky guesthouse and bar. I suspect this place is the epicenter of a few music fests throughout the year. They have bands play. The vibe is great. Except the bar is not open tonight. No live music. We are the only people staying. Due to a slight miscommunication, they weren’t open when we get here. So my 9 hours in the car turned 9 and a half. Normally I might go for a walk but it was pouring rain. Again, cool place but wrong time!
The night got better when we had a nice Cuban meal and starting planning for our day in New Orleans tomorrow. The girls have been a few times so they have a list. We are just holding our hope that the repercussions of the tropical storm that just missed on Saturday are minimal.
Filed under: Uncategorized
We (mostly I) got a little Austin history today. First – and quickest – The University of Austin Tower, from a distance. This is the location of a deadly mass shooting in 1966 when Charles Whitman (after killing mother and wife the night before) took to the top of the tower and opened fire. He killed 15 people and injured 31. It was the most deadly mass shooting for 18 years. Second – Juneteenth, the celebration and anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It began in Galveston but I recently learned that June 19 1865 reflects the date that federal troops enforced the emancipation in Texas. Unfortunately the actual Emancipation happened in 1862. That’s a three year difference?!
Anyway – I happened to walk by “the” view of the tower today. Yesterday Kate and I stopped by the Austin Capitol and read about the history of the emancipation; they recognize that it wasn’t timely but didn’t specify. Today I headed to a Juneteenth celebration. It was festive and full. I had no idea what to expect. In fact I was late to the party and expected nothing. It was nice to see police playing a role (handing out candy) in the parade. Strange to see these days coming from the Twin Cities.
Then I met up with the girls at Barton Springs Pool. It’s a strange mix of pool/river/cold spring. Luckily I walked there and realized that only part of the river is the pool, which means you have to pay and (more importantly) wait in line to visit. So once the girls got there we walked down river and they took a dip. They seemed to have a great time. I did dip a toe.
After the swim, we went to Barton Springs Picnic, a food truck park. We were hot and hungry and crabby when we got there. We all decided before we left that none of us was even one little bit sad with our choices. SO good. Then we stopped by the Umlauf Sculpture Garden on the way home. (Pro Tip: not all sculpture gardens are free.)
Then at night, some of use went to the Mayfield Park, which was so much fun. They have peacocks wandering about. And we saw one in full plumage!! I can only imagine what Kate will paint after that.
We went to a Juneteenth celebration in in a park (near some bars) and saw a really fantastic singer, Dionysus. He was sitting in a battered chair, sometimes reading the lyrics off his phone and still had an amazing stage presence. Finally at night I talked the older girls into meeting me at C-Boy’s Heart and Soul where we saw Kimmie Vaugh and they talked me into going to what they called “Bourbon St of Austin” to see a Johnny Depp lookalike band. A good time was had by all!!
Filed under: Texas
We arrived in Austin in the very early hours of Friday morning. It’s hot but we knew that going in. We are staying downtown, near the University. It’s pretty central but we spent much of our first day on Congress and South Congress Avenues. It’s a shopping, eating, street art sort of street. I’m going to start with our night activity – we went to see the bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Apparently a million and a half bats emerge each night from under the bridge. It seems to happen about 30 minutes after sunset. They are hard to see because they are so fast and small. Mostly what I could see was displacement of the colors where they flew. But it was pretty cool. Adding to the excitement we viewed from under the bridge – risking bat droppings. (That always ups the ante!)
After that we had tacos and fancy cocktails (those over 21) at Lincha. Earlier in the day we walked up and down Congress. (Some of us may have Ubered half the way and some of us got 14 miles in for the day.) Aine ended up buying a bag. We saw lots of murals. It was a fun day.
Filed under: Chicago
Day two of visiting Katie – we put on our super sonic sneakers and checked out the Loop Mural Walk. There are three walks downtown that feature 21 murals. Some are done by famous folks and some seem pretty local. Available now through July 4 – although it feels like those murals are pretty permanent. Doing the walk – and maybe diverging from the map a few times – we walked about 4 miles. It’s a fun walk through the loop. The walk isn’t tough but the navigation can be tricky.
Some of the murals are very obvious; some are harder to find but that’s part of the fun. We learned that if we swore we followed the map, we knew we were right, that the answer was to look up. Some of the best and biggest were a few flights up.
Another challenge was the one diversion into the pedestrian mall but it was the first time we had been in the mall so that was fun. Also, we went through the Chicago Cultural Center to get there, where we happened upon the filming of The 4400, which is apparently a TV show. We were thrilled!
We did get to take a walk through the alley side. (Pro Tip: walk on the side away from the garbage cans for fewer rat sightings!) Also we met a kind Irish man on Lower Wacker Drive, who pointed out (again kindly) that maybe we’d made a wrong turn. We were flattered that he cared and he probably wasn’t wrong.
It was a beautiful day. We kept walking after the murals and got another 3 miles under our belts. We visited a few things we always love to see – like the Harold Washington Library. (Snotty aside: I took classes there when I did my MLIS.) The Bean!! Of course I had to stop by the Art Institute of Chicago Lions – because I love them. The River walk is another fave.
Filed under: Chicago
Dad and I went to Chicago in part to visit Katie. Yay! Today we took a walk on the tree side with a trip to the Morton Arboretum. It’s about 30 minutes from where Katie lives. The Arboretum is all about the trees and walking paths and making it easy for people of all abilities to access the trees. Turns out, they have 1700 acres of land. There are lots of paths – some more paved that others but obviously so.
We noted that a mom (or two) with a bunch of kids could manage to get a few miles of walking in with their various half-mile or one-mile loops, a progressive picnic lunch and visit to the kids gallery. Back in the day were pretty much experts on that. You could get a stroller (or wheelchair) through most of the paths. Or I bet you could have a very meditative day walking on the various paths if that was your jam.
Today we were there for the Human + Nature exhibit, five large (15- to 26-foot-tall) statues hidden around the grounds. To be fair, they are less “hidden” if you pick up a map. Sculptor Daniel Popper hails from Cape Town, South Africa and his works have been seen all over the world. The statues are welcoming with open hands and open heart. Climbing on the statutes is not encouraged but you can easily walk through and touch it. They are a delight to see from a distance hidden in the woods and just as delighted to interact with at close range.
Pro Tip: they have some COVID-inspired rules, such as you need to sign up in advance. And special thanks: for letting us get around those rules. I’m not suggesting you thwart the rules; they are easy rules. Just appreciation for people who make space for other people, who sometimes don’t plan.
Also special mention to our delicious meal last night at D&J Bistro in Lake Zurich. I had foie gras for dinner. Tough to beat that unless you also started with share appetizers of scallops, cheese and beef tartare.
Filed under: St Paul
The Minnesota Supreme Court recently ruled that Minnesota law doesn’t consider a rape victim “mentally incapacitated” if they consumed alcohol or drugs voluntarily. Instead, the mentally incapacitated standard applies only if a person was given drugs or alcohol without their consent. It doesn’t take much to imagine the repercussions; victims of unwanted sexual attention or rape will be held responsible. Perpetrators of abuse will not.
This is unfathomable. Given that 90 percent of adult rape victims are female and transgender college students are at higher risk of rape than non-trans students – this is an issue of Women and transgender/nonbinary rights. There are bipartisan bills moving through the House (HF707) and Senate (SF1683) that would change the mental incapacity standard to include cases where victims voluntarily consume alcohol and were subsequently sexually assaulted. We need our legislators to know that we will not stand for this!
Today I attended a Women’s Rights protest organized by two amazing young women, Madisyn Priestley and Kenna Groschen. Hundreds of young people showed up and told their stories of sexual violence, abuse and harassment. The stories were heartbreaking but the love and support was palpable. I applaud the brave women who shared their stories and their poetry.
One line that struck me, “I only control my body until its inconvenient to some man.” We need to change that. Women can no longer be asked to adhere to certain standards (don’t drink, don’t wear yoga pants in the grade school, don’t wear too much make up…) because men are not asked to adhere to standards like – don’t rape.
So I ask you to Contact your legislators. Tell them to pass HF707/SF1683.
Below is Madisyn Priestley’s introduction to the day.
One super frustration that is symptomatic of the problem. During what was a solemn event – suddenly a young guy in the back starts shouting about Jesus. His friend had a fistful of pamphlets. Both young, nicely dressed black men – interrupting women who were telling horrific stories of abuse and harassment. The organizers told everyone to ignore him. Some didn’t. One woman hit him in the face. Fast forward and she was arrested, which splintered the crowd. With some listening to women and some shouting “let her go” at the cops. Ugh.
The frustration is that given the situation, it is likely that she has firsthand experience as a sexual abuse and again based on the stories we heard, he maybe not have been held accountable. Clearly she shouldn’t have hit the guy but she will likely be held accountable. It is systemically what is wrong with our system.
Filed under: Minnesota
March 15, the Ides of March, I went with a group of Minnesota Women’s Marchers headed up Park Rapids to join Honor the Earth and Giniw for a gathering of grandmothers (and others) to protect the water from Enbridge’s Line 3. It’s a three hour drive from St Paul. It was an opportunity for us to build community and make plans for future Women’s March Minnesota events. It was an opportunity to soak up the beauty of Minnesota, which none of us have done much during the pandemic.
The advance details were a little clandestine because it’s not always safe to protest Line 3 in the area. People have been arrested. Enbridge security is everywhere and on high alert. Enbridge is trying to build the pipeline before they are stopped. Building the pipeline has brought protesters and builders to the area. The builders have formed man camps. Honor the Earth has statics on the increase in crime, especially crimes against women in and around man camps in North Dakota. We were there to protect the water and the women – especially the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.
You know stuff is going down when you invoke the grandmothers! (In truth, all genders and all ages present but a real focus on the grandmothers and a celebration of being a grandmother!)
We got to the meeting place, created a caravan and moved to a beautiful area on the shores of the Crow River. We were greeted by a pack of wild turkeys crossing the road but we were not detained or hassled. However 20 minutes later, one of the cars in Jane Fonda’s group was stopped leaving from the same spot. They were well supplied with lawyers and were not detained long but they were hassled and stalled.
In the meantime, community was building at the site by the River. There was a prayer given and tobacco shared and returned to the River. Water protector Sharon Day gave a blessing and reminded us that Line 3 was a distraction what we really needed to be doing was looking to the water near where all of us live. We need to give thanks, spend time near that water with an intention that is meaningful to us and think about what the Earth needs. Later Winona LaDuke made a similar point recognizing that the pandemic is a sign that the Earth is fighting the infection of disruption. She spoke about the pandemic as portal to change. It is a time a reckoning – a time for more choices. Jane Fonda built upon Winona’s comments by saying that Winona often said as a community we had a choice of carbohydrates or hydrocarbons and we chose wrong; now it a time to make the right choice. And went on to talk about the dangers of letting a foreign oil company bring the most danger tar sands oil through our country at a time when scientists are telling us we are going through the most existential climate crisis. We have 10 years to cut fossil fuel in half – we must do it for our future. Line 3 is a step in the wrong direction. This is a global crisis that we can stop now.
There was humor – in the ongoing commentary by the giant dancing bear. There were warm drinks and some food. There were red dresses everywhere represented the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, which always breaks my heart. The double vulnerability of being a young woman in an economically distressed area, being Native and knowing that the rules do not protect you. (National Institute of Justice reports that 84 percent of Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime.) Tara Zhaabowekwe Houska spoke about the man camps, trying to solicit underage women and creating an unsafe environment for women in the community. We could feel an ounce of that malaise when we drove away to men in shiny pickups at most corners of the country highways.
So much happening in what feels like plain sight that we are choosing to ignore – but we ignore at our own peril. We are trading the priceless future of our rivers, our lands, our women for nickels that will be overspent and worthless much sooner than we recognize.
So what can we do?
- Tell President Biden to #StopLine3 As the ice on the rivers thaw, it’s more important than ever that we contact President Biden and tell him how vital it is that he Stop Line 3 and protect our lands, air and water. President Biden can stop construction immediately.
- Sign the petition asking President Biden to #StopLine3
- Donate to Honor the Earth (tax deductible) or to the frontlines.
- Join a protest of rally – follow #StopLine3 or Honor the Earth for updates
- Monitor the construction with Watch the Line MN
Filed under: Chicago
Finding social distance fun on our one-day vacation in Chicago, Auntie Katie, Aine and I checked out the 16th Street Murals. The original plan was to walk the railroad embankment that’s covered with murals but it has snowed a lot in Chicago over the last week, there sidewalk wasn’t shoveled, Chicago traffic stop (or slows) for no dopey tourist and we realized the awesome warm weather mixed with a foot of snow would make for soggy toes. So we upped the safety in terms of traffic and COVID and did a driving tour.
The murals extend from Halsted to Western on West 16th Street in Chicago. It started as a grass roots project but morphed into something more official through the Art In Public Places Initiative. The art rans the gamut from pleasant to political, to cartoonish, to striking. There’s art that reflect current culture (The Simpson’s). There’s art that features the faces, especially of people of color (sometimes in the art that color is blue!), with an intensity that looks right through the viewer. There are animals that are majestic (eagles) and gruesome (the rat). There’s religious art. There’s modern, abstract art. There are a few, not a lot, but a few murals with statements; those statements are at least as often in Spanish as English.
I want to include most of the art that we captured, but I also want to highlight some of my favorites:
More art:
Filed under: Chicago
Celebrating half the family getting their vaccines, some of the family traveled to Chicago to visit some of the rest of the family. So there’s been a lot of food, stories and laughs and a little art. Auntie Katie, Aine and I were lucky to get tickets to the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit in Chicago, a show we thought was sold out. We got so lucky!
The immersive experience spans four large, connected rooms. The idea is to sit and watch and listen. There are little socially distanced circles painted on the floor about six feet apart. This is a little COVID silver lining. It means nearly everyone sits down. The tallest guy in the room isn’t in front of you and no one is encroaching in your space. It makes it feel like a VIP experience.
The rooms are like castle walls with high ceilings, hints of columns and arches with a few large mirrors in the rooms. The videos of his work in motion are shown in all rooms on all walls on the floors. The videos are accompanied by loud music ranging from classic to recognizable to ambient to melodic drone. The experience is about 30 minutes, but it’s looped and you can hang out as long as you want. (There might be a time limit; we didn’t get to it.)
The action puts you in the middle of the works of art but really it feels more like you’re in the mind of Van Gogh.
The experience starts with giant bugs running across the wall. It reminded me immediately of AJ Isaacson-Zvidzwa, a young classical musician with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia who debuts a new composition (Angels Sang to Me) on March 5 (2021) at the Cedar Cultural Center (online). We had the opportunity to talk with her about a week ago. She told us that her mental health issues emerged when she was 12 years old and began to see insects that weren’t there.
I would love to see this show with AJ. I would love to have AJ score the show herself. The insights she gave me about her upcoming show, which are inspired by her experience with schizophrenia, helped me immerse myself into how the art and music on the experience helps us experience Van Gogh’s mental illness. From the bugs to the blurring of walls. The darkness and drone giving over to the yellow sunflowers. The multiple self portraits. The fleeting images of people in their daily life leading up to the bursts of colors, clouds and flowers and eventually into the swirling starry, starry night. It is entertaining and thought provoking.
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