We all have an uncle Bob

Attempts to heel click and time it correctly. 

a sense of scale

Im sitting in Blue Moon Coffee Cafe on East Lake Street in Minneapolis and have already successfully spilled a nine tenths full americano everywhere. For eight of the last twelve years this place has won awards, primarily the "Feminist Finds" awards from the Minnesota Women's Press. Its quite ironic, there are four men in this coffee shop at the moment, it has been dominated my men the whole time I have been here. One of them being a gypsied out Vietnam vet with a fist full of rings, silver bracelets, eclectic worldly clothing telling me how he might have to fire his senile maid for putting his belongings in the wrong place. This coffee shop just happens to be the closest coffee shop to where I stayed last night, with a good family friend Nancy O. I looked up close by coffee shops online, read a review and one of them read as followed: "The place is a dump, to be honest. It's dark, dank and has little to no air conditioning. It smells bad. The food on display looks old. The chairs have mismatched cushions, many of which are ripped and torn. The floor is pock marked and unfinished. It is completely unacceptable." Well, If anyone has ever been to Cup-a-Joe on Hillsboro st. in Raleigh this review sounds just like that place too, to the T. So here I am and it is not nearly as bad as the review makes it sound. I know one thing, whoever wrote that review would be much more utterly disgusted upon visiting the ole faithful Cup-a-Joe.

wind farm, whoohoo!

Overhead view of wind farm

It was a long day of driving from Indianapolis, IN to Minneapolis, MN. A long day of looking at corn, corn, soy, corn, soy, corn, corn, soy, soy, corn and a few massive wind turbine farms. It was long but I had homemade cookies with me that made the day past quicker. In Indianapolis I had stayed with Marian and Doug Berky, he is a mime and she made my cookies! Great hosts and great snacks for the road. As I came to Carlock, IL I drove upon a wind farm that was right next to the Interstate. I got off at one of the exits and was able to drive right up to the base of these wind turbines. Check out the satellite image I have added from google maps of the farm there in Carlock which I stumbled upon. The shadows of the turbines casted on the fields is quite cool.  At lunch time I stopped in Peoria, IL got some authentic mexican pork and pineapple tacos from a food cart and a bacon wrapped hotdog, made "the way we make it." I also filled up for gas for only the second time so far on the trip.

Bob, is that you?

Then in Iowa City I found out that I have an uncle Bob. I was not able to figure out which side of the family he came from but apparently I have one now. In addition, you have an uncle named Bob too. Funny the way it just happens to be. I crossed the Minnesota State line on rural US-63 and decided to take some pictures at the state sign, could not find the sign. So then I took them at the welcome to Iowa sign instead, yes, even though I was leaving the state. Their state slogan is 'fields of opportunity.' Next time I eat something with processed corn or soy in it I am going to say something like "wow, I can taste the opportunity."
So I made it to Minneapolis, around dinner time last night, went to eat some yummy Ethiopian food and hit the sack. It is such a cool city here. However I am glad it is not in the negative temperatures like sometimes in the winter time.  I plan to spend the day here, exploring and planning my next step, Winnipeg, Canada maybe?

corn, corn, corn