Summer Solstice - 6/23

The summer solstice is important here because, being this far north and this close to the edge of the Central Time Zone, broad daylight comes somewhere between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning. I'm hoping as the days get shorter it may stay dark until 5:00.


More of the same this week - free concerts and other community activities. We also moved our batch of wine from the bucket (primary fermenter) to a giant glass jug (secondary fermenter). There were three non-standard happenings this week. First, we lost water for about six hours one day. I suspected it would happen because a nearby restaurant had a sign saying they were opening late because the city was working on a water main. About an hour after we lost water our landlady knocked at the door to tell us we didn't have water and explain why. Another tenant had called her to complain.


"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was going to happen," she said. "The city didn't notify me. They knew the retail space on the ground floor was empty and they didn't realize people lived upstairs so they didn't leave a notice."


It seems at best we live in a building the city believes to be unoccupied. At worst it believes the building to be abandoned. 

My second activity was a search for a bar to have a quiet beer. The restaurant bars are always an option, but I wanted a place meeting my two criteria of cheap beer and a decent chance the bartender and I would be the only people in the place. From the exterior I identified five contenders, all occupying buildings between 100 and 150 years old that afforded little opportunity to tell what was inside without actually entering. I didn't want to go at night during what would be considered "prime-time" in a bar in case it was too rowdy and could actually pose a danger to newcomers from the wrong crowd. I don't know what my crowd is, but it's probably the wrong one. My plan was one beer per bar.

I started mid afternoon to maximize my chance of finding few other patrons and I had the foresight to use the bar farthest from the apartment as my starting point so I could just stagger home. Any fears for my safety were unfounded (as I knew they would be). One place did mimic a scene from the old west however. I entered a dimly lit bar with the bright sun behind me at the door making me only a dark silhouette to the people inside squinting from the intruding light. I heard talking and laughter as I turned the doorknob but all went silent as I went in. Every head turned toward me. For an instant I thought of saying, "Which one of you varmints shot my Pa?" I figured that would plant me firmly in the wrong crowd so I didn't.

The barmaid at another place said to come back a week from Saturday. They were having a birthday party for Whitey, one of their regulars. He was going to be 87. Whitey happened to come in while I was there. His drink and beer chaser were setting on the bar before he got halfway across the room. I was impressed both by the service and Whitey. I also won a free beer by matching a dice roll with the barmaid. This turned out to be my favorite place. Unfortunately it's also the second farthest from the apartment and at the top of a steep hill. We'll see just how dedicated I am.

We also went to the Giro d' Grafton. It is one leg of the Tour of America's Dairyland bicycle race. I'm not a big bike racing fan but I have lots of free time and Grafton is only about seven miles away. Also it's not like the Tour de France where they race 100 miles down a road. Here they keep circling a 0.8 mile loop through town. At the Tour de France a spectator waits two hours along a road to be able to say, "Here they come...There they go...Let's go home." In Grafton about every two and a half minutes I could say, "Here they come again."

The bike races were only my third favorite activity of the day. I found the four and five year olds racing big wheels to be more entertaining. I spotted several obvious strategic mistakes I could have helped parents with had they only asked. First, don't put your little girl out there in a dress. Even if they got the lead they completely lost their focus when the dress went billowing up over their heads. Second, wear a solid pair of sneakers. Every race the starter dropped the flag, little legs started churning, and flip-flops and sandals went flying through the air leaving a trail of lost footwear behind the racers. Someone in sneakers won every heat.

The highlight of the day was the adult tricycle races. Note this doesn't mean racing adult sized tricycles. These were adults on children's trikes. Terry wanted me to enter but I had three disadvantages. I'm old, I have long legs, and I have a big belly. I follow a strict three strikes and I'm out policy. It was exhausting just watching people pedal those bikes. I'm still seeking an athletic event designed for me.