Weir Grandkids come to Visit Poppina.

The Weir grandkids, Satcha and Devey, came to visit Poppina and me this afternoon.  Lots of fun kidgames and story telling, and time for an adorable foto op with NTS.

Tomorrow we have a pancake brunch planned -- early grandparents day for Liz and Ken. While Devey and Satcha set the table, the Hoyts will be flipping flapjacks, tossing eggs, and squeezing the bejeezus out of juice oranges.

We'll tell you how it all went.

Sublime and Sexy Cycle Soxs.

Macro setting on new Canon 100 HS shows off sexy cycle sox with sublime success.

Backhoe Family, Delano Rental

It's like the Bear Family -- Papa, Mama and and Baby Bear.  In this case: backhoes on display at Delano Rental on Hwy. 12 in MN.  I parked my KIA Sportage in front of the store, grabbed the  new Canon 100 HS, was about to drop to my knee to frame the shot when Todd, store manager politely asked me my business.  When I mentioned I was a fotohobbyist and made albums for fun, I was wished good luck and told to have fun.  And fun I had.

Steamboat Withers Humble the Boulders.

Our pals Barbi and Pete Wither of Steamboat Springs, CO, drove to AZ last week to get some sun and shoot par golf.  They ended up in Wickenburg and played Los Cab. And then on to Carefree where they brought the great Boulders course to its knees.

These guys are GOOD!

St. Kate's Kollege Karma.

Talk about a powerful influence in women's lives! That's what St. Catherine University has been doing for generations of St. Paul students.   I've been privileged to know faculty, staff and undergrads at St. Kate's, in my modest role of classroom story-teller and mentor at this remarkable institution of higher learning.

Earlier this week I met with Ashley Murray (left), class of 2011, and viewed her senior art project currently "up" at the Murphy Gallery.  Professor Mary Henderson (center) is my contact and leader at the University.  What an inspiration Mary is for her students.  Nancy Haas (right) is Mary's colleague and support system in the College of Business Administration.

Lucky me. It's a great treat working with these women. I'm glad I'm able to share some of my life and work's lessons with the next generation.

Early Spring on Easy Street?

I wouldn't say we live on Easy Street, exactly.  We've worked hard for what we have, take care of things, mind our P's + Q's, watch our pennies, etc.  And we count on home delivery of the StarTribune for our local, national and international news.

But our street does look easy this fine, early spring day.  Sun's out, wind's at bay, not car in sight.  And while there ain't no leaves on the trees yet, the grass is green and the promise of warm summer days is just over the hill there in the background.

Wet Paint .. Grand Ave. ... St. Paul, MN

I love this store!  It's my fave art supply place in the 'Cities.  Very interesting, fun pens, inks, pads, journals, etc. And can't you dig that powerful blue awning and trim on the facade?

Busted Red Brick Pile, Mortar Included.

Found these old bricks in a pile along Lake Street in Wayzata, MN.  Tried to get the light just right, and the focus tight and sharp.  New Canon digi hand-held did OK, but a G 10 on a tri-pod and a remote shutter release would have produced a spectacular shot.

Good Times await You at Caribou Coffee.

Manager Justin and his jovial java-ettes are breaking all records at Caribou Coffee in Long Lake, MN.

Check 'em out. Order the Cold Press. Leave a big tip.

And see if you can coax an even bigger smile out of the team!

Graffiti Lucy, Urban Art, Loring Park.

Graffiti artists in downtown Minneapolis defaced these mailboxes near Loring Park. Who's the artist? Who's his Muse? Maybe it's Lucy?  Think the paint stayed on, or did U.S. Postal officials scrape it clean?

Buffalo Soldier Cyclists Pedal Thousands of Miles.

Way back in 1897 a velocipede squad of 19 Buffalo Soldiers made the unthinkable trip from Ft. Missoula, MT to St. Lous, MO -- and return -- all by bike!

And these were one-speed bikes -- fixies -- with heavy steel frames. You can imagine what the bike paths were like in those days! Plus, our Soldiers dressed in full military uniform, had no access to water bottles, spandex, cleats or puncture-proof tires.

Under the command of Lt. James Ross, and in an effort to prove the U.S. Army's theory that two-wheeled troopers could tale the place of mounted cavalry, these intrepid pedalers went 2,000 miles in 40 days, and lived to tell the tale.

Average weight of the Buffalo Soldiers was 148.5 lbs, and each man carried packs and provisions weighing in exces of 80-pounds!

The experiement to replace horses with bikes was a success -- but along came that danged internal combustion engine, and the military vehicle replaced not only the horse marines, but dreams of a bike brigade as well.

All this info, and so very much more about our American Peoples, can be found on display at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM.  Check it out: you will be pleased and delighted.

Fire Dep't. Mural, Albuquerque, NM.

Is this cool, or what?  Can't you just imagine how many kids "want to be firefighters when they grow up," after checking out this mural?  See for yourselves in downtown Albuquerque.  Wish I knew the artist's name -- send it to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in NYC?

Albuquerque, NM History Museum.

You MUST check out this most exceptional museum in Albuquerque.  Fabulous art work and photography inside, and, outside? Remarkable sculpture that tells the unique and inspiring story of what is now New Mexico:  Conquistadores, shepherds, native peoples, oldsters, youngsters, animals ... the entire panoply and timeline.

Back inside, speaking of timelines, the best exhibit I've ever seen, diorama style, of the evolution of a vital part of our United States.

Check it out for yourselves.  $2.00 entrance fee for Seniors.  Open 'til 5:00 daily.  No photography permitted inside.

Will Wick, 14-feet of Raffle Tix.

Wickenburg Humane Society ran a fund raiser to beneift the local animal shelter.  Raffle tickets were sold by the "arm length."  The greater your "wing span," the more tix you got for your $5 contribution.

Organizers were stunned by the reach and stretch of Will Wick's arms.  No one had a wing span like he did.  The Big Guy cleaned them out of tickents.

And what did our boy get for his puchase? He won the Grand Prize!  AYamaha Big Bear 400 Quad ATV.  Not bad for an afternoon's work, huh?

Country Club Villas Annual HOA Picnic.

Nancy and I hosted the CCV HOA Annual picnic at our Villa in Wickenburg last night.  Neighbors and good freinds came to nosh on Burgers by Bob ... Beans by Betsy... Jambalaya by Judy... and Kalmatas by Kathryn...  and Pastries by Pierce.

Lots of chatter and good cheer, jokin' and story tellin', and promises of much more fun to come when we  assemble again as a community in a few short months.

Thanks to all for a terrific evening!

New York's East Village -- Poppy's Gourmet.

Son-in-Law Chris snapped this today with his iPhone in lower Manhattan.  How cool, he thought, and I concur, it is to have a store with YOUR name on the marquee!

So, old Poppy here has Poppy's Gourmet store named after him.  And in the Big Apple, too!

Gary Fisher Transport + Taco Truck.

North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) went down in Austin, TX last week, reports brother-in-law Phil D.   You should have been on hand to see this contraption, the Transport+ Taco Truck. A Gary Fisher-inspired labor of tex-mex cuisine love. We hooked up with the guys at Mellow Johnny’s to host the unveiling of the bike and were able to serve around a hundred people catfish tacos prepped and served right on the bike. A modified cutting board cut to fit specifically on Transport’s front rack fits snuggly and provides all the room you need for preparing the taco’s accoutrements while the rear rack houses a butane burner that allows all the room you need for any cooking. All of the utensils and cookware is kept in Transport’s rear panniers to allow for tacos whenever the mood strikes. And if you’ve been to Austin, you know that the mood strikes Austinites quite often.

By: Trek Bicycle

Hank's Funky Store: Open Dayley.

You gotta check this funkheiser place out.  Hwy 60, east of Wickenburg, north side of the road.  Old bottles and other treasures in the windon beckon the avid collector through the door.

Once inside: cases of old license plates, back issues of Arizona Highways, old tins of Prince Albert pipe 'baccy, rocks, radios, knives, phew, on it goes.

There's a distinctive odor, too. You may have expereinced it in other old funk shops: must, mildew, damp wood, old cat, whiff of urine.  Not all that inviting.

But it's the exterior that rocks.  Gorgeous picture even the simplest point and shoot can capture flawlessly. As for the spelling on the sign -- dayley -- Hank does have a way with words.