The ultimate handheld device? Pretty clever branding. But you'll likely get pushback from car keys, front door knobs, golf club grips, and definitely your honey's own hand as you walk down Lover's Lane.

Passers-by are a small part of what goes on inside (and out) a coffee shop. See where I've enjoyed so many tasty, robust and memorable mugs of java.

Dunn Bros. on Hennepin at 32nd Street, sepia treatment of pic, mystery woman checking things inside, out.

500+ years ago what is now the country of YEMEN was the premiere, yeah, the ONLY place you could have a cup of Joe.  

Very attractive young coffee aficionado takes a pass on Bob's Java this particular summer afternoon

The Dogwood Coffee guys were sampling their legendary brew at Minneapolis Institute of Art as part of a recent Bike Night sponsored and hosted by MIA.

The 'A' Team at Work Horse cafe over on University Avenue in St. Paul.

Not sure where this shot was taken, but the TREK is mine, and the iced latte must have hit the spot. 

Java and Gelato shop somewhere near the Hennepin Ave. Bridge over the Mighty Miss.

Caribou barista smiles her support for breast cancer survivors. 

Round Table shop in St. Paul.

Winter's got a few more surprises up her sleeve here in Long Lake, MN.

Some 6-7" fell Saturday night, and not all of it ended up in the yard and driveway.  The result above is very pretty to look at and you don't even need to shovel!

Snow has been weighing down the boughs of this pine for, what, one hundred-plus years?

I waited around yesterday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the partiers, but, alas, everyone must still have been inside merrymaking. 

With thanks to Rivendell Cycles: classic photo of Royal Canadian Border Police headed out on manuevers.

Unknown photog, ca. 1912, captured a squadron of velo warriors on their way to secure their border with the United States. 

KEEP COOL .... Are you kidding?

MinneHAHA ice cream parlor is looking forward to Spring, one scoop at a time. 

Shoe shopping at Schuler's.  Your humble editor bought himself a pair of the Haflinger's, with every intent of wearing them at home -- house shoes the locals call them.  Comfortable? You betcha'.

Snow. Cold. Sun. Melt. Ice. Icicles. Walk under these stalagmite-type-thingies at your own winter risk.  

Bob's Java Hut on Lyndale in Minneapolis makes a very good cappuccino and provides of privacy and table space for serious journal entry.  Plus:  for a buck-and-a-quarter, handsome sticker makes for perfect young person gift item.  

Lunch today at Highland Grill with my most esteemed public intellectual. 

After the snow, and some Rancho de los Caballeros pool time, here's some other spots to visit in and around Wickenburg.

Untold millions of tons of copper ore have been taken out of mines here in Bagdad. "The Best Copper Town Anywhere," is a company town.  The father of a friend of ours in Wickenburg worked his entire career in the mines, retired, but stayed in Bagdad anyway. 

The Ranch. That's what generations of  tender foot visitors to southwest Arizona call Rancho de los Caballeros. Sporting an 18-hole championship golf course, more than 100 head of saddle horses, miles and miles of trails, classic resort pool, tennis courts, 4-star food and drink, and real love cowboys, "The Ranch" never disappoints.

This bare-ass-biker is not part of the scene in Wickenburg, AZ. 

Two lovely cowgals style some raccoon hats in the hot summer sun.  Not for the feint of heart.

Remember the bike out front of The Ranch, near the welcome sign?  This leg, plus the other, belong to the guy who rides that Giant Cypress. A little matter of losing control in the desert sand caused the boo-boos so readily apparent.

And when you're done with all the activities and exploring, why not drag your weary buns back pool-side, chill in a chaise, take a sip of your colada, post your toes on FB, and make up a tall tale about wrestling a rattler in the Sonoran Desert.

My sister and brother go sledding, ca. 1955.

Aren't these just about the cutest siblings anyone could ever ask for?  My dad, a superb amateur photographer, lined up Sis and Bro on a well-used Flexible Flyer, and produced one of the best family shots I've ever seen. Dad was a Leica man (no finer camera in its day), and he worked with 35mm Kodachrome film.  The most memorable and precious fotos were made into 4 x 6 glossy prints, for all eternity.

Lloyd M. hosted Mike B., Phil D and Yours Truly on an Eastern Maryland Shore adventure, some thirty years ago.

Got these pics in the mail last night from my old buddy Lloyd.  He and family live in the Rocky Mountains now, but there was a time when they domiciled in Maryland, and had have unfettered access to the byways of the Eastern Shore. 

The foto on the left -- the guy pointing to the sign for "Seth State Park" -- is the same Seth who writes this blog.  The old Seth has a full head of hair, a 'stache, and more than an inch to pinch around the waist line. The bike -- a TREK 700 series -- is in regular use three decades later.

Next foto: me, Phil and Mike. Maybe near St. Michael? I seem to remember we stopped in that liquor store for a 1/2 gallon of Mt. Gay Rum:  the preferred beverage of many of the finest velosters we know.


Final shots on the right: fearless foursome on the final day of our four-day trip.  Wish we had a shot of the hotel room where all four of us, with bikes next to the bed, spent the night.  

Ralph would approve of the good care my Polo sweaters receive over at Pilgrim Cleaners in Long Lake.

Thanks to a very generous gift from a certain "Will" in the Bay Area of California, I am proud owner of a pair of Ralph Lauren v-neck pull-over sweaters. They are dreamy.

When it comes time to spruce them up, and to make sure all spots and dribbles magically disappear, there's only one place to go: Pilgrim Cleaners.

Work there is done the old fashioned way: paying close attention to detail, treating sweaters with respect, AND, as you can see in this pic, making sure any special care instructions are pinned by hand to the Polo label inside the collar. 

With a little luck I can pass these cashmere and wool "jumpers" (that's what the Brits call sweaters in the UK) on to my heirs and their kids.  

Local Mpls furniture superstore presents a vintage Indian-made CycleDesk, with AVON underpinnings, topped by repurposed salvaged wood.

Ever see a piece of furniture like this?  I hadn't until I popped in Schneiderman's and slammed on my brakes! An "English" style bike, made in India, used for decades, con-joined with scrap wood and recycled materials, and made into a kitchen counter?  Rec room bar? potting table? hobby work area? Whatever .....

AVON is the leading manufacturer of bikes in India. Bike style is decidedly British, and AVON brand name - paen to one of best known rivers in the UK.  Chain ring here is classy in its simplicity and visual appeal.  

Patty, a member of the design team at Schneiderman's, showed me this hybrid, said that sales were pretty strong.  List price was somewhere around $900, but had been reduced to $600+ for special promotion.

Our friend Alison, Brand Ambassador for the Dutch-made Van Raam, demos this e-assisted trike.

Our friend Alison is North American brand ambassador for the Dutch-made Van Ramm line, including this electric assist trike.  Here she is with her dog and new "Fun2Go" model.  Dog still thinking about jumping on the passenger seat. 
"Fun2Go" will likely be available in the States soon. On a New England winter day recently Alison's friend’s 86 year-old dad climbed aboard and joined in the pedaling. The octogenarian has balance issues, never thought he’d ride a bike again! F2G trike sports an e-assist silent motor with a disengagement hub, so that driver can enable passenger to pedal or not, as he or she is able. 

My buddy and former ad sales partner Wayne (on the right) and I check out a Classic Diesel Cat at company headquarters in Peoria, IL.

It was more than a few years ago that my good amigo and former print ad sales partner Wayne (on the right) and I checked out a Classic Diesel Cat at corporate HQ in Peoria, IL. Wayne might have sprung for the hats. Not sure we were encouraged to climb into the driver's seat, so we kinda "stealthed" this photo. Wayne and I are both out of the mag ad sales biz now; Wayne has gone on to fame as an oft-published mystery short story writer. I get to rescue old pics from the archives, post on the blog with as much of the real story as I can remember.

Nomi Brand co-founder Will encourages sampling of his fresh fruit and oat bars yesterday at Lund's.

No, this is not Will, nor Nomi, and the dear doe here at the birdfeeder would much rather chew on a Nomi Fresh Fruit and Oat bar than  cracked corn and black oil sunflower seeds. 

Here's company co-founder Will at the Lund's demo table. I sampled, then bought, a box of four Apple/Almond/Cinnamon bars (they are refrigerated, by the way, and unusually tasty).

Bars in wrappers look like this one on the right.  Bar in middle of being enjoyed looks like the one on the left.

Roving Reporter Nails the Poop Thing - Eat Right, Crap Right.

Connecticut correspondent for the Poppy Blog affirms importance of a healthy, balanced diet.  In one end and out the other, you might say.  Thanks for the reminder, and keep those bumper sticker opinions coming.

These things deliver lots of fibre, other nutrients.  Good for what ails you.

Gentle hands control the Kubota, bucket works within inches of our leaky well

Some of you may know that we sprung a leak in our well.  Only noticed it last week because of the standing water around the well head. Especially in near-zero temps, 1382 had a problem. We called for emergency “check valve” replacement, then conserved water like crazy until the backhoe equipment could arrive and get to work.

Pina and I were stunned by the soft hands of Kubota operator Steve. He put the bucket within inches of the well pipe, and gingerly extracted quite a few scoops of dirt.  Several hours after they started the guys had pulled the 30-year old well pipe (it had a big leak, could not be repaired) replaced it with a new one, then reconnected electric wires, refilled the hole with clods of dirt, and flipped the well switch and … voila!

Next step:  replace the water tank in the basement.  Steve diagnosed a puncture hole in the tank’s  “bladder,” which turned out to be in itself another reason for the leak.