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We all completed the Defeat of Jesse James Days 5k Run/Walk and had a grand time. Tiffany and I walked the course in 57 minutes. Everyone else ran it and Tammy and Mazie put in better times than they expected! Tyler had some cramping that made him have to take some breaks.

Five people wearing Outlaw Run race bibs and finisher medals pose together on a downtown Northfield street after a 5k race.
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Our neighborhood. 52nd Street, Lynnhurst.

Tree-lined residential sidewalk with an American flag hanging vertically from a large tree in front of a two-story home.
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In our neighborhood the Taschler’s host an annual Fry Party. What is that? They fire up multiple fryers and the guests bring fun things to fry. We brought Twinkies. Fried Dill Pickles were popular. I tried a Fried Peppermint Patty. It was a fun evening and Tyler and Mazie got to help the hosts!

Person using a red-handled basket to fry food in a commercial deep fryer outdoors, with paper plates and spice bottle nearby. Outdoor patio table covered with labeled plates of fried foods including pickle dip wontons, fried chicken bites, a veggie tray, cheeseballs, and flowers. Outdoor fry party setup with two electric deep fryers, a bowl of batter, and an open bag of food on a folding table in a backyard. Spicy chicharrones piled on a paper towel on a dark plate outdoors, seasoned with chili powder and hot sauce

See also 2012 Fry Party.

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You would be hard set to find a better desert than Pizzeria Lola’s warm Chocolate Chip Cookies and Fresh S’more Cookies with delicious soft serve ice cream drizzled with olive oil.

Warm chocolate s'more cookies topped with toasted marshmallows on a plate beside chocolate chip cookies with milk and soft serve ice cream drizzled with olive oil
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Tyler's Playdate Game: The 5 Piece Sword

The most open of the Summer Challenges I gave Tyler was to create a Playdate Experience. No requirements other than something that could be played on the Playdate and created in Pulp. Tyler really got into this and created a full interactive game experience — The 5 Piece Sword. 🗡️

He wrote additional blog posts on the simple enemies in the game, how the heart system for health works, and the spikes and spike balls in the game.

The game is fun to play and has a lot of challenging levels. He’s still crafting the final boss stage and at that point he may publish the file so others could load it. Nicely done! 👏

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I got to thinking how many times we’ve seen The New Standards after we saw them last night. I searched my blog and created a list of The New Standards shows. I was surprised to find 21 shows and an additional 11 Holiday Shows — exceeding our list of Brandi Carlile shows!

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The New Standards put on an incredible show at The Dakota tonight marking their 20 year anniversary as a band! We had a great night returning with our friends Mike & Ellen Rock for the show.

Three musicians perform at Dakota jazz club, one on piano, one on upright bass at a microphone, one on vibraphone, before a seated audience.

See list of The New Standards shows.

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We went to the Minnesota State Fair three times this year, a record for all of us. Are we becoming “fair people”? Maybe. People complain about the crowds, but that is just part of it. The sea of people every way you look is what makes it the fair. We’ll be back again next year! 🎡

Dense crowd filling a wide tree-lined avenue at the Minnesota State Fair on a sunny day, with vendor booths visible on both sides.
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Seeing the “Butterheads” in the Dairy Building at the State Fair is a must for me. As a bonus for going on the last day, I got to see all of them finished!

Butter sculptures of Princess Kay finalists displayed on a rotating platform inside a refrigerated glass case at the Minnesota State Fair Dairy Building. Crowd of fairgoers surrounds a refrigerated glass display case holding several yellow butter sculptures of human busts, inside a fair building.
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We made three trips to the Minnesota State Fair this year and the third visit really happened just because of Peachey’s Donuts. We wanted to go back and try them fresh. The line was crazy long and it indeed took an hour, but these warm and tasty donuts are incredible.

Three people smile in front of the Peacheys Baking Company donut food truck at the Minnesota State Fair on a sunny day.Large crowd of people standing in a long winding queue outdoors at the Minnesota State Fair on a sunny summer day.