Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of summer in my part of the world. I can honestly say that we made the most of ours. We kicked our festivities off early last week on Tuesday night at the Minnesota State Fair.
We had tickets to see Def Leppard at the fair’s grandstand. Although the local newspaper’s music critic gave Joe Elliot’s vocals a very (I think unfairly) harsh review I have to say that I really enjoyed the show. From where we were sitting, the entire band still very much had it. After seeing Duran Duran in 2023 and now Def Leppard, in my opinion, there’s something really special about these older British bands.
This was also the first time I tried the Loop Experience 2 earplugs. These ear plugs manage to cut the decibel levels down considerably but you can still experience every one of the highs, mids, and lows of the music. They didn't detract from the music at all, rather it was just like being able to turn the sound level down. Not having to contend with ringing ears on the ride home was priceless. These Loop2's will be my companion to every concert from this point forward.
We went back on Thursday to see Daryl Hall and The Rascals with our friend Dan. Daryl sounded very different than he did when we last saw him in 2019 but we enjoyed the show nevertheless. He is 78 now after all. The Rascals were excellent. They were celebrating their 60th anniversary together as a band. The music was still tight as could be and the lead singer sounded exactly like I remember him. Shenanigans ensued that night and a good time was had by all.
My brother flew in for a short visit on Friday. We had a wonderful time and carried the celebration well into the weekend.
We used the Ninja Woodfire Grill both nights he was here, making a whole chicken the first night and New York Strip steaks the next.
Although my brother's been Tesla shareholder for years, he hadn't ridden in one yet. So we took a roadtrip in my Model 3 about a hour south to the town of Redwing, Minnesota so he could experience the zoom-factor of the car and what Full-Self Driving was all about.
Memorial Park - Redwing, MN
I subscribed to FSD for a month so he could try it and both of us were blown away by its capabilities. We drove all the way to Redwing in a mix of highway and city driving without us having to even touch the steering wheel once. It even navigated roundabouts and parking like a pro. The software has improved so much since the last free trial I had in March that I can confidently say FSD is ready for wide-release and regulatory approval.
On the way back we stopped in Cannon Falls for lunch at a winery. Luckily, because this was the last weekend of the Minnesota State Fair crowds were light in both Redwing and Cannon Falls.
The rest of our time together was spent on bike rides, walks, and conversations on the deck. We logged 18,000 steps yesterday and 16,000 the day before. We even had a close-encounter with a mother deer who had her eye on both us and her fawn in the woods. She stomped her foot, warning us not to get any closer and we heeded that warning until her and her fawn were safely crossed over to the other side of the woods.
My past five days have been a good reminder of this.
It was an early wake-up call for us this morning (4:45am) because we had to take my brother to the airport. The house is very quiet now but thoroughly enjoyed our time and we definitely said a proper goodbye to the Summer of 2025.
Living so far away from my family for so many years now has taught me one thing—it's impossible to slow down or make up for lost time but we can do our best to make the most of every moment we have together. Maybe this is the best lesson of all.
All for now. Thanks for reading.