another day on campus

I found all the outdoor sculptures on campus, except the last one.  They must've moved it.

These berries are beautiful!  Lo and behold, they are called Callicarpa (aka beautyberry). 

Outdoor sculptures are so fun.  I enjoy walking around them and finding the most interesting viewpoint.

Indoor museums are pretty cool too.  They are a great escape, especially when it starts to rain outside.

Back outside, there are also natural displays.  Like fairy gardens.

Big rock, little rock.  So funny!

And last but certainly not the least, the fancy library.  Perfect for resting a bit in the wonderful air conditioning.

dining hall

The view from the college dining hall is actually impressive.  The fried plantains were not bad as well.

Walk at the park

Take a walk at the park with me through photos courtesy of moi.  There were lots of power lines there.

BZZZZZ

Made it to the bridge this time.  But hey - there was no water under it!  Just rocks and grass.

It's still a nice bridge and it's prepared for future waterways.  There was also a closed waterpark.

The water looked clear from a distance.  Keeping a pool nice and clean is harder than it looks, especially if one has no clue how to care of it.  heh hehehehe hmmm.

Pretty yellow coneflowers, aka Black-eyed Susans

Why is something so beautiful so toxic?  These tempting berries are poisonous to humans.  Do not eat.  Even if you are hungry or thirsty.

The Amur honeysuckle berries above were actually on a path outside of the park.  In the park, there was a dog park with a fire hydrant.  LOL. And the trash can had cute paw and bone prints on them. hahaha

Then at the nearby store, there was plenty of fall decor.

Boo!

And a nut seed that looked like an owl...

Hope you had fun on the walk.  Until next time.

Aldi German Week

Happy German Week!  Frohe deutsche Woche!  (I think that's how you'd say it, but I'm not sure.)  

In the United States, Aldi sells food specially imported from Germany twice a year.  German Week at Aldi started this fall on Wednesday, September 17th, 2025.  Well technically it's not fall yet, but it sure feels like it around here.  I was watching the leaves fall in a nearby forest-y area yesterday.  There was also a continuous crackling noise, as if a group of squirrels were busy chewing tree nuts and dropping bits all over the branches.  Maybe they're stuffing themselves in preparation for the cold weather.  I couldn't imagine falling leaves making so much bumpy noises and I didn't actually see squirrels up there, but maybe they're camouflaged.  What else could it be.  Anyhow, I went to the store to get some pretzels, potato sticks, egg & potato blend, cherry frangipane, and a mushroom cheese strudel.

The mushroom cheese strudel was meh because when I cooked it in the toaster oven, the top started to burn, but the bottom dough was still mushy and undercooked.  After I tried baking it a few minutes longer, it was still soggy on the bottom.  The filling was too cheesy for me even after letting it cool.  I probably should not get it again next year (if I remember).  If you get it, it's probably better to just cook it in the oven.  Unless you're a wiz at oven to toaster oven conversions.

I like the egg and potato blend.  I've previously cooked it stovetop, but this time I just microwaved it for convenience.  I think it tastes just as good cooked that way.  Highly recommend. Ja wohl!

The pretzels baked in the oven are consistently good, and the bags of potato sticks are like flavored potato chips.  Good basics to try if you ask me.

The cherry frangipane is probably my current favorite Aldi dessert.  I tried cooking it in the toaster oven, because I wanted to avoid using the gas oven for about half an hour.  Unfortunately that resulted in a burnt tart of sadness.  Luckily I bought 2 of them.  So the second time, I followed the directions on the box and it came out perfectly from the oven.

p.s. When I smell something burning from the kitchen, it's usually too late to save it.  Maybe someone likes burnt tart.  So sad.

radio

 

This is a radio!  I had to ask the contractor what it was because when he was leaving for the day it was still plugged into the outlet and I had no idea what it was.

walking path

I almost got to the bridge, but time was up and had to turn around.  Maybe next time.