Rapp Strategies Rundown – September
What we did, read, watched and thought about this month.
Falling Through Clouds was a really good read, in part because it is about a local family I am familiar with. Moved from that to Difficult Men, which is not my autobiography, but rather the story of the writers and showrunners who developed The Sopranos, The Wire and some of the other programs that have defined television’s third golden age. Billions on Showtime has been our favorite program during the past month, but we are still working our way through Special Ops: Lioness. Also took a trip to Bandon, OR for some hiking along the cliffs that overlook the golf world’s largest water hazard, which may tip you off that I’ve been glued to the Solheim and Ryder Cups.
Rich: I love Fall in Minnesota. September brought nice weather, lots of golf, outdoor dinners and family time. I also spent a lot of time working on the November Minneapolis Elections, supporting candidates with a focus on practical solutions to public safety and affordable housing challenges.
I also started a new book, The Wager. It is a well-researched telling of a tragic shipwreck. For someone who loves history, it is a fascinating look way back to the search for a Northwest Passage.
Todd S.: My Father’s Day present was tickets to Jerry Seinfeld in September, thanks to my awesome wife. While the show felt like I was visiting an old friend, I was surprised how sharp and current his routine was. It was still Seinfeld in style — digging out laughs out of the mundane that included a random, but funny, bit about raisins. But he brought a little more edge to some of his musings. This was definitely not warmed-over Seinfeld TV show rifts. I hope I get to see him again.
Jodi: Fall is in the air! My weekend commute to the cabin is quite scenic these days. Our annual mom-sister weekend plans for enjoying cool days outside and a leisurely cruise around the lake were ruined by four days of rain. But we made the best of it with multiple rounds of board games, movie nights and delicious food. We spent 24 hours in Duluth for a wedding and managed to squeeze in a lunch stop at my favorite spot in town (Duluth Grill) and time wandering around Canal Park. Jim and I caught one of our favorite bands – The Psychedelic Furs – at The Uptown. The month ended with the wedding of our daughter’s childhood friend. It is so fun seeing “the girls” you watched grow up living their best lives. The dock project that began in May is now complete, just as cabin season winds down. Jim has become quite the contractor and I am now making a list of projects for next year. Winter will arrive soon, which means a new research project is underway – new shows, new books and soup recipes.
Sean: Despite a busy month at RSI (back in the office full-time after enjoying some work-from-home paternity privileges), we managed to stay active at home. In large part, this is due to the introduction of food for James. I’m proud to say that his first food outside of milk was steak, which he had no problem putting down (takes after his dad). Getting ever closer to crawling, the young man is keeping us on our toes.
I started reading A Little Blood and Dancing by Tyler Parker, which I highly recommend. Spooky movie season is also up and running in our house. Rosie and I take turns choosing a scary movie to watch. She’s got me going through the Paranormal Activity series … it’s not great but thankfully each one is only about an hour and a half, so they’re easy to move through. I got to escape for a little friends’ reunion this month as well, where we had a host of long-time friends fly in from all over the country to take part in a series of competitions including a 40-yard dash, which I lost by a literal inch (yes, there’s video evidence).
Welcoming fall with open arms!
Anna: The month went by even faster than normal, thanks to Owen's speed crawling. I've been reading Educated by Tara Westover, and that's exactly how it feels to hear her fascinating story. A highlight of the month was taking a ride on a historic train in Osceola along the St. Croix River, with the autumn leaves on display. Owen loved it, but perhaps that had more to do with doting family members than the scenery. With the cooler weather, I have been rediscovering my crockpot. We have enjoyed some new baby-approved recipes, including Thai peanut chicken and cheesy chicken and rice.
Meredith: The word to describe my September is sweet. This month kicked off with my first ever honey extraction! Due to the high heat and drought conditions Minnesota experienced this summer, the honey yield wasn’t as high as hoped for. Between the three hives owned by my cousin Mark and me, we were able to collect roughly 44 pounds — three gallons — of honey. While that seems like a lot, it is nominal compared to Mark’s 2021 yield of 142 pounds of honey from two hives. Still, I am excited for honey-flavored baked goods, hot honey, whipped honey, and garlic fermented in honey, all of which I will try my hand at this year! The other sweet highlights of the month include a Taco Tuesday game night with friends as Cory and I celebrated our third year of marriage and back-to-back wedding weekends for dear friends. If you are looking at dinner options for an upcoming wedding, 10/10 would recommend a hog roast! Not only was it sweet to see a whole hog laid out on a table, but the food was delicious!
Cullen: September returns, and with it the ever-worsening trauma of being a Vikings fan. Sigh. Thankfully I had plenty to keep my mind off the Vikes’ turnover troubles. Lauren and I took a fantastic trip down to Winston-Salem, NC to visit family, which was highlighted by visits to JOLO Winery, Chai Pani, and Sierra Nevada Brewing. Back home, two of my college roommates competed in the Madison Ironman, so a full weekend was spent buzzing around to as many stops on the course as possible to cheer them on. Finally, Lauren and I capped off the month with back-to-back wedding weekends in Mankato and St. Paul.
I finished Stephen King’s Misery just in time for book club, though I’m not sure it was worth staying up late to do so. I’ll need some time to recover before I watch Kathy Bates in the theatrical version. In the meantime, I’ll be reading The Devil in the White City and watching Only Murders In the Building, which so far is excellent.
Kaylee: I snagged an unbelievably affordable flight to San Francisco mid-September to visit two close friends and ended up finding my new favorite place in the world: Sonoma County. The weekend was filled with good conversations, motorcycle rides through valleys and out to the coast, stopping by waysides for photos and picking up local produce, and visiting every brewery and winery with a view. Of course, we joined a tour at Korbel for a California Champagne tasting and at Russian River Brewing. As we headed to the site of where The Birds was filmed, we caught a glimpse of whales migrating (or at least them spouting water into the air). Minnesota, unfortunately, did not welcome me back with mountain views or redwood forests, but I’m enjoying the fall colors so far and having started a tap dance class.
Colette: The fair, food, and cooler, beautiful weather -- what’s not to love about September?
Of course, this month started off with a visit to the state fair, where I brought Dylan along for his first Great Minnesota Get-Together. We ate deep-fried pickles, drank lemonade (sans the pickle infusion), did some people-watching, and watched a Meatloaf tribute band in the evening. Not a bad start.
The next weekend I headed to South Dakota State University, this time as an alumna, to an intense winning football game against Montana State. Those well-versed in the world of college football might know that this was a fierce match against South Dakota’s neighbor to the West. Amidst the spirited atmosphere in a small-town breakfast café filled with fans of both teams, I learned that everyone there shared the same sentiment: A dislike of the North Dakota State Bison.
Naturally, the month would not be complete without a trip to an orchard, so we visited Fireside Orchard & Gardens in Northfield. We strolled through the gorgeous rose garden, ate freshly made apple donuts, and looked at the antique tractors on display. We finished out the day by taking a tour of the charming city of Northfield and driving through the picturesque campuses of St. Olaf and Carleton.
Alex: September is finally here, and you know what that means: Minnesota Vikings Misery! Seriously, you would think professional football players would know how to hold onto a football.
My moving chronicles continued as I finally got settled into my new house. Of course, my cat found easy access to my ceiling and proceeds to try to crawl into every hole he possibly can, bringing me new headaches.
I traveled up to the shore of Lake Superior for a camping trip with Molly and a few close friends. The trip was full of wonderful hiking, cozy campfires and plenty of new memories surrounded by the stunning fall colors of the great up north. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any agates, but I will not leave next time until I do.
With a wedding in Cook County, a Zoom game night with friends across the country and cabin trips sprinkled around the month, fall is always welcome in my life as it allows for much more comfortable clothing and activities that I enjoy more in cooler weather.
