Michael Blaha and I left Northfield at 5am this morning to make it to the Duluth Event and Conference Center in time for our first seminars today. Traffic was light at that hour, and we made good time. Good conversation made the trip go quickly. The sun, complete with sun dogs, was rising as we pulled in, and setting as we left the Center after a full day.

Today I bought a book called “A Builder’s Guide to Cold Climates”, which presents research and best practice suggestions for residential construction for our weather patterns, and another on water management (detailing buildings to shed water instead of irrigate mold).

It was a full day of learning about insulation types and characteristics, green building principles, software tools to help make informed window selections, and Feng Shui for healthy buildings and communities. Tomorrow promises more learning opportunities and exhibit booth cruising.

Unexpected event of the day: I saw my first new car with a sticker exceeding 60 mpg. Yep, it was a hybrid!

I’ll offer a full report on the conference, with a few photos, upon my return to the land of Cows and Contentment.