Minnesota

June 8 - 12, 2008

After a very traumatic couple of days traveling, we finally arrived in Minnesota at Cokato Lakes, around noon on Sunday! We left Eau Claire, Wisconsin that morning in the rain but none of that "severe weather" we've been experiencing. We set up, turned on the AC and loaded Barney in the car to go visit my cousin Sue and her husband Wayne, another couple of soulmates, about 20 miles away in Buffalo.

We were also greeted by Sue's daughter, Amy and her husband, Chad, and kids, Joseph (3) and Lily (almost 1), my cousin, Steve (who, as a kid, needed to be bossed around a lot, but has turned into the most entertaining person and brilliant cook I have ever known) and my Aunt Beulah who is (she's going to kill me for telling you) 92 years young and sharp as a tack!!! Later Sue and Wayne's youngest, Andrea came by with her boyfriend, Matt.

Monday Sue and Wayne took us sightseeing. First we toured around Lake Minnetonka, (meaning "Big Waters" in the native Dakota language), which is located 20 miles due West of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Formed by glacial melting following the last Ice Age, Lake Minnetonka is one of the largest lakes in the state (known as the land of 10,000 lakes, but the number is closer to 18,000), boasting 110 miles of shoreline (officially). Other estimates have placed the figure closer to 350 miles, but any way you slice it, it's a BIG lake. And some of the homes around the lake rival those along the shoreline in New Seabury on Cape Cod.

We enjoyed lunch at Lord Fletcher's on the lake and watched a few beautiful boats (much like Dennis and Jodie's "Baja") pull into slips to enjoy lunch.

(Have you noticed I always look good in the pictures where we are about to eat??)

We then drove around the town of Excelsior which is a place I would like to return to for some browsing through the shops. It reminded me a lot of Nantucket with all the sidewalk cafes and numerous gift shops (although there you enjoy lakeside rather than oceanside views).

We went into Minneapolis to visit the Walker Art Center and Sculpture Gardens. We saw the Target Center (home of the Timberwolves) and Metrodome (home of the Twins and Vikings) and said "hello" to Mary Tyler Moore.

We made a stop at the Guthrie Theater that has a two-level cantilevered lobby that reaches 178 feet toward the Mississippi River. When out on the balcony, I had a little trouble getting near the edge being afraid of heights and only later found out the whole structure was just "hanging there"!!!

You could also see the I-35 West Bridge over the Mississippi that collapsed in August of 2007. Work on the bridge is constant and it is expected to reopen again in September.

We then continued to the Twin City of St. Paul. There we saw the Capital Building, the Transportation Building (where Sue and Wayne worked in their early married years), the Excel Center (site where Obama declared his candidacy and of the Republican Party Convention), the St. Paul Hotel and the beautiful St. Paul Cathedral.

We viewed the elegant homes, including the Governor's Mansion, along Summit Avenue and the shops along Grand Avenue. We stopped at Cafe Latte for dessert (I won't tell you what we had, but believe me, we were bad!!!) and coffee. We ended the day with a quick trip to the Mall of America (another check on the list of things to do) where we visited with Steve at The Napa Valley Grille for a glass of wine before the trip home. The restaurants in the mall are not like the food courts in Massachusetts' malls!!!

Well, believe it or not, that was Monday. We have Wayne to thank for getting so much covered in one days' time. He's a man after my own heart...very organized and efficient.

Tuesday we played golf at Wild Marsh Golf Club. What a beautiful course and now one of my favorites. I had an okay front nine but was on fire on the back nine and, for only the third time in my golf life, I broke 100 with a 99. I was so excited, I was ready to go buy one of the houses on the course and make my home here!!

We also had a nice visit with Beulah at "the home" as she calls it.

Today we're having another round of thunderstorms. At least we're not driving through it and there has not been any mention of the word "tornado" so it's nice relaxing here and listening to the rain. We'll head out for more visits with relatives tomorrow in Brandt, South Dakota.

We can't thank Sue and Wayne enough for their hospitality. They have gone out of their way to show us a good time.