Minnesota

  Our trip to Minnesota actually took place over Memorial weekend. So, I'm posting a little bit in reverse order. We had the opportunity to spend the weekend with our misplaced Seattelite friends Mj & Jeff. While flying into Minneapolis, we arrived too late in the evening to really take in the sights of this great Midwest city. The first order of business was to drive straight to our hosts home and settle in for the night.
  Saturday morning we awoke to the familiar charm only our friends could achieve. Breakfast consisting of many courses, Willow, Jake, who greeted us appropriately, and the kitties that were happy keeping their distance from the invaders of their space. Yes, we were at home again with MJ & Jeff.

Saturday was a day of leisure, reconnecting, witnessing the new MJ & Jeff, and generally hobnobbing till the late hours of the morning. Noon time, sitting at the dining table, Mj gave notice turning down the lights, that something was happening outside! In the next hour or so the skies opened up. A new record for Rochester Minnesota, 1.65" inches of rain in an hour and a half. We stood in the shelter of the house and witnessed a deluge that was something our home in the great northwest may never experience. The concern was if the weather may present something even more extreme....wind etc. This was not the case. The worst of the deluge was Jeff discovering they needed to adjust downspouts to keep water from entering the house....
   On Sunday the plan was a road trip around lake Pepin. What a great time we had! Red Wing for brunch, the Mississippi, and venturing into Wisconsin.

It was a great road trip and outing. Saturday was record rainfall, Sunday was 90+ deg, and humid. We finished the day with a trip to the theater for "The Avengers", and custard....yummm...
  Monday was a "blue floaty" kind of day. All day was spent in the yard. Constructive time was bunny proofing the vegetable beds. Amazing how those bunnies can dart through a chain link fence. Robins made a nest on the yard lights. They provided much subject of conversation and photo opportunities with their busy feeding schedule and 4 babies. The 4 baby robins had great parents...
  Good food picnic style, quaffing wine, the requisite bocce match and a perfect mid west kind of day.

    Tuesday was a travel day. Time to go home. MJ had to go to work and we wanted to tour the Mayo operations. The day started off with a short drive to downtown Rochester. Jeff took us on a great tour of the Mayo buildings, museum, and clinical infrastructure. We caught up with MJ for a last minute coffee, story telling and good byes. Then it was off to Minneapolis. On the way to the airport we stopped to visit with Jillia. Jim and Jillia are working their tails off to forge inroads into the organic markets of Minneapolis restaurants and farmers markets. They have their work cut out for them yet it is an admirable endeavor. We wish them success! It was also our chance to say hello to Romeo. Romeo spent eight months with us and won our hearts. He recognized his surrogate people and we had fun reconnecting. Had a little lunch with Jillia, Jeff, and Romeo, then it was off to the airport...Next day was a school day......
-Bob