Day 56 - Lunch with Ray in St. Paul

Need I say it? Another great day. Gary and I drove over to St. Paul's Grand Hill neighborhood where Gary's cousin, Ray McGee, has lived for 30 years. This neighborhood is in the Summit Avenue area, one of the finest streets of old, grand homes in the U.S. Ray took us to a little nearby Mexican restaurant for lunch, and then gave us a wonderful driving tour of the downtown St. Paul area. If we had tried this ourselves, it would have been difficult and we couldn't have seen all the nooks and crannies that Ray showed us.

The first photo is of Ray with the St. Paul skyline in the background. This was taken on a street of homes that enjoy this spectacular view every day.

The other photo is of Ray and Gary standing in front of Ray's condo building. Lots more photos of St. Paul will have to wait for another day.

It is really hot here in the Twin Cities, and it will be that way the rest of the time here, I think.

Day 55 - Lunch and dinner with friends

It is just one great day after another! We drove in to Minneapolis to the home of Bon and Rog (previously mentioned) as a meeting point. Then the "long-time girl friends" went out and lunched together and Gary lunched with the guys. I forgot to take photos at the lunch, but this WILL happen in the next several days! We talked and talked and I got caught up on all the news. While it was hot, the ladies' lunch spot was shaded and cool, in the charming Prospect Park area of Minneapolis.

Gary and I then departed and roamed around downtown Minneapolis, which has changed HUGELY since we moved away 23 years ago. We saw the new Guthrie Theater which is soon to have its grand opening. Then we wandered by the fairly new Mill City Flour Museum. It is situated in what remains of the old Washburn-Crosby flour mill on St. Anthony Falls of the Mississippi. W-C became General Mills. This is a wonderful museum, particularly the views afforded at the top, reached by elevator, of the St. Anthony Falls area of Mpls. (pictured), which is undergoing great changes done in part by the Mpls. Parks and Rec. Dept. West River Road now extends through this area, and biking paths and walkways abound, which is true of the entire Twin Cities area.

We then drove to the home of more long-time friends, Fred and Gloria Sewell, whose home on Cedar Lake is an architectural jewel. We had dinner on their patio overlooking the lake and talked for a long while. Great to be with them again. They have given up their motor home (we enjoyed several get-together's with them), because they are very involved in so many areas of the Mpls/St. Paul arts community. Their son and daughter-in-law are founders of the James Sewell Ballet in Mpls., their daughter, Laura, is an accomplished cellist who teaches and performs, and all of their grandchildren show signs of great talent as well. It is a wonderful family in every way!

Day 54 - A Day in Chaska, MN

We had a wonderful day with long-time friends, Cliff and Wanda Johnson, who live in a beautiful house in Chaska, MN, which they built 13 years ago. It is right on a golf course which Gary and they played (I opted out due to a slightly sore knee). They were hosting a local arboretum tour in their lovely yard, full of specimen trees and other native Minnesota plants. Cliff is a Master Gardener. So the golf came right after the last tour group departed.

After dinner at a restaurant overlooking the lake in Waconia, Cliff gave us a driving tour of the area -- absolutely beautiful and we had a lovely sunset as a bonus!

Cliff and Wanda are pictured here in front of their house, after dark.

Day 52 and 53 - Minneapolis, MN

Great to be back in the Twin Cities! After we got settled in the campground last night in Savage, I called long-time friends Bonnie and Roger Herr. They were going to a bandshell concert at Centennial Lakes Park in Edina with some other long-time Minneapolis friends: Ray and Marcia Giske and Jan Mattox. The fun began! There will be lots more. I took a photo of the Sousa Band playing at the beautiful park. It was a lovely evening and we had great fun both there and at Jan's house afterward.

Today Gary and I ran a familiar route: Minnehaha Park along West River Road, by our former house on Northrop Drive (pictured), up to the Lake Street Bridge, down East River Road, across the Ford Bridge, and back to Minnehaha Park. The parkways are beautiful - everything has been redone since we lived here including an all new Lake Street bridge.

Minneapolis is having a bit of a dry spell, but it was absolutely gorgeous along the Mississippi River gorge. (It's a sight to behold in the fall!)


The other photo is looking up the river from the Ford Bridge to the Lake Street Bridge.