Minnesota – Page 24 – Valerie's Voice

DJJD 2019

The Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield brings a lot of folks to town. The event begins Thursday night, affectionately called “townie night”, when Northfielders go downtown to get their fill of “fair-style” food. Then out-of-towners come in Friday through Sunday.

In the Quality Bakery window downtown Northfield are these yummy donuts. The bakery makes “De-Feet of Jesse James” glazed donuts for DJJD.

Every year my husband rides in the organized bike tour. He did the 60 mile ride on Saturday. And me….with my new electric bike…rode zero miles! HA

The First National Bank, as it was in 1876. The robbers entering the bank. (DJJD reenactment 9/7/19)

Instead I went downtown with the crowds and watched the reenactment – it’s been a few years since I’ve seen it. My friend and I arrived downtown early to get front row seats in the bleachers. We sat and visited (and ate mini donuts) while we waited for the show to begin. The weather was pleasant…cloudy skies, no wind and a great temperature.

Up close of the actors in this DJJD reenactment. (9/7/19)

The reenactment includes gunfire and horses and lots of action, and it happens quickly, but it is an interesting story and portrayed accurately. The DJJD is a celebration for the defeat of the Jesse James gang, so as to not glorify bad guys. The gang’s demise started here in Northfield…actually two were killed during the bank raid.

Two robbers were shot that fateful day. (DJJD reenactment 9/7/19)

After the reenactment we walked down the closed-off main street of Northfield, and came back along the river walk and looked at the fine arts displayed along the way.

This led us back to the food stations where lots of people were buying their favorite foods. We decided to continue to the craft fair in Central Park and looked at all the wares offered for sale, then went to buy our lunch at the food stands.

Antiques of Northfield is the backdrop of this photo. (9/7/19)

We went into the Antique’s of Northfield store downtown, which was full of people browsing and buying antiques. Antiques of Northfield is also considered a TV Lamp museum. It has the largest collections of 1950’s of TV lamps on public display.

By mid-afternoon we were ready to leave the crowds behind and headed for the quietness of home.

A Childhood Memory

For my writing group we were assigned to write about a childhood memory and here is one of mine.

When I was in 5^th grade I went to my girlfriend’s birthday party. I would have been about 11 years old. My friend’s mother took us to a popular, children’s, live television show in Minneapolis. I don’t remember the name of the TV show…could it have been Clancy the Cop, Axel and the Tree House, or maybe Casey Jones, or Captain Kangaroo or Howdy Doody?

Cheryl was the birthday girl’s name, but I do not remember any of the other girls at the party.

I remember sitting on a bench as part of the live audience in the television studio. It was exciting. I’m sure it was unexpected, but on this particular show the main character asked for volunteers to participate in a hula-hoop contest. I could hula-hoop so I volunteered. I liked to hula-hoop and I must have done it often since I thought I’d have a chance to win if I entered the contest.

We started with one hula-hoop, next we whirled two hula-hoops and eventually it involved three hula-hoops. I managed to keep those three hula-hoops going around and around the longest time and won the contest.

My prize was a Betsy McCall doll. I kept that doll for a very long time and I don’t remember when or how I departed with it. Today there are several smaller Betsy McCall dolls for sale, online, but mine ws a large doll. There are a few 29”, so I believe that was the size of the doll I won. I left the party a very excited and happy little girl.

Several years ago, after I told Gary this story, he went out and bought me a hula-hoop. We still have it. I couldn’t quite make it work for him back then (to prove myself) and I still can’t make it work today. HA

The hula-hoop was invented in 1958 and this party was in the early 60’s.

I did a little research and found out Casey Jones aired for only one season in 1958. Howdy Doody aired 1947-1960. Captain Kangaroo was on for 26 seasons: 1955-1984. Axel and the Treehouse aired 1954-1966. Clancy the Cop: 1963-1977. There were no video clips of any hula-hoop contests!

However, when I told my friend, who is a Twin Cities native, this story, she told me it was likely the show Dave Lee & Pete. It aired live, in the afternoons, and the local program was always bringing kids on stage for different reasons. I do think we went in the afternoon so it makes sense to me, but I have no recollection whatsoever of Dave Lee & Pete (the Penguin).

This Morning’s Sky

Whenever I see red in the sky I am reminded of this quote:

“Red at night, sailor’s delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning.”

And this one: “The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

Houston, Minnesota

Southeastern Minnesota is a beautiful part of our state. Recently we drove through green forested, rolling hills, along winding roads, dotted with small farms and small towns, to a cute, little camping cabin in a state park for a camping weekend.

One of the small towns we passed through was Houston, population 979. It is the trailhead for the Root River State Trail. The recreational trail (bicycles, walkers, runners) begins in Houston and has 42 miles of paved trail that leads through Lanesboro and on in to Fountain, MN. It connects with the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail, which adds an additional 18 miles of paved trails, and makes for a great trail system.

One day we drove to Houston to begin a biking adventure, and during our brief time in Houston we discovered a few interesting things.

First, outside the trail center was a wooden bench carved in the shape of a mother owl spreading her wings over her owlets. It is a beautiful piece of art…and functional art for all to enjoy.

A beautiful carved bench outside the Houston Trail Center building.

Then, right in the back yard of the center as we started down the trail we passed two sandhill cranes in the park. On our way back the cranes were in the same area so we stopped to take photos. Sandhill cranes are big, beautiful, sleek birds and are always a delight to see.

While looking at the cranes we noticed something else in the grass…a sundial of some sort. We quickly found the sign that explained it: an Analemmatic Sundial. We had never seen a “clock” quite like this…

On the ground is a cement square plaque with roman numerals indicating different hours. There is a rectangle plaque within the square with the twelve months etched in certain places. You step on the month and notice where your shadow falls and it indicates the hour of the day….and it was accurate! How does that work?

I had never heard of this word analemmatic. I looked it up and it means: a plot or graph of the position of the sun in the sky at a certain time of day at one locale measured throughout the year.

We enjoyed seeing these different sightings in Houston and we had a great bike ride on this end of the Root River trail.

The Grand Rounds

Last week, on one of those gorgeous Minnesota summer days, Gary and I decided to head to Minneapolis with our bikes and take off on the terrific trail system called the Grand Rounds.

The Grand Rounds has over 100 miles of paved walking and biking trails that meander through urban areas connecting different city parks and lakes.

This system has been around a long time. It was conceived by Horace W. S. Cleveland in the early days of the Minneapolis park system and has been well maintained. It has been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.

We started our tour at Minnehaha Falls and rode our bikes along Minnehaha Creek, past Lake Nokomis, then along one side of Lake Harriet, continuing around the loop of Lake Bde Maka Ska…..(formerly known as Lake Calhoun).

The new name for Lake Calhoun – Lake Bde Maka Ska.

We stopped for lunch back at the Bread and Pickle on Lake Harriet. We ate a delicious egg salad sandwich, which we were surprised to see on the menu, and then surprised at how tasty it was. It was lovely setting: looking out on the lake, seeing sailboats, and watching people.

After lunch we finished the Lake Harriet loop, rode past Lake Hiawatha and back to Minnehaha Falls. We treated ourselves to ice cream at the pavilion in the park, after clocking 20 miles.

Minnehaha Falls…I had to take the picture looking into the sun so the colors are distorted.

We viewed Minnehaha Falls – the falls were full and beautiful – encompassed by lush green trees and shrubs. There were many folks out enjoying the gorgeous scenery, and weather, on this weekday afternoon.

I had a great time riding my pedal-assist bicycle. We did stop at one garden…because… well, it’s just hard to resist gardens.

It is also fun looking at all the houses along the Parkway and the lakes. There are so many charming homes and biking past them is a great way to see them.

Home Again

What a wonderful week we’ve had weather-wise…sunny, seventy’s and low humidity. Perfect for being anywhere, especially up in northern Minnesota. I was on the Whitefish chain of lakes with a friend, staying on her porch, with a cabin attached. Our days were relaxing, and among other things we did some boating and a lot of reading.

We went out on her pontoon which was a highlight for me. We left the jet skis docked this year, and my cell phone in the cabin. In previous years we’ve taken out the jet skis and had some…let’s say…complications. Then there was the year my iPad fell off the dock into the drink during early morning quiet time. So I tried to avoid any type of fiascos this year. Success!

The evenings were still and cool so we slept on the large porch listening to the loons calling as we fell asleep.

Before I left home for the cabin I had fifty pages left to read in my latest political thriller. So when we arrived at the cabin Sunday afternoon, after unpacking the car, we immediately got out some lawn chairs, set them up near the lake and started to read. I quickly finished the book. I brought along three non-fiction books so I had plenty additional reading material.

One morning’s sun reflecting on the lake that looks like clear glass. Beautiful.

When it was time to leave the cabin four days later, I had fifty pages left in one of the other books I had started reading up there. However, when I arrived back to our house in Northfield things changed… I no longer felt I could just sit down and finish the book right away….there was unpacking to do, laundry to throw into the washing machine, email and catch-up conversations, plus weeding flowers and so forth. So instead of sitting down to finish my book I did chores instead. I felt I needed to get something accomplished before enjoying more reading time.

Daggett Lake, a lake on the Whitefish chain of lakes.

I guess that’s why it’s always good to get away. At home we see all there is to be done (although my friend saw things that needed to be done at her cabin while we were there), but we had a delightful time on our annual trip to Daggett Lake.

I came home to my Star Gazer lilies in bloom.

Two Fun Sightings

Last week, on a trip to a lake cabin in northern Minnesota, we were excited to see two fun and rare sightings.

The first sighting occurred as we were driving. There was a black bear on the road in front of us, mid-morning. We slowed down, and as I fumbled for my camera, he crossed the road in front of us and continued through the ditch into the woods. It was fun to see. I’ve seen a black bear in the wild a few times, but not often, so when I do see one it’s exciting.

The other sighting was the beautiful showy lady slipper, Minnesota’s state flower.

We were staying at a privately-owned cabin up north, on twenty-five acres, with a creek running through the property, and shoreline on Lake Kabekona. The cabin sits up high on a hill with a well-worn path down from the cabin to the lake. (The view from the screened in porch was lovely. We saw an eagle several times, fortunately seeing the majestic eagle is no longer a rare sighting – but always a wonderful one.)

As we walked along the path we saw this beautiful flower in bloom, and upon closer look, we discovered it was the showy lady slipper. Moments before we had seen the yellow lady slipper along the shores of Lake Kabekona, then as we turned to go back to the cabin we noticed the elegant showy lady slipper. And…there were several buds on stems nearby, ready to gently open.

Three of the seven showy lady slippers on the path.

I have only seen the showy lady slipper blooming in the wild one other time, years ago, up near Lake Superior. I don’t think it’s very common to see one in the wild, unless you know where it is located.

We made our way down every morning to check on this wonderful beauty. It was our morning devotion, appreciating and praising God for his unique and bountiful creations.

Summertime

Enjoy the Summer Solstice… today… June 21, 2019.

“On this day the length of time with sunlight is the longest.”*

Here are some excerpts from, A Summer Blessing, from the book entitled The Circle of Life.*

Blessed are you, summer,
season of long days and short nights,
you pour forth light from your golden orb,
energizing the earth and calling forth growth.
 
Blessed are you, summer,
with your generous gift of heat.
Your warm breath animates creation,
encouraging all growing things to stretch towards the sun.
 
Blessed are you, summer,
you call us into playfulness,
encouraging us to pause from work.
You renew our spirits.
 
Blessed are you, sacrament of summer, 
natures’ green season, sweet echo of spring.
You speak to us in living color as you renew the earth 
with symbols of life for our bodies and souls.
 
Blessed are you, summer,
with your firefly evenings
you minister to the child in us.
You feed our hunger for beauty.

* The Circle of Life by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr

Don’t Leave Home Without It

The Cannon Valley Trail (CVT) is a “rails to trails” bike path near Cannon Falls, Minnesota. It is a favorite of mine, but we had not ridden it yet this season. One lovely, sunny afternoon, after errands and such, we decided to go for a bike ride. I was excited to go and ride on the CVT with my new electric bike.

We loaded the bikes on the bike carrier, grabbed our helmets, filled our water bottles and off we drove…15 miles to Cannon Falls, to the trailhead. When we were about three-quarters of the way to Cannon Falls I realized I forgot my bike battery! That’s an important piece of an electric bike. And, although you can ride the bike without the battery, the bike itself is extra heavy so it would have been difficult. Besides I was looking forward to trying my new bike on the trail.

Me and my bike, with the battery. The trail from Cannon Falls to Red Wing is 20 miles. We ride half way to Welsh, 10 miles, and turn around which makes it a 20 mile ride.

So we turned around and went home to get the battery then headed back. Once on the trail it felt good to be there.

It’s a bit of a sanctuary…the asphalt trail goes through some fields but mostly trees, and is very green with spring wild flowers blooming this time of year.

Sunshine dapples through the trees, and on one side the Cannon River flows for a good portion making for a beautiful trail.

The Cannon River runs along the Cannon Valley Trail.

It was a wonderful ride and hopefully I have learned a lesson…do not leave home without my bike battery!

Minnesota Twins

I’m not really a sports fan. I will watch an occasional football game and we always watch the Superbowl game but rarely will I watch baseball or basketball on TV, unless they are play-off games…those games can be exciting. But we had an opportunity to go to the Minnesota Twins baseball game over the weekend, and it was fun. It seems the Minnesota Twins team is headed towards the play-offs this year. They are playing really well.

Go Twins!!!

The tickets were free and the seats were good…in the shaded, lower section, first-base side of the field. The weather was fabulous! A beautiful Spring day and a super day to be outside. A great day to watch an outdoor baseball game in Minnesota. .

So off we went to, apparently, a sell-out crowd at Target Field. It took a long time to get through security check and into the stadium. We were outside the gates before the game began but missed the first inning because of the long lines to get in, and get through security. That was surprising.

The Twins played the Chicago White Sox and won! The score was 7-0 and there were two homeruns. It was fun to watch the game and even more fun to watch the people.

But one of the best parts for me was holding a two-month old baby! The little one was part of family we knew sitting in seats in front of us. I offered to hold the baby and was able to, for a good amount of time. I think I might have enjoyed that most of all.