Minnesota – Page 35 – Valerie's Voice

Anticipation

About this time of year I get so excited thinking about our annual trek up to the “north shore.” For the past 31 years we have been going up north in September (except a few years when the boys were in sports and we had to go in August.) The shores of Lake Superior is one of my favorite places to be and I always look forward to our time at a cabin we rent right on the waters edge.

We started out looking for a cabin in 1985 (if only we had bought our own place back then!) wanting to find a cabin we‘d want to return to each year. We found a quaint 1940’s era cabin at Surfside Resort, a family- run business. We loved the cute little cabin #6 (with a seagull we named Mingo – he had one leg and hung out at the cabin for a couple of years.) The small Cabin #6 was just right for our family and we have so many wonderful memories of our times there.

Then a big business came along and bought out the small business and built lovely, but expensive, condominiums that we couldn’t afford. So we found a different cabin to call home for the brief amount of time we get to stay there each year.

Going up to the north shore of Lake Superior has become my “new year.” Instead of making resolutions on New Year’s Eve I take time up north to think about the previous year, look ahead to the next year and contemplate what life is all about for me right now in this fall season. I sit on the rocks with the large lake in front of me surrounded by stunning beauty and just sit…and think…and write…and read. The whole natural surroundings are a great place for reflecting, refreshing, refocusing and rejuvenating.

So I will print out our packing list, make the chili and wild rice soup, gather the throws, coffee and books, collect the hiking and biking gear and anticipate another wonderful year up at the cabin on Lake Superior!

Tall Ships Duluth

The Tall Ships came to Duluth this year and I went up to see the parade. But I saw the parade from a different perspective – I saw them from a kayak. I signed up for a three-hour tour and it was awesome. We took off from a beach along Park Point and kayaked out to the Duluth South Breakwater Outer Lighthouse and paddled around for three hours watching the parade. It was literally hard to stay in one spot because of the waves and the slight wind so we paddled in circles, we paddled forward and we paddled backwards a lot, dodging the sailboats and the pontoons and speed boats all anchored for a good look at the Tall Ships too.

The Tall Ships were majestic and fun to see them sailing through the water with their sails billowing. A few ships shot off a cannon as it entered the canal. It was very festive.

I have always loved Lake Superior and we have rented a cabin on the north shore for over 30 years. It’s one of my favorite places to be. There may have been a time or two over the years when I put my feet in the water but never submerged. Now I can say I have. My kayak capsized and I went under…camera, prescription sunglasses and all. I got right back in the kayak and continued on with the tour.

My glasses stayed on. I recovered my SIM card from the camera and was able to get the photos off it of the first six ships. My camera is sitting in rice at the moment…to be determined if it still works. All is well. vb kayak teresa

Sunflowers

Sometimes a photo needs to be taken just to remember the scene even if it isn’t a good shot. In this photo, taken from a moving vehicle, I tried to capture a portion of a field of bright sunflowers along Interstate 94, near Alexandria, Minnesota. It caught me by surprise and took me a minute to figure out what was growing in this vast field. I was delighted to see bright, yellow flower heads with brown centers of the sunflower, standing tall with thousands of stalks, all facing east. It was a beautiful sight and worthy to record and remember.

Big Ole

Big Ole stands 28 feet tall on the north end of Alexandria, MN near a trail head for the Central Lakes State Trail, a Minnesota scenic recreational rail trail, where we biked this past weekend. Big Ole’s shield states “Alexandria – Birthplace of America”. Having grown up in Minnesota, with a strong Norwegian heritage, I have not heard, and was surprised, to learn about a Rune Stone that was found near Kensington, Minnesota in 1898. Some authorities believe the Vikings etched runes (characters of ancient alphabets) into the stone and the stone is dated 1362. The Rune Stone is in a museum in Alexandria – there is some controversy over its authenticity but it is an interesting story.

Four Raccoons and a Cooler

We rented a camping cabin in Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park. This is not our first experience with camping cabins but it is our first time staying in a MN State Park camping cabin. Can I say they are adorable?

The “main room” has two built-in bunk beds with room to sleep 6 (single on top and double on bottom – both sides). It also has a small, built-in table with two benches and an overhead, electric light fixture that looks like a camping lantern. The furniture is made of pine logs and the entire cabin lined with knotty pine. There are many hooks and electrical outlets. A small screened- in porch is attached to the main cabin with a door between the two rooms. The door between is solid and lockable but the screen door to the outside only has a hook which locks from the inside.

As we unloaded our gear from the provided, pull-in cart we put our small cooler with our drinks on the porch. Then I noticed the freshly-made banana bread I brought along and last minute put the bread in the “drink cooler” to get it out of the heat.

Off we went, hiking with friends and had a campfire after that so we didn’t walk back to our cabin until later that evening, after dark. We had forgotten our flashlight so my husband used his iPhone’s flashlight feature. (My phone was charging inside the cabin…that’s modern camping!)

As we opened the screen door my husband said “look!” He shined the light in the corner and there were four raccoons backed against the wall…caught! They had successfully opened the screen door (did one hold it open for the others???) and all four raccoons entered the porch, somehow turned the handle on the cooler from the closed position to the open position, took off the cooler cover and proceeded to eat all two bags of banana bread! Immediately one of the bigger guys bravely walked right past us and out the door we held open, but the other three were still cowered in the corner. My husband had to shoo them out the door. I wish I had a photo but the picture is clear in our minds of the four guilty raccoons and two empty bags of banana bread. I hope they liked it!

Lakewood Memorial Cemetery

My Auntie Ag is buried in Lakewood Cemetery. So are my paternal grandparents Torkel and Elizabeth. Torkel left Norway when he was 17 years old. After he established himself in America he went back and married his sweetheart, Elizabeth, and brought her back to America.

The Lakewood Cemetery is in the heart of the city of Minneapolis. Roads meander the rolling hills through the cemetery that overlooks Lake Calhoun, with lovely majestic trees, stately monuments, large head stones and grave makers. There is a large, modern mausoleum but the hidden gem is the Lakewood Memorial Chapel. On a recent visit I brought my friend to see this chapel that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s an amazing piece of architecture, completed in 1910, that stands alone in it’s lovely spot without much fanfare.

The website explains:

“The chapel interior was created by New York designer Charles Lamb and many consider it the most perfect example of Byzantine mosaic art in the United States. In 1909, Lamb traveled to Rome to enlist the services of six highly accomplished mosaic artists who had just recently completed a project in the Vatican. The artists created more than 10 million mosaic pieces, called tessellae, from marble, colored stone, and glass fused with gold and silver. The artists then traveled to Minneapolis to assemble the work inside the chapel. Upon its completion in 1910, the Lakewood Memorial chapel was the only building in the country with an authentic mosaic interior.”

Imagine that…10 million pieces of tile and the designs created are stunning! It’s an marvelous piece of art that is worth seeing.

Gardens, Antique Stores, Thrift Shops, Water

FR VB

Gardens, antiques stores, thrift shops and water, i.e. river or lakes, are the criteria my friend from Indiana and I use to determine our annual get together destination.

This year it seemed right for her to come back to Minnesota to see my home, surroundings and the places I like to hang-out. It had been over 12 years since she was in Minnesota. We spent time in Northfield, Uptown (Minneapolis), Cannon Falls, Faribault, Chanhassen and Bloomington. The forecast was for rain all weekend but we only had a partial day of rain on Friday, which didn’t dampen our spirits. The other three days were sunshine and blue skies!

We ate outdoors as much as possible. We visited many gardens including the MN Landscape Arboretum, two Japanese gardens, Lakeside Cemetery and viewed many neighborhood gardens and a garden center. We shopped several antique stores and thrift shops. We had to call for directions to one thrift shop and were abruptly disconnected on our end. When we explained what happened to the cashier in the store he said he prayed for us after we were disconnected! What a wonderful thought!

We walked around ponds and along rivers as we talked and laughed and caught up with each others lives. God blessed our time together with renewal, refreshment, safety and fun. And…in two weeks we are driving to the East coast and stopping at her home in Indiana for an overnight with her and her family.