Last week we went on a picnic… Our financial advisor held a picnic outdoors under a tent in the parking lot. They handed out box lunches, and had a duo playing guitar and singing quietly in the background. It was nice.
We were first to sit at our table. Then we were introduced to a local pastor and his wife who sat down across from us. As we chatted, the places where we grew up became a topic of conversation. They spoke first and they said Columbia Heights and Fridley.
McKinley Street Northeast Minneapolis
I immediately responded I was familiar with that area because I grew up on 35th and McKinley… then Gordon, the pastor, said with much surprise, that he did too, until he was six years old! We discovered we lived four houses away from each other. He is four years older so I would have been two years old when his family moved away, but he did remember playing with my older brother and all the neighborhood boys his age. There were seven or eight of them!
He also said he remembered my mother, and her name, Ruby.
What a serendipitous moment. We were excited to discover this fact, and had fun reminiscing about that great neighborhood in Northeast Minneapolis.
Later I asked my brother if he remembered Gordon, and he said yes… playing ball together.
Glorious fall days…blue skies, sunshine and colorful landscapes… continue to linger on and on. We like to take advantage of them…so not much gets done on the home-front…but those things will wait…we have winter ahead of us.
A herd of Dutch Belted cows.
We headed east in the morning towards Frontenac State park, through beautiful farm country. Along the way, close to the fence, were the unique Dutch Belted cows laying in a field, soaking up the sun. What a pretty sight. I discovered these striking and unusual looking cows (and special breed), on a farm along County Road 9 a few years ago. I look for them whenever we pass their way. When I got out to take a photo, the girls became alarmed and most stood up…I was sorry to disturb them. They were all laying down again as we passed them on our way home several hours later.
Overlooking the Mississippi River from Frontenac State Park.
We continued to the state park and drove up to the Mississippi River overlook in the park. The river was lovely and calm. We hiked along the river for a while,
In awe…along the trail.
then we found the recently acquired section of the park and hiked hilly trails. The fall temperatures were climbing and we soon shed our jackets.
A newly acquired section to Frontenac State Park.
After hiking, we wanted to find a place near the water to eat our picnic lunch. We found a beach and boat landing in Old Frontenac, with a picnic table close to the water’s edge.
Our lunch setting.
Perfect. We sat on one side overlooking the river and saw a couple of eagles, lots of gulls and swans, and a few boats. The water was calm and the sun was bright and I wanted to stay there all afternoon, but we had more to explore.
A cute purple house in Old Frontenac.
A beautiful mansion overlooking the Mississippi River in Old Frontenac.
An old stone fence surrounding the mansion.
A few years ago, when we camped at Frontenac State Park, we drove through Old Frontenac near-by. It’s a small village along the river….no stores, only unique houses on packed, dirt roads, an old cemetery, and a church.
The Episcopal church in Old Frontenac.
One of several gated sections in the Frontenac Cemetery, established in 1867.
I have always wanted to walk through this town, or ride a bike, since you can see more than from a car. So we brought our bikes to ride through this quiet town, off the beaten trail. It was fun to ride around and look at unique houses…no cookie cutter houses here. And, riding through the old cemetery garnered thoughts of spooky stories, so close to Halloween.
Halloween decorations on a front porch in Old Frontenac.
Later that afternoon, as we drove back home into Northfield, we commented on how our town was still the most colorful place of all…with a lot of maples still full of red leaves hanging on.
The weather predicted for our time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was rain. But our plans were set and we were going to stop there for three nights on our way to visit our son and his family in North Carolina.
A view of the green Smoky Mountains.
So when we had beautiful, mostly sunny days while in the park we were grateful. We stayed on the “peaceful side of the park”, as Townsend, TN boasts. And the cabin we rented was less than a mile from the park entrance. We liked the location.
The lookout at Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park.
The GSMNP is busy, one of the most visited parks in the US. There is no entrance fee, which is unusual for a national park. There were a limited the number of people allowed in the visitor’s center so we never did get into one because of the long lines.
From the top of Clingman’s Dome.
The park is lush green this time of year…so many shades of green. The road through the park follows the Little River and that added to the beauty.
A hike along the Little River.
The big Little River.
We did some hiking in the park…to Clingman’s Dome (the parking lot fills by 9 am) and to Laurel Falls (same deal for parking) and other smaller hikes.
Laurel Falls.
One day we ate lunch in a wonderful picnic area, and drove through Cade’s Cove (an 11-mile loop through an 1800’s farming community in the park) at twilight on two different nights.
Gary and our car in the background for perspective of how tall the tree are.
The first night in Cade’s Cove we saw some deer, but on the second night we saw one owl and five black bear. One bear was in a tree, a mama bear with two cubs crossed the road in front of us (we were third car back) and the fifth bear was walking into the woods. The Barred Owl was sitting on a tree branch. They were all exciting to see.
Mama Bear.
Barred Owl.
On our last evening, as we drove out of the park back to our cabin, it started to rain.
Pretty in the mist…leaving the park…on our way to North Carolina.
My picnic basket fell apart. I had it for many years, and used it a lot. It was a durable, wicker basket; deep, with a strong handle and flaps over each topside opening. Eventually the top flaps broke off but it was still a sturdy, useable basket. During the pandemic this past year I kept the basket stocked, and in the car, ready for any opportunity we might have for eating a meal outdoors. It was stocked with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, flatware, drinking cups, paper plates, napkins, and a tablecloth.
My beloved picnic basket – it served us well for many years.
I took it along on a recent trip to Iowa to meet up with a friend for a few days. As I put it in the car I felt the handle (which had already been fixed once with wire) was loosening up. But I still put it in the car. Then while there, I took it out of the car and the handle broke completely. The picnic basket was no longer functional.
But the timing was good. My friend and I like to frequent thrift stores so it was the perfect time to look for a new-to-me picnic basket, and we were successful in finding one.
My new picnic basket.
When I got it home I cleaned it off and set it in the sun to disinfect, and now it’s ready to “carry on” the task of holding our picnic goods for many more years, I hope.
Dubuque: A very long barge traveling down the Mississippi River.
