I have had a lovely scrappy day today and made a start on our Coast to Coast albums. Oh yes - there will need to be several. I have still only gone through days 1 - 13 of the photos and there are lots I want to scrap!
But today I decided I would scrap instead, oh and clean house but heck - I have had 4 weeks with no housework. I did try leaving the damp towels int he bathroom but no new ones appeared. We got up from the dinner table but apparently no-one was going to clear up and despite leaving the bed, no one re-made it with fresh linens. I guess we have been away and spoilt for too long!
I digress. Today I scrapped and here is one of the pages I made.
I loved Cloud Gate - something I had always wanted to see and it was lovely. We had such fun playing with the reflections.
I used cloud paper too - not my usual style
Today I am thankful for
- a clean house (despite having to do it ourselves)
- scrappy time
Day 7 Madison to Minneapolis
21st October 2019
Start miles 2612
Start time 7.00
End miles 2940
End time 5.30
The one with the friend
The weather wasn’t fabulous when we woke up and I can’t say we were that disappointed. We knew that the first part of our trip might be blighted by bad weather and we had been lucky this far that it hadn’t been bad in Niagara and Chicago. Today wasn’t a day relying on sights and good weather, so we were not that worried. Today we was the day that I was going to get to meet an Internet friend for the first time and I was excited by the prospect.
We had breakfast, which was as disappointing as the hotel room, and then headed out and it was our latest start yet. We stopped a little bit into the route to get a Starbucks and we were surprised at how western Wisconsin felt and by western I mean like old western towns. This was something that was to become yet another feature of our trip. I loved that in the Starbucks they had thankful pumpkins, which we duly signed.
I had been looking forward to crossing the Mississippi, a river we had fallen in love with on a previous trip to the southern states, and to seeing the beautiful Minnesota State sign at the border. However, as we approach the border with Minnesota, the rain picked up force and we could barely see out of the windscreen. The beautiful images I had been expecting of the Mississippi were simply not to be.
We were early for our lunch meeting with Barb and Steve and so, what do you do when you’re early? You go shopping of course. We found a Tuesday morning, which is my new addiction. I have so much stash at home and really need nothing else so that only bargains float my boat these days. Whilst in the store I needed a restroom and they didn’t have one, so I was sent next door to TK Max and, for interest, I add photographs of the four beautiful paintings they had in their lobby area. I just loved them and they are something I would love to have a go at painting at a later date. Now be honest, it’s not often you go to the loo and come back with art inspiration.
Bargains duly bought in store, we headed to the Outback Steakhouse to meet Barb and Steve. As we pulled up, they had just arrived and Barb rushed over to greet us. It was so lovely to meet a friend, that I had never met in person, after many years. They were such a fabulous couple to spend time with, to chat with and we just had such a lovely time over a delicious lunch. Steve was very naughty and treated us to lunch, which we certainly did not expect. The conversation never faltered and it was wonderful to catch up in person. I just can't believe that I call myself a scrapper and yet took no photos over lunch at all.
After lunch, we followed them on a scenic tour of their hometown, which was just so pretty and had wonderful fall colours. It is also the home of the Mayo Clinic and they took us past many of the Mayo buildings, including the large one that even had valet parking out front.
Their home was beautiful, with every corner filled with treasure of all kinds, from Steve’s amazing photographs to Barb’s beautiful quilts and pictures and little pieces of family history. It was an amazing joy to see her scrap room and be able now to visualise her where she is creating. They were so generous in sharing their time and their home and it is a visit neither of us will ever forget. I had taken a small painting that I had created of a typically English village scene and was so pleased to be able to give her a little bit of my artwork. She had bought Nigel a lovely Minnesota T-shirt and made me an adorable calendar which stands proudly in my own scrap room here. Life is indeed a blessing when you get to share it with friends. I am so sad that we didn't take more photos and that I don't have a single photo of Steve.
We made our farewells and headed further into Minnesota to our next stop. On the road we listened to Garrison Keillor and Lake woebegone stories. We have loved the lake Wobegon stories for many, many years ever since Nigel‘s brother, Jim, first introduced us to them in the 90s. We have been avid collectors and I think have every story on CD and now on our iPhones. We knew they would be perfect to listen to in Minnesota, and indeed they were the perfect accompaniment to our journey through the state and we will be sharing more about Lake Wobegon in a couple of days. The rain stopped, the sun finally came out and we saw some lovely views of Minnesota. We drove through both Saint Pauls, so we could visit the state capital, and Minneapolis, making a stop at Maple Grove where we would stay for two nights. We were checked in good and early And it was a chance to relax, do laundry and even begin my sunflower blanket with the yarn I bought from Joann.
Oh, you just say the sweetest things about Steve and me. WE were the ones who felt so privileged to meet you and Nigel at last! I felt we could have talked for days and still had plenty to share with each other. We will never forget what a blessing it was to meet you and visit. Thank you again for the amazing painting.
Posted by: Barb in AK | December 04, 2019 at 10:32 AM