Skip to main content

We Almost Didn't Make It to Doors Open Minneapolis



Theo thinks its okay to stand on tables.

It's not.

We had errands to run in the morning. I wanted to get to Costco right when it opened but we made it a half hour later.

After we spent too much money at Costco we returned some bulbs to Menards. They were a tad too bright. Ok, they were blindingly bright.

Since we were in the area we stopped at Once Upon a Child to get new hiking shoes for Meadow and walking shoes for Theo.

We had planned on biking around today, but it was cold and rainy.

Meadow and I prepared our lunch.

You knew we were going to have leftovers, right?

Theo got new rain boots.

Hey marshmallow man.

His rain suit is a bit large, but it does the job, especially with the new rain boots.

He'll grow into it.

This weekend was Doors Open Minneapolis. Like the Minneapolis St Paul Home Tour but for businesses.

Buildings of all kinds. Big and bigger.

Our first stop was the Van Dusen Mansion. Meadow couldn't believe you could have your wedding here.


Could you imagine living in a place like this. The Gilded Age, man.

Our next stop was JB Hudsons. They are the oldest continuously running business in Minneapolis, opening in 1885. 

Though they have moved around downtown a few times.

They still use the original cases and had vintage Coco Chanel jewelry. They also gave Meadow a light up ring for visiting.

Meadow eyes also lit up looking at the opulent jewelry.

Then we went to the Foshay Tower and up to the gusty observation deck.

I didn't think they'd let us on the observation deck. It was a nice surprise.

Views for days. Too bad the wind was freaking me out.

We ended our little adventure at the Orpheum Theater where we got to stand on the stage. So many greats have played here.

What did you do to your legs Theo?

Don't worry, he's just joking around.

For dinner we had a meal that even G.G. would approve of. Swedish Meatballs, egg noodles and smashed potatoes. Meadow loved it.

Before going to bed Meadow made a fort in the bottom bunk.

Party time.

Excellent.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Backcountry Camping with Kids in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Day 1  Back in May I stumbled upon Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I had no idea there was a National Park in North Dakota and that it was the northern end of the Badlands. Usually our summer vacations coincide with Scott's work trips. Since he didn't have any this summer I thought we should take advantage of actually taking a vacation. What, my workcations are always classics? I suppose a second real vacation this year wouldn't hurt. We definitely have more time than normal. As long as we took Covid-19  precautions and avoided people. We finally settled on a time to go. Blake joined us so we borrowed our dad's van so we could ride together. Scott had just driven from Michigan the day before. Blake had met my parents in Wisconsin to get the van and then drove from Duluth to pick us up. I offered to drive since I literally only drive twice a month.  I was still pretty tired from a long drive home. Since we were near Fergus Falls we had to stop by the abandoned state ho...

A Park Rapids-Walker Workcation

We were going to just go overnight on Saturday with Scott for a work trip. With a snowstorm in the forecast we left right after the kids were done with school. Meadow is still chugging away at her rug hooking.    We stopped at the China Star buffet near St Cloud. They really upgraded the interior since we were here last.  Don't worry about me. Just noshing on the green beans. Can a guy get more veggies in these buffets? We ended up changing hotels and staying in Walker at the... Walker Hotel . The room was a bit old fashioned and TV a wee one. But the pool had a slide, so that's a win. Right? The falling snow outside the pool window made it slightly magical.  Meadow got Theo's hair dry after we got ready to take a drive down to Park Rapids. It doesn't look that bad, but it was nerve wrecking driving. But I do have to say that the Escape PHEV did pretty well in the conditions. The slippery mode for snow and rain kind of rules even if we don't have 4WD. We tagged alon...

Brooke's Birthday Fish Fry and Many Minneapolis Walks

My actual birthday happened to be on the first Friday of Lent. You know what that means, church fish fry!  One of our favorites is at St Albert the Great in south Minneapolis. Usually we have to wait for a little while up in the sanctuary, but we got downstairs to the hall super quick. All the gray hairs were out for the night. Can't blame them. The kids usually opt for spaghetti.  The best part about this place is you get to pick two desserts.  They actually let you have as many you wanted this year. In past they had two tickets per person, but not this year! The same gregarious priest as always was keeping the crowd entertained. I swear he wasn't back last year, but it was good to see him back doing his best. Theo got chosen to pick the winning numbers for the 50/50 raffle. The priest gave us a hard time for not getting a raffle ticket. Don't worry about me. Just daydreaming about a back screen porch like this. I made Brookie a brookie brownie. Could've used more brow...