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

A 250th 4th of July in Three Lakes

A couple of weeks after we were last up at the cottage, you say? Not soon enough, we say. We assumed dinner would have already been done by the time we arrived so we stopped to eat at Culver's in Rhinelander. While we were eating, I got a text from my dad saying he was in Rhinelander with Chelsea at Urgent Care. I guess Viola had taken a hard fall. When we got to the cottage Daniel was just starting dinner. We hadn't seen Viola since Christmas, she's a little girl now. She was super shy around us at first. She did also just get back from the hospital. I'm not sure if I approve of fireworks the night we get there, but due to scheduling conflicts that's when Three Lakes got in their fireworks show. 2nd of July fireworks would do. The next morning Blake made us croissant breakfast sandwiches for breakfast. Then Viola and I played down by the dock. Theo would have made a good big brother. Chelsea gave her boys haircuts and even trimmed my neck hair. Every boat we own ...

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...

Japan Family Trip - Part II: Exploring the Shrines and Wilds of Nikko

We had originally planned on taking the bullet train down from Tokyo to Kyoto for a day or two. While being epically fast, it was a bit spendy for the four of us. After talking to Brooke's coworker we settled on a two day trip to Nikko and its World Heritage Sites to break up our week in Tokyo. This turned out to be an amazing decision. The town is teaming with beauty from ancient shrines to epic waterfalls and some of the best meals we had on our trip. Kyoto didn't seem all that appealing to me when I started researching which location to go to. I too am glad we chose to head north to Nikko. When we booked our Tobu Nikko Spacia X tickets I upgraded to the premium seats thinking that we'd be sitting facing one another. Instead we ended up with 4 individual seats, two in the first two rows and two in the last two rows. It turned out just fine with the kids sitting in front of us in two groups. Meadow and I were seated at the front of the car. Once in awhile we'd pas...

Search This Blog