Morning Glories

I planted this Morning Glory plant in June hoping it would climb the trellis on the back of the mailbox.


















Well, what do you know!!!

Vacation - finale

Our last day "up north" we spent in Duluth. Rode the trolley to The Depot which is home to several museums and the Duluth Art Institute. This train museum was fascinating.
















































Margaret McNeely Conservatory in St Paul's Como Park.













A favorite restaurant in Minneapolis, Pop!, where we enjoy meals with Orton and Karen.










Sure was fun to end our vacation in Sioux Falls with a visit to Travis, Lisa and Aubrey.


She's always in motion, so sometimes the pictures are blurry!

















Little Peanut.














Enjoying a cookie snack after supper.













Riding in the car.

Vacation - part three

After hiking the inland trails at Tettegouche State Park, we walked the trail along Lake Superior and appreciated the magma (cooled lava) formations and scenic bluffs. Sheer drops of 320 feet to the lake from Palisade Head - pictured in the background.





































Shovel Point.














From Shovel Point we looked back at where we'd been.
















From here we drove to Gooseberry Falls State Park. This is probably the most popular park on the North Shore as it is very accessible.

















The park was VERY crowded so after a quick look at the falls (we've been here before) we took a path less traveled.














The falls from a distance.










Enough hiking....time to chill at the lodge!

Vacation - part two

After hiking in Judge CR Magney State Park we stopped in Grand Marais. We walked out to Artist's Point and took in the sights. Amazing geological formations, lighthouse, and the Sawtooth Mountains in the background. We stopped for a tasty meal at The Crooked Spoon Cafe.

On Tuesday we headed out to Tettegouche State Park. Although it was raining a bit, we figured we might as well give it a try. The Baptism River flows through this park and we hiked inland to see High Falls (perhaps the highest waterfall contained entirely in Minnesota). We crossed a suspension bridge over the river and hiked down to the bottom of the falls -- and back up!

































High Falls from above.

High Falls from the bottom.

Really?
More steps?










Tettegouche Park had other trails along Lake Superior. Watch for the next post that will have pictures of the bluffs. And we saw so many mushrooms, ferns, moss, and berries that we'll have to have one posting just for those pictures!!

Vacation - part one

Here are a few highlights of our vacation.

Beginning with a stop in Duluth on Sunday afternoon. Just as we arrived the rain stopped and a ship was scheduled to depart. We heard the Aerial Lift Bridge being raised and headed for the canal.



Here is the coal tanker James Barker departing Duluth into Lake Superior.

















From Duluth we headed north to the shore and our room at Cove Point Lodge. Here's a view from our deck.










The next morning we headed for Judge CR Magney State Park - about 60 miles north of the lodge. We hiked through the woods to see Devil's Kettle Falls.



Did I mention that the hike involved over 200 steps?












































































Lower Falls of the Brule River.


























The Brule River flows through the park and at this point it splits. Half runs down the Upper Falls and the other half enters this cauldron (Devil's Kettle) and disappears. It is presumed that some of the water goes into an underground waterway and some reappears in a pool below, but the point of entry remains a mystery!









Oh yeah, did I mention there were a lots of steps!

Home Again, Home Again

We're home from a wonderful vacation. Ahhhhhhhhhh.... 5 days and 4 nights on the North Shore, a day in Minneapolis and another day and a half with Travis, Lisa and Aubrey. We took almost 400 photos so we'll have to pick a few to post. Right now we're catching up on yard work, laundry, groceries, and neighborhood gossip. Good to be home.

BBQ Feast

Well this evening we hosted the BBQ Feast that was purchased at the Youth Fundraiser Auction at our church. Dan and Sandy, Lee and Jane, and Bruce and Colleen were the lucky winners and Wayne cooked up a literal feast for them. He smoked 4 racks of baby back ribs, 2 whole chickens, and a beef brisket. He started this morning by covering the meat with a dry rub. At about noon he put it in the smoker and kept watch over it all afternoon. He also made baked beans and a homemade bbq sauce. I made potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, and a creamy lemonade frozen pie. We got one picture of all the meat cooking....after that it got too busy for taking pictures. :(

We enjoyed a nice evening of food, wine and conversation. No one left hungry!! Now we will pack our bags, hit the hay, and really get started on vacation in the morning!!! woo hoo!

The Week in Review

Its been a busy week and the pace continues. Wayne started vacation on Monday. We had friends over for supper and had a great time. I worked all day Tuesday and then we headed to Aberdeen Tuesday evening. My mother had joint replacement surgery on her shoulder Wednesday morning. Thankfully that all went well and she is home recovering. We visited family and friends. We enjoyed a supper with Ruth and Joe and Wayne spent some time trying to help get some adaptations done at their new home. We came back to Watertown last night (Friday).

Today we are getting ready for a BBQ feast. 3 couples will be coming over for supper. We'll post some pictures of that later. But first ... here's an amusing picture of the "stat" sheet that Grandma Irene keeps. She tracks all the MLB teams. Keeps her 90 year old mind sharp!

donuts, etc.

Law enforcement folks participating in a donut eating contest on National Night Out this past Thursday.

Redlin Summer Celebration

Today we spent the afternoon at the big Redlin Summer Celebration here in Watertown on the lawn of the Redlin Art Center. Wayne was asked to offer a prayer for those serving in the military as part of the tribute to America. Later in the evening Sawyer Brown was expected to play, but we bugged out. The sound system wasn't that good unfortunately. The weather sure did clear up nicely after a heavy rain shower in the morning.


Quite an honor for Wayne to be asked to pray.... the crowd was expected to be around 10,000.

Wayne on stage in the orange shirt.



Hard to get a picture of the crowd. It wrapped around the building.

Spicy Green Beans

One of my projects this weekend. I pickled green beans from the garden with dill, garlic, and jalapeno. One jalapeno per jar. Should have a kick!!