a special visit

We have just had a fabulous weekend with these 3---

Dan, Jessica, Sage

They are on a vacation road trip from the far reaches of Montana to West Virginia, with a couple of stops in between.  It's wonderful to have "my boy" back home, and it's nice to have him settled back into his spot here, however briefly.  And to have a chance to meet and know Jessica for more than just a moment was perfect!  And Sage is like the "cherry on top"!  Such a calm and patient dog.  She's very quiet, not barky at all!

Dan hadn't been here for a couple of years (we've been together in other places over that time) so there was some reminiscing to do and that was augmented by the fact that we sat down to sort through some of his old things that remained stashed here for quite awhile.  We set aside the things that were important for him to keep but couldn't go with him right now, and found a good bit of stuff for the garbage and donation.

We did some sight-seeing and visiting places both new and familiar--

We wanted to visit the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis.  But we discovered that it is not open to the public and very much under construction!  This picture is taken from the footbridge that connects to Loring Park, so we could still see a bit of the cherry and spoon amidst the rubble.  We will have to designate a time to visit about a year from now when it's finished!

We walked around Loring Park, a great little urban oasis.  Then down to the Uptown area of the city to walk and explore places like LynnLake Brewery and shops on Hennepin before crossing the river to St. Paul for the Surly Brewery experience.  That's a fun place to visit, and we had some real good brisket there along with a couple of beer selections.

We did some biking/roller blading around the neighborhood and gave Sage a run.  And then we made another little field trip to Pine Tree Apple Orchard (which was a very popular place to be on a sunny fall weekend) and found this wonderful tall corn that's part of their corn maze.  This corn patch must be on a fertile spot, because it was looking very healthy!  Dan is over 6 feet tall, so these were some good-sized stalks!

Much sooner than we wanted, it was time for them to pile back into their car and continue on down the road.  I hope they have a wonderful and safe trip, and plan to come back again, sooner than 2 years!

The witches are flying

The witchy ladies are flying on out of here--finally! This quilt isn't huge but sure seemed to stretch on for a long time due to many interruptions. Of course, the interruptions were for some very fun and important things, like weekends away and visits from kids and wedding showers! So here is the quilt:

And here is a glimpse at the shower:

Brita and Molly, who hosted the shower and is the Maid of Honor

Grandma Sally, Aunt Ruth and Grandma Ruth

It was nice enough to enjoy the backyard, which was gorgeous with all the flowers planted there. Even though it was a very hot and muggy weekend, we needed the outdoor space to have all the guests seated for brunch. This was a combined group of high school friends, college friends and family from all over, all together in one smashing party for Brita. I was amazed at all the beautiful and generous gifts that were shared, what a testament to the love and support for Ben and Brita as they build their life together. Thank you so much to Molly, Katie, Barb and all the others who helped out, I really appreciate all the time and effort. The shower was followed by a night out in Minneapolis for the bride and 6 bridesmaids, of which no pictures will be shared! I did accompany them for awhile to serve as photographer and cheerleader, but I have no idea of what happened after I excused myself about 6:00 and that's the way it should be! They are a fantastic group of friends and truly wonderful people, all living positive and productive lives. Can it get any better than that??!! Oh wait, yes, I get to see them all again in October!