Minnehaha Falls!



We had already scheduled our 2+ days in Minnesota with lots of family and friends, but at the last minute, we added one more stop.  On our way out of town, before the long drive back to Illinois, we stopped at Minnehaha Falls.  This gorgeous site is part of the inspiration of Longfellow's poem, "The Song of Hiawatha".  These falls occurs near the end of Minnehaha Creek, before it flows into Lake Hiawatha - and all of that is within the city limits of Minneapolis, along with 8 other lakes!  Seeing the falls was refreshing, invigorating, and - nostalgic.  Scott and I used to go here when we were dating...just a few years ago.



You can't make up stuff like this!  While in Minnesota, we were driving a state highway, through lots of small towns. All of a sudden, Scott says - "look at that guy, walking a chicken!". I told him to slow down so I could take a picture.  Turns out, he wasn't walking a chicken, he was trying to catch it!  (apparently there is a Rocky reference about such a feat, but I wasn't aware of it) This was being watched by the man's friends, who all thought this was pretty funny!



One of our hosts for the visit is Mick (on the right), one of the ever-young Hudson brothers.  Can you tell they are related? We had a great time visiting with Mick and my sister-in-law, Marlys.



The main purpose of our trip was visiting Scott's mom, Maurine.  She is our last surviving parent, and gets special care at Avera Morningside Heights in Marshall.  She held our hands, gave kisses, and told us she loved us. Wish we could see her more often.  Every time we see her is so special.

A perfect day!



We started our perfect day by walking by Lake Calhoun, in south Minneapolis.  How many cities have 9 lakes within the city limits?  Citizens of Minneapolis take full advantage - walking, jogging, swimming, sailing, paddleboating, we saw it all. Being there made me nostalgic, so many memories flooding back from when I used to live there.




Another beautiful lake is Lake of the Isles, so named because there are several islands in the lake, which you can enjoy as you canoe or kayak by.  So peaceful, you can hear the birds chirping, and it smells so green there. Hard to believe you are in a large city!




Sooo happy to visit with one of my mentors, my high school band director!  My bff, Karen (on the right), met us for dinner, and then we all headed over to northeast Minneapolis to see Faye Anne.  F.A. said that seeing us was a "shot in the arm".  I couldn't have said it better myself.  She's still her peppy, wonderful self.



Our next stop was to "visit" my mom and dad.  Don't be sad, they both lived long, productive, and wonderful lives.  Just wanted to stop by and pay our respects. 



And how wonderful to visit our special friends, Michele and Philippe.  They are originally from France, and Michele makes the kind of dinners you don't easily forget! Partially because of the cooking, but maybe more so because of their wonderful, interesting, and entertaining personalities. We knew them when I worked with Philippe in Chicago; they retired to Minneapolis to be near two of their three children - and to see their grandchildren, of course!   They visited them and fell in love with the vibrant, beautiful city that is Minneapolis.  (more nostalgia...)


Philippe was not feeling his best that day, with back problems, but that did not diminish his spark at the dinner table. Knowing them has added so much to our lives - it is special indeed to pay a visit on Philippe and Michele!