On our way to see family, and vacation, in Wisconsin, we visited Minnesota... Geoff and I, with William, Alex, Bambi, Max, and Maria. And this is how the first day went...
We'd gone directly from the airport to the house we rented, in the dark, but now, in the light of day, standing in the darling ironing room, I knew I was in serious danger of falling in love, all over again, with Minneapolis, and I hadn't even begun to look around, head outdoors. Everyone else was in varying stages of waking, and I decided to head outdoors. If Geoff didn't want me to get too attached to the Midwest, maybe he shouldn't have left me unattended.
I took pictures of bunnies, driveways, garages, flowers, porches, trees, tree canopies, tree trunks. And then, before going another block, I forced myself to think of something, anything, to get a grip: Ticks. Mosquitos. Chiggers. And snow.
This neighborhood... the bakery, the bookshop, and
Excuse me.
Long pause.
I think if I'd known that the toy store was closing June 30, 2019, I would have seriously toyed with the idea of traveling to Minneapolis, again. It's like I was saying, there are places, a street or town, that make me feel like I am going home, make me emotional, homesick. This was the neighborhood I came to as a young mother. Getting acquainted with a new state, and city, with a newborn, and winter... my favorite indulgence was walking out of the cold and into the bakery, buying produce at the co-op, and looking forward to play and toys, to all the days and adventures ahead, with William. We would visit UU services at Lake Harriet Church, and I can still pinpoint the dream houses I wished were ours. I feel an attachment to the neighborhood and shops, to the daydreams I had, the wishes I made, and the bit of home that grew when we were there. Right. Well, this helps me give this some perspective, because I feel a bit silly crying over a closed toy store... it's the nostalgia and happy memories of time spent there, my hopes and ideals of parenting, and time with my first born. *sigh*
Next, we headed to the Mississippi River, to cross the Stone Arch Bridge, see the lights on the water, the old flour mills, the locks, St Anthony Falls. By sheer luck, we were in town during the Pride parade, and a Diner en Blanc. The entire span of the old bridge was a banquet, a gone-viral, secret dinner, where thousands of guests pop up and dine together! It was a wonderful scene to come upon. And from our vantage point, a beautiful view of the rainbow Pride lights on the St Anthony Bridge, and reflected on the Mississippi River.
Lucky for us, Fat Lorenzos is open late... Friendly service and good eats.
(This post was back-blogged on July 30, 2019.)
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