We visited his brother and sister-in-law Ben and Kat in Madison, Wisconsin. What a great town! Madison has the largest farmers' market in the country, surrounded by the capitol building rotunda.
Truly extraordinary. The city center is built on a peninsula in the middle of a large glacial lake. Madison has lots of green spaces, public transportation, and many dairy and produce farms nearby. And impressive mini-golf course, too. Good stuff!
Next we visited the Twin Cities where we saw many dear friends from college. Minnesota is a truly beautiful state, with its farmlands in the south, woods and grasslands in the center, and incredible rocky forests in the Boundary Waters. I love Minnesota. I appreciate Minneapolis/St. Paul slightly less, because of the lack of urban/transportation planning which makes it necessary to spend much of one's time traversing the interstate rings around the cities. Minneapolis has a new light rail but their pulic transportation isn't sophisticated enough to be usable, yet. Sadly. That being said, Minnesotans are good left-leaning people, the towns and cities remain vibrant, the lakes are beautiful, and the soil is fertile. Plus, so many people that I love are there. It's a good place. Here's N swimming in Long Lake near Minneapolis.
Next we drove up to -- oh delight! -- the College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, where Nick and I met. We went to school in central Minnesota between cornfields, cow paddys, forests, and lakes. Our university has approximately one acre of land per student. In accordance with the Benedictine value of hospitality, the monks of St. John's Abbey built a new Guesthouse on the edge of Lake Sagatagan, with Breuer-esqe architecture and breezy views of St. John's woods. Nick, Amber and I had a wonderful time reliving college memories and creating new ones. Lots of time lake-side.
A cheap pitcher of Linie's' beer in 'The Midi': Teresa kicked ass in pool. Gut-busting lunch at 'the Reefer' (university refectory). Fond farewells.
Our last stop was in Northeastern Minnesota to Battle Lake, where Nick's Uncle, Aunt and cousins live. One of Nick's cousins is also his Goddaughter. It was a delight to visit with them, especially considering his aunt owns a successful local bakery in this tiny town. She does a great business and people travel far to purchase her dougnuts and breads. One interesting thing about her bakery is that she has it open only in the summertime, as the Minnesota winter is too harsh and business would slack off during this time. Climate affects so much of the local economy!
Nick and I are pondering where we might like to settle down to live someday. A region such of this, so rich in glacial water, seems a healthy and sustainable place. We're acutely aware of how global climate change will affect this continent, and horticulturists already see the desert creeping Northward. We'll choose fresh water, thank you. . .
Soon we're off to explore a bit of New Jersey and NYC. I'll keep you posted!
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