I found out Friday night that my old dad was going to be the grand marshall of the Lion's Club parade in the sleepy little town of Wabasso in southwestern Minnesota on Saturday.  So Kasey and Jayvyn and Angie and I headed out to my hometown, population 750,  to celebrate this honor with him.

As luck would have it, it rained.  It rained and rained and rained through the whole darned parade.  But that didn't stop us from enjoying it,  and it looks like some of the units in the parade didn't mind too much either.

My favorite unit in the parade was the Drum Corps.  They were awesome and it was hard to stand still while they played their cadences.  I wasn't the only one who was feeling the beat!

I saw the biggest tractor I've ever seen in my life, pulling something gigantic I wasn't familiar with.  And even though we are in rural Minnesota, the times keep on changing and that includes agriculture.  It sure wasn't my dad's little old Minneapolis Moline taking up most of the street and barely making it around the corners.

We were located at the tail end of the parade and by the time they got this far, some of the little ones were starting to wilt in the rain. They were really pretty good sports.  All in all, we had a great, wet time.

 I  recently visited with my best friend, Cindy, who I've known since junior high.  Back then, she had just moved to Wabasso from Colorado Springs and was looking for a friend.  She says she thought I was fascinating (I'm adequate) because I had on these huge, cream colored patent leather loafers with a gold chain across the top, and she had never seen anything like them before.  Nor had anyone else.  Cindy evaluates people by their shoes.

Every so often, we like to hop in the car and look at the local attractions in the western end of the Minnesota River Valley.  We started out at the Millinery Shop at Pioneer Village (aka Historic Chippewa City) in Montevideo, Minnesota where we discussed which kind of hat would have best suited us.  I said I saw myself in the Roaring 20's hanging out with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and Cindy said she would have been a Gibson Girl.

Some people just refuse to grow up and evidently Cindy is one of them - which is probably why we have so much fun when we're together. 

 At the vintage post office I watched while Cindy committed a federal offense.  I saw her take someone else's mail out of the mailbox and read it.  It was very old mail, but still . . .

When she thought I wasn't paying attention, I caught her sneaking up the stairs in one of the historic houses and peeking into the attic (though this is not recommended and now we're probably in trouble).  And just so you don't have to do the same thing, I'll enlighten you.  There's storage up there.

She wasn't too bad at the school house, except that she made me be the teacher.  Cindy actually is a teacher.  She's half a year older than me, and therefore, she thinks she's the boss of me.  For the record, no one is.  Well, my mom.

Just think how much fun a kid would have here!  I mean, we're grown ups and we had an awesome time.  There are more pictures of the Pioneer Village posted in the Minnesota River Valley photo album.

It’s our official first full week of summer and man has it finally felt like summer.  A really exciting thing happened this month when a new wind distribution study was released June 16 on the Minnesota Department of Commerce website.  This study shows that 600 MW of renewable energy sourcs could be put in place by using the existing grid.  (Take a look at the study.)

If you are really interested in this or other local energy projects or have questions, there will be an informational meeting this Friday in Montevideo at the ChippewaCounty Courthouse in the Assembly Room from 9 a.m. to Noon.  But, please RSVP online with this link.

 This weekend is the 2008 Riverfest in Dawson, MN.  There will be exciting actives all weekend.  Friday CURE will be providing Kayak rides from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Veteran’s Park.  Also there will be a 5K run, Gnome Donuts, free root beer floats, Jazz with Ross and Pete and FIREWORKS!  Much, Much more for Saturday and Sunday too!

See ya this weekend down by the RIVER,

Brooke Herling

CURE Organizer

 http://www.curemnriver.org/

I recently took a trip to my parent's farm near tiny Wabasso in southwestern Minnesota and I couldn't have had a better time.  First of all, not too far outside of the Twin Cities on Highway 212 the air began to smell fresh and I could see there were hay bales and acres of cut alfalfa along the road.  Sweet.

I spent the morning with my very dear friends, Monica and Luci, who I've known forever.  Monica and I have great-grandparents in common and we know we're related because we can both touch our noses with our tongues. 

 Monica was complaining about how the sumac she got from Melanie is growing out of control.  Once, when Monica and I were visiting the cemetery on a Memorial Day, she looked around and said, "Dang!  I wish I would have brought my spade along!"  Pretty creepy, right?   But she had seen a clump of sumac and wanted to dig some up to plant in her yard.  The graves were safe.  So why is she complaining now??

Out at my parent's farm, I sat in the gazebo with my mom and we watched a doe with her spotted baby walk across the field on the edge of the yard.  We also watched my old dad hauling branches he had cut that morning.  He always sings when he works and if he doesn't know the words, he'll just make them up.

My dad is 91 years old (mom's much younger) but he keeps on going.  He very recently lost his sister Elvera - and she was 101! Mom is usually out there working with him, but we had a lot of visiting that had to get out of the way first.  It was a wonderful, wonderful day.

When Melanie and I pulled into Jordan, Minnesota we drove past the Nicolin Mansion B&B, and she said to me, "should we see if we can take a tour?"   I objected because I didn't want to intrude, but Melanie's philosophy is to wear down her adversaries by presenting the same proposition over and over in just a little different manner each time. 

We stopped in a couple of antique shops and then she led me down the street toward the B&B.  That's really all it took, because she knows I love architecture and this was no exception.  The yard was inviting with large, old shade trees and a fountain.

As luck would have it, the owners were working in that beautfiul yard and invited us to come in.  I guess what Melanie wants, Melanie gets.

What a stately home!  The city of Jordan is fortunate to have such grand accommodations featuring five lavish guest rooms - all with private baths. The Nicolin Mansion B&B has a rich history  and has been carefully preserved.  An overnight stay here is surely a night spent in the lap of luxury.

I was looking around their most popular guest room pictured above, and I mentioned to the proprietor that I noticed there wasn't  a TV and how do people generally entertain themselves when they stay?  Even Melanie knew the answer to that.  They come here for romance.  Duh.  Clearly it's time for me to put Steinbeck and Faulkner back on the bookshelf and pick up a couple of Melanie's trashy dime-store novels.  This is a very sad commentary on my social life. 

The Nicolin Mansion features a three course candlelight breakfast in its plush dining room and it's located within walking distance of antique shops and coffee houses.  Showing their true appreciation for the community, Mara Wallach and Terri Knox collaborated on, and published, a Historic Jordan Walking Tour through their creative services company,  The Creative Collaboration Gang, including other historic buildings in town.  A stroll around this charming community is well worth one's while.

Bill Lavin, City Manager for Granite Falls, Minnesota announced the city has been awarded a $2 million grant by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to beef up the levees along the Minnesota River which runs through the community.  This funding is in addition to about $12 million of earlier funding for the acquisition and demolition of buildings in harm's way, and the relocation of 35 families and 21 commercial businesses. The city of Granite Falls has experienced two major floods within the last 11 years.  The first flood occurred in1997 and the next in 2001, requiring 800,000 and 620,000 sandbags respectively.

Since then, a Flood Protection Project implemented by the city has resulted in the construction of a floodwall along the heart of the city's downtown business district and the demolition of a number of vulnerable buildings.  Additional buildings are slated for removal which will create a beautiful river-front view from the main thoroughfare.

In light of the current flooding along the Mississippi River in the states south of Minnesota, Granite Falls may be considered one of the premiere flood control case studies in the country.

This is going to be fun, because you see, I went back to visit Historic Chippewa City in Montevideo, Minnesota with my best friend Cindy who said she loves history, but refused to enter the building with the horse-drawn antique hearse. 

"There's a spirit in there," she said, "and if you take a picture of the casket, you're going to see an orb."  Cindy has a flair for the dramatic, but she was true to her word and wouldn't come near the thing.  I was delighted and surprised that she was right about the orb.  You can see one floating in the upper left-hand corner of the photo.  It's a faint, little bubble-like apparition.  So, I guess she was right - and she won't know it until she reads this article.

I do have a bit of a dark side.  It's nothing serious, and I certainly don't spend much time contemplating death, but I know my version of dying is a little different from a lot of folks.  I guess I don't think it's the worst thing that could happen to you.  And although I'm afraid of the process, I think once you cross over there's a big party in your honor - on both sides!

There are people I've lost that I'd love to see again.  And every year there are more of them.  But I'm not in a hurry to go.  In fact, I believe I'd better get going and get a bigger kick out of living on this side before my time is up.  I'm just better at working than playing.  Living life and having fun takes effort, and I've been a little lax in that department, but I'm willing to take it up a notch. 

Kasey entertained us with her special skills.

Kasey and Jayvyn and I took a road trip along Highway 212  this weekend (way, way west of the Twin Cities) and we noticed that there are an increasing number of antique shops and quaint coffee houses along the way.

We saw this one in Olivia on the western edge of town.  The next one we saw was in Renville.

Renville had a coffee house and more shops across the street from the antique shop pictured above.

We didn't see an antique shop in Sacred Heart, but we saw Kathy's Place, a diner in an interesting little building on the north side of 212.

And we had to photograph the old Sacred Heart Hotel on the south side of the street, because we come from the kind of women-stock that say to ourselves when we see an interesting building, "I could really do something with this place."

We saw an outdoor antique sale going on in Granite Falls at the Prairie Mercantile antique store.

We ended our trip in downtown Montevideo where we photographed the Past Reflections antique shop.

It looks like the 212 corridor, a couple of hours west of the Twin Cities, would provide a very satisying day-trip (or overnight would be even better) for antiquers looking for places not overrun by collectors.  And believe me, once you reach the Minnesota river valley near Granite Falls, the scenery alone is worth the trip.

I had the opportunity to visit Historic Chippewa City in Montevideo, Minnesota this weekend.  Chippewa City is a collection of 23 historic buildings preserved in a lovely shaded location on the edge of Montevideo, Minnesota in the gorgeous Minnesota river valley on the southwestern edge of the state along Highway 212.

It was especially fun touring Chippewa City because it was the set used for filming the movie Sweet Land, a love story from the 1920's.

The buildings are filled with antiques, giving a real flavor of life at the turn of the century.  When you mention Chippewa City to natives of southwestern Minnesota, they'll often respond fondly with their own experiences about having taken school field trips there in grade school. 

I was surprised at the cost of admission, which was a very affordable $4 for adults and only $2 for students ages 6-18.  For families looking for quality recreational experiences in Minnesota, I highly recommend this site.  And don't forget to check out charming downtown Montevideo.  It's full of nice surprises.

Vintage Postcard from the Angie Bergen Collection.

I know I've written about this CD before, and you had to take my word for it that it's all I said it was, but now you can hear for yourself.  Singer and songwriter Jerry Ostensoe from tiny Sacred Heart, Minnesota has added tracks of music to his website,   http://www.jerryostensoe.com/.  But I suggest you buy the CD and listen to my favorite song, He'll Do Better.

I suppose I feel a kinship to the music of southwestern Minnesota and the Minnesota River Valley because I'm a farm girl and I spent a lot of time visiting its museums and interpretive centers and learning about its bittersweet history. 

I'll be heading out to the sticks next weekend to see my friends Bill and Cindy in Granite Falls and maybe catch a little bit of the Western Fest taking place June 19th, 20th and 21st.  After all, a country mouse needs a good dose of the country every now and then.

Jojo came to visit from St. Joseph, Minnesota and spent a little time in my swimming pool.  This place is great.  The pool is seldom busy and I pretend it belongs to me.

Jojo decided to shed the floating devices and try swimming solo.  He didn't swallow too much water, but there were a few nerve-wracking moments. 

Afterwards, we stopped at the local grocery store for a bag of powdered donuts, because that's our thing, and followed the railroad tracks to Kasey's place.  Come back soon, Jojo - I miss you.

Postcard from the Angie Bergen Collection.

We had a heck of a storm on Saturday evening - after a gorgeous day of sun and family.  It was my scariest storm yet, since moving to the Twin Cities.  We had wind, rain and a pounding of marble-sized hail.

There were still piles of hail Sunday morning when I took a walk through the local wildlife center.  Buildings, cars, and sidewalks were plastered with leaves.  I saw trees uprooted and a car with a tree laying across it's roof.  Bummer.

It took a little extra effort to get through the paths in the wildlife reserve because of the wreckage of the storm. And since my life is pretty quiet, I have to admit I found the whole thing a little thrilling.  I could have shared the thrilling part much better if the batteries in my camera hadn't died!  You'll have to take my word for it.