We didn't have an appointment, and luck wasn't with, us when Melanie and I discovered the Welch Trading Post in southeastern Minnesota, but we'd be willing to try again.  We pressed our noses up against the window to get an idea of what treasures were waiting inside. 

We got a big kick out of the innovation of the proprietors.  Now, I haven't met the owners, but I have a feeling I'd like them.  I suspect, by the mousetrap cardholder pictured above, that they lean toward quirky.  And who doesn't like that?

We also appreciated the self-serve firewood business nearby which counts on the honesty of its customers.  It made me feel good about myself.  You know, because if I were buying wood, I would be completely honest about paying for it.  I'm pretty sure.

I'll tell you where we were lucky, though.  We hit the jackpot when we ordered the Reuben soup at the Trout Scream Cafe.  Zowie.  It was an amazing concoction of beef broth, cream, sauer kraut, caraway seeds, and onions all simmered together, then topped with a square of toasted rye bread with swiss cheese melted over the top.  I ordered only a cup of it, but you can bet your sweet, uh, whatever, that I'll be ordering a big bowl of it next time!

Now here's a town that knows how to make you feel welcome!  I mean, look at the smile on that dog's face.  The whole town gets in on the act.  I had never seen Welch, Minnesota before, but I thoroughly enjoyed the drive there.  The twisting, turning descent into the valley reminded me of Vermont.  Wonderful!

Welch is a precious little burg, smack-dab on the Cannon River.  We ate at the Trout Scream Cafe, and even the other out-of-town guests there greeted us like old friends. 

It looks like the Cannon River provides a livelihood to the local residents, what with canoeing and tubing on the river,  and snow-skiing just down the road at Welch Village Ski Resort. 

It's hard to come up with the right words for a little town like this.  Charming, sweet, magical.  Oh heck, just get out the Thesaurus and come up with a few words on your own . . .

Cambodian Temple Near Hampton, MN

I've posted a new video from a road trip Melanie and I took through Southeast Minnesota in the Red Wing area.  The variety of things we saw was astounding.  I'm grateful to guitarist Edward Klamm for providing the soundtrack.  Ed is a song-writer and instructor in the Twin Cities.  Click here to view the video and wonder, just like Melanie and I did, "Am I really in Minnesota?"

Stay safe on the roads today!

It's been a long winter.  I mean, a really long winter.  People are getting blue!  I don't remember such enduring and oppressive cold snaps in the past - and I've  been around for a while.  I'm back to longing for a visit on a porch with a stout cup of coffee.  Well, I don't mean I would be talking to a cup of coffee.  That would be silly.  I'd just like to have a stout cup of coffee in my hands while I visit with a friend.  The friend could be stout.  That would be ok.

Even now, I can imagine how the air would smell.  And don't you just love new leaves, all shy and barely peeking out?  And those noisy birds who just won't shut up, even though it's only four in the morning? That would be ok too.  For now.

I guess it's alright to get restless.  I mean, Minnesota and weather isn't just about temperatures.  It's about thrills.  I've never wanted to live anywhere else.  But come on Mother Nature.  Snow is just so yesterday.