I tend to judge a book by its cover.  I do.  If the color is too bright, or too dark, I tend to leave it on the shelf.  On the other hand, if I see a book with a vintage photo on the cover, I am likely to pick it up.  If that vintage photo features folks from Minnesota, I am likely to have a hard time putting it down.  That was my experience when I saw Historic Photos of Minnesota by writer and documentary filmmaker Susan Marks.  The cover is a photo of young women from the University of Minnesota playing hockey - badly.  It's fun and lighthearted. 

O.K.   Here's why you can't judge a book by its cover.  I snuggled into bed with my new book expecting a lighthearted account of the history of our state.  But, history isn't lighthearted!  Just pages into the book, I found myself staring at the shell-shocked expressions on the faces of women and children caught in the aftermath of the Dakota conflict of 1862.   Another turn of the page and I came upon the concentration camp where the Dakota were detained after the conflict.  It's a beautiful photo of tepees settled in a mist on the Minnesota River beneath Fort Snelling.  The ethereal setting is deceiving.

Marks has divided the book into five eras beginning with the settlement of Europeans and working its way through the development of infrastructure and the discovery of natural resources, through the roaring twenties, the great depression, a couple of wars and on to the present.  It's clear Marks took her time collecting a balanced group of photos reflecting women and children in our state story, as well as men. 

Vintage Photo Hanging in the Commodore Hotel Dining Room in Saint Paul. (Not in the book)

Oh, there are fun photos to be sure in this 200 page book.  One photo of ice being harvested for storage reminded me of this old guy I knew back in Wabasso, Minnesota.  He said he used to help harvest ice from Daub's lake, a small body of water on the southern edge of my parent's farm.  He said at the end of a long night of drinking at the local bar, it wasn't unusual to be staring into a drink and have a minnow staring back at you.

An hour and a half past my bedtime, I closed my book.  Satisfied.  I can't wait to show this book to my old dad.  He's going to love it!

Cover from the program of an exhibit of Kramer paintings hosted at SSU, Marshall

On Episode 13, Melanie and I deliver a painting by Arnold Kramer, also known as Minnesota's Grandpa Moses, to the Minnesota Historical Society where we get a chance to interview Fine Arts Curator, Brian Szott.

This episode include the first part of the interview about the evolution of art in Minnesota.  This is a much more fascinating story than I had imagined.  We find out that the creators of the Minnesota Historical Society's collection of artwork are as interesting as their work.

Music by Edward Klamm of Minneapolis, and Rick Jensen who grew up in Wabasso, Minnesota, the same rural community Arnold Kramer painted in.

Click here to listen.

Temperance Poster from the late 1800's,

Ah, the battle of the bottle, or the bulge, or the one-armed bandit, or  . . .  

I've been in recovery for over 15 years and I have the privilege of living in a state that is one of the most recovery-friendly in the nation.  We've got treatment centers, like Hazelden, which have served addicts from around the country.  There is a huge community of grateful folks in recovery from alcohol, drugs, over-eating, co-dependency, shopping, gambling - oh gosh, all kinds of things that we recovered from by belonging to a group and supporting one another.  It's a program of we.

The former John Washburn Family Estate on 1st Avenue South in Minneapolis, now affectionately referred to as simply 2218, could just as well be the address of a hospital, for all the lives it has saved.  My friend, Angie, and I heard there were going to be some old-timers speaking there one Saturday afternoon recently, so we slid into the back row at the meeting to hear their stories.  We started to understand that the twelve-step program didn't start out on an even keel and it took a lot of mis-steps and give and take before it became the model of recovery it is today.

I didn't really know what to expect, but you can imagine our delight when we found that areas of this grand old home have been preserved and retain the luster of a by-gone era.  Now you're talking.

A portrait B. Patrick Cronin, one of the founders of the Alano Society 

I stood in awe, soaking up the spirit of 2218, thanking my Higher Power for providing a place where flawed individuals like myself can learn coping skills and experience enormous spiritual growth by following the examples of others.   My biggest lesson from the twelve steps?  Oh, I don't know.  Maybe that other people think my blunders are pretty funny, and sharing them can get a good laugh.  And,  I'll never have to worry about running out of material!  Click here for information about recovery in Minnesota.

My fellow folk blogger, Audrey Kletcsher Helbling, came to the rescue today.  (No that's not her in the photo).  After posting an article about the Hermann Monument this morning without actually posting a photo of it, Audrey saw my dilemma and sent me an email with a variety to choose from.  Thank you Audrey.  It's nice to know you've got my back. (Insert high-five here.)

While Melanie and I were interviewing Terry Sveine, Manager of the New Ulm CVB, we got to hear the history of why Hermann has a huge monument in New Ulm, Minnesota and why his memory will be commemorated by the community on the weekend of September 18th. 

Alas, the interview was lost due to operator error, but I was able to snap a few photos showing preparation for this event.  On special occasions, when I was a little kid, my parents would load up the old green station wagon with us kids and haul us to New Ulm, singing all the way.  I've Been Working on the Railroad and It Ain't Gonna Rain No More, No More. . .

Anyway, we always stopped at the Hermann Monument, Hermann's Heights my dad called it, and we'd wear ourselves out climbing to the top of this incredibly huge monument.  I suppose my folks wanted us good and worn-out for the long trip home.

I feel bad that I didn't get a photo of the monument, itself, but New Ulm has so many places to visit, Melanie and I ended up burning daylight faster than we intended.  We have no option but to come back.  And maybe this time I can get an interview with Terry that will actually air on Minnesota Country Mouse Radio.  This guy knows a lot of stuff!

Polis on facebook

 Midwest Mix Magazine is carrying a feature article about an up-and-coming band from New Ulm, Minnesota. Melanie and I heard about them when we were visiting their fair community.  These guys are good!  It's worth registering with facebook to hear the song, No Point in Sleeping. 

The September/October edition of Midwest Mix Magazine is now online and on magazine stands across southern Minnesota.

On our way out of town, after a great visit at Viegel's Kaiserhoff with the New Ulm CVB manager, Terry Sveine, Melanie and I came upon an unexpected treat.  We were winding our way through the streets of New Ulm, somewhat reluctant to leave, when Melanie urged me to grab my camera.

  She saw them before I did.  A team of big ol' dapple-gray horses backing a white carriage into a carriage house which was located in a neighborhood with big, fine, vintage houses and trees settled comfortably on the edge of the river valley.  They were far less impressed with me than I was with them.

When I got back in the car and we rounded the corner, we found that the carriage house belonged to The Bohemian, a bed and breakfast.  Well, that's just perfect. 

What a great place for a wedding or other celebration that would include a ride in a stately white carriage pulled by a team of lovely horses around a neighborhood that just plain feels good!

Monica's sumac.

Episode 12 celebrates rural Minnesota and the beauty of farms. I take a trip to the Historic Swensson farm in Chippewa County at the west end of the Minnesota River Valley, which is rumored to be haunted.

I visit the family farm where I hear coyotes howling for the first time.  And we visit Jim's Apple Farm along Highway 169 where the "pies are baking when the lite is on."

Music by  Garrigan's Quarrel of Wabasha, Jerry Ostensoe of Sacred Heart, Edward Klamm of Minneapolis, and Rick Jensen, formerly of Wabasso, Minnesota.

Click here to listen.

I'd be hard pressed to tell you what my favorite experience was while visiting New Ulm in the Minnesota River Valley, but I know visiting Sven and Ole's Books was near the top. 

Hailing from Minnesota, my friend, Melanie, and I were fairly certain we were going to enjoy whatever Sven and Ole's had to offer.  For me, it was the discovery of two Anne Tyler books to add to my collection, and for Melanie, it was a copy of Wanda Gag's book, Million's of Cats, a classic for kids.  I think Captain Kangaroo read it on his TV show when I was little.  (Click here to hear his theme song.)

Now, are you ready for the really good part of this story?  Wanda Gag grew up just a few blocks away in a truly lovely house that you can tour. The Gag's charming house looks like the kind of place that would foster creativity. 

We had to visit it!  According to her biography, Wanda's life was not as fortunate as the architecture would imply.  There were bumps in the road.

Visiting hours are fairly limited and we missed them, so we walked around the outside and admired how impeccably the Wanda Gag house has been preserved. 

Now this is the way I like to experience history.  It was like a little bit of time-travel. 

Every once in a while Melanie and I will meet someone, on our travels, who makes us take stock of our lives to see if we're doing everything we can with what God gave us.  I would say the answer for me would be, "not yet."  Well, that's what we experienced when we wandered into New Ulm Art, a brand new business located near the New Ulm Visitor's Center in New Ulm, Minnesota

I was looking at the artwork near the front of the building and I said to Melanie, "That Curt Schultz is pretty good."  I had no idea Curt was the proprietor of New Ulm Art and creator of every intricate piece of art in there.  He does quite a variety of artwork, all of it in great detail.  Here's the inspiring part of Curt's story.  He's been paraplegic since he broke his neck in a car crash in 1984.  He is also a Vietnam Veteran and former musician.  Zowie.

Curt is just so darned humble about his accomplishments, you gotta love him.  He began studying the great masters after his accident and took his inspiration from them.  As I wandered around his studio trying to take in the variety of work he does, I found a display of cut-out buildings perfect for a Christmas village.

Curt has garnered awards for his artwork and some of it has been displayed  at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in New York City.  New York City! 

New Ulm Art is open 11 A.M. till 7 P.M. Monday through Saturday. 

Eager to share my own creative endeavors with Curt, I brazenly marched behind his counter and added Minnesota Country Mouse Folk Blog to his "favorites" on the computer.  With the help of his sister, Curt will be launching a website.  That Curt.  You gotta love him.

During our visit along the east side of the Mississippi River, Melanie and I stopped at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin, Wisconsin where we were advised to dine at the Harbor View Restaurant which sits on the shore of the mighty Mississippi.  Our guide at the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum was none other than a Chinese princess named Kwomg Yem Han.  (This is the kind of surprise that puts the icing on the cake of our travels.)

We were pretty excited because the princess said this restaurant was even mentioned in the New York Times.  Well!

We started the meal with borscht, which is a cold beet soup.  Mel wasn't so sure about ordering it, but I had forged ahead with placing the order, so what was she going to do?  It was nicely seasoned with rosemary.  I like rosemary because it reminds me of the late love of my life who knew his food.  "Ed," I would say to him. "Talk food to me."

Then he would rattle off all sorts of culinary phrases and ingredients you don't normally hear out on the farm.  But I digress.  The Harbor View restaurant in Pepin, Wisconsin is noted for making all of their meals from scratch.  And you can taste it.  Yum-mee!

We left the restaurant happy as a couple of clams with plans for dessert somewhere down the road a piece.  We hate to put our entire meal in one basket.  We're always searching for the perfect bite to go with a stout cup of coffee.

I had the opportunity to meet Charlie and Michele Quast, co-owners of the Fieldstone Vineyards, in 2007 when they discovered they had an original Arnold Kramer painting in their possession, and hosted a well-attended art show featuring a collection of his paintings that September. 

Painting of the Quast Farmsite by Arnold Kramer aka "MN's Grandpa Moses"

Well, recently editor Edell Fielder and her sister, Ashley Quinn, paid their own visit to the vineyard and Edell shares their experience in a feature article published in the premiere issue of Midwest Mix Magazine.

Pick up a copy of Midwest Mix Magazine at newsstands in southern Minnesota communities.  I know this is going to sound strange, but you're going to love the way this magazine feels in your hands.It's published on the kind of top quality paper that is intended to stick around for a while.  It's one of the best free magazines I've come across.  You can also sign up for an online subscription at http://www.midwestmixmagazine.com/.