Happy Halloween!

It is Halloween Day here in chilly Minnesota, 37F this afternoon, just the right chill in the air for those trick-or-treaters tonight! We woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground by Lake Linde this morning, just enough to remind us that winter was on the way.

We bundled up and headed out to the nearby community of Malmo (along the eastern edge of Mille Lacs Lake) where Bethesda Lutheran Church (ELCA) was having their holiday bazaar. WOW! What a great church community they have there and the bazaar was so well-run and stocked with goodies of all sorts (and great prices, too!). We were happy to browse and made a few purchases and enjoyed a delicious lunch made by the church ladies.

Charles struck up a conversation with a gentleman at the table where we were eating lunch who was wearing a sweatshirt with a US Army Special Forces logo. It turned out that Mr. Richard Hendrickson was a retired Army Sergeant Major (with 35 years) and had several tours of duty as a Green Beret in Vietnam. If we'd had more time, the stories he could have shared!!!

We headed next to Crosby where we stopped at Northwoods Florist (Belinda had gotten a certificate from there on Wednesday's KKIN radio auction). A delightful time of looking at their selection and a purchase of a just right item and we were off again, bound for Brainerd and Caribou Coffee! On the drive to Crosby, we passed through Deerwood where we were surprised and happy to see that proper precautions had been taken with the town mascot!

We're looking forward to getting that extra hour of sleep tonight!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELINDA!

Rainy day in Aitkin

It is hard to believe that just Tuesday, it was 53 and sunny here in Minnesota! The rain arrived late last evening/early this morning and has continued unabated all day long. The first picture was taken as we were leaving the cabin this morning. What a beautiful drive it is from the cabin into the town of Aitkin, around 7 miles away. We just had an email from Belinda's brother, Rob, who shared a picture with us of the 14 inches of snow they have today in Monument, Colorado. Still, as the one of the counter ladies at The Beanery said to us, "At least it isn't ten degrees and snow!"

We did make it to the Angels Dance thrift store before coming to The Beanery to pick up some more previously viewed videos and used books. We've been doing a lot of reading at the cabin since there is no Internet or tv. Watching the occasional old movie helps to pass the quiet evenings now that the Loons have gone south for the winter!

Back in Aitkin (MN)

After driving to Finland (MN) and back yesterday (nearly 400 miles), we are taking it easier today on an overcast day in Aitkin. Belinda had a lot of fun taking part in the local radio station's Radio Auction. Every Wednesday morning, "KKIN" has a really fun call-in radio auction. There are some GREAT DEALS to be add... just for the bidding!

Among her purchases was a pair of tickets to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater (just west of The Cities.) We'll be going to see a performance of Nunset BLVD., another installment in the Nunsense series next month.

We did have some visitors to the cabin this morning, some of the neighborhood squirrels stopped by for a snack and paused long enough to have thier picture taken. We have also seen numerous deer in the area of the cabin including a buck last evening with a nice rack. Yesterday on our drive to Finland we counted five bald eagles (not all at once!). It is really a majestic sight to see these creatures on the wing!

To Finland and back again!

We have been places today! We set off late this morning from the cabin on Lake Linde, bound for far-off FINLAND (Minnesota, that is!)!!! We had heard about this tiny hamlet north of Duluth when looking at information about St. Urho (the patron saint of Finland).

It was a delightful drive north from Aitkin, through Duluth and up along the shore of Lake Superior. The lake was breath-taking, so blue and so BIG! We turned inland shortly after passing the town of Two Harbors and reached Finland in time for lunch. Finland is located on the Baptism River and the scenery reminded us, as it likely did the early settlers, of the old country. A yummy burger awaited us at "Our Place" and then it was time to pose for pictures in front of the totem of St. Urho.

Continuing along Minnesota's highway 1, we came to the town of Ely and then continued on toward Virginia and finally into Grand Rapids where we paused long enough to make this blog entry!

Whoray for Monday!

It is a cloudy and chilly Monday here in Aitkin, but we are staying warm here at The Beanery!

We stopped by earlier at the parsonage and chatted with Leon and Judy. We enjoyed having lunch with them at the Beanery. It made for a nice break in the afternoon, before they headed out to the cabin to make it ready for the coming winter!

Another Rainy Sunday in Minnesota

We have so enjoyed the weather here in Minnesota! Yes, even the rainy days and nights have been a real blessing for us at the cabin.

We got up this morning and headed into Aiktin and worshipped at the First Congregational Church (UCC). A lovely group of people: They made up for in spirit what they lacked in number.

We decided to have brunch at the Sons of the American Legion's omelet event, and it was easy to see why attendance at area churches was so low today. Everyone was at the Legion building -- eating! Belinda and I could not even finish one omlette, and we ended up sharing with our friends Leon and Judy, who couldn't attend the event.

We went to Brainerd and attended a training session offered through the Big Waters District of the Minnesota Conference (of the United Methodist Church). The training is designed to help pastors and churches develop ministry action plans.

Lazy Saturday at the Cabin

After the bustle of the past couple of days, we decided to spend a quality day at the cabin. It was nice listening to a football game on the radio (Ohio State vs. Minnesota), while reading and working on correspondence. The leaves that have fallen (and continue to do so) reveal more and more of the lake each day. It will be interesting to see how long we are here and just how clear a view we'll end up with!

We went into town to see the community theater production of "Tom, Dick, and Harry," an English comedy. What a crazy play! It was fun to see Minnesotans acting like English folks. We may have been the only two in the audience who caught some of the "goofs" in the script, such as when one character said that the drive from Liverpool to London would only take 20 minutes!

A visit to St. Urho

Friday turned out to be a fairly busy day for us, and what a great day it was!

Charles had some appointments at the VA clinic in Brainerd, which took most of the morning. We did manage to get a bite to eat during a lull in appointments at the Sawmill Cafe`, which was a nice treat for us.

After the VA clinic visit, it was off to Menahga (which means "Blueberry" in the native language), the site of a famous statute of St. Urho, the legendary patron saint of Finland. It was great to visit, even though we got there too late to visit the Menagha Historical Museum which contains items featuring items from the early Finnish settlers.

On our way back to Aitkin, we passed through the small town of Akeley, whose claim to fame is the site of the largest Paul Bunyan statue. We proceeded a but farther and reached the hamlet of Remer, where we decided to stop at The Woodsman Cafe for supper. What a treat! This little cafe has the best French Dip ever tasted (according to Belinda, who knows good dip!). If you're ever in the vacinity of Remer, MN, stop in and settle in for a tastebud fiesta!!!

Thursday in Duluth (MN) & Superior (WI)

We took advantage of the dry weather today to venture out a bit and see something of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.

We drove up to Duluth and drove along the famous Skyline Drive on the west side of the city. What a view! To the east, Wisconsin; to the north, the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. We drove around a bit, visiting the First UMC of Duluth and seeing more of this famous port city.

We wanted to see the Glensheen mansion in Duluth but it was closed for the season. So we headed over to Superior, Wisconsin and instead visited the visited the Fairlawn mansion. We had see this historic home back in August on our way to Aitkin and were so glad to have the chance to come back for a visit.

After that, it was time to visit the largest fresh-water aquarium in the country, the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth. Itwas a beautiful facility and was a fun way to see more of the life that goes on in and around the harbor.

We capped off our day with supper at Tobies in Hinckley, MN. The variety of breads and their famous fruit cake are worth the drive!

Wednesday and it is snowing

There is a light snow falling here in Aitkin (MN) this afternoon though the temp. of 34F means that there is only a trace (of the expected inch) visible on the cars. We are enjoying some time here at The Beanery before heading to Pine Lake Chapel UMC for their monthly church dinner this evening.

Hello from Minnesota

The brief respite from the chill and rain of October is over, and it looks as though the rest of this week will bring more rain and chilly days and nights.

We returned to the cabin on Lake Linde this morning, after being gone for two weeks. The trees are gorgeous, and the sound of the geese on the lake was a welcome sound.

Beautiful Sunday in Aitkin (MN)

We really enjoyed our Sunday here in Aitkin, Minnesota. Hope you did too, wherever you might be this October Sunday!

This morning, we worshipped at the Aitkin United Methodist Church, where Charles had been invited to preach. It was actually Laity Sunday, so it was a bit of a surprise when Charles was asked to deliver the message. He was honored to preach. He preached on Mark 10:35-45 (with references to other passages between Mark 8:22 - 10:46).

After the service, we enjoyed the hospitality of the congregation and then we went to The Birchwood Cafe` for one of their wonderful omletes, yum!

A relaxing afternoon and evening followed. Who knows what the week will bring us! Thanks be to God for a world chocked full of possibilities!!!

Glorious weather in Aitkin (MN)!!!

The grey skies of this past week vanished this afternoon, and the locals were out in full-force to enjoy the respite before the next front arrives (due by Tuesday).

We set out to enjoy the day too, going first to Cascade United Methodist Church (between Deerwood and Crosby) for their church's annual fall bazaar. What a fun group of folks they have there!

On our way back to Aitkin, we noticed a sign pointing us toward Ruttger's Resort on Bay Lake , where an Oktoberfest was being held! We just had to take a walk around. It was a great time to enjoy the fall leaves, the wood fire, the many vendors with their interesting displays and great music! We would have eaten our lunch there, except that we had already sampled a delicious lunch at the church bazaar. Praise be to God for so many fine choices on this lovely autumnal day!

The Sun is Due Back Tomorrow!

There is nothing new to report since our adventure to St. Cloud and the VA hospital appointment. Thursday and Friday have been quiet days here in Aitkin. The weather has been nothing but drizzle, clouds and cool temps. However, it is in keeping with what the doctor told Charles to be doing for a few days: nothing. Belinda has been doing a superb job of making sure Charles follows the instructions and has become quite the expert at making jello-o!

Tomorrow promises to be a tiny bit more exciting with church bazaars to enjoy, and Sunday will involve Charles preaching at the Aitkin United Methodist Church.

An Interesting Couple of Days

Having rested a bit from the long drive back to Minnesota (see the previous post), we have had an interesting couple of days back in Aitkin.

On Tuesday, Belinda had a phone interview for a government safety management position. She said that she really enjoyed the interview, and now we wait to hear what is the result.

Today we headed down to the VA hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota, for an appointment for Charles. The diagnostic tests they conducted were not much fun, but he made it through with flying colors.

Back In Minnesota!

It was a fun day for us. We left northwest Illinois in the morning, and we drove into Wisconsin and back to Minnesota! Today was the first time we've seen snow since last May! Not a lot, of course, but enough to put a nice glimmer of white on the countryside.

As we were going through Wisconsin, we passed by Edgerton and just happened to find ourselves parked at the Wisconsin Wine & Cheese Chalet. Ah, what a place to enjoy the best of what Wisconsin has to offer!

Later we were able to stop in the town of Warrens and visit the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center. It was really fun to see how "Crane-berries," as they were once known, became such an important crop in the state. Of course, we just had to pick up a few gifts to share!

We stopped for supper in the Minnesota town of Hinckley at Tobies, a wonderful restaurant between Duluth and The Cities. If you're ever driving along I-35 in eastern Minnesota, stop on by (open 24-hours); you'll be glad you did!

We saw deer at several points along the route back to Aitkin from Hinckley - a bit stressful driving what with the cold weather and watching for deer that might run across the road. It was 27F when we got back to Aitkin, a lot cooler than it was in Ohio! (And we did see seven deer along the way.)