Brainerd Lakes Minnesota MN Inn Accommodations Lodging Bed & And Breakfast BB

prairie home companion

I must say... this year's 4th of July goes down as my most memorable. Our decision to attend Garrison Keillor's 35th anniversary live Prairie Home Companion broadcast in Avon, Minnesota this past Saturday was an unbelievable experience! Dick and I, accompanied by my sister Rita and her husband Jerry, arrived at Lake Wobegon Park at noon to set our lawn chairs in place then we hit the Lake Wobegon bike trail to ride 6 miles to Albany then back to Avon to eat our picnic lunch while we waited for the 4:45 p.m. performance to begin. Take a look at this photo so you can see how close we were to the stage... 4th row back to be exact. I did not zoom in to take this photo. It is exactly what we saw from where we sat. (Actually if you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll get a more accurate idea of our vantage point.) To fully appreciate our proximity to the outdoor stage, you must realize that there were thousands in attendance and the crowds stretched a very very long way behind us. 

  

As a tribute to the celebration of our country's Independence Day, patriot songs, poems, and stories were interspersed throughout the performance. At one point a breeze caused a stack of papers laying on the podium to scatter to the stage floor. Their sequence now in disarray, a visibly shaken and flustered stage hand attempted to rapidly restore their order. The live nature of the show did not afford them the luxury of retaping or "taking five" to reestablish a prior point in time. How did Mr. Keillor react to the unscripted situation? He calmly picked up a few papers and began to gently fan the face of a World War II veteran, that was sharing his life story, to cool him on a hot early July evening. Having been a guest at another of his Prairie Home Companion broadcasts a couple years ago at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, my observation is that this easy-going manner is his trademark. His slow paced, but deliberate, rambling storytelling style has a magically calming effect on his listeners.

Don't ya just love Garrison Keillor's casual attire right down to his trademark red socks and sneakers?

 

The "fine folks of Avon" apparently didn't envision the huge turnout for this event, so the Beebop-A-Reebop Rhubarb Pie & Powdermilk Biscuit-Strawberry Shortcake was sold out well before the crowds had satisfied their craving to sample the enticing desserts. In fact, the last piece of rhubarb pie was sold to the person standing directly in front of Rita and I in the long... very long, but rapidly moving, line we stood in to purchase one! Despite, or because of, not being able to try them, it peaked my curiosity to research powdermilk biscuits. Are they biscuits made with dry milk powder? Buttermilk powder? Are they just a figment of Mr. Keillor's wild imagination?    

 

Thank you, Garrison Keillor, for sharing your talents and entertaining us on this 4th of July 2009 as you have done so eloquently for the past 35 years. You have provided a snippet in time to be remembered for years to come and have set a standard to aim towards... a simple slower-paced Lake Wobegon lifestyle and attitude, even if just for a moment each day, to slow our breath and absorb our surroundings and appreciate the people who are part of our lives.    

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Today’s mileage: 12-mile bike ride on the Lake Wobegon Trail from Avon to Albany and back to Avon

Total Mileage for July: 16 miles

Bible reading? No.

 

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Today’s mileage: 0

Total Mileage for July: 16 miles (same as yesterday)

Bible reading? Yes.

 

Monday, July 6, 2009

Today’s mileage: 4-mile bike ride from home to the Crow Wing Co. Airport and the County Garage and back home

Total Mileage for July: 20 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

 

Just Go... to Lake Wobegon

Last week, Dick and I had this conversation: Dick: "It's the 4th of July next weekend." Adrienne: "Oh no, it's not." Dick: "Yes, it is." Adrienne: "No, it's not. Today's June 16th. It's 2 1/2 weeks away." A calendar ended our disagreement abruptly. It was the 26th of June. The next weekend was the 4th of July. Where had June gone?? The summer... the year... life is slipping by. As songs often do, one spoke to me... "Just Go" by Lionel Richie featuring hip hop and R&B singer Akon. You absolutely must listen to it. It has such a happy lively beat and the message... listen to the message. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j3zZj5wZWI

Dick and I both fill our days with so many things that keep us busy from morning 'til nighttime. Lionel Richie's "Just Go" lyrics reminded me that we need to "Drop everything and just go." If I am too busy to go off on little adventures then that prevents Dick from experiencing memory-making moments, as well. Truth be told, he needs prying away, too, since he is as goal/task oriented as I am. Lionel's message is repeated throughout the song. "I know you like to get away, go away, far away to a place where there's just us two. Got a busy day everyday but not today cause I'm here to take that stress from you." This summer, I have planned more outings for us than I have in the past. I haven't let my business or home responsiblities slide, but some things that don't really matter can wait or be deleted from my to-do list because the truth is... they really don't matter. So, my next adventure is participating in an event on the 4th of July in the town of Avon, which is near St. Cloud, Minnesota. Garrison Keillor is celebrating his 35th year doing the Prairie Home Companion Radio Show by performing a live show starting at 4:45 p.m. at Lake Wobegon Park in Avon on July 4, 2009. His web site, where you can find additional info, states that the live broadcast is free and open to the public. You just need to bring your own lawn chairs. I would expect that it will be a popular event, so it would be prudent to arrive as early as possible. Mr. Keillor states on his web site that "The fine folks of Avon will have some food and ice cold beverages on sale at the park including: Ice Cream Cones, Sloppy Joes, Brats, Hot Dogs, Burgers, Taco-in-a-bag, Walleye Sandwiches, and for dessert there will be Beebop-A-Reebop Rhubarb Pie & Powdermilk Biscuit-Strawberry Shortcake." Sounds like a small-town, Lake Wobegon sort of fun time to me. We're going to "drop everything and just go".

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for July: 4 miles

Bible reading? Yes

strawberry picking

At 7 a.m. this morning, despite the chilly temperature in the 50s with heavy cloud cover and a brisk wind, I was headed down a straw mulched row of strawberries swinging my empty 5 qt ice cream pail. I had joined other pickers who, like me, had visions of smoothies, strawberry shortcake, jam, rhubarb strawberry sauce, and fresh berries sliced on top of oatmeal.  

An hour and a half after arriving, I was heading back home with four heaping ice cream pails of plump, ripe, juicy berries. 

 

After cleaning the berries, I placed them in a single layer on trays in the freezer. This way when I put them in a freezer bag they won't all clump together. Instead, I will be able to scoop out whatever amount I need. 

 

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Today's mileage: 5.25 mile bike ride along the Mississippi River by Mill City Museum in Minneapolis

Total mileage for June: 41.25 miles

Bible reading? Not so good.

 

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Today's mileage: 2.5 mile bike ride down Como Ave. in St. Paul near the MN State Fairgrounds

Total mileage for June: 43.75 miles

Bible reading? Not so good today either.

 

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Today's mileage: 9-mile bike ride on Cuyuna Trail in Crosby-Ironton 

Total mileage for June: 52.75 miles

Bible reading? Oh, this is not good.

 

Friday, June 26, 2009

Today's mileage: 9-mile bike ride on Cuyuna Trail in Crosby-Ironton

Total mileage for June: 61.75 miles

Bible reading? This is really really not good.

 

I reached my 50-mile walking/biking monthly goal this month but it wasn't consistent and my Bible reading was pretty much nonexistent. I want to do better but, despite longer daylight hours, there is so much more to pack in with garden and yard work. Tomorrow's a fresh start with the beginning of a new month.  

 

back to the fifties car show and mill city farmer's market

franklin arts center grand opening

Tonight Dick and I attended a grand opening at Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd (Minnesota).  The facility, built in 1932-33, is the former Franklin Junior High that housed 7-9th grade students. Artspace officially took over ownership of the building on February 15, 2008. Artspace is "a nonprofit real estate developer for the arts based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company purchases older, historic buildings and raises money, primarily through individual gift donations and grants, to revamp them into live/work apartments and/or studios. Other funding comes from tax credits".

To convey the truly amazing work that Artspace does, I will begin with a photo I took peeking through the hallway door window of an empty unrenovated classroom. In recent years, the original oak paned windows had been replaced with metal frames. The windows in the building are gradually being restored to their original look. You can see along the room's perimeter the holes where heat registers were formerly secured.  

The existing hallways, lockers, and oak built-in cabinets will remain to preserve the building's historic authenticity.  

This former English and history classroom is presently home to an advertising business.  

This is the former guidance office that is now an interior design business. Notice the oak paned window and the original oak counter. Each artist's studio is just as cozy and unique as the ones I've featured on this post.  

This former home economics cooking classroom is now an artist's live/work apartment. There are 25 of these low-income efficiency, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units that occupy most of the space in the three floors of the building's right wing.

Some of the other studio categories in the Franklin Arts Center include graphic designers, a polar fleece seamstress (A Needle pulling Thread... such a cute name), framing shop, potters, stained glass, Victorian lampshades, fiber artist, architecture firm, textiles, photographers, writers, video, pencil artist, musician, and dance. The artists work is for sale. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday 9-5. The second Saturday of each month a Community Open House is held from 10-4 when most of the artists are available. For a list of the artists, as well as additional info. on the center, go here.

The Journey North Church conducts church services in the auditorium, has an office in the former band room, and occupies classrooms in the west wing. Two gymnasiums, an auditorium, and the cafeteria may be rented through the Brainerd School District's Community Education Office. I'd say this is the ultimate reuse of an abandoned building that could have easily been destined for demolition.

For nostalgia's sake, I shot a photo of a second floor bathroom in what was formerly the 9th grade wing. It holds fond memories for me since I remember whisking in there between classes to fluff and primp. You know... I know you do... those all-important junior high years when image rates far and above anything else.

                                                             

                      

nisswa (minnesota) outing

This morning I served breakfast to my bed and breakfast guests and I finished my cleanup. Dick had left mid-morning for the annual "Back to the 50s" vintage car event at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. I thought, "I have no new arrivals coming in today. I can spend the afternoon in my office tackling paperwork or I can pull the weeds in my garden that seemed to grow 6 inches overnight with the recent rain we've had. Neither thrilled me immensely, so I chose to give my friend Sheila a call to see if she wanted to bike the Paul Bunyan Trail from Brainerd to Nisswa and back. She eagerly agreed to meet me at 2:20 after she got off work. After packing some granola and apples for our energy snacks and filling my water bottle, I set off to meet Sheila... happy that I had made the decision to do a good-for-my-body activity and spend some time with a friend. 

Arriving in Nisswa 18 miles later, we stopped to watch "minnow races". Turtle races have been held every Wednesday afternoon during the summer months for as many years as I can remember, but minnow races... that's a new one for me. 

After slurping down a bowl of fragrant tomato basil soup at the Adirondak Coffee Shop in Nisswa, we pedaled to a church just outside of Nisswa for a 5:00 p.m. book presentation/book signing by Brainerd author Pat Bluth. Pat, in her book From Pain to Peace, describes how she managed to work through the anger, depression, and healing process after her 17 year-old daughter was rear-ended and killed by a drunk driver on September 13, 1985 as the car she was a passenger in was waiting to turn into the parking lot of a restaurant that was called Hasse's at that time. Hasse's, which is presently under new ownership and now called Matty's, is 1/4 mile from our driveway. I vividly remember the scenerio surrounding the accident and the driver who struck her car. After 4 years of grief and thoughts of suicide, Pat attended an 8-day retreat through her church that was the turning point in helping her through the healing process leading ultimately to forgiveness. She was instrumental in starting a local MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) Chapter, frequently speaks to groups about her personal journey, and has worked to change laws regarding drinking and driving. 

A thirty-six mile adventure... my kinda day. 

For a little over 6 weeks, I have gradually veered away from my monthly challenge of logging a minimum of 50 miles and reading my Bible each day. I allowed myself to skip a day, then two... which became a week. Without realizing it, several weeks had gone by. During that time, I was deep cleaning to prepare for opening our bed and breakfast for another season and planting and tending my garden, so it wasn't like I was sitting on my rear and doing nothing. However, I missed the sustained stretches of areobic exercise. So I'm here to tell you that I am back on target and have resumed posting my progress.   

June 18, 2009

Today's mileage: 36-mile bike ride

Total mileage for June: 36 miles

Bible reading? No, but it's gonna happen tomorrow.

   

soudan mine tour and railroad diorama

ely minnesota outing

Dick and I had a few days' gap in our bed and breakfast schedule, so we headed for Ely (Minnesota) near the Boundary waters Canoe Area with a stop in Grand Rapids to tour a logging camp. My goal in Ely was to research the CCC Camp where my father spent time in 1933 when he was 23 years old. (He died in 2004 at the age of 94 and was afflicted with alzheimers for the final two years of his life.) Since there were several CCC Camps in the northwoods at that same time, I wanted to discover which one he served in by locating a roster listing his name and then determine the camp's site. I had no reason to think that I would be successful... I just knew I must try.

A brief history lesson... The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression, to put unemployed men to work so they could support their families. Their task was to replant trees and grass in heavily logged areas because, at that time, the lumber industry was under no obligation to restore lands after harvesting lumber. In addition, the program's goal was to develop and improve the state parks system, which was in its infancy, by building picnic shelters, campgrounds, fireplaces, beaches, parking areas, log cabins, fire lookout towers, bridges, roads, hiking trails, canals, ditches, and dams. Their work provided the rustic look of parks that we know today. Most CCC Camps were abandoned when the U.S. entered World War II. In 1942, the CCC was officially disbanded and the buildings were dismantled and hauled away to be reassembled as Army barracks. 

Back to my research... My first stop was the Ely Chamber of Commerce where I was given a list of all the CCC Camps in the Ely area and their location designated by dots on a hand-drawn map. The Chamber personnel suggested I stop at the Ely-Winton Museum of Mining for further information. Enroute to the museum, I phoned my sister Marlene, who has done extensive family geneology, to ask her if she knew the camp's number. She told me that she seemed to recall the number 17 from an old photo. I ran through the list of camps... There were 10 in all, I think. Could it possibly be No. 711 since the other numbers weren't vaguely close to the number 17? She thought so. Upon arrival at the museum, an employee helpfully retrieved a well-worn paper bound compilation of information on all CCC Camps in Minnesota. Upon leafing through the book, I discovered a most wonderful treasure. There before my eyes was a "Roster of Company No. 711 Ely, Minn."  There was my father's name, Andrew L. Waltz Canby, Minn. (his birthplace), at the bottom of the 3rd column! (Click on the page to enlarge it and then reduce it to 75%.) 

 

So I now knew the name of his group. This provided the stepping stone I needed to search for the camp's location. Information uncovered at the Ely-Winton Museum of Mining showed that Company 711 was also known as "Portage River" and "F-8" on the map from the Ely Chamber of Commerce pinpointed the location in a gravel pit approximately 23 miles from Ely on a road that is still named the Echo Trail. The pieces were coming together. It was late afternoon when we set out on the 23-mile journey to find where my father had spent time as a young man. The map didn't prepare us for the snake-like curves that lay ahead and the hour it took us to get there. The pavement turned into dirt and the road less maintained. It seemed symbolic of turning back time as we drew closer to our destination. Our research indicated that we should look for a gravel pit. Sadly, we were so intent on searching for a "Portage River" sign, which we missed, and watching our odometer that we never saw the gravel pit. In hindsight, we do slightly remember passing a gravel pit, but it didn't register at the time. The sun was beginning to dip below the tree line when we concluded that we definitely were beyond where the camp might have been. We didn't want to risk being stranded after dark on that desolate road, so we decided not to back track but instead continue on down the Echo Trail where it intersected with a somewhat more travelled road. 

Seeing the gravel pit would have probably made me sad... much like returning to my grandparents' farmhouse 1/2 way between Brainerd and Pierz, after they both had died and new owners had abandoned the house to build a new structure next door. However, I will more than likely attempt to locate the gravel pit again... to stand where my father spent his early years so long ago. For now, I will remember what the camp looked like through old photos copied from the museum's tattered book that captured a short chapter in the lives of men who developed and preserved the park system that we know and enjoy today.

     

   

forest history center

Yesterday Dick and I spent the afternoon at the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids (Minnesota), which is run by the Minnesota Historical Society. We toured a 1900 northern Minnesota logging camp that included a bunkhouse with rows of beds on each side and a potbelly wood stove in the center of the room, a blacksmith shop, horse stable, small general store where lumberjack clothing could be purchased, and my favorite... a large food prep/dining hall building. I think I've found my niche. The rows of wooden picnic-style tables are situated in front of where I am standing in the logging camp kitchen preparing potatoes, carrots, and onions for venison stew.    

 

Next comes prep for tomorrow's breakfast... "logging berries" (prunes) that are served each day and "sweat pads" (pancakes). 

twin cities outing

Yesterday morning, after I served my guests breakfast and cleaned up afterwards, Dick and I grabbed a few overnight essentials and headed for Minneapolis/St. Paul to attend a 7:30 p.m. performance of "Church Basement Ladies A Second Helping" last evening at the Plymouth Playhouse. It was equally as entertaining as the original "Church Basement Ladies" we attended a year ago. The setting is 1969... three years later. It closes Nov. 1, 2009, so don't delay making plans to see it.

This morning, we headed to the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul near the Minnesota State Capitol to see "Minnesota's Greatest Generation" which is an exhibit that opened May 23, 2009 featuring stories of people during the Depression, World War II, and the post-war boom. Although all of the exhibits were so creatively, artistically, and professionally arranged and bursting with interesting information, I was especially drawn to ones that evoked childhood memories such as this store selling black and white TVs and offering "tubes tested free".

 

Wouldn't you love to recreate this colorful living room in your own house? The exhibit's floor is built to spin in a lazy susan turntable fashion to show the 1950s era kitchen on the other side of the wall, but it apparently wasn't working so I was only able to peek behind to see the the room that is just as sweet as the living room.

 

Besides "Minnesota's Greatest Generation", there are nine other exhibits at the Minnesota History Center that are equally as interesting so plan to spend the day there. The house in the photo below is part of the "Open House: If These Walls Could Talk" Exhibit. It follows 5o different families that lived in a St. Paul house over the span of 118 years. It seems like a huge number of families to have lived there but, after the original family moved across the street, they transformed the house into three rental apartments so three families resided there at the same time. As you walk through the home, the decor and furnishings change to reflect the passing decades and recordings of actual residents tell the story of the families who lived there. It was easy to imagine the birthday parties, the family dinners, the everyday bustle of activity that made it home for so many people.   

 

This "basement", where we sat through a simulation of one of two F4 tornadoes that hit Fridley, Minnesota on May 6, 1965 just over an hour apart, is one part of  the "Weather Permitting" Exhibit. It was a devastating storm that destroyed or damaged one out of every four homes in this Minneapolis suburb. The sounds of the howling roaring wind, breaking glass, and debris flying about outside were so realistic that it took every ounce of self-control to not claw at Dick sitting beside me and to supress a blood-curdling scream. The color of the "sky" outside the basement window turned a green color typical of severe storms and a tornado siren wailed. The walls shook and the radio sitting on the workbench came on with an announcer urging residents to take immediate cover. The oldtime television turned on after the storm had passed with actual footage of the tornado and residents retelling stories of the harrowing experience. It was the closest to experiencing the real thing as I care to ever relive.   

 

Adult admission is only $10.00 for access to all of the 10 exhibits. If you have a "Blue Sky Guide" Community Coupons Book, which offers grocery, dining, entertainment, health and style, travel and recreation, yard and garden, and home coupons for destinations in the Twin Cities Area, there is a coupon for 2 for 1 admission to the Minnesota History Center. (I received a Blue Sky Guide free at the Living Green Expo earlier this month since they are given out to the first 100 or so in line for the event. They normally sell for $20.00.) Pack a lunch, as there are tables to eat outside. The entire experience was such a fun way to spend an inexpensive day!