Minnesota

Here are a few photos from the recent trip to Minneapolis, to visit S3 Randy and his family. We had a little celebration for the Birthday Boy - the girls made the big banner on the way and decorated a cake like a baseball field (Red Sox, of course).

Randy, GD4 Emma and I spent an afternoon at the American Swedish Institute - they have a gorgeous mansion built in the early 1900s by an immigrant who became rich by publishing a Swedish newspaper for the thousands of other immigrants who moved to the area at that time. My souvenir is a silvery pendant with an illustration of a Viking rune meaning Strength.

Randy and GD3 Ally participated in a father-daughter dance recital - he'll kill me but I'm putting the picture in the blog anyway. Bet you can't guess he's a caveman.

And lastly, here's a picture of the University of Minnesota Arboretum's peony garden in full bloom. This is such a spectacular area with acres of different types of plantings - the hosta garden is one of my favorites, but seeing the peonies in full bloom was a very special treat this year.

And I saw my very first soccer game too - Ally is a strong player for her team. And all this in only 3-1/2 days!