Today…

We went to Hallstrom’s Ice Cream Parlor for lunch

Gracie had the Brownie Cascade and I had the Mint Chocolate Avalanche

The best ice cream in town!

We sat by the fountain downtown

and admired the gorgeous flower baskets

and listened to the soothing sound of rushing water. It was so warm today we contemplated jumping in!

on the way home we walked past the Red Wing Train Depot and watched the trains for awhile

and said hello to a jester who was enjoying his afternoon tea while balancing on a rock

How did you spend this sunny summer day?

~Melissa

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Went to a Red Wing Aces baseball game, ate hot dogs and snicker bars for dinner, and watched our team win 13-6!

Relaxed on a bench swing at Bay Point Park  and watched the boats go by…

What did you do over the weekend?

~Melissa

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Mojitos

Hearing

Zee Avi

Seeing

The squirrels playing hide and seek in our big oak tree out back

Touching

My fuzzy tuxedo cat Miller, the Zen master of the loveseat

Smelling

Knowing

I am loved.

~Melissa

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Drove into Minneapolis and wandered around the Mill City Farmer’s Market for a bit.

We had ‘second breakfast’ at

The Chef Shack!

There was quite a line, but it was worth the wait.

I did a little happy dance when I saw that softshell crab was on the menu!

mmmmmm….softshell crab

Jeff had the tongue tacos, and he said they were pretty darn good. The three of us had Arnold Palmers (iced tea and lemonade) and they were infused with thyme. Totally yummy.

After the farmer’s market we took a tour of the Mill City Museum. A very cool place to learn a little Minnesota history.

The Flour Tower elevator tour was very cool.

More scenes from outside the museum

St. Anthony Falls

After a few hours of fun at Mill City we were hungry again. Decided on “The Wedge” for a slice of their awesome pizza, Gracie had a Boston cream cupcake, I had a date bar, Jeff had sesame candy, and we stocked up on tea for the pantry…gunpowder green, Genmaicha, Peach Assam, and Keemun.

How did you spend this sunny Saturday?

~Melissa

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- Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys

We spent the day at Prescott Beach! About a half hour from Red Wing, and worth the trip.

~Melissa

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Went to Bev’s Cafe for breakfast (The oldest restaurant in Red Wing!)

Played at the park

Went to Caribou for lunch and coffee and listened to trains go by while we read and wrote

and I downloaded this free Steampunk cookbook to my Kindle!

so many new, funky recipes to try! Can’t wait to make them and share them with you!

Fuel For the Boiler

Now we’re relaxing at home listening to

and waiting for the storm that is suppose to be coming.

Maybe we’ll sit on the porch while it rains and share a glass of wine.

What are you doing on this fine evening?

~Melissa

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Today we…

had jelly doughnuts and rosepetal tea for breakfast

went for a walk with Andie and Madeline May

did some reading and writing

and I watched Husband make barbecue magic happen in our kitchen

and listened to the bees buzz and the birds sing

while I took a hammock nap

Happy summer!

~Melissa

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Gracie has been a long time fan of the animated series, Avatar, and was so excited to see Shyamalan’s version of one of her favorite shows. It was very entertaining. I’m glad we went to see it on the big screen. I must admit, I had a difficult time thinking of Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, as I am so use to him in the role of Jasper in the Twilight series.

After the movie we had a little fireworks display in our own back yard

and while Jeff grilled chicken and portobellos for dinner…

and we drank some vino…

I took pictures of flowers in our yard

and Gracie’s watermelon plant…

and a giant hosta

Then it started to rain, so we had dinner on the front porch instead of the deck.

What did you do today?

~Melissa

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Yesterday we…

slept in

had our dear friend TJ over for Coneys

walked downtown Red Wing while the sun was setting

and enjoyed appetizers and mojitos on the patio of The St. James Hotel’s “Veranda” restaurant while we watched a dazzling display of fireworks

How did you celebrate the 4th?

~Melissa

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Today we…

Walked up to the farmers market and looked around. What a gorgeous, sunny day!

Decided to grill hot dogs for lunch…

and

We debated, pool or beach? Pool won, and we headed to the Red Wing Aquatic Center to take a dip and catch some rays.

I even did a little writing. Almost done with Book 1…

How are you spending this wonderful summer day?

~Melissa

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