As we all know, we are living during a time of economic down-turn and there are many of us whom are out of work still. What's been interesting while being here in MN, is that a core group of my friends that I hang out with frequently are a part of this club - myself included (even though I had the festival). It's been really great to have them around to commiserate with, but more interesting and fun is that since we're in the same boat, we all have this freedom of time to spend it leisurely together. I know this time "off" is rare and so its been nice to take advantage of it - that means buying maps to our great state and finding an excuse to take short drives to explore what Minnesota or our surrounding states have to offer. The future is uncertain, but I get the feeling I won't have this much free time for awhile.
Last week, we took a drive to St. Cloud, MN which is about 1.5 hours away from Minneapolis. We decided to visit Munsinger and Clemens Gardens which are located near the banks of the Mississippi River. Munsinger Gardens date back to the 1930's and is an informal garden that sits on 14 acres of land and dotted with tall pine trees - it reminded me of CA and I found myself missing my old state I called home for a collective 8 years. Great news is that I'll be headed back there very soon in early August!
(Teenagers at the local swimming hole w/ a rope swing)
The gardens were beautiful and full of some incredible varieties of plants and flowers -- a kaleidoscope of color and textures. On our way back to the city, we decide to skip the major freeway and opted for a state highway instead, which led us to be a bit more adventurous as we slowed into a slew of small towns the entire way home. One of which led us to an old mill situated next to the town's swimming hole, where we caught a quick glance of local teenagers soaking in the Summer heat by launching themselves in the river via a rope swing. We see two young girls with their dad with fishing poles in hand casting riverside and it made me miss my days of fishing with my dad.
Yes, people - I love to fish. It's one of my favorite memories as a child. It's so peaceful and exciting of course when you feel a tug at the end of your line. I promise you that at some point, my blog will include me fishing -- just you wait! And if you're lucky, I'll be doing it in heels. Just kidding (maybe).
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