Walking From Minnesota to Wisconsin by Way of Venice

     

      As for trying to control chaos and clutter, I did more of the same this weekend. I  continue to do little bits, even if not as much as I'd like to get accomplished, day by day. DD2 brought home a mountain of laundry-she just was so busy she didn't have a chance, plus, they have to juggle access to the washer and dryer anyway. One of her roommates had a selfish neighbor take her clothes out of the washer  before the cycle had even stopped a few weeks into the semester! What was brought home in her two large Ikea bags appeared to be her laundry for weeks. She's always clean and neat, but will wear things multiple times before washing. As she has plenty of clothes hauling home the dirty ones will likely get her through to Thanksgiving break, with only needing to wash her undergarments (Though a load of that came home too.) I don't mind. If sending her back with restocked clothes helps her avoid a bit of stress, I'm happy to contribute. 

     Late Saturday morning we decided  it was too perfect a day, even if a bit chilly, to waste a day and headed to Stillwater. The city sits on the St Croix river and is one of the gateways between Minnesota to Wisconsin. The downtown is very quaint and loaded for weekend wanderers to pop into stores selling lots of Minnesota and town merchandise, ice cream and bakery goods. There's an indie book store and an old fashion candy store both selling candy of the past and  store made batches of turtles, fudge, and peanut brittle as well as other chocolates. We poked around the shops and had a delicious lunch as mentioned yesterday. About four years ago, a new bridge that connected a major highway between the states took the place of an old lift bridge. The lift bridge is now a walking/bike only bridge I think 1/4 of Minnesota and 1/4 of Wisconsin was on that bridge on Saturday. I was pleased I made the hike, even if my knee was throbbing and I needed a pretty good dose of Voltaren rubbed n later. DD2 went a bit further, to the first Wisconsin town over the bridge, but I stopped at the Welcome to Wisconsin sign.  

     After walking back, we just sat and chatted on a park bench overlooking the water. We saw a wedding party taking pictures,  people eating popcorn or ice cream, and a group with a picnic basket, but it looked like it contained painting supplies. A saxophone player, very good, busking right before the bridge. Something new to me, was the gondola rides! Two  boats steered by pole by young men wearing the classic Venetian stiped shirt, moved passengers along the shore under the bridge, a loop, and back again. It was a funny thing! Here's a smattering of pictures. I really like getting out and about, even if not too far from home.

Side streets closed for extra sitting, but most
people were walking on the sidewalks in and out of stores. 

Proof I walked to Wisconsin!

View from the Wisconsin side and a church 
steeple can just be made out, but the bridge is
around the bend  and low so out of view.

No, you are not in Venice!

The old lift bridge now ready for walkers and bikers.

Small Town Living

I had always thought growing up that my home town was small.My kids thought the same thing.  It had a population of about 18,000 when I was young, and is at 22,000 now. We are also a stones throw from either St Paul or Minneapolis. While I never felt a huge need to move "bigger", my kids were adamant that small town living was not for them.I remember the endless cries about how  boring the town was and that there was nothing to do . Both picked the exotic metropolis of Milwaukee to move away to go to college.  DS is now in the Los Angelos area and seems to like  it.  DD# 1, sowed some oats in London, a city so unlike our hometown, and then also got the LA bug for about 5 minutes.  Interestingly though, after her three month road gig where she saw a pretty significant number of the big cities in the United States, she ended up taking what was going to be a summer job in a small town in Greater Wisconsin teaching film and photography.  She is 90 minutes from any  community more than 20,000 people.  Well my big city girl decided to make this her home for a while and accepted a full time permanent position. No more life on the road, no more big city living.   

I had the enjoyment of spending the day with her, getting a start on moving into a new to her duplex, after spending the summer in makeshift housing used for intern and short term staff. It was a good two hour drive to reach her. Living in Minnesota my whole life, with Wisconsin next door, this was a part of the  state I had never really been before. Her new employer has several locations, and she will have days at to different ones, the first being in the small town she has been living in, and the other 20 miles up the road to where she is moving to.  There is also another little town in between the two. When I say no more city living, I really mean no more city living. None of the three have  a population over 1200 people.  Each are loaded with churches, bars, and thrift shops.There are no shopping centers, nightclubs, and mass transit. Fortunately, where she will be living has a library within walking distance of her home, and the town that she will pass between has a fitness center, which she has already purchased a membership. There are miles and miles of bike and hiking trails, and the area is surrounded by lakes for kayaking and canoeing, and not too far from the Apostle Islands National Park. It is amazingly beautiful part of the state. Her mind and body will be well nourished. With me commenting on the stark contrast of these small towns compared to where she grew up, she expressed to me how she even thought her hometown seemed big now. 

I am excited for her and this new chapter in her life. Being a young single person in a small community where you know no one other than your coworkers has to feel as foreign as when she moved to another country. I've shared how proud I am of my kids, and their willingness to pursue their passions and buck a more traditional path.  This is even nontraditional for herself, though her schedule will allow her the time to pursue her own art. She has odds and end furniture to get moved up there still-I couldn't take in my car, and will finally purge the rest of her things stored at our house while she was living her earlier adventures. She's finding her dreams now in small town living. 

Stockton Island, Apostle Islands National Park- photo by Alaina Myers