4 States in 5 Days; The Norby’s go “Clubbing”; Paella on the Lake (with a local twist); Fireflies-A 1st for the Norby’s; a Harvest Host where the Pope has been and Coach Addy has a new name: The Honk!
More Time on the Lake
Our Circle of Friends tour continues this week. We had the very best time in Crosslake, Minnesota with our friends Val and Craig. They have a beautiful piece of property right on the lake. Coach Addy had a front row unobstructed view! Craig and Val were wonderful hosts: we ate so well, spent a beautiful day on the lake (my second pontoon ride), had rich conversations and a trip to the Mississippi Headwaters-who knew the Mississippi started in Minnesota! Walking across the Mississippi was fun and a great way to kick off our trip down the Mississippi (which begins in a few weeks). We also had the pleasure of meeting friends and family of Craig and Vals: Erin, Brad, Danny and Paul-the more the merrier!
Peder and I made Paella for everyone one night. We made a traditional Paella and we also made a Paella with fresh seafood from Minnesota and their traditional Minnesota Wild Rice. and The joke was who travels with not one, but two paella pans? Yep, the Norby's do! Peder gave a bread and Kranskage baking lesson and we partnered the Paellas with a delicious Rosemary bread and yummy Kranskage pieces! What a great meal we had, Sadly, our time came to say goodbye to Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes.
Hot Tip #1: Take the time to visit landmarks!
Our visit to Lake Itaska to see the starting point of the Mississippi River aka The Mississippi Headwaters, was a highlight of our time in Minnesota! First of all the state park is beautiful and the monument at the tip of the Headwaters is so cool, as is walking across the Mississippi River-I love being able to say that I have walked across the Mississippi River!
The Living History Farm & Saint Pope John Paul II’s Monumental Visit
The Living History Farm is so fascinating! It is an interactive outdoor history museum that tells the story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies of the Midwest into the most productive farmland in the world. It is a 500-acre open air museum where you travel at your own pace through historical time periods spanning 300 years and demonstrating the transition of farming practices and life in the 1876 Town of Walnut. Unfortunately, we had rain when we were there and we chose not to take the tour in the rain.
On October 4, 1979 Saint John Paul II made a historical visit to Des Moines, Iowa and celebrated an outdoor mass at Living History Farms. Approximately 350,000 people from around the country flocked to the Farms to attend the mass. It is a very interesting story as to how this visit came to be, essentially a farmer, Joe Hayes, wrote a letter inviting the Pope to travel to Iowa while he was visiting the United States. Joe asked him to speak on the stewardship of the land. The Pope did just that-speaking on gratitude, conservation and generosity of the land and those who farm it!
Hot Tip #2-Read all about wherever you are!
Even Though we were not able to do the actual tour of the Living History Farm, we learned so much about the place by reading about it online. The knowledge enhances your stay and enriches the experience.
A 1st for Both of Us!
Our time in Missouri was spent at Wallace Lake State Park Campgrounds. The weather was not the best, as it was quite hot and very humid, but the scenery and the wildlife was spectacular! The deer were everywhere and not at all afraid of us, so we could watch them eating, playing and taking a stroll. But the best part of this stay-FIREFLIES!! Neither of us have ever seen fireflies! We were enjoying a cocktail outside one evening and as I was talking on the phone to my son, Jake, I started seeing these little sparks in the forest next to our coach. They increased in frequency and intensity, until I finally realized what I was witnessing-Fireflies, hundreds of fireflies. I pointed them out to Peder and we spent an hour or so that night and the next night watching the incredible light show! Wow! I just love first time experiences and we are having a lot of them on this trip!
The Norby’s go Clubbing & Coach Addy has a New Name: THE HONK!
Our week ended with our trip to Kansas City, Kansas to visit Stephanie, John and their adorable twins: Caymus and Niklas! John is the General Manager of a swanky hotel in downtown Kansas City and they have a Jazz Club on the lower level featuring a prominent KC Jazz musician, Lonnie McFadden. This club is so reminiscent of the speakeasy supper clubs of KC during prohibition and Lonnie is an incredible performer. He is so passionate about Kansas City and the musicians who originated in this city! We enjoyed a yummy three course meal, a couple of bottles of Justin Cabernet all while listening to Lonnie pay tribute to the great genre of Jazz!
Lonnie McFadden
Lonnie's daughter, Chloe
Saturday was spent at the local Farmers' Market and then to the lake for some sunshine and swimming. Today we are making bread and pizza dough from the Kansas Hard Red Winter flour that we bought at the farmers market. Tonight, a quiet evening in, enjoying good friends, pizza with meat, cheese and veggies from the Farmers’ Market and another bottle of delicious red wine! I wish we didn't have to leave tomorrow morning! Thank you Steph and John for spending your weekend with us!
Hot Tip #2: Too old for the after party?
Nah! Never too old! That being said…We may have felt a little better on Saturday morning if we hadn’t gone to the swanky bar in the hotel for an after dinner drink or two…Yep, the Norby’s were “clubbing” in Kansas City!
John and Steph have built a lovely life for their family in Overland Park, Kansas. Their home is warm, their neighborhood adorable and their twin boys are just about the cutest darn things that you have ever seen! They are almost 3 ½ and quite friendly and talkative. They call all really big trucks and vehicles that they don’t know the name of, a “honk”! So, when they saw this big motor coach parked in their driveway, they kept saying that we lived in “The Honk”!
Caymus, Niklas and The HONK!
Lesson Learned:
My hair hates the humidity! As most of you know, I like to have my hair look perfect and I’m fortunate to have really thick hair. Typically that is a good thing, but the humidity brings out the worst in my hair: FRIZZ! I hate it! I think it’s time to don the baseball cap and give up! 😅
Bummer of the Week:
Definitely the rain in Iowa. I was really looking forward to touring the outdoor Living History Museum! Guess we have to come back!
Highlight of the Week:
The Fireflies were pretty awesome…but our time with our friends in Crosslake and Kansas City trumps everything! And getting to know Caymus and Niklas brought us so much joy, as you see the world differently through the eyes of a child!
It's Whiskey Time! Next week our travels take us to Nashville and Kentucky! We are so excited to see this part of the country and taste some whiskey and bourbon! Another moochdocking experience with our friend Lisa R just outside of Nashville. Can't wait!! Have a great week!
Julie, what fun to see Stephanie and John!!! Stephanie is such a fantastic woman and teacher extraordinaire! Remember the day that John proposed to Stephanie on the playground outside her classroom with all of your loving support! It seems like yesterday! I love you Jules!!!