David's Spot

We are having lots of fun. So much fun that we have decided to stay here for another week. We decided that I would stay and I would work some and use up most of my vacation this week. The weather has been great and we are enjoying exploring the "Twin Cities". (And I am not here looking for a job!)

I have several days to catch up with so I will only give an overview of each day.

Wednesday, June 30

We visited the Mall of America including the Lego store/exhibit and Camp Snoopy. Wednesday night we went to the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox game. Chicago won. The Twins definitely need a new baseball stadium. The Metrodome is cool, but not very good for baseball.

Thursday, July 1

A couple of hundred yards from Stephanie's house is a city park with a playground and toddler pool. The three of us and Steph's dog, Molly, went down and played. This is a great park for toddlers.

The rest of the day we cleaned house, did landry, and shopped at Target.

Friday, July 2

Gavin and I love the zoo. So the three of us decided to check out the Minnesota Zoo and Imax theatre. We got to see the dolphin show, explore the farm and be entertained by the Northwest Airlines World of Birds Show. I even got to see a new animal called a Takin. I was impressed with the zoo, its exhibits are well done.

The IMAX show was the Nascar 3D show. It was a great show and good overview of North America's favorite spectator sport. (Gavin was exhausted and feel asleep during the movie which is crazy because it is LOUD.)

We drove around while Gavin slept and discovered that a theatre group was performing Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" at Minnehaha Park. The show was outdoors and free. Ginger got to watch the show and Gavin and I played on a near by playground.

Saturday, July 3

After we decided to stay in Minnesota another week, I emailed Mitch's business partner, Jason and he suggested that we visit the Taste of Minnesota, an outdoor fair, food festival and series of concerts in St. Paul. Jason and his wife, Melissa, suggested we try Cheese curds, Martha Sweet Cookies, Crepes and a Norwegian Plate. We set out Saturday morning to find the event and sample the foods.

The cheese curds and cookies were easy choices for us. Gavin is a little cookie monster and loved the Martha Sweet Cookies.

We also had a turkey croissant, barbeque pork sandwich, fried dill pickles, ice cream and fresh potato chips. Yum!

The Taste of Minnesota was the final stop for the Grand Excursion flotilla.

This summer, Grand Excursion brings together the communities of the upper Mississippi River for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. The largest riverboat and steamboat flotilla in over a century will follow the 1854 Grand Excursion’s route up the Mississippi River, from the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. (from the Grand Excursion website.)

We had a great time visiting the festival, sampling new foods and seeing the riverboats. The weather turned ugly before we could get to our car and we ended up getting caught in a downpour. (not that us desert rats were complaining)

Sunday, July 4

Another day for rest. Gavin and I watched movies while Ginger cleaned. In the evening, we watched a 4th of July show on TV and then went out side and played with "Sparky Crackers" (sparklers).

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The rest of the week will be a combination of work and vacation - mostly vacation! We plan on visiting the Mall of America, the Minnesota Children's Museum and Twins baseball again.