On July 21, I headed with some friends to a cabin near Danbury, Wisconsin. The cabin is owned by the family of a friend and sits above a private lake. Sweet. We spent the weekend lounging on the deck with our favorite books, playing games (dominoes, bean bag toss, badminton), swimming, and touring the lake via pontoon boat. I don’t have permission to show the cabin. But here is the view from the deck.
In the mornings, I sat on the dock on a chair that swung out over the water, sipping my coffee and listening to the occasional call of the loon. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of loons. They kept diving underwater.)
Loons were particularly active at dusk. This is the cry we heard over and over.
While on the boat, I saw a bald eagle soaring high above. He never flapped once. Just glided across the sky. But he moved fast. I was never quick enough, and he never came low enough, for me to get a closer shot. So, here he is.
On July 23, we headed to St. Paul, Minnesota, with a brief pit stop at Stillwater. I deeply appreciated this city because of the large amount of bookstores encountered in just a few blocks. The photo at left shows the Stillwater Lift Bridge.
We visited the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul.
Our main objective was to check out the Japanese Garden. So lovely. The bonsai trees were amazing.
Later we checked out other sights around St. Paul.
We couldn’t get inside the James J. Hill House in St. Paul. It was closed when we visited.
On Tuesday, we headed to the Mall of America—the biggest mall I’ve ever seen in my life.
That afternoon, we headed to downtown Minneapolis. Yes, the statue below is from The Mary Tyler Moore Show from the 70s.
If you’re a Vikings fan, you know what this building is (below).
All in all, a good time was had by all.
Photos by L. Marie.
I’m so happy you had a nice trip with your friends, L. Marie. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful photographs. I love the Mary Tyler Moore shot!
It was truly a gift from God, Jill. I’m glad to share the photos. It was nice seeing the statue in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. 😀
Sounds like a wonderful break! Every time I hear loons mentioned, it makes me think of On Golden Pond… 🙂
I know what you mean, FF. It was that sort of lake, which is only accessible from the houses surrounding it. So lovely! And the loons were wonderful to see and hear.
Time out is always a good thing, especially if it includes friends in nature. I could hear the sound effects when you pictured the loon. Thanks!
The call of the loons is one of my favorite parts of being there, Marian. Such a haunting call. And the weather was so lovely. While in Wisconsin, I stayed outside most of the day.
Looks like a really fun and relaxing trip. I’ve heard about the Mall of America having a Ferris Wheel inside, but it’s another thing to see it in a picture.
Yes, the mall is huge. I’d never been there or to Minnesota in general. The Twin Cities are very nice. Very clean. And there were no cabs to be seen anywhere, except near the airport! That was weird to me. I’m so used to seeing cabs.
I guess everything is in walking distance then?
Uber is used more often, I was told. That’s really different.
Minneapolis has great skyways to walk from building to building. We walked for quite a ways, using the skyway. There’s also a train.
Skyways? Like elevated walkways?
Yes. This is a good site for that: https://www.minneapolis.org/map-transportation/minneapolis-skyway-guide/
Oh how fun. I’m dying for a relaxing getaway in a cabin. My dad has a house on a lake in Wisconsin (near Janesville), but the house is old, mildewy, and filled with spiders. The mildew in the house effects my sinuses, so I’ve stopped staying overnight there. I just go for the day.
I’m glad you had some time away for relaxation and fun. Thanks for taking us along with you through the photos. I’ve never been to the twin cities and enjoyed seeing those photos. I also liked that relaxing spot on the dock.
It was indeed very relaxing, Lori. It took us over six hours to get there. And we were in and out of rainstorms the whole way.
I’d never been to Minnesota before. Oddly enough, one of my nieces went to Minneapolis a few days after my return!
Looks like an amazing trip, Linda!! I need a chair that swings over a lake!! Well, first I need a lake…
It was a nice feature, Phillip. 🙂 A great way to dip a toe in the water.
I remember the very first time I heard a loon. My immediate family unit (remember, my big, fat Greek family:) ) went to the North Wood of Wisconsin for a week. It was one of two family vacations we all took together, both to the same place. All the way up, before the interstates we know today, Daddy talked about the cottage and about the loons we would hear on the lake at night. As soon as I clicked on your link, I was 10 years old again and hearing my first loon with my Daddy. Thank you, L. Marie.
How nice that you had such good time with friends, in both Wisconsin and Minnesota – and, joy-of-joy, Stillwater. It used to be known as the Hay-on-Wye of the Midwest! Love that town, the steep hills, the river and, of course. the bookstores. One of our daughters and her family live just outside the Twin Cities, so, I have seen some of this sites, but, not all. For some unknown reason, I still have not see the Mary Tyler Moore statue. Need to remedy that.
Should you ever return to St. Paul, you MUST see Minnehaha Park and Falls! 🙂
Loved this post, L. Marie and that you had such a good time away. It is good to recharge our jets now and then.
Yay! So glad I brought back memories for you, Penny.
We wanted to check out Minnehaha Park, but ran out of time. We crammed so much into five days! There is a lot I would love to see. I’d love to hang out more in Stillwater for one thing. I’d also love to explore the Victorian houses in St. Paul. We drove past them and oo-ed and ah-ed.
Yay! So glad you had a great time . . . on the pond and in Minneapolis. I like the idea of a swinging chair for morning coffee.
We’ve been to Minneapolis once, but didn’t stop by the Mall of America. That’s mega-shopping for sure!
It sure is, Nancy. I don’t think I could ever shop there on a regular basis. It’s too big! The friends I traveled with met up with some friends there. Those friends have a system: park at Nordstrom every time and walk through the amusement park. That seems to work for them.
It sounds like you had a wonderful “time out” with your friends. I hope you found it rejuvenating and inspiring. Thanks for sharing your photos. I love Japanese gardens. They do such a good job of taming nature and at the same preserving the natural look.
Glad to share!
It’s really lovely and tranquil, Nicki. And the bonsai trees were so beautiful. I could never have one. Too much work!
I’m envious, your trips involved two of my favourite things: relaxing with a book in a beautiful, rural location, then a trip into the city bejewelled with bookstores!
Don’t think I’ve heard a loon, think I’ve encountered it in a Jihnny Cash song though 😀 or was that a whippoorwill?
If the song is “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” I think that was a whip-poor-will. 😀
It was a lovely setting, Andy. You would have enjoyed it. And you would have enjoyed Stillwater. Lovely coffee shops and bookstores. Come to think of it, the twin cities–Minneapolis–Saint Paul–are like that too.
Thanks for taking me with you on your respite vacay…via this post!
Now, back to the last few days of getting this house on the market (target date: Friday!)
Laura, I will keep you in prayer! Such a huge job!
Glad to take you along on the vacay! It was a blessing!
Wonderful time out break and beautiful photos. The sound of a loon is one I love.
Thanks, Jennie. Yes the loon’s call was one of the high points. I couldn’t help thinking of Garrison Keillor’s Lake Lake Wobegon stories. 😀
Ah, what a lovely thought. 🙂
Yes! I love those stories!
🙂
Great pics! Looks like a wonderful vacation. 🙂
Thank you, Afton! It was wonderful!
That sounds like a fun vacation with a variety of activities! Thank you for sharing your photos and experiences!
Thanks, Lyn! Do you have a new release to report?