We're Back

Oh boy… Fifty lashes with a wet noodle. I have been a bad girl…. That is what happens when you have good friends staying in the same campground…. There is just not enough hours in a day to do everything and still have the energy to write about it.

When I last wrote, we were on our way to the horse races at Canterbury Downs…. It was a first time horse race for Ken and Sandy and it had been years since Bill and I had been to one so a great time was had by all…. The little betting we did had Bill and Sandy winning about $10.00 and me losing $8 for the night…. I bet on the names that I liked…. Sometimes that works but not very often….. Bill and Sandy studied the board between each race… Too much work for this gal… I did manage to get a couple of pictures of the beautiful horses though.

Ken and Sandy had planned on staying for one week but as most of the fulltime RV’ers know, our plans are written in jello and subject to change at the drop of the hat…. They did not realize how nice Minnesota is in the summer and decided to stay here until after the 4th of July… They were able to go on a waiting list here at the park and there were a few cancellations at the last minute so they could stay…. The stay was extended even longer as they were waiting for a package to arrive in the mail that didn’t get here until yesterday…. They did get off this morning and Sandy called me to say they had made it as far as Des Moines, Iowa by 4:00 pm…. It was so good to have them here… We went out for several lunches and one dinner of walleye since they love it as much as we do and I showed them where to buy some to take with them in the freezer.

One day we drove to Coon Rapids which is where our old house is and we were able to show them that and then have lunch at our favorite Sammy’s Pizza Buffet. It was so good…. Besides all the different pizzas they have broasted chicken, several pastas, soup and a wonderful salad bar… If you leave there hungry, it is your own fault.

After lunch, we went to the Coon Rapids Dam on the Mississippi River. We walked out to the middle so that they could say that they stood in the middle of the Mississippi…. It was a cloudy day but we still had a great time… From there, we went to Costco’s to get a few things and sample all the desserts they had for us.. From where we are staying, it is about 40 miles away and our return trip put us right in the middle of Minneapolis going home traffic… NOT FUN… I am so glad we don’t have to do that every day anymore.

We cooked several meals at home and shared our dishes. Some were inside and some were out, depending on the weather… We all enjoyed each others cooking… If you are reading this Sandy and Ken, I just finished off the apple crisp… It was good but not as good as with the French vanilla ice cream on top.

On Friday, July 3rd we took Ken and Sandy to St Paul. Harriet Island has the annual “Taste of Minnesota “ that is held along the Mississippi River… It is a fun thing to try once but we had more fun when we returned to downtown St. Paul…. What a great place to be on a holiday…. There was no traffic and we walked around Rice Park looking at all the Snoopy Sculptures and visited the St Paul Hotel and it’s beautiful gardens…. Snoopy is everywhere in this area since Charles Schultz was from St Paul. We ended our tour at the State Capital and St. Paul has one of the most beautiful… I’ll post pictures and you can be the judge….

On the 4th, we went to a Farmers Market in Prior Lake that was pretty neat…. Not a lot of things are ripe in the fruit and veggie department except strawberries, rhubarb and a few other things but within a few weeks things will be ready… I can’t wait for the raspberries and sweet corn… It is soooo good.

We came home and I cooked a great pork tenderloin and brought it over to Ken and Sandy’s where she added a wonderful pasta salad and fresh corn on the cob. Next we played Catch Phrase (what a fun game) while waiting for some of the nicest fireworks we have seen…. The best part about them is that they were held right here at the campground…. Before ours started, we had several others close by from Canterbury Downs, Prior Lake and other cities that we could see from our site… At 10:00 PM Mystic Lake put on quite a show of their own…. We sat in our lawn chairs at Ken and Sandy’s yard and watched them all… The best part of it all was that we didn’t have to even drive home. We just walked a couple of campsites away and we were home…

Sunday was a cookout in the afternoon…. Does it sound like we do nothing but eat? Not true but it is a fun thing to share with friends….. We were too full to eat the apple crisp I had made but by evening it really tasted good, especially with the French vanilla ice cream Ken and Sandy brought over…..

Yesterday Ken drove us to Camping World which is about 40 miles away…. We didn’t need anything but still came away spending about $100.00…. Why is that?... I don’t think we have ever entered that place without spending $100.00 . :) When we got home, Sandy and I went up to the casino to try our luck on their last night here and we were there when an 80 yr old lady won a jackpot of 1,400,000.00 Yup, 1 million 400 thousand…. She was interviewed for TV and said the 1st thing she was going to do today was quit her job.!!!... You go gal. Good for you. Wish it was me tho.

Good-bys are hard but we will be seeing Ken and Sandy this winter in Florida so that makes it a lot easier…. We sure had a great time with them and hope they enjoyed their first visit to Minnesota……

I’d like to promise that I will update more often but that might be a lie… When you are back in your old homeland with friends and family it gets real busy… All I can say is that I’ll try………….Later

Jul 7, 2009

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