What a wonderful weekend!
Not only did I get to take Sabrina to Minnesota but we also got a virtual sandwich meet up with Claire and Georg!
It was such a delight to hang out with Melissa and her adorable family. And a double delight to watch Lily and Sabrina reading together
Playing together
Contemplating the big issue of life (while eating lollipops) together
Thank you Melissa!
-Lindsey
so we had more than our fair share of rain in my fair state last week. some areas got almost 12" during a freak three-day rainstorm. the rivers all rose, some towns flooded and many roads were closed. mankato has flood walls so even though the river crested at 27.9' our town was kept dry.
there are a few parks near the river though that always seem to flood.
i was curious to see what all this water was doing to my local state park's waterfall, so yesterday i ventured out to have a peep.
the creek that feeds the waterfall was rushing and roiling like crazy!
the water was churning every which way and the sound was thunderous.
a truly amazing sight, especially considering that at times the falls can slow to just a trickle.
-melissa
ps - i couldn't resist throwing in one more picture, although not related to the water levels, it certainly showcases the beauty of early fall in minnesota.
So sorry about my delays in expressing my utmost grattitude and wonder at the lovely weekend I spent with Melissa & Co in Mankato. One of the drawbacks of film, I guess. But, with no further ado- I present the Marvelous Mankato Meetup!
As per usual, my cross-midwestern drive started off a bit rocky...
and there were some obligatory stops while I waited for tornadoes to pass by (I never thought an Elivs themed McDonalds could be such a life saver!). But luckily the sun evenutally came out and I was back on track to the lovely Mankato.
I was so thrilled to be there on the same weekend as the Nicollet County fair!
Can you spot all the Martensens?
We were lucky enough that the weather was gorgeous and cool so we even got to hang out on the lawn
... and of course we wouldn't be us if there wasn't a lot of knitting to be had by all.
I'll bet you're drooling over the yarns in that photo. They are drool-worthy indeed! Both Melissa and I cast on new projects using the most scrumptious yarn, handmade by the ridiculously talented Maya from Springtree Road.
It was such a fabulous weekend! Melissa it is beyond delightful to spend time with you and your lovely family! I love you all more than I can ever say. A HUGE thank you! THANK YOU!
-cmv
have i mentioned before that i love love love me a county fair?
well i do!
mostly i love the animals.
but there are other joys as well...
-melissa
ps - clairey, don't even think that my last two posts excuse you from writing your own minnesota post (or two, or three...). i want to see mn through cmv's eyes!!
thanks clairey for coming to visit. it was wonderful to get to spend a couple days just relaxing and hanging out with you. let's do it again soon!
alas, the only thing we were missing that would have made the weekend perfect was lindsey...
-melissa
saturday was the day of the big north mankato fun days parade!
i love love love parades - and this one's my favorite, since it's my town's big day to shine!
where else (in the u.s.) but in minnesota would the local curling club have a float?
did i mention i love parades? so much fun!! (not to mention so much candy!!) and if you look closely you might just catch a glimpse of someone you know!
-melissa
i'm blaming the nice weather and the fact that i can't bear to be inside right now for the backlog of blog posts that are building up in my head. i know claire's flying back to nyc today, so i thought i'd sneak this in quick before she posts the top five..
last thursday lily had the day off school and the weather was beyond gorgeous so we took the opportunity to go explore the historic minneopa cemetery. it is located about 5mi out of town by our state park and every time i have driven by i've said to myslef, "ooooh i'd love to go exploring in there."
it did not disappoint. it is the oldest continually operating cemetery in blue earth county, opening in 1855. i have a soft spot in my heart for exploring cemeteries. growing up my grandparents lived across the street from a cemetery and we would always go over there and take walks, looking for the oldest grave marker, picking out the most beautiful, and collecting bird feathers.
i will confess, i have a total weakness for tilted, mossy gravestones.
and the trees... oh the trees here are just divine! big old cedars and pines... a beautiful place to rest for eternity.
lily and i spent a couple hours wandering around, taking pictures and gathering up rocks and feathers. (but not pinecones. when i suggested it she just looked at me like i was crazy and said, "mom, we're not collecting pine cones today!")
when i found this marker the hawthorne-nerd in me got totally geeked-out!
-melissa
on monday kate wrote a wonderful post, "just another 30 minutes in the day." she, her son and her dog took 30 minutes went to the beach near their home and explored the tide pools, enjoyed the fresh air and scenery. all in only 30 minutes. isn't this just a fabulous idea?
after i got over my initial jealousy that i don't have an ocean or a dog, i got to thinking.... what an inspiration to take 30 minutes and get outside and enjoy some of the beautiful nature that does surround me.
while we have no oceans in minnesota, i am lucky to live 5mi from a small state park with a wondrous waterfall. substitute exploring the tide pools for hunting for acorn hats and the dog for my friend's 18 month-old daughter and we were ready to go!
the falls were roaring and rushing with the early spring snowmelt.
the ground was absolutely covered in acorn hats, and lily wouldn't let us leave until all of our pockets were bulging full of sweet little acorn hat treasures.
so here is my challenge to you - take 30 minutes and go find some natural beauty near your own home. it only takes 30 minutes of your day and i guarantee that you won't regret it!
-melissa
A miracle happened on Friday here in NYC-- another snow day! The snow had already started lightly Thursday night as I walked home from work,
but we could have never expected the mayor to actually cancel school twice in one year! Of course this meant that I'd be out all day with the camera to catch the newly falling snow. And it just so happened that Melissa also had plans to go out with her camera to capture the piles of already fallen snow!
So we decided to go out on matching snow walks and then put up a post together to show our old snow/new snow!
Melissa went to the gorgeous park near her house, covered in piles of snow
that has an incredible waterfall.
And I hit the streets in my neighborhood
before heading to the marvelous park near my house.
Melissa's views might be more elegantly serene,
whereas in the big city you can't avoid lots of color.
And while Melissa's snow might show evidence of lovely woodland creatures,
In the end, we were both thrilled to be walking amidst our own versions of the beautiful winter white!
We hope you are enjoying winter in your very own way too!
-cmv& melissa
so this morning, melissa and i were chatting via ravelry email and talking about our plans for the day. both mankato and new york were enjoying beautiful and warm-ish late november days. perfect for a photo walk. so we cyber high-fived and made a plan to go on respective photo walks and report back at the end of the day.
it's fun to contrast the solitude and rugged beauty of mankato
with the motley cast of characters and streamlines of nyc
one thing is for sure, though. no matter what part of the country you are in,
the late november light is simply breathtaking!
thanks for playing along, melissa! this was fun!
lindsey can you join us? and what about all of our lovely readers? can you show us what late november looks like in your part of the world?
-cmv
