The Minnesota Blog!
We had been looking forward to landing in America and having a massive American sized meal for ages – we got it at the Dallas airport hooray! We were determined to stuff ourselves silly (and wow did we).
We flew into Minnesota May 22 and stayed there through June 22
Murray was THRILLED to meet our truck Dolph (here he is posing with Dolph and Minnie)
Me, Murray, Minnie & Dolph
Minnie was thrilled Murray was willing to give her a belly rub
My baby Minnie & me posing by Dolph – again (yes we were EXCITED!)
A little painted turtle my Dad found by the lake
Isn’t he CUTE (& tiny)
Poking his head out – hey – what’s going on out here? Put me down!
My Dad also spotted this massive beaver down by the dock!
The pictures may not show it - but he was huge
He was the size of a medium dog!
Swimming along
There were just a FEW bugs out that night (this is a picture looking up into the sky). They were all around us! Ewwww
Uncle Kevin & his fancy new Harley
Kevin and Joni’s two Harleys (with aunt Joni in the background)
Aunty Joni
Murray, Kevin & Joni did a memorial ride up through Minnesota and Wisconsin
It was organized by the parents of a young soldier who was killed in Iraq
There were about 70 Harleys and a bus full of people
The riders gathered at the beginning…
To say a prayer and some words in remembrance of him
Back at my parent’s place – the illusive black squirrel!
There used to only be a few, now they have taken over
It was great to catch up with good friends – Jessi & Me
My brother Marcus & Dad put their lives at risk acting as the jump props for this death defying feat (masterminded by my sister Mariah’s boyfriend Pat). Do notice the beer in Dad’s hand for courage!
The boys liked our gifts from the trip – handmade Panama hats from Ecuador and Cuban cigars .
Marcus, Dad, Kevin & Murray
Always nice to sit around the campfire (we especially loved Grandpa’s singing)!
Grandma Sally, Mandie, Mike, Megan, Marcus & Johnny
A little chilly – but not too bad
Kyle, Grandma Sis, Mom, Mariah, Pat, Dad & Grandpa Don
Kevin sneaking up on his dogs Jager & Kiddy (they LOVE this game)
This is the cat that belongs to Marcus’s renter – not only does it create hell for allergy sufferers, but it also leaves odd 27 toed footprints (freak!)
We had a great night out with Marcus to celebrate his 26th birthday. We went to see George Clinton & the Funkadelics at First Ave.
Marcus, his friend & Murray
They were QUITE a weird band – notice the guitarist just to the right of George – an older man wearing a diaper (he wore that for the entire 4 hour set – bizarre!)
Funky Burnt Out George’s wacky hair and his diaper wearing guitarist – amazingly they were actually quite good though
Me & My bro
Marcus’s friends throught it would be funny if they gave him a piggy back ride to the next bar – nearly killed the guy’s back I think!
AND one last shot of the adult sized diaper – on stage… weird
Murray tried some American food – biscuits and gravy, eggs, hash browns & bacon – not your average healthy eating diet food!
The Canadian geese were all over the place with their huge gaggles of babies
Now stay in a straight line!
We thought it was amazing that this little redwing chased this large osprey ALL the time, yet the osprey never retaliated!
A pretty little redwing
Ospreys are the only raptors that dive for their fish and catch them under the surface
Isn’t he beautiful! My Dad has a nest for them on a super tall pole near the lake – three of them nest there (why 3 not 2 I do not know!)
They are gorgeous birds. You can click on the pic to view it large!
Quite a wing span.
This guy was buzzing us – he lives down the lake and flies this thing around way too low!
This was an amazing site – an Eagle trying to fish with an Osprey attacking it!
The osprey was attacking the eagle by flying higher than it and then dive bombing it (to keep it away from it’s nest and fishing area). After a few dive bombs the eagle got sick of this and flipped around to show it’s talons to the osprey.
A beautiful eagle
We also went to the Fine Line Cafe to see one our favorite British bands - the Kooks!!
They were FANTASTIC!
The lead singer's voice is amazing live - he has SUCH stage presence- totally a rock star!
Kooks baby yeah!
The guitarist who could barely be bothered to look like he enjoyed being in Minneapolis
What a great show - we loved it and so did Marcus - VERY impressed:)
My Mom and I also had some lovely afternoons together. We went out to a fancy lunch that included scones & cream, a gorgeous meal, and fancy infused tea – lovely.
On other days we also had some great pedicures and a fun day at the spa (for facials & massages). Super fun!
Scones & Devonshire Cream – so so so yummy!
And how CUTE are their dishes? The tea house was just gorgeous.
Fabulous pork with berries – it was SO nice!
We also tried the salmon which was fabulous
We with our yummy chocolate cake dessert – I nearly rolled outta there cause the food was SO good!
Back at the ranch, Murray and Dad were busy working on PHASE 1 - making a bed frame to put a mattress on in the back of the truck
The back of the truck (sorry – Dolph) before he did anything to it
The bed frame – with a storage compartment at the very back for a spare tire
And also a front accessible compartment for storage – with a hinged top
And a sliding drawer for easy access
One evening we went out to the races to enjoy – Onion Rings!! We smelled these as we walked in and HAD to order them, they were absolutely the best onion rings we have had in over a year – fantastic and SO huge!
A horse following the ‘gate’ (attached to a moving car – for a rolling start) – this is Trotters racing (i.e. the jockey rides in a little cart behind the horse)
The gang – Dad, Mom, Grandma Sis, Me, Murray & Marcus
They got up some speed! We all put in small bets and pretty much chose based on name – but only Mom won (a whopping $10 I believe). It was good fun though – and great to be able to eat a fabulous meal while watching comfortable from your table!
Back at the ranch, the dogs were waiting for us over at Grandma’s house
Jager, Minnie & Kiddy
We had a fantastic crab dinner meal over at Grandma Sis’s house
Dad, Joni, Kevin, Murray, Mom, Grandma & Me
The dogs felt left out though- notice kiddy’s scary robot eyes!
One day Johnny came in the house yelling COME QUICK – the wind had blown so hard that the entire dock and boat lift had flipped over!!
Everyone immediately ran into the water to help.
The boys worked on saving the dock and lift while Joni and I walked with difficulty through the VERY deep mud to grab the large square wooden pieces that had been the flooring on the dock – they were floating away QUICK!
It was a BIT of a mess, but we sorted it out eventually. Kevin got out their tractor and hauled it out, where we could disassemble it a bit and get it away from the water and the wind.
Another night we had fun catching up with our friends Katie & Joe at their new house!!
Joe & Murray enjoying a great bbq dinner!
Joe, Me & Katie – enjoying the nice night by relaxing in their garage – they only JUST moved in!
Murray thought this was hilarious – Coke + vitamins & minerals? Really? Hmmmm
Joe was a-okay with doing the dishes! This has to be the smallest dishwasher we've ever seen!
After dinner Joe demonstrated the game guitar hero for us
Murray jamming away – Joe said we were their first guests who didn’t get booed off stage on their first go!
It was hard – but REALLY fun! I rocked out Welcome to the Jungle!
Me & Katie posing with the guitar:)
Katie & Joe are so much fun – it was great to catch up with them!
The next night was my cousin Kyle’s graduation party – for which they did a pig roast!
Dad wasn’t quite happy with his share of the meal, an overcooked squirrel.
Kevin & Minnie by the gigantic BBQing machine
My good friend Jessi & Me
Uncle Kevin & Me
Grandma Sis & Me
Mom & Me
How many men does it take to cook a pig?
Finally it was time for the unveiling
And a bit of cricket – Marcus trying on the batsman’s pads. It is essential to wear pads because the ball is like concrete and is thrown at the batsmen at over 100 miles an hour.
Me serving up pork
Mike (Megan’s fiancé), aunty Joni & (my sister) Megan
Murray (pulling a zoolander face) & Me
Murray, Kevin’s bum with a pig head, & Dad
The party was a great success – it was fun to see family, and to celebrate Kyle’s grad. We also had attended his high school graduation ceremony which was fun - great to be there and embarrass him by yelling out 'YAY KYLE.'
The next day we went to see our friends Jake & Lori
And their new baby Lincoln!
Lincoln testing out the blanket I made him and holding dad Jake’s hand
Murray and Lori’s little dog on the boat
Lincoln having a suck on Lori’s arm
Murray tried out Jake’s super powered jet skis – fun! Murray got to 68mph!
I watched from the dock with Jake’s friend Kirk
It was fun to catch up with them and to meet Lincoln.
Another night, I went to see Jane Fonda speak with Mom & Grandma Sis.
Me & Grandma
After dinner we hit the Clinique counter for a free makeup trial – a BIT more than I am used to (especially since I have worn makeup less than half a dozen times in the last 7 months!!)
3 generations – Grandma, Me & Mom
PHASE 2 – THE CARPET
The spare tire fits just perfectly!
The boys put a nice carpet coating on top of the frame to protect the mattress (lovingly loaned to us from Mom & Dad)
Not sure what Dad was about to do next?
A nice post party leftovers bbq over at Joni & Kevin’s house in the lovely weather
Gorgeous sunset over the lake
Murray showing off the newly accessorised truck (notice the new bull bar) to Kevin & Dad
Can’t beat those Minnesota lakeview sunsets – gorgeous
We also went up North to see our good friends Mike & Beth – Mike got out the Tabasco in prep for his famous bloody mary’s
Murray expressed his desire to be dipped in a vat of guacamole
Me & Beth – party animals!
Mike putting Tommy up on a horse for his first ever ride!!
He LOVED it – and even picked the horse’s nose in thanks
Beth & Me by Babe the Blue Ox (Paul Bunyan’s Ox of course)
Dolph in their driveway – ahhhhh isn’t he pretty?
The bull bar – raaaaaaaah – take me on! I dare you!
Sleek – we LOVE him
The Master Chef at work – the secret ingredients? No one will ever know!
Lovely Tommy in the car with Odie the dog. Could those eyes BE any more gorgeous?
Ha ha – happy boy! Eleven months old and growing up so fast!
We had a lovely weekend with them – filled with yummy food, lots of fun baby time, and great friends.
Back home my sister Mariah posed with Minnie for a photo
Ahhhh old pale face – she is now 12!
The only family photo where Dad didn’t look TOO goofy (yes, this is the best one!)
Marcus, Dad, Mandie, Mariah, Megan, Me & Murray
Two of my sisters – Mandie & Mariah
Another afternoon ….
we snuck off with Kevin & Joni ….
For a ride on….
Their Harley!
Ohhhh shiney
A yummy hot mid ride chili snack to warm our bones
Joni & Me with the bikes
Kevin & Murray with the bikes
Me & Murray (Murray has a lot of experience, but this was MY FIRST ever motorbike ride!)
Our hiking boots go well with the leather right? It was scary – but gosh it was fun!
Zoom zoom
Me back at their house with my helmet – it was SUCH a fun ride! Beautiful too
We went another day too – to a different restaurant at a cute little town on the St. Croix river
Me & Joni outside of the restaurant
Kevin, Joni, Murray & Me at lunch
Murray & I in our leather jackets – cool!
Us on their Harley – gosh it was a gorgeous ride (all but when that gravel truck went by and made our faces sting with little pebbles!)
Back at home…
Dad pulled the speed boat in after a nice skiing session on the lake (not for me though cause of my shoulder – still healing so I didn’t want to push it too much – bummer)
Mom had some gorgeous poppies in her garden
My little pale faced shadow followed me everywhere!
Murray on the laptop using skype to call his old work in cold UK from our sunny driveway – ha ! Interesting way to call overseas huh?
Then it was time for Helen to arrive (Murray’s sister) – so we picked up this cookie cake for her at the Mall of America!
And Mom picked up some amazing M&M cookies!
Brother & Sister – Murray & Helen
Me & Helen – enjoying a nice evening meal outside
Dad was always so good about posing for pictures… at least Grandma looks nice
A shot of Murray's growing mullet....a traveling hair joke....Murray says he's trying to blend in.
Grandma drinking the Aussie way – Fosters Lager mate
A lovely little bird nest
Out on the boat – Helen, Murray & Grandma Sis
Dad LOVED the Australian flag Helen brought him – went nicely with the USA & Scottish flag on the boat.
A view from above on the boat – Mike, Mandie, Helen, Me & Grandma relaxing
Weeds in the lake are a big problem
The flags
We even managed to spot a family of the Minnesota state bird – the loon
And two cute little babies
Mike & Murray
A fisherman & his loyal dog
The house across the lake from us & their cute lighthouse on the point
Helen, Me & Grandma
STAGE 3 – make a box to put the grill in. And yes, in Wood style, it was over engineered and built to last for generations. Lyn, laundry box part 3 you could say.
Thunderstorms coming in (it was weird whether while we were in MN – very stormy! One night we even got stuck in a movie theater after tornados touched down a few miles away.
We also went to my cousin Katie’s graduation party – here is the only picture we have with my cousin Jenny who flew in from New York – shame I closed my eyes!
Cousin Jolie, twin aunties Joni & Jani and me
Kaite – the happy grad
Helen, Marcus, Murray & my cousin Trevor enjoying a beer outside
Grandma Sis & her son (& my uncle) Kevin
Grandpa Don & Me
This is a photo from some time in the 80’s of me & my cousins & my brother (aunties?? Has anyone figured out the date?)
And a recreation of us now!! Fun (why oh why did I have to be the dork with my hands crossed? ha ha)
Grandpa Don loved the hat my Mom got him for Fathers Day
The first nice smiling picture of Dad in ages – my Dad with his Dad – John & Don
On the way home we saw this snapper turtle on the driveway
Gosh they look SO ancient
Of course Murray had to get RIGHT in there
She was laying her eggs by the driveway. Notice her leg digging the hole. If she could talk she would probably say - 'Do you mind!'
And we found a full grown painted turtle – pretty
Nice and camouflaged
That night after the party – Murray, Me, Mom & Dad
STAGE 4 – PACK & clean!
Helen’s truck she rented for the trip (she is traveling with us for 4 weeks up to Glacier)
It was a tight fit – but everything did fit (we did a MASSIVE Costco shopping trip and loaded up on some bulk food)
Our last night we even tested out our travel BBQ for the first time – just to make sure it worked! And Yes, we DID 'Throw a shrimp on the Barbie'. Keeping it Oz......
Picnic time – Aunties Joni & Denise, Grandma & Mom
Murray & Joni
Rub a dub dub. Dad's power pressure hose was fantastic! Bugs be gone!
On our last night we also went out to a Minnesota Saints game (baseball minor league)
Me, Dad, Marcus & Mom with our beers
Batter up
The Saints games are fun because they do all sorts of fun things in between innings – fun games and such. They also have a pig mascot who brings out the balls for each inning – usually dressed in a different costume. I think the Saints are part owned by Bill Murray?
Wow you can actually see the ball in the air here, awesome timing.
Me, Murray & the Saints snoopy (Charles Schultz the creator of Peanuts is from Minnesota
Marcus trying out his arm at the speed pitching station
Murray beat him by ONE mile an hour – sweet
We saw this huge storm coming, so we left to find some shelter
On the way we saw this hockey arena which we thought was pretty cool since my great grandpa’s name was Oscar Johnson!
We ended up at a bar that evening called the Minneapolis Music Café because the band that played was the band that had played at our wedding three years ago (High & Mighty)!!! They were fantastic, as always – although only a few member were still the same (the lady who was the backup singer at our wedding and sang out first dance song – Kiss of Life – is now the lead singer! She is fab)
A gorgeous sunrise. Murray was up super early to pack all the camera and PC gear!
Out last morning we headed up into the tiny nearby town for breakfast – this is the new memorial a student raised money to erect at the entrance to town
Honoring all the veterans
At the Swedish Inn for breakfast – Ya sure ya betcha
My Grandpa on my Dad’s side – Don, and his brother Claire are forever thanked for their service at the site
Also my Grandpa on my Mom’s side – Clayton – is remembered here.
Murray had the UFF DA Omlette – uff da, it had everything in it, including hashbrowns!
And then it was time to say goodbye – Off we go with Dolph!!
We had a GREAT time in Minnesota! We celebrated our third wedding anniversary, I had great lunches and dinners with all of my sisters, spent a lot of quality time with my Grandparents, did fun spa stuff with Mom, went to the dentist twice to get my filling fixed and a new one (does it ever end?),
and while getting the truck ready for our roadtrip - we spent GREAT time with family and friends - it really couldn't have been any more fabulous.
Road trip blog #1 coming asap!
