A particularly fine evening was spent having dinner at Mama Maria's in Hudson, Wisconsin, with Cara and Bruce and their children...although "children" is perhaps not the right word...
From left: dummy, Bruce, James, Victoria, Jacob, Cara, Donna, Bill, and Linda.
Victoria is working and driving these days, but found a bit of time to join her brother, James, and father, Bruce.
Cara and Jacob having a special moment!
Donna and her brother Bill checking out a selfie!
Another day was spent with Bill and Linda at the newly refurbished Minnesota State Capitol. A multi-year project costing over $300 million, the capitol building opened officially on August 11, 2017. We visited on Monday to avoid the crowds.
The Rotunda is a magnificent piece of art.
Grand staircases delight the eye in every direction. Everything is sparkling and clean!
The Governor's Reception Room seems to be decorated in gold leaf, but it is actually silver leaf painted gold. Go figure, but that's the way they did it in 1905!
I couldn't resist taking a picture of this table in the Reception Room which is made from a single tree!
Donna took a break in the Senate Chambers, something that the Senators often do.....
The House of Representatives chamber is the largest room in the building. It also has the most robust decorating scheme, with lively colors and intricate architectural details.
Above the entrance, a golden sculpture referred to as the Quadriga, is made of copper and covered in gold leaf.
But, as usual when we get a chance, we enjoyed the catacombs best!
Another night, we celebrated with Bill and Linda's son, Chuck and his lovely wife, Jill, at their 1900's home in St Paul. The weather was warm, so we could sit in the yard and soak up the ambiance of turn-of-the-other-century St Paul.
Chuck and Jill are consummate entertainers, knowing exactly what to do to make their guests welcome. Not to mention the wonderful dinner they served!
Thank you, Chuck and Jill!
After spending a short week in the Twin Cities, we hit the road again today, Thursday, for points south. We left Minnesota,
And entered Iowa.
We were immediately re-introduced to the vast vistas of Iowa.
We are overnighting at Timberline RV Park just west of Des Moines. This park has two unique attractions. One is the tiny space allowed for each rv, and the other is the person in the next field that practiced his or her pistol and rifle marksmanship for 4 hours this afternoon. The relentless pop, pop brought the entire park to the property line to watch. Evidently, it's not a problem to discharge a firearm near populated areas in Iowa!
Tomorrow we head west into Nebraska to meet friends and family for the solar eclipse event next week. More fun!
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