Austin, Minnesota - More than just Tinned Meat

  

After an invigorating teeth polishing by my favorite hygienist at Nelson Family Dental, my son and I stopped at the Coffee House on Main for some caffeinated beverages and then on to the Good Earth Natural Foods Co. for shopping.

I knew Austin, Minnesota was home to the Hormel Foods Corporation headquarters where the tinned meat is made, but I have now made another Spam-tastic discovery.  Anchored on the shores of East Side Lake is the Spamtown Belle...a charming little paddle boat decked out in the blue and yellow signature SPAM colors.

My son posed for a picture in the crows nest before we continued on our walk around this 40-acre man-made reservoir.  Water lilies have taken over much of the shoreline of this lake, and the baby grasshoppers were especially in abundance.

It was a steamy 80+ degrees, so we didn't walk all the way around, but paused long enough to enjoy some of the flowers planted in this scenic little park.

Soon, I hope to plan a trip here with my trike for some bike trail riding.

So...to Recap...

...or,

      "What I Did on my Summer Break."

I listened to my kiddos jam...

...played some mini golf...

...got excited about her 2ND hole in one...

...took a birthday bike ride with Grandpa...

...on a scenic bike trail in Marshalltown.

Enjoyed some delicious ice cream at Minnesota's oldest ice cream shop...

...in Afton...

...before...

...taking a Segway tour along Lake St. Croix Beach and...  

...writing a message in the sand.

Took more sunset and flower pictures during a family gathering.

Most of all, "I HEART" the time spent with my son and daughter...

...having fun and being silly...

...and enjoying nature on some warm, gorgeous, sunny days.

Mr. Williams...Your Table is Ready

On June 28, 2007, I had the rare opportunity to be in New York City outside the NBC News studio for a taping of the TODAY show.  Meredith Vieira was interviewing Robin Williams.  Below are the unedited, raw images that I captured that day.  Robin's back was to me during the interview, but I did catch a closer glimpse of him as he was walking away.  Unfortunately, I was shaking so badly from the excitement, that the image came out blurry.  Later that same day, I would be in the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway for a taping of Late Night with David Letterman.  Williams was also a guest for that show.

 It was such a privilege and a thrill beyond my wildest dreams to see this one-of-a-kind comedian in person, even if it was from a distance.  The crowd that gathered that day was energized just by his brief presence.  I remember realizing for the first time how short he seemed--since you really never get a sense of an actor's height on TV or the silver screen.

 

When I was in high school, I remember buying and listening to his comedy album from 1979, "Reality...What a Concept."  My sister, who was too young to understand most of his witty one-liners, quickly had it memorized and would go around repeating the monologue verbatim.

One of my Facebook friends posted that Robin's death is like the end of an era, and that just really says it all for me.  Over the last 30 plus years, I've enjoyed watching him as Mork, Adrian Cronauer, Peter Banning, Genie, Daniel Hillard, Alan Parrish, Professor Philip Brainard, Patch Adams, Andrew Martin, and Reverend Frank just to name a few of my favorites.

I have never shed a tear over the passing of a celebrity before...until now.  The entertainment industry has lost one of the all-time greats.

Wild Life

A brief visit to East Park in Mason City yesterday provided for some interesting shots of the wildlife...

Sunset Effects...Part 2

As we left the farm Wednesday night, the orange glowing ball resting on the horizon demanded that we pull over and snap a quick shot before it disappeared.

Again, the raw beauty of the sky momentarily etched in my mind did not look the same in the snapped image taken with my iPhone...

...so I made a few enhancements with the Picfx photo editor app...

Space -set- "Galactic" effect, cropped

Classics -set- "Lush" effect, cropped

Original image

A Little Corny

Ten years ago this week I was outstanding in a field of corn where I was being stalked by those who were all ears.  I hadn't been among this many tassels since my graduation from high school.  The kernel of this post is all so corny!  :)

Sunset Effects...Part 1

Original image unedited

 Sunday night's drive home from church after a brief rainstorm, allowed for the viewing of a spectacular sunset.

Camera images never do justice to what the eye sees when it comes to God's handiwork...mountains, oceans, and sunsets included.

By adding some effects from my iPhone's Picfx app, I was able to enhance and imagine an even more wondrous horizon with the image I captured.

Original image enhanced with the "Space" set Galactic effect

Original image enhanced with the "Space" set Nebula effect

Another Day, Another Bike Ride

If you recall the lighting, Saturday's bike ride took me down the rural, paved road past the corn field earlier in the day.  I ventured out a little later tonight and caught the sun light just right streaming through the corn leaves and purple flowers.  I love the way the flowers glow from the back lighting.

 My trek around the fairgrounds loop brought a little bit different sight as well.  The "ceremony" venue was replaced with a customer appreciation event complete with tethered hot air balloon rides.

Saturday Bike Ride

The hubby was in my rear-view mirror yesterday on our 6.36 mile bike ride around town.  The temperature was in the mid 80's but the humidity wasn't bad.  Clouds gave some relief from the hot sun, and I'm still enjoying the bounty of blooming flowers.

As always, however, never a dull moment and plenty of interesting scenery on every ride.

I stopped to snap a few pictures of the progress being made on the bridge.  The layering of the trees, field corn, stream, and purple cone flowers by the side of the road give a rich colorful depth to the ride that I will miss while stationary pedaling this winter.

I am hopeful the bridge will be done before the end of the riding season, as it cuts this portion of the ride in half.  The latest reports say the bridge reconstruction is progressing nicely, but gives no projected completion date.  After the existing bridge was removed, the creek had to be rerouted before the new construction could begin, so the road has been closed to thru traffic for quite some time now.

Now for the interesting part of the day's bike ride...

Making our usual loop around the county fairgrounds, we came upon an uncommon sight.

Clad in long chocolate brown dresses and carrying sunflowers, the bridesmaids gathered near the round bale of hay marked "CEREMONY" awaiting the groomsmen who screamed through the fairgrounds full-throttle on their Harley's.

Not far from the ceremony area, an inflatable bouncy house awaited the younger guests, and the corn bag toss was all set up and ready to be played after dinner which would be served in the shelter house.

Now, I'm not claiming to be old-fashioned at all, but weddings sure seemed to have changed over the years.

Here's Your Sign...Part 6

If the population of your town is just under 2,000 and there is not one, but TWO drive-thru liquor stores, you might live where I live.

If there are more slow-moving vehicles on the street than cars, you might live where I live.

If the casino revenue keeps your school and fire departments funded, you might live where I live.

If the tobacco shop gets more activity than the antique stores, you might live where I live.

















HERE'S YOUR SIGN!

This concludes my series on the subject of random signs and quirky observations.