I am overwhelmed, positively.  We spent a few days in Minneapolis, and I have decided I must move there immediately, after a 2 year stint in grad school.  I have never been so in love with a geographic point where I don’t approve of the weather.  Although we were lucky to savore a favorable weekend in July, one in which the Minnesota weather too wooed me with whisps of crisp air and lashes of sunlight and lots of excitement in so many realms.

We set up on the front lawn of ART OF THIS, (and the neighboring businesses who were kind enough to allow tent-overflow,) and played games at picnic tables, like dominos and scrabble and patty cakes and ate homemade cookies.    I love Minneapolis.

We were escorted around the city by David and Chrystal, who took us to what I am sure  was the most exciting series of events happening in the lower 48.  I would like to share this list, elementary style, using commas:

We saw a post-high school marching band (complete with cheerleaders and sequins), attended a secret noisy bonfire in the downtown area, hopped a fence, danced to the sights and sounds of exotic sea creatures, hopped another fence, ate vegan soul food, and slept in our bus.  All in one night.  And it didn’t even feel too busy.  I can’t even believe how uncrowded our jam-packed evening was.  And the next day!  Bikes! Breakfast in a bowling alley!  Swimming!  Sights!  Bikes!  More bonfires!  Marshmallows!  Minneapolis!  I’ll say no more.

(I’ll also offer no photographic evidence of these events, as we’re having trouble uploading images from the card reader, however I have posted a lot of new photos from previous parts of the trip on our FLICKR page.)

This is J. We left him in New Mexico.