More Minnesota Pics

Hello and welcome!  Lighthouses are so cool.  This one is located in Duluth, Minnesota.  Last Sunday a couple of friends and I visited the city for the day and went walking and shopping.  It was a blast.

Unfortunately, for much of the day it was kind of cold, humid, gloomy, and then rainy.

Earlier on Sunday we’d been shopping at a thrift store called “Savers”.  My buddy Jamie provided a copper Jello mold as a housewarming present.  Now there are 11 on the wall and it’s looking like buddy Johnnie’s place!  One of the bargains found at the thrift store was a new massaging shower handle that was missing a mounting bracket – an easy upgrade for the new home base!

While shopping, I encountered this adorable wrapped chocolate at a little store in Duluth.  With the resemblance to Jesse, I ended up getting a few of these to take back.

On Monday morning Jesse and I headed back to Iowa.  Not surprisingly, he was scared at first and cried in the cat carrier.  I let him out and surprisingly, he seemed to enjoy riding in the car.  Jesse was calm and even though we made a lot of stops, was well-behaved.

While this whole trip was about bringing the beloved tomcat back home, it was also amusing to see references to the real “Jesse James”… On the way back, I found another.  While returning, I’d planned on doing some trout fishing near Dorchester – right on the Minnesota and Iowa state line.  A kindly Amish lady in Minnesota had provided directions.

Unfortunately, the winding country roads are confusing and we ended up lost on Stateline road.  Jesse came up from the backseat, apparently because of the noisy gravel road.  In a place where I’d never been, what should appear but a sign for “Jesse James Road”.  It was another of those ironic moments that had to make a person laugh.  I told Jesse this trip was all about him!

Once we found the trout stream, the only three fish that bit (two rainbows and a brown trout) were too small to keep.  It’s not surprising.  Before long the weather will start to cool off and the bigger fish will be stocked in the streams.  Jesse didn’t mind the detour – he was sitting in the car with the air conditioner running and eating some ice cream from the creamery in Waukon, Iowa.  (spoiled!)

The cats are settled in and adjusting well.  Now that work has resumed, there was a promotion at work to “Crew Trainer”… As one manager said, it’s sort of a foot in the door to be a manager trainee.  Taking on more job responsibility never hurts.  It might not mean much more $$$ now but it’s a good investment in the future.
Today is Thursday and it is a day off from work.  There are projects to work on at the trailer and it might be possible to do a little catfishing tonight, weather permitting.  Some things have not changed though… With a little luck, Saturday night might be spent camping at a new campground and dining at a favorite area restaurant.  It will be fun!

Take care and thanks for visiting!

Brad, Jesse James, and Serena in Eastern Iowa