Our trip to Minnesota went better than could have been expected. Having only met her father once (at the wedding), it was my first time meeting EL's family and based on the numerous stories she's told of them over our seeing each other, I wasn't sure what to expect. My mother was in tow and the three of us headed for IAH in the early hours of Thursday morning. Sam dropped us at the terminal for our 7:30 flight. In a small world and pleasant coincidence, we met
Syd on the plane to Minneapolis. She seemed really nice and I look forward to getting to meet her again under less time constrained circumstances. Once in the Twin Cities, we rented a coche for the almost three hourish trip to the Twin Ports. Traffic was light, the day was beautiful, and we made great time. As we entered Duluth, I was trying to warp the imagery of the town before me into the small port village that had been sitting in my mind's eye for months, but I just couldn't make the match. I was wrong. It was beautiful... seeped in history and tradition, but eager to please the modern tourist. We made our way along the main thoroughfare and exited toward the country. EL really came from a Township just outside the city proper, where most of her family still resides.
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Her mother greeted us upon arrival with some much needed coffee and a warm welcome. Her father was golfing. He golfed at least 18 holes every day we were there... notice I said "at least". Heh. We spent the day meeting other family members. EL has a huge family. There are 23 grandchildren on her mom's side alone. I love her grandparents... especially her grandfather. He reminds me of my grandfather whom I dearly miss. I think we must have stayed up to the wee hours playing cards with the man. It was truly grand. Friday morning came all too early because we were determined to get into tourist mode and commence our sight seeing extravaganza. We started up the North Shore with a daily goal of Gooseberry Falls, stopping along the way at various sights. The landscape was beautiful... more so than I imagined. I would have liked to go further north to the Palasaides or the Boundary Waters, but we were limited on time. The shore of Lake Superior is kissed by flowing alluvial rock, boulders, and pebbles. The water is cold and clear... inviting, but not warm enough to be pleasurable. The drive up the shore was a naturist's dream. We stopped only briefly for fresh caramel rolls and coffee before arriving at Gooseberry. The autumn maples and towering aspens were cradling the falls so that all you could hear was the water's roar as approaching... building anticipation and curiosity with each step. Gooseberry falls was fabulous. I was bubbling with sensory delight while wrangling the jealousy of the locals that could consume this regularly. The falls are divided into sections aptly named upper, middle, and lower. I photographed a little of the fall area, but my favorite shots are the two infrareds I took of the upper falls and one of the corollary falls just beyond it. I haven't had time to post process any photos from the trip other than those here and in last nights post, but hopefully I will be able to soon. Here is one of the IR shot if the upper falls:
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Surprisingly, I didn't take many photos this trip. I was very much in the meet-the-new-inlaws mode. When we returned from our trip up the shore, we immediately began getting ready for the reception EL's mom was throwing Friday evening. It was fab. It was at a large dance hall south of the city. She arranged a live band for dancing and catered the event. Everyone seemed to have a great time... I know we did. Saturday got off to a slow start. I think the last couple of weeks of wedding events and travel began to catch up as the last official event of the wedding passed. We spent the morning in conversation at home... trying to get motivated. The afternoon was spent downtown in Duluth. We walked Canal Park and the Lakewalk. We took in local shops and ate the local fair. It was relaxing. EL and I decided to hit the hay early Saturday to catch up and Sunday was a blur of packing and travel. I know I left out a thousand details... hopefully I'll remember to mention them as I have time. I'm headed back into the office again... wish me luck... I pray it isn't as bad as when I left.
Cheers!
