Trip Recap: Minnesota (Twin Cities and Duluth)
This is the second part of my trip recap. After all the Little Town on the Prairie fun, it was time to head to Minnesota. We got together with ashamanja_babu and got to meet her husband and adorable daughter. We went for lunch at a place called the Colossal Cafe in St. Paul which was conveniently located across the street from Treadle Yard Goods, where Elizabeth works. Lunch was delish and included an enormous cinnamon bun and scratch made biscuits. Then Elizabeth's husband let us go off on our merry way for the rest of our shenanigans. There were a few things that I needed to get at Treadle, and maybe I got a couple extra things from there. ;p I believe that what is happening in this picture (sneakily taken by my boyfriend while we were unawares) is that Elizabeth and I are agreeing that she needs multiple skirts made out of teal corduroy.
So here are my purchases: grey cotton double gauze for a grown-up wardrobe shirt, black silk/cotton satin to bind scallops on my future polonaise, beading lace for historical undies and whatever else, china buttons for my 1867 print dress, and a beautiful red linen-rayon blend that I think will end up being an Edwardian something. I didn't intend to pick up the red fabric, but it is such a gorgeous colour that it made me feel good. It's a rich cherry red, not the tomato colour that is showing up in this pic; for some reason my camera doesn't like reds.
After that, we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I don't have any pictures because I left my camera behind. Needless to say, fun times were had commenting on the different kinds of art and artifacts, everything from ancient to modern, paintings to furniture. That evening the boyfriend and I went to a place called Surly Brewing Co. to meet up with a couple of other Twin Cities folk that we knew. The food there was great and there was a crazy selection of beer all brewed by Surly. I had a very enjoyable half pint of Scottish Ale. The next day wasn't very exciting, since it was mostly just going shopping (including the Mall of America). The following day, after a lunch of lobster rolls at Smack Shack, we headed off to Duluth to see the Tall Ships Festival.
That day was raining on and off and it was also the first day, so it was not terribly crowded or hot. There were reenactors (some even from Winnipeg!):
There were for real sailors:
And, of course, there were ships!
This one had sailed in all the way from Spain:
We didn't get on any of the ships, but they were really cool to look at. The next day was much hotter and more crowded. We saw the world's largest rubber ducky:
But we only lasted a couple of hours there before heading off to the Duluth Depot, which is a former train depot that has been converted into a museum (technically it houses several museums and a theatre).
Inside one of the levels was set up sort of like a little town by the tracks. So there were fake stores surrounding the trains on the tracks, which I loved.
Also, cool old trains. This one is from the 1860s:
And, of course, I found the dressmaker's shop! It had some beautiful antique gowns in it.
After Duluth, we went back to Canada to spend some time at Braden's aunt and uncle's cabin in Lake of the Woods. His parents joined and his cousins were also in from out of town. No pictures, but I ate a lot of good food and got some sewing done there. It was nice to be in one place for a few days after all the driving. Then it was back home, and now I'm here!
So here are my purchases: grey cotton double gauze for a grown-up wardrobe shirt, black silk/cotton satin to bind scallops on my future polonaise, beading lace for historical undies and whatever else, china buttons for my 1867 print dress, and a beautiful red linen-rayon blend that I think will end up being an Edwardian something. I didn't intend to pick up the red fabric, but it is such a gorgeous colour that it made me feel good. It's a rich cherry red, not the tomato colour that is showing up in this pic; for some reason my camera doesn't like reds.
After that, we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. I don't have any pictures because I left my camera behind. Needless to say, fun times were had commenting on the different kinds of art and artifacts, everything from ancient to modern, paintings to furniture. That evening the boyfriend and I went to a place called Surly Brewing Co. to meet up with a couple of other Twin Cities folk that we knew. The food there was great and there was a crazy selection of beer all brewed by Surly. I had a very enjoyable half pint of Scottish Ale. The next day wasn't very exciting, since it was mostly just going shopping (including the Mall of America). The following day, after a lunch of lobster rolls at Smack Shack, we headed off to Duluth to see the Tall Ships Festival.
That day was raining on and off and it was also the first day, so it was not terribly crowded or hot. There were reenactors (some even from Winnipeg!):
There were for real sailors:
And, of course, there were ships!
This one had sailed in all the way from Spain:
We didn't get on any of the ships, but they were really cool to look at. The next day was much hotter and more crowded. We saw the world's largest rubber ducky:
But we only lasted a couple of hours there before heading off to the Duluth Depot, which is a former train depot that has been converted into a museum (technically it houses several museums and a theatre).
Inside one of the levels was set up sort of like a little town by the tracks. So there were fake stores surrounding the trains on the tracks, which I loved.
Also, cool old trains. This one is from the 1860s:
And, of course, I found the dressmaker's shop! It had some beautiful antique gowns in it.
After Duluth, we went back to Canada to spend some time at Braden's aunt and uncle's cabin in Lake of the Woods. His parents joined and his cousins were also in from out of town. No pictures, but I ate a lot of good food and got some sewing done there. It was nice to be in one place for a few days after all the driving. Then it was back home, and now I'm here!