A Visit to the Mall

Minnesota is famous for their Mall of America . . . Every store known to man, with a full theme park in the middle. However, this post is not about that. (Stay tuned on the Deli-Sub blog for a post about it.)

The Deli-Subs and I decided to go to the Hutchinson Mall for dinner. After some really good pizza, we went to the sporting goods store. In my mind, that meant I should expect to see soccer balls, shoes, backpacks, and basketball jerseys. {Cue Twilight zone music} This is what I saw instead . . .

Every kid in rural Minnesota needs a collection of these action figures.


There were tubs full of chicks and ducklings where you could pick them up and get to know them before buying them to fatten up for dinner. The chicks were the cutest little yellow puff balls. When they all lined up to eat, they looked just like Peeps. (Imagine that . . . )


There was a whole section of this stuff. Three shelves full of different varieties just for goats.


All this time I thought potatoes that look like this were a bad thing.


Eat your heart out Abercrombie and Fitch.

Stolen from my cousin's Facebook survey

"This cute little guy I saw at the San Diego Zoo. I think it's a girabra or a zebraff. It's pretty much my favorite animal."

Walnut Grove

Few girls growing up in the 70's did not want to live in Walnut Grove. I wore my "Laura dress" at every opportunity. I walked around the house with my eyes closed pretending to be blind like Mary. I wanted to throw Nellie Oleson in the mud and beat all the boys at baseball. I wanted to carry my lunch to school in a pail and dance to Pa's fiddle. Monday nights at 7:00 were always set aside for my viewing pleasure.

Yesterday, I went on a day trip with the Deli-Subs to see where it all happened. I must admit I had a hard time reconciling the Walnut Grove in my head (which is, of course, actually in California and just a TV set) and the Walnut Grove where Laura Ingalls actually lived. And, Laura really doesn't look much like Melissa Gilbert. Who knew? In the end though, it was all very cool.

We left Hutchinson and drove past a whole lot of farm land. Then more farm land, and more, finally ending up in New Ulm. That's right. New Ulm is real.



Sadly there was no sign of Harry Connick Jr., but the weather was beautiful.



After more farmland, we arrived at a house near Sleepy Eye that had houses built in their backyard like those that the Ingalls' would have lived in. The owner works for The History Channel and they built the houses as part of a show they were doing. They had lots of hands on things for the kids to try.







We continued on from there, passing more farms, and arrived in Walnut Grove. It's still a very small town. We went to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum where they had a lot of things that belonged to the Ingalls family, as well as a lot of memorabilia from the TV show. We perused the displays, played with the period toys, then ate dinner from Nellie's Cafe at Plum Creek Park. (If ever you go there, I recommend trying the Walnut Grove Bar and Grill instead.)



After a full day of all things Laura, it was time to go home. We all left with a greater appreciation of pioneer life (and not having been born at a time when we had to live it), and of a girl who just wrote down her memories and unexpectedly became a part of the lives of so many.

Weber River

It's Volkswalking season again! Yesterday's walk was along the Weber River.


I thought this tree was very cool.

I don't know what these plants are, but I like them.

The geese and ducks were out too.

Danielle thought these were lobster traps, until she remembered she's not in Florida anymore. I think they were apple crates.
Near the end of the trail, there were these stumps that had been carved into sea creatures. Apparently, someone else forgot they were in Utah too.


I wonder why this wasn't filled with teenagers on bicycles.

Whatever . . .

Danielle's signature feet picture, next to the scarf that she dropped on the path after we went back and found it.

Self-portrait . . .