October - Minnesota Respite

September 20 - October 28

We used our 5 weeks in MN/WI to visit family, friends, doctors and dentists.  It was a picture-perfect Fall in Minnesota with plenty of sun, warm temps, and lots and lots of trees in full color.

 

 

MN Gophers v Northwestern

Because we had so much of our stuff shipped back from Germany to Savannah with Michelle and Craig, we relied more than usual on the stash of personal belongings we have stored in a variety of guest rooms across the state.  Our heartfelt thanks to those who enable us to survive our nomadic/somewhat-homeless lifestyle by letting us come and go into their lives as we leave behind a variety of personal belongings at each place.

• Michelle and Craig, who left us a key under their doormat in Freihung, Germany for 13 months.
• James.  16 days in West St. Paul. Our dear son has key-code entry to his house and we know the code.  There’s a 3^rd bedroom in the basement with a closet for storage.  Not to mention so much of our old furniture that it really feels like “home” to us.
• Schaluas. 9 days in Rochester.  Thank goodness for family; they love you, they feed you, they watch the same TV shows as you.  
• Jim Garfunkel. 8 days in Webster, WI.  Our waterbed is in the guest room … need I say more?
• Devereauxs. 7 days in South Minneapolis. West River Road in the Fall … need I say more?

We saw lots and lots of friends, and not one museum, while home.  It was so refreshing to be back in familiar territory, and we easily could have lingered longer, except for the dreaded "list" ... "the list" of boat projects we had waiting for us in Florida.  We figured we'd be in the boat yard for 2 months, and, all of the sudden, we were running out of time in FL to get "the list" done before the end of the year. 

Time to hit the road.  We loaded up the GMC Suburban and headed south on October 29.  First stop, Louisville KY, where we always stay with Dan's cousin, Sheila.  Next, we went to Savannah GA where Michelle is currently living and dropped off the last of her belongings from MN. Closure! Our third stop on the way to the marina in Green Cove Springs was Jacksonville, FL, where our good friend, Mikel Wheeler, lives (and yes, he has a guest room! and yes, we had spare sails stored there!).