Playing Tourist
My dad is here for a long weekend visit, and we are having a great time. He got in on Thursday and I had made a fab Chicken Poblano Corn Chowder topped with melted cheese and crispy tortilla strips. It was a perfect meal for someone coming from California to sub-freezing temps!
On Friday, I took him to a few fun stores - The Find in Eden Prairie (home furnishings), The Galleria in Edina (fun stores that you can't find in California, although they have some typical stores - Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, etc.) where we had lunch at CRAVE (two thumbs up),Patina (gifts) and The General Store of Minnetonka (Minnesota gifts, lots of Christmas items). We came home and relaxed for a bit, then went to dinner at Campiello's. All three of us had their top dish - short ribs in a balsamic reduction. YUM.
Yesterday, Don didn't need to fly to SF until late, so he was able to join us for the Pompeii exhibit at the Science Museum. It was an amazing exhibit. They had 6 plaster casts of victims of the volcano, including a boar and a dog. I got a little teary-eyed seeing the dog, who looked like he was writhing in pain since he was chained up and couldn't escape. We also checked out their dinosaurs, which still interest me. We took a drive up Summit Avenue where the big, beautiful houses were decked out for the holidays and then had lunch at Dixie's on Grand.
Since it's been so cold out, we weren't able to take Dad on a hike with the dogs around Staring Lake, but we did drive by so he could see the lake and the trail. Last night, I took him to Babalu, which is a Latin restaurant.
Today, we're going to brave the temps and drive out to Stillwater for some shopping and lunch. We'll play it pretty low-key tonight since we'll need to be up pretty early tomorrow for his flight. I'll be making my crab cake salad and maybe some leftover chowder for dinner.
Other than that, I have been totally caught up in reading Pretty Little Mistakes which is like a "choose your own adventure book." It is so much fun to read. I have traveled to so many countries, been killed in numerous ways, died of old age several times, made good choices that turned out horrible and made bad choices that turned out great. There are over 150 different endings - some are funny, some are depressing, some are touching. I would highly recommend it and can't wait for her next one to come out.
Off to finish getting ready for our Stillwater adventure!!
On Friday, I took him to a few fun stores - The Find in Eden Prairie (home furnishings), The Galleria in Edina (fun stores that you can't find in California, although they have some typical stores - Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, etc.) where we had lunch at CRAVE (two thumbs up),Patina (gifts) and The General Store of Minnetonka (Minnesota gifts, lots of Christmas items). We came home and relaxed for a bit, then went to dinner at Campiello's. All three of us had their top dish - short ribs in a balsamic reduction. YUM.
Yesterday, Don didn't need to fly to SF until late, so he was able to join us for the Pompeii exhibit at the Science Museum. It was an amazing exhibit. They had 6 plaster casts of victims of the volcano, including a boar and a dog. I got a little teary-eyed seeing the dog, who looked like he was writhing in pain since he was chained up and couldn't escape. We also checked out their dinosaurs, which still interest me. We took a drive up Summit Avenue where the big, beautiful houses were decked out for the holidays and then had lunch at Dixie's on Grand.
Since it's been so cold out, we weren't able to take Dad on a hike with the dogs around Staring Lake, but we did drive by so he could see the lake and the trail. Last night, I took him to Babalu, which is a Latin restaurant.
Today, we're going to brave the temps and drive out to Stillwater for some shopping and lunch. We'll play it pretty low-key tonight since we'll need to be up pretty early tomorrow for his flight. I'll be making my crab cake salad and maybe some leftover chowder for dinner.
Other than that, I have been totally caught up in reading Pretty Little Mistakes which is like a "choose your own adventure book." It is so much fun to read. I have traveled to so many countries, been killed in numerous ways, died of old age several times, made good choices that turned out horrible and made bad choices that turned out great. There are over 150 different endings - some are funny, some are depressing, some are touching. I would highly recommend it and can't wait for her next one to come out.
Off to finish getting ready for our Stillwater adventure!!
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