Whew!

So good to be home!!! Still trying to get my breath back after our whirlwind trip to the Great White North. Great White North, indeed! The week prior to our visit, they had blizzard conditions and temps at -20. Yikes! While there, we saw a sign in front of the grocery store advertising a "Heat Wave" special - and it was only 20-ish degrees outside! Really, can there be any questions as to why we live in lovely, temperate Portland?

I got some great shots while we were there, but unfortunately, my camera decided not to make the trip home with me. The lovely photo above is from Flicker, by im pastor rick. We saw many similar scenes. I imagine it is lush in the summer time, but in winter it has such a stark beauty. Southern Minnesota is amazingly flat. Having lived in the Illinois and Missouri, I associate the Midwest with gently rolling hills and fields. No such thing in MN! Also amazing, the stars at night. No light pollution, and very clear, cold air make them just pop out of the sky. Of course, I could only take a quick glance every now & again - I was to busy trying not to slip on the ice to really get a good look!

As it turns out, Ryan's Minnesota family lives in Laura Ingalls Wilder country. We actually drove through Walnut Grove! They have a terrific museum, but it closes for the winter, so we were unable to visit. I don't know about you all, but I LOVED her books and the TV series. I actually remember playing at being the Little House family during a mid-winter walk taken through snow-covered fields in Illinois when I was in the third grade...

Well, it is SO GOOD to be home. Hopefully my camera will make it's way back to me. I spent a good deal of time on Monday making calls and sending e-mails to various Lost & Founds along the route home. When it gets here, I'll share some of my finished kitting projects with you. Until then, we'll find other things to talk about.