This life is not hard to take!

27.VII.07 - MoM

I think I am going to have to buy a printer ink company -- Chris has opened up a whole new world -- being able to transfer our old slides to the computer and print them. I want to print so many and as 8 x 10s. On this little trip I only have regular paper, but that hasn't stopped me. With the old style cameras that had so many settings to get the perfect color balance, etc., not all pictures are great, but so far I have been just printing as is. There is so much to learn to tweak them to their best and with some no way is possible, but I love them any old way. Chris is going to write up his good instructions on how to flip them, etc. I also need to learn how "blog" or e-mail them.

It is 12:30 and Chris and Kay are getting ready for today's adventures. We are going to Red Wing (15 miles north) to lunch, then do a small-shop tourist crawl. I love the new earrings I got yesterday in Pepin. I also got an attractive "pin." Each was only 50 cents!

I finally made it through the entire night sleeping in a bed! The first time since this latest break! I have to sleep on my back, which I hate, because my thighs hurt too much when I sleep on my side.

As we were leaving here after 1 p.m., I suggested a change of plan. The last time Sandy and I had eaten at the hotel in Red Wing, it had not been all that great and it was expensive. Kay was talking about having something like soup and salad as we are having a BBQed ribs tonight, so I suggested eating at the restaurant here at our condo, something we had planned but hadn't done yet. It turned out to be quite good and also not expensive, especially when Kay and I split one order of Fish and Chips. Chris still had my leftovers to add to his big Italian sandwich.

We didn't realize that the ribs were to be thawed before cooking so they are in cold water in a pan in my kitchen thawing. I have seen a steady stream of people going to the BBQ area, and a good number returning with their stuff. Of course, it is Friday night when owners arrive for the weekend getaway.

After lunch we went to the former Red Wing Pottery area that is now huge buildings of several floors filled with antique shops, and may other kinds. We "did" several antique stores in detail and an extra large Hush Puppy outlet where Kay found a pair of her favorite slippers and a purse like my John Dory. I am pleased at how great the seat that is part of my new walker is. I would have been looking for chairs for occasional rests.

Home tomorrow and the "Farm" for dinner tomorrow night. Chris and Kay's plane leaves Sunday afternoon. I have enjoyed being back here a lot and being waited on. It was a great idea to have separate quarters as I get up so early and can control my own room temperature.

We have just spent a couple of hours sitting outside our condos within feet of the lake with a really perfect temperature, watching a bald eagle arrive in a nearby tree, preen itself, and hang in for at least an hour. They have great binoculars for such things. We had started watching a beaver building a nest under a nearby dock, bringing things for it from the shore. Then a flock of ducks scattering when the beaver got near. We watched the almost full moon rise near by. It is huge. As it was getting dark and we saw the first mosquitoes arrive we decided it was time to go inside and start to think about starting dinner.

While I am finishing this, Chris and Kay are starting to do fried potatoes and fried onions, and will be broiling the ribs in the oven. The does not allow grilling on the patios or decks, so there has been lots of activity in the allotted location as many of the owners arrive for the weekend. To cap it off, there were fireworks over the water a few minutes ago.

We really have been lucky with the weather even with the extreme heat yesterday. There were severe storms last night as close as the cities while ours was minor.