Nearly Wordless Wednesday
on Thursday this Week
I am getting used to what state I am now in again. But the transition from the Land of 10,000 Stories was difficult. And I am still humming "Tell Me Why?" It is the song that Garrison Keillor had us sing at the end of his stories.
Here are some pictures to keep the spirit of Lake Wobegon fresh in my mind:
The weather was quite mild, really. Just a little snow on Saturday morning to remind us that we were in the North with a capital 'N'.
Despite some other errands to the midwest, I managed to meet my friend Bonnie from Virginia by the Free Spirit booth at NAGC. We met in front of that same booth in Louisville, Kentucky two years ago. We have been in close contact and room together each year now.
I guess we'll continue as long as she can put up with me.
This is a view of the walkway from the hotels to the convention center. Minneapolis has built over 30 miles of covered "skywalks" so that visitors don't have to go out in the snow.
A local on the Light Rail to Bloomington told me that now that they are built the winters have become mild. "Global warming." he said.
I did manage to get to the Mall of the Americas. It is...well, a mall. It's a big mall. It's got an amusement park in the middle. But it's a mall. I got some Minnesota presents for my family there, though.
The people are really nice in Minnesota.
I guess that's where they get the phrase "Minnesota Nice." I did not open a door for myself the whole time I was there. What a contrast from New Mexico.
"Well that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average..."
The last phrase is why Garrison Keillor spoke to the NAGC!
There wasn't a dry seat in the house.
3 comments:
For about 10 years, I couldn't keep a copy of Lake Wobegon - I kept giving my copy to friends...Along with Spalding Gray, Garrison Keillor has been a favorite story-teller. I don't know what demons beset Spalding that night, as he slipped into the water in NY harbor, but Keillor has been like a rock.
Looks like a fun conference! I was in Minnesota once, and even went to the Mall of America. Big (huge!) was my overwhelming impression of the mall, but Minnesota is lovely. I love Garrison Keillor, and I refer to my biscuits as "Powdermilk biscuits -- they give you the strength to do what needs to get done."
Ah, yes...good old Powdermilk biscuits!
I 'borrowed' the phrase last summer when I sang at the ALPS (Autonomous Learner Conference) in Estes Park. I introduced myself by saying:
I couldn't find any Powdermilk Biscuits at dinner tonight. But I had the Chicken Soup. Chicken Soup. It gives Jewish shy persons the strength to do what needs doing." I think everyone over about age 25 in the audience understood the reference!:)
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