New playgrounds at Minnehaha Park

The first news story I wrote for the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger was about a playground at Wabun, a playground that would be the first Universally Accessible playground in the metro area. It was a big dream. Falls 4 All first had to raise $700,000, but they made it happen.

In late July 2014, the playground opened.

It's fantastic!

The theme of the playground is a traveler's rest area. Travelers used to stop and camp at Wabun back in the day. So there's an old-fashioned car that I can't hardly tear my 2-year-old boy away from. And a camper trailer that wobbles back and forth.

Instead of sand or mulch, the entire playground area is composed of a rubber substance (that's a bit smelly yet). It's so that those in wheelchairs or on crutches can maneuver easily. It's a deck structure that feels like a treehouse. There are two "tents" that the kids spent one whole afternoon hidden in, building "fires" and hanging out. There are a bunch of musical components.

One area is a water play area with buckets and water. And then there's the quiet area that has a wooden "hive" and is surrounded by wildflowers. Plus, there's a bank of swings.

The new playground replaces an old deck structure that was, quite frankly, pretty boring. We never went to play on it, and when we were there, we were the only ones. But now the new playground is packed. Everyone is out there.

I'd say this park is a winner!

PLUS
The playground over by the falls, pavilion and Sea Salt was also redone (North Plateau Family Play Area). I have to confess I wasn't too impressed when we walked up after having just been to the Universally Accessible playground over in the Wabun area. But it grew on me quickly.

It's not like today's playgrounds. That means there isn't a large, central, multi-story play structure. Instead, the playground area is full of single free-standing items, such as teeter totter and those animals you sit on that have springs.

The long row of swings remains, as does that tall metal climber.

I just love the rows of concrete animals where the Longfellow Zoo was once. It's a great place to visit when you head over for the free Music in the Park, held each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout the summer months.

My ideal weekend

RECIPE 1:
- My best girlfriends
- Delish food from the co-op
- A hotel room
- Unique coffee shops
- Conversation cards
- Good music

RECIPE 2:
- Motorcycle
- Hubby in black leather jacket
- Bandana
- Just enough to fit in 2 saddle bags and a tank bag
- Open road

RECIPE 3:
- Minnesota & Wisconsin wineries
- Mom, aunt and other fellow wine-lovers
- Taste testing rooms
- Chatty winery staff
- Free samples
- Lush vineyards in valleys
- A grape stomp
- Live music next to a lake

RECIPE 4:
- A boat
- A tent
- Bags wrapped in plastic in case it rains
- Wind, water, sun and rock
- Voyageur’s National Park campsites
- A good book
- Refreshing dips into the lake
- Clear night skies
- Loons calling to each other
- Amazing sunsets

RECIPE 5:
- A tent
- The family
- Marshmallows, fancy chocolate and graham crackers
- Pie irons
- Over-the-coals dinner
- Bicycles
- Eagle spotting
- Speakers blaring favorite songs as we explore little towns

A walk around my house to savor what I love...

Savoring is the capacity to notice and appreciate the little joys, the small pleasures, and the enjoyable moments in our everyday lives. Walk around your home and savor what you love. It could be a painting someone gave you, a lamp you found at a flea market, or the smell of something cooking in your oven. Then write about it...

It’s August. And so I’m savoring the food in my kitchen. The ripe red tomatoes. The crisp green beans. The cucumbers I just brought in from my own little raised garden bed. They’ve been climbing up the branches I stuck in the dirt, shooting out little cukes that stretch into large ones almost quicker than we can eat them. But not quite. We can eat a lot of cucumbers around here. We like them best with the light flavor of rice vinegar and chunks of sea salt.

August is my favorite month. It’s the yummiest month. Everything is ripening and everything tastes amazing. It’s not like in January when food just falls flat. No, in August food is bursting with the sun, with fresh air, with flavor. I love it best when I pick it, drop it in my kitchen and eat it.

I’m salivating now at the thought of tonight’s tomato sandwiches. Simple ingredients that make one amazing meal. Toasted bread. Melted butter. Sliced tomatoes. Sea salt. Simple pleasures.

I do my best to can up these amazing flavors of summer so that I can enjoy them in the dead of winter, so that my meals then contain some of the freshness. I am always amazed at how much better my stewed tomatoes are than anything I can buy.

Right now, my counter is brimming with 27 pints of green beans. My daughter can eat 2 pints of green beans herself in a single sitting, so I need to can a lot of green beans this year. Good thing they’re so easy. Pick them, wash them, snap them in two, pack them in jars. Add boiling water and a bit of salt. Pop into the canner, boil for 20 minutes, and let cool. Easy-peasy.

My kitchen boasts yellow walls, walls that remind me of summer’s warmth. I used to want a black and white checkered kitchen, but then I fell for yellow and I’ll never look back.

Wildflower walk at Lake Louise State Park

While camping at Lake Louise State Park, we headed off through their prairie on a wildflower hike. They have such a gorgeous prairie down there with so much variety.

We had two great publications in hand:
1) "What's That Flower?" A field guide published by DK Publishing, you know it has lots of photos to guide your way!
2) The Shooting Star Trail Wildflower guide. This local guide was fantastic! It showcased local flowers, and we saw so many of them! It was also organized by time of year, which was very helpful.

Canada tick trefoil

Wild Quinine

Swamp milkweed

Black eyed Susan

Butterfly weed

You're not a true Minneapolis resident until you've been to the Dandelion Fountain...

Last week, I learned that I couldn't be considered a true resident of Minneapolis if I'd never been to the Dandelion Fountain in Loring Park.

And so, off we went to check it out.

After a detour to the Chipolte in Uptown, we found (free) street parking and headed over to the fountain to check it out. (There is a Dunn Brothers on the south side of the park, an expensive restaurant, Loring Kitchen & Bar, with valet parking on the east side near the fountain, and the Cafe & Bar Lurcat on the north side, but Chipolte picnic-style was much more affordable.)

It is -- indeed -- awesome.

The kids had a great time wandering around it and splashing a bit. It was a hot summer day. And there was a fountain right there. How could you not get wet?

The Berger "Dandelion" Fountain has been a fixture in Minneapolis since 1975.  It was designed by Robert Woodward of Sydney, Australia.

Apparently, we almost missed seeing the fountain on, as it had been closed until mid-July 2014 to replace the fountain pump and filter. Benjamin Berger, a former Park Board Commissioner, donated the fountain, after being inspired by a similar fountain in Sydney, Australia.

Who was Ben Berger?
According to this Minneapolis Journal story: http://www.journalmpls.com/node/5625

Berger immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1913 at 16 and started working as a vendor on the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad on the Minneapolis to Chicago run, according to his biography.

According to published reports, Berger rose to own the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team, the Minneapolis Millers hockey team, Schiek's Caf and a string of movie theaters. He founded and served as first president of Amicus, an organization helping prisoners and ex-convicts.

He also served on the Park Board.

... Berger was a fountain fan. During his travels, he saw a fountain in Sydney, Australia called "El Alemein." Built in 1961, that fountain commemorates the Australian Army's role in the World War II siege of Tobruk, Libya and the and the battle of El Alamein in Egypt.

"My dad fell in love with it," recalled Lawrence (Bob) Berger, Ben Berger's only son. His dad got the designer to make one for Minneapolis.

Bob Woodward's first fountain design, the El Alamein fountain at Kings Cross, which has become one of the symbols of Sydney and a model for thousands of similar fountains throughout the world. Photo: Landscape Australia. Click here for more on Woodward.

In 2007, the Save Berger Fountain group announced ambitious plans to raise $1 million to rehab the park's ailing dandelion fountain, rebuild the leaking basin, improve the plaza and reroute Loring Park walking paths. The block base is deteriorating, and it affects the flow of the water through the fountain. Designers originally had discussed using granite to create the base, with its small waterfalls and pools, he said. When the bids came in, the Park Board couldn't afford granite, so it bought brick instead.

There are 3 play areas on the east side of Loring Park, near the Dandelion Fountain. Plus, there's a pool.

Note the gorgeous flowers that border this play area for the younger set. We saw several butterflies.

DID YOU KNOW?
- Loring Park was created in 1883. 
- Originally it was called Central Park, but was renamed in late 1890 to honor Charles Morgridge Loring (b. 1833 -- d. 1922) who served as a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and who was the first President of the Board of Park Commissioners in 1883. Loring is now known as The Father of Minneapolis Parks. 
- It was not the first official park (that is Murphy Square on the Augsburg College Campus), but it was the first park in the system to have electric lights.
- The park is located on the former farm of Joseph and Nellie Johnson.
- The park today is 32.94 acres.  Shortly after the Board of Park Commissioners was created in 1883, the board purchased the initial 30.16 acres of land for $147,125.72.
- Although they look very much like loons in the water, they are actually Double-Crested Cormorants are smaller, all black in feather coloration.  Other frequent visitors are Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egret, and the diminutive Green Heron.

Highland Aquatic Center: Great pool and splash pad

Looking for something that a 2-year-old and 5-year-old will both love? Take them to the Highland Park Aquatic Center in St. Paul. They'll both have a blast!

There were 2 water slides in the little kiddo area, and both my kids loved them. Plus there was a fish with fountains sprouting out around it, and other fountains on either side. The pool bottom sloped in this area and got to about 2 feet in the deepest part. On the other end was a deeper pool area with basketball hoops where some older kiddos were hanging out. Those that wanted the full pool experience had the pick of two other pools: a 50-meter, 8-lane lap pool with a 2-story water slide and another with water slides, climbing wall and diving boards. PLUS there was a splash pad in the middle of it all.

Highland Park Aquatic Center really seems to have a little bit of everything! All they're missing that other water parks have is a lazy river. At the age my kiddos are, this place suits us much better than either Cascade Bay in Eagen or Bunker Hills in Blaine (neither of which have much for the smaller kids). I also heard that it's more fun than the Richfield Aquatic Center, but we haven't been there yet.

They also have a row of cabanas and plenty of shaded areas so you don't have to worry about sunburn. And one Friday a month, admission is just $2.

There are 2 waterslide options for the little kiddos.

The splashpad stayed open during the 20-minute break that started at 2:25, giving the kiddos something to do.

Who was kind to you this week?

... My aunt, Renee, while sitting in the living room where her husband was dying, leaned over and told me what a sweetheart I was.

... The ladies from my Bible Study all let me know they were praying for me and my family members as my Uncle Buzz walked through the valley of the shadow of death.

... My best friend spread the word about the pain my family was experiencing to solicit prayer and help, and to let me know I am surrounded by a caring community.

... Jeff and Gita Zeitler of Urban Forage Winery & Cider House not only donated a 5-year-old bottle of rum for the Bowling for Buzz silent auction, but they also gave me a bottle of their Dandelion/Lilac wine to try.

... So many of the folks I've written stories on over the last year have donated amazing items for the Bowling for Buzz silent auction. Dori Johnson of Paddlesculpt. Angela Schwesnedl of Moon Palace Books. David Glass of Black Bear Crossings at the Como Pavilion. Ruhel Islam of Ghandi Mahal restaurant.

... My talented friends have contributed fantastic items for the benefit. Christopher Becknell donated CDs and a private guitar solo performance. Amy, Jenni, and Brenda and other Team Yarn folks hand-crafted hats. Dawn Hohmann left gorgeous ceramic items for me on my parent's front door, a bowl, a vase and a mug. Sandy fashioned a box of handmade Christmas cards. My sister's mother-in-law is making an adorable kids apron. Jesse donated shrink wrapping and boat winterization services. Jeni put together an amazing and hilarious First Time Daddy Kit. My parents donated their delicious honey. Anita wrangled items from The Coffee Cup, Cambridge True Value and GTI Theater. The woman who helps watch the kids during in our bible study nursery has put together a basket. Other friends have sent donations. I have been so amazed at the generosity of people. Really and truly amazed.

... My daughter Josey knew just what to do when I got a text on Tuesday night that my Uncle Buzz had died, ending his fight with that terrible rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer that stole his life. How can a 5-year-old be so wise?

Weird sightings in Minnesota...

 Giant walleye sighting in Garrison, Minn. on Mille Lacs

 Giant deer in Deerwood, Minn.

Steel Moose off the dirt road, Outing Minn.

Painted horse off the dirt road, Outing Minn. 

Inspired by the book, "Weird Minnesota."