A whole new world

We've anchored for the moment in St. Anthony Park, MN. A self-proclaimed small village in a big city, it is a far cry from the suburbs that we came from. There are wonderful old homes with character and too many steps. There are detached garages and steep driveways, and back alleys. There are SIDEWALKS! There are even places to walk to! From my inlaw's home we can walk to a corner grocery, hardware store, post office, two churches, several cafes and the library. And that's just the beginning. It's hard to see in the photo, but you can see downtown Minneapolis from our front porch!

It's been wonderful to put the kids in the stroller and go check the mail. This usually isn't an easy task in January, but it's been really warm, 45 degrees one day last week! I am stiffer than I have been in a long time, some combination of the weather and the walking.

Another difference between MN and NY are the shoes. I fell in love with clogs and slip-ons when I came to visit a few years ago, but then never could find much in the way of selection "back home". Now I come here, and every other woman is wearing clogs. The selections in the stores seem bigger too!

Maybe it's for real. Maybe it's just the stores my Mother in Law takes me to!! But either way, it's a whole new world here, and I'm getting used to it, even as I miss the people back east!



thebigboat