NJ Day 7: Apr. 23, 2019 - Minneapolis Day 2

We have a couple of days to take it easy in the company of cousins Fran & Barb. We are close by the Lake of the Isles, so Amy takes advantage with a morning run around the nearest of 3 large lakes. The weather has turned nice since the rain of yesterday. It is gorgeous.

I won't bore you with a detailed account of what we did all day. We ran some errands, and got our car checked out at the BMW Dealership in Bloomington, but generally, we just took the day off.

The two things we did that are worth mentioning: 1) lunch and a beautiful walk, and 2) dinner with Fran, Barb and another cousin, Rachel.

For lunch, we walk 3/4 of a mile from the Douglas House to The Kenwood, an upscale New American restaurant on the far side of the northern part of Lake of the Isles. The day is lovely. Just before we reach the restaurant, we come upon a school in session with a couple hundred kids outside running around at their lunch break. They are having a great time. We get seated in the restaurant and order lunch. Amy has the Beef Burger and I have the Huevos Rancheros. Both are tasty and satisfying.

We then continue our walk around the Lake. First stop, the Peavey Fountain, donated by one Mr. Peavey in the late 19th century as a drinking spot for horses. It is now merely decorative and is shut down for the winter and not yet re-opened.

Peavey Fountain

We cross the street and settle onto the pedestrian path next to Lake of the Isles. There are gorgeous houses on the other side of the perimeter road. The weather is perfect and we have very little competition for the use of the pathway.

Lake of the Isles

We continue around the lake, having our best workout since Deadwood and the Mount Moriah Cemetery.

We return to Barb & Fran's and take a rest. Later, we head out for an event at Dual Citizen Brewing Company. It involves work that Barb is doing as a Board Member of the Playwright's Center. You'll have to pay close attention to their web site over the next few weeks to learn what it is all about.

After the event, Barb heads out to pick up Rachel, one of our cousins who lives in Seattle, but is at school here at Augsburg University. Fran takes us straight to the restaurant, Birchwood. It's a quaint, laid back place. Rachel & Barb arrive and we order our food. Amy has the Pot Pie and I have the special sandwich, sausage and sauerkraut. After our meal, we all share three slices of pie, a coconut cream, a chocolate cream and apple. All delicious. The conversation was fun, as well.

We said our goodbyes to Rachel and headed back to the Douglas House. After another good day, we are ready for our night's rest.