Visitors off all sorts, Part I

A-top Foshway Tower in downtown Minneapolis

Whilst my mum was visiting in June, I needed to figure out activities that would appeal to her. I had my usual list of museums, art exhibits, concerts, etc. that I gave to my more youthful visitors. (see my Twin Cities suggested sites) My mom drove up from Branson MO (aka Old People Vegas) to visit me in my new city. Mom, who doesn't get around as easily anymore, was a tad more challenging to create a fun-filled itinerary for than other visitors. Walking around the parks, biking, and drinks on a rooftop bar were off the table. My mom's list of fun activities: playing music at church, going on scenic drives, and...other activities that I'm supposed to know because I'm her daughter. Time to be creative!

My mom picked a few activities from the list I sent to my sister and visiting friends and added a few of her own from scouring the internet. I would never expect her to want to be atop the Foshay Tower or visit the Bell Museum of Natural History!

Day 1: Play Ball!

Her visit started as soon as she parked the car. We rushed her to free seats at the Twins vs. Kansas City Royals (thanks Germaine!). She had never been to a baseball game before--although I hadn't either before John took me on one of our first dates.

Day 2: MinneAwesome 

The next day, we had our mother-daughter bonding time with a full day of roaming Minneapolis: Foshay Tower, Bell Museum, and a driving tour of the Mill City area. She appreciated the diversity of Mpls and the cache of museums/theaters/parks we have to offer.

Day 3: Birds, Buttons & Bowls 

We spent a beautiful Saturday morning in Ft. Snelling State Park at the Birds & Binoculars free tour. I'm not much of a birder but I enjoyed learning about the Minnesota's vast aviary. I've never seen so many adults staring into the trees trying to hear harder.

John and mom humored me by going to the first-ever Mend-It Clinic sponsored by Hennepin County. Perfect place to learn how to mend zippers and sew on buttons! For lunch, mom wanted something she wouldn't normal have in Branson (but no Indian food). We took her to a hole-in-the-wall in my 'hood that serves Ethiopian. I am so proud of her for trying a food that you eat with your hands in a dank place that we had never been to. Go mom!

Then we ditched John and headed to the Eagan Art Festival. Lack of money didn't hinder my enjoyment of ceramic bowls, paintings, and lawn sculptures. (Pssst. I secretly wanted to go to check out their recycling. The coordinators had received a funding from my job to set up recycling during the event.)

The Great Tree Collapse

If a tree falls in a park, does it make a noise? Um, yeah and it was freaking loud.

The Twin Cities has a massive storm last Friday, June 21. My house guest, John, and I were about to head out to a music festival when the wind picked up, the rain started pouring and the pressure dropped. The tree outside my 3rd story apartment pressed on the electrical lines with every major gust. Then--bam!--the power went out and we suddenly saw an explosion out of one of the windows. It must have been a transformer.

There's no way to describe the wind other than intense and frightening. John, knowing the start of tornadoes, herded us quickly out of the apartment and into the basement. Opening the door from my apartment to the hallway was actually a struggle the pressure was that forceful. The stairwells were covered in water from the nearby open windows. In the pitch dark basement with only the harsh light of our cell phones we ran into my neighbors. I've never seen so many of my apartment dwellers in one place!

The storm only lasted 30 minutes to an hour but was extreme. Over 600,000 people were left without power; most not getting electricity for a day or more. We headed to John's house in St. Paul where we found out the storm wasn't as bad. Getting to St. Paul was a bit dangerous; all the lights were out and we had to drive through a labyrinth of toppled trees. I'm impressed that Xcel Energy responded so quickly. They estimated that my area would get power Monday or Tuesday but we were turned on late Saturday.

Later that day and for the next week, we started noticing the damage created. The National Weather Service says several communities experienced gusts up to 60 mph.  Trees old and young couldn't withstand winds of 50+ mph.  Luckily most trees fell in parks or took out fences and garages; however, a few houses and cars were not so lucky. Minneapolis Parks and Rec has counted over 3,000 trees uprooted just in the park system.