We’re thrilled to have Stan’s older sister and her husband back in town for a much deserved retirement. This Friday night we’ll be visiting them at their home in Ft. Collins as we drive through on our way to Tucson.
Topic A, of course, will be the new home they will be building, probably at The Lakes in Blaine, so today Kathleen and Stan drove to Blaine to the model home site to research just what is going on. Something to talk about, dream about, over Ron's now-famous Norwegian waffles.
We were greeted there today by agent Sharon. Yes, she knew all about the Letnes family even though she’s not the one handling their account. Does she know that Linda is the best teacher ever in Ft. Collins and there are already some disappointed kids who won’t be able to have Mrs. Letnes next year? We weren't sure, so we told her.
The model house looks great. It was fun imagining visiting the family someday in Blaine, wondering where the grandkids would stay, where Ron’s waffle-maker would go, how the sun would shine in the different rooms.
The models are decorated wonderfully, of course, but we’re confident that Mr. Ron, with Linda’s steady and persistent guidance, can do anything the pros can. 
The main level master suite is lovely, with the perfect location for Linda to relax as she has her hair done.
Upstairs is a guest bedroom and huge bonus room over the garage that makes the entire upstairs area a fantastic retreat. There’s an office for Ron up there too, important as we understand he’s not going to give up his chosen calling quite yet.
The development is huge, lots of builders. Their builder, Hans Haugen, has an excellent reputation in the Twin Cities, and not just because he has a Norwegian carpenter name. He’s got a home in Naples, Sharon said, and you can see the Floridian influences all over, particularly in color schemes. “The Lakes” refers to a huge artificial lagoon that wraps around different parts of the community, adding interest and space to this totally planned development. Kind of Venice-like.
If everything goes to plan, Linda will be two blocks from 60 shops in the town center. Hmmm. Linda and shops.
It is 100 miles round trip from Shakopee, we learned, and 20 miles from Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis, a safe distance to buffer the Letneses from the danger and evil of downtown where their son, Steve, lives and Stan and Kathleen bought a condo. More to the point, the new granddaughter is a mere 10 minutes away in nearby Circle Pines.
Driving away, we could just see Anja and Grandma and Grandpa walking across the little bridge for some ice cream at the beach.
(Trailboss sez: If you want to see these photographs close up, just click on them and they'll blow up real good.)
