Stan's sister Linda recently moved into a new home in Blaine. She and husband, Ron, are settling in, as regular readers know. This weekend she went to a private Christmas land attraction in Cloquet, home of Ron's parish. She sent a nice email describing it tonight and we're sharing it here because it has such a nice, cozy warmth to it. Hello Family,
Since not everyone can go to Arizona, Florida, California, or Belize, some of us are fighting this winter in the northern northland. Still, today was pretty nice and I thought how lucky we were not to be in Oklahoma right now.
Last Friday night, Ron and I were taken out to eat and then taken to Bentleyville. I hadn't been looking forward to it as I knew it would be about -10 degrees and I had been told that once the bus took you out to Bentleyville that you could be stuck out there for an hour in the cold.
Well, it couldn't have been nicer, even though the temperature was well below zero. We drove out to a parking area where we were greeted by volunteers (are they crazy?) and warmed ourselves at firepits before we boarded a very warm Cloquet school bus. Once at Bentleyville, we were gently requested to donate by a sign on a jar, but otherwise we were given hot cider, popcorn, cookies, smores where no money changed hands. Bentleyville is operated by a homeowner who has really gone overboard with millions of Christmas lights.
You walk through about 10 acres of well-lit Christmas decor, which easily makes you think of Disneyland. There are performers, firepits all over, and charming lights everywhere. You can google it and get an idea, but the ambience is one of genuine good will. And you can't google that. It was really a special night. We enjoyed another Viking game on Sunday in our own home in Blaine and tonight we are relaxing in front of Monday Night Football. Erik and Steve have been helping us with our technology and the house is feeling more and more like home. Last night we drove downtown Minneapolis to pick up Steve. He had advised me on which tv to buy, so after following up online, the three of us went to Best Buy and I got my Christmas present early from Ron and Steve. Steve was able to help us set it up (tvs are no longer simple) and afterward he helped Ron with a lot of heavy lifting.
He was our first overnight guest (we only have a twin size guest bed so it works for one) and this morning Ron returned him to his own place. I now have a beautiful Samsung flat screen HD tv in my kitchen.
