Our visitors from Red Wing

Stan, Beverly, Carolyn, Larry at Mom's Place.

Mom was very pleased to see Larry and Carolyn today. Larry is Mom's nephew, a 77-year-old artist from Red Wing. Mom fondly recalled hosting the young couple years ago in Alexandria, when they visited their Uncle Erling and Aunt Beverly. Larry's mother is our late Aunt Agnes, Dad's sister.
Larry and Carolyn were on a mission to Shakopee today, to deliver a 36x48 inch landscape that wouldn't fit into Stan's car. Stan and Kathleen had a nice lunch with them, before driving two cars across the river to visit Mom in Bloomington. The Bloomington Ferry Bridge has been a trial since its reduction to two lanes last week. For some reason, it has been easier to go north than to go south at midday. Accordingly, we took the long way home through Burnsville, after bidding Larry and Carolyn goodbye in Bloomington.
Today's delivery wasn't the first Veeder work we have acquired. The first was produced when Stan was only nine. Aunt Agnes boasted to her brother in her North Dakota ranch kitchen that her 20-year-old Larry, home from Art School in far-away Minneapolis, was an amazing portrait artist. To prove her point, she put Stan on a stool and told Larry to get to work. (See the result on the right.)
Today Larry laughed about how his mother worried about him in the Big City, studying amongst strangers at the Institute of Art, blocks away from dangerous Nicollet Avenue. Larry survived and went on to become a successful commercial and landscape artist, raising a family in picturesque Red Wing on the proceeds of his labor. Their two daughters are now creatives themselves: one's a chocolatier, the other has a gallery in Winona.
Larry made many artist friends at the Institute. Phil, a confirmed bachelor, lived for a time with newlyweds Carolyn and Larry. He now lives near Mom's place by Southdale and so they took the opportunity to visit with him today as well.