Day 6 of Folklorama - canadien-français

 Winnipeg, MB

It looks like I am trying to keep Donna hidden but I am actually trying to hold my ice cream and take a selfie with both of us, both of the ice creams, and the pedestrian bridge.  We kind of got there.

BDI (Bridge Drive-In) Ice Cream

Today we braved the Winnipeg rush hour, which is terrible because all of the road construction has to happen during the summer, to pick up BDI Ice Cream before our Folklorama Pavilion time slot.  BDI is right next to a pedestrian bridge and they are famous for having giant elaborate ice creams. On the drive there the radio traffic reporter described the construction as "chronic" and they aren't kidding.  Just about every major highway has a lane closed somewhere but the drive was worth it.

You have to walk up to the drive-in

They have some crazy ice creams like a half a pineapple filled with ice cream and other stuff.

And a half a cantaloupe filled with ice cream.

I got the Cookie Monster.  It had half a cookie and was rolled in 5 different kinds of crushed cookies for a topping.

Donna got the "Biggie - Smalls".  A big Ice Cream Cone topped with brownies and chocolate shell with a smaller cone on top topped the same way. 
The family you see in the back asked, "What does she have?, Yea I'll have that."

A close up of "Biggie - Smalls"

We walked the bridge and ate our ice cream.  

Well I ate mine and Donna ate about half of hers.  It was so big and so small at the same time.

Folklorama

After our ice cream stop we continued on to our Folklorama event for the evening.  Tonight we chose canadien-français.  It was noticeably more sparsely attended than the others we have been to but it was a Tuesday so who knows.

We started out with a Manitoban which is 2 pours of Rye Whiskey and 1 pour of Caribou which is a fortified wine that is associated with the French Canadians.

The Menu

This is what the bottle of Caribou looks like.

The music and dancing tonight was TOP NOTCH!  I learned that apparently there is an element of tap dancing within most western cultures.

They played a song that they said was about alcohol.  They wanted us to buy more Caribou for the song but we resisted.  The audience partication included them singing a line in French and us saying "Oui, Oui, Oui!" and then singing another line in French and us saying. "Non, Non, Non!"  I assume the lyrics were, "Do you want more fortified wine?" and then "Haven't you had enough?"

After about 20 minutes of song and dance I realized that the canadien-français people are just hipsters.

This woman was incredibly good on the fiddle or violin (I looked it up and they are the same thing).

It turns out she was born with a fiddle attached to her chin.  Here you can clearly see her clapping and not holding the fiddle so it must be attached at birth.  I'm not sure if it started out that large or grew with her as she grew.

After the show we Sortie'd through the gift shop and headed home.  

Before and after the show we talked to an older couple that was planning on going to Belgium that same night.  They asked how the show was and I noticed I paused for a long time and then said, "It was pretty good but I don't want to spoil it for you." After the show the woman asked Donna how the show was at Belgium and Donna mentioned that after this show, she should temper her expectations. 

That was it for today.  It was a fun day of exploration and ice cream.  If you missed Day 5 of Folklorama - China check it out.

The Only Natural Waterfall on the Mississippi

 Minneapolis, MN

Look!  Look!  Look at the Lock!

The Morning Walk

At the start of the day, before it got hot, we took Francis out and walked along the lake again.  

I'm not sure about dogs around here but Francis can't read yet.

The thistles are seeding out and the American Goldfinches are enjoying it.

These thistles look a lot like tiny artichokes.

I liked this scenic byway sign.

Loti Pencil - Curtis Ingvoldstad
This pencil has a pure graphite core and was recently re-sharpened in June.

Saint Anthony Falls and Locks and Dam

After our walk we drove down to The Mighty Mississippi and visited Saint Anthony Falls and The Lock and Dam there.  The St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam is part of The National Park Service.  Rangers gave us a tour and then we got to walk around and go into the visitor center.  After all this we walked across The Mississippi River on the Stone Arch Bridge.  We have walked across The Mississippi River three times now and 2 of the times we changed states in the process.

Okay then!  We will see the falls!

The beginning of The Stone Arch Bridge

You walked across the lock to get to the tour and visitor center.

The giant gates that hold the water back

The natural waterfall has been converted to a slope.  It's no longer generating electricity because in the winter the water up river freezes.

Our tour was about 20 people strong and lasted about 10 minutes.

Looking downstream at the Stone Arch Bridge.

This is an old flour mill that blew up and then burned down years later and then became a part of the Mill City Museum.

This, I believe, is the old lock control tower.

This appears to be the current control tower.

This tour was more extreme than ours.

Much of the country's precipitation flows into the Mississippi River

Looking down on Mill Ruins Park.

The Stone Arch Bridge is wide enough for bikes, pedestrians, and runners.

This is The Guthrie theater and its famous overhang.

That was it for today.  If you missed Swedish American Institute, check it out.  It's a beautiful mansion.

Exploring Downtown St. Charles, IL

 St. Charles, IL

The sign says, "You Made It! St. Charles IL"

Exploring Outside of Chicago With Kevin and Vickie

Today we were invited to head northwest to hang with our friends Kevin and Vickie.  We always have fun hanging out with Vickie and Kevin (read about the previous two times here and here) so we were excited about what we might see.  

We started by meeting them at their place and after a quick stop for lunch we ended up at one of the larger Hindu Temples in the area and the first Hindu Temple we have visited.  The Mandir is a beautiful temple carved out of Italian marble before it was moved to it's current home in pieces and then assembled on site.  There is the main temple and then surrounding buildings on a huge complex.  No photos were allowed inside so I followed the rules and only took photos outside.

Kevin took this photo of all of us

We exited through the grocery store / gift shop.  We bought some snacks that were very good.

Our next stop was St. Charles in Kane County IL.  Kane is a new county for us and only one of a few that we have gotten with someone else driving.  Kevin and Vickie have been to St. Charles so they already had a list of places they wanted to take us based no our likes.  Our first stop really hit the nail on the head as far as likes for us.  Ghoulish Mortals describes themselves as a Monster & Horror Store.  They have great art for sale as well as other horror related things and they have free pinball!

Lots of Haunted Mansion themed art

They had four machines that were on free play.

Stranger Things Merch

There were cool Haunted House style set pieces in their basement.

They had some really cool altered plushies

I played Alien for a bit.  It was my first time playing this machine.

American Psycho Art

Outside they had some nice planters that had "gothed up" sunflowers.  It was a cool touch.

The next few stops included 2 breweries, a hotel bar, and a delicious Italian restaurant.  St. Charles is a cool little town with a lot to offer and has a very walkable downtown.

Broke N Brix is a Brewery, Meadery, Winery, Cidery, and brewing supply shop.  

Our short walk to our next stop took us by this sign and I was also able to walk 2 segments of IL 31.

Hotel Baker is an Historic Hotel with a bar right on the Fox River.

We enjoyed the air conditioning.  It was a hot day.

Nice side street intersection art.

We also swung by Pollyanna Brewing and Distilling.  The indoors space was closed for a private party so we sat on the patio.

They had a rather hoppy bitter Barleywine on tap that I liked but didn't love.

Our dinner stop was Mia Modo.  Their bar looked very cool but we were there for food.

How about some sliced meats?

I really liked this mural in the back room.

After dinner we needed to walk off our pasta so we headed back to The Fox River to enjoy the great park space and pedestrian bridge that was built up around the river.  We even heard a Common Nighthawk and got to watch swallows.

Be You!  
The St. Charles Business Alliance commissioned Chicago artist, Matthew Hoffman, founder of the “You are Beautiful” project to erect a “Be You” sculpture along the Fox River in St. Charles, IL

We found a beautiful pedestrian bridge crossing The Fox River.  The upper level above us was a bike path.

You can see the bike path in this photo.

Kevin and Vickie walking off into the sunset.  Oh wait, they are our ride home!

It was a nice walk to end a great day.  Our drive back to Kevin and Vickie's was quick and then the drive home was sans traffic.  We even found the perfect parking spot to avoid street sweeping on Monday.  When we walked in the front door Francis was there to greet us.  He was very happy for us to be home.  

That was it for today.  If you missed Van Gogh at the Art Institute check it out.  He was a pretty good artist.