Right Wisdom

 Work is getting in the way of my blogging so I'm catching up on some things I wanted to write about. First of all be sure to check out my other two blogs,  bvftw.blogspot.com  and  sportsshortshots.blogspot.com . I'll be writing on those today as well. Before my son headed off to college we had one last day trip. My son likes to plan and take trips to different places. This time one of his friends tagged along. We had a great time as we drove to LaCrosse WI checking out hiking trails and the beautiful bluff country in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Our first stop was Maiden Rock Bluff in Pepin Wisconsin. This hike was a fairly easy walk along a mowed trail on a prairie landscape. This trail brought us out to the "Madien Rock" overlooking lake Pepin, with beautiful views and hawks flying overhead.  Our next stop was in the quaint town of Alma Wisconsin and a drive up to Buena Vista Park. This park is on top of a bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi and the town of...

 This week I'm on vacation in northern Minnesota. I want to share some sights and sounds of where I went and what I did. Every summer we go to Wilderness Point Resort in Pequot Lakes. During this time, my son always plans another side trip that he and I take. This year our side trip consisted of a trip to Rainy River in Ontario, Canada, along with several stops along the way. My son collects city halls he takes pictures of them and posts them on a discord server. Our first stop was a visit to the Walker, MN city hall. Along the way to Canada we also stopped and got city hall photos for the following cities: Cass Lake, Black Duck, and Kelliher.  A big highlight was getting out in Shooks and taking a picture at the Royal Shooks Motel. Shooks is an unincorporated community, but at the intersection of highways 1 and 72 is the hotel, conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. In Minnesota and the upper Midwest, there is the legend of Paul Bunyan. We like to visit as many of the...

 This week I'm writing about upcoming festivals for this weekend. I'd love to hear from you about festivals you've attended and ones you would like to go to. There are always a lot more than I highlight here in my blog. Make sure if none of these pique your curiosity then do some research on ones you might like. MINNESOTA FESTIVALS: Afton Strawberry Festival (Afton, MN): June 27th to June 28th: Are you interested in visiting a historic small town on the beautiful St. Croix river? Then head to Afton this weekend. They are holding their annual Strawberry Festival. This free outdoor event features over 80 makers and artists, vintage vendors, and delicious strawberry-themed treats.  Afton Strawberry Festival Dan Patch Days (Savage, MN): June 25th to June 28th: First of all, the big question is: Who is Dan Patch? Dan Patch was a standardbred pacer from the early 1900s when harness racing was a huge sport. He was the fastest pacer at the time. If you want to stay closer to the ...

 I just got back from being on vacation. I spent a week at a lake in northern Minnesota. One tradition my son and I have when we are up there is that we take a day and travel to different parts of the state. My son posts pictures of city halls throughout Minnesota. His goal is to get every city hall in Minnesota. Here is a link to his Instagram account that shows pictures of the ones he has visited.  City Halls The other thing we like to do is check out roadside attractions. On our last trip we saw a number of them. Here are the ones we saw and where they were located.  Colonel Cobber located in Backus Minnesota. In Backus they celebrate a corn fest every year.  Lucette Kensack located in Hackensack Minnesota. This is Paul Bunyan's girlfriend World's largest Tiger Muskie located in Nevis Minnesota.  World's largest Dilly Bar located outside a Dairy Queen in Moorhead Minnesota. Unfortunately you can't eat this one. But we did get one you could eat, of course it w...

Winter has officially arrived. Minnesota winters can bring snow and brutal cold and usually both. Today we spent the day digging out from our biggest snow dumping in two years. Last year we were spoiled with mild temperatures and very little snow. In the northern suburbs where I live we were fortunate to be hit with close to 15 inches. Because of this I spent part of the morning shoveling and then this evening shoveling again. I am one of those Minnesotans who does not own a snow blower. I have to clear the snow the old fashioned way, exercise and sweat. This is all part of a weekend of leisureship. I know what you are saying; shoveling snow doesn’t sound much like leisure. It really isn’t but if you look at it as exercise it is leisure. Many of you might spend money on a gym membership or home equipment when all you have to do is buy a shovel and live in Minnesota. It is good exercise, shoveling snow, but you have to be careful when shoveling snow to make sure you don’t hurt you...

It is that time of year when counties all over the state of Minnesota start holding their county fairs. Today I am going to highlight a county from Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. These county fairs are your opportunity as a leader to relax, spend some time with your family and enjoy that typical fair fare. Minnesota: Anoka County Fair July 24th - 29th Anoka County Fair: This is the county I live in and believe it or not I have never been to this county fair. Fairs are a fun place to eat, people watch, listen to music and show off your prized sow. The Anoka county fair has a lot to offer. To see what it is all about please follow the link to the Anoka County Fair South Dakota: Brown County Fair August 13th - 19th Aberdeen is in Brown County and growing up I spent many summers and Thanksgivings visiting my relatives in Groton, which is only 20 miles from Aberdeen. actually went to this county fair where it is and my relatives may have spent some time at this county fair...

It is Friday and I will be taking a look at three more festivals from around the country. The states of choice this week are Minnesota (my home state), New York and California. Minnesota - More Festivals in Minnesota WHAT: Anoka Riverfest and Craft Fair WHERE: Anoka WHEN: July 14th One of the Twin Cities largest summer craft events, drawing in over 15,000 people. With over 140 juried artisans and crafters, a variety of creative and original work will be available including; jewelry, glasswork, pottery, paintings, woodwork and much more. Families can enjoy free riverboat rides on the Rum and Mississippi Rivers, live music on two stages, plenty of food and much more. New York - More Festivals in New York WHAT: Return of the Big 6 WHERE: Auburn/Finger Lakes WHEN: July 12 - 15 Sponsored by the Museum and Cayuga County 4-H Youth and Adult oriented activities. Daily events opening ceremony, 4-H dog show, kiss a calf contest, kids coloring contest, face painting, animals...

If it is Friday it must be another look at Festivals. Today I will continue the trend of looking at a festival in Minnesota and two other states. Today it will be Alabama and New Mexico. How many of you remember the Little House on the Prairie books? Part of those books took place in Minnesota. To kick off our festival frenzy we will visit Walnut Grove Minnesota. Minnesota - More Minnesota Festivals Wilder Pageant Walnut Grove Minnesota. When: The next three weekends Outdoor drama based on life of author Laura Ingalls Wilder in Walnut Grove in the 1870's. A totally live production, with all characters from the Walnut Grove area. Hillside amphitheater has been developed to allow for extensive lighting, sound and special effects. Alabama - More Alabama Festivals 38th Annual World Championship Domino Tournament Andalusia Alabama When: July 13th - 14th More than 300 people will participate in this tournament filled with fun, fellowship and competition for all ages. ...

Another Friday, another look at festivals. This time I am going to show you three states Minnesota, Maine and Washington. Every week I will choose Minnesota and two other states and highlight a festival in those areas during that particular weekend. Minnesota – More Festivals in Minnesota Highlighted Festival Freedom Fest Type: Community Festivals, Festivals & Events Event Location: Pine County Fairgrounds People of all ages are sure to find something to do during the annual Freedom Fest celebration in Pine City. Organizations across Pine City come together to organize the triathlon, kayak/canoe race, car show, tractor show, children's activities, food booths, community theater show, ventriloquist show, street dance and the fireworks finale. Maine – More Festivals in Maine Highlighted Festival Portland Performing Arts Festival Jun 28 thru Jul 01, 2012. The Portland Performing Arts Festival is a new summer festival presenting nationally-renowned perfo...

For festival Friday today I am going to let you do the looking. Of course I will try to make it easy for you by providing some quality information for you. Here is how this will work. I am going to highlight three festivals, one from Minnesota one from Colorado and one from Massachusetts. I will also provide a link for each of the sites I used so you can do some further searching if the one I highlight isn’t to your liking. Minnesota: This is my home and it is crawling with festivals or events every weekend. Here is one I found that takes place every Saturday on one of the most beautiful rivers around. Wine and Chocolate or cheese cruise: This is the wording from the festival information Enjoy fine chocolate or cheese and wine from a local winery, Winehaven, and a romantic dinner at sunset aboard one of our authentic paddlewheel riverboats on the Scenic St. Croix River. This festive three hour cruise also includes a narrated scenic tour of the valley, live music, cash bar, and r...

Every weekend during the summer in Minnesota you can find a festival to attend. Last week I started Festival Friday in which I will try to highlight festivals to attend for the weekend. If you don’t live in Minnesota that is okay there are probably just as many festivals in your state during the summer. Just go on-line and look for the ones that you are interested in. Last weekend I highlighted Music Festivals and classic car shows. With most festivals there is some type of music but the true music festivals will get the big headliners. Many communities will create festivals that rally around something that is special to their community. Cottage Grove has their Strawberry festival this weekend.   There is the Steamboat days in Wadena, the Judy Garland Festival in Grand Rapids, Tater Daze in Brooklyn Park and many more. Many of the northern communities center their festivals around the mythical Minnesota lumberjack, Paul Bunyan. Pick your festival and attend. Maybe your co...

All over the land of 10,000 lakes angles grabbed their fishing equipment and headed for their favorite fishing hole. Today was the 2012 fishing opener in Minnesota an annual right for all fisherman in the state. I am not a big fisherman although I have enjoyed time fishing and I do enjoy it but I am not a die hard who needs to go out on fishing opener. You might be a leader who enjoys fishing. If that is the case I hope you are spending some relaxing hours on one of the 10,000 lakes we have in Minnesota. Today was an absolute gorgeous day. It may not have been ideal for fishing but it was ideal for relaxing in a boat and enjoying the blue sky and bright sunshine. Fishing can be a great way to relax and get away from the weekly grind. It is even enjoyable if you don't even catch anything. I am guessing for each one of you who reads my blog you have a fish story to tell. Tell about the one that got away or the one that didn't. Did you mount it on your wall? I love eating f...