We took another walk. This was pre-Thanksgiving (the weekend before) when it was cold, but not cold cold because this is Minnesota and we have to take what nice-ish weather we have left. Olivia is quite taken with toasted marshmallow steamers from our coffee shop. Emelia doesn’t care what we do as long as she’s semi-warm and has something to look at and chew.
We ended up on a path that goes along the river and saw the old grain silos that were built back in the 40s. I’ve walked this trail a few times with Chris, but he’s the one who’s run along the path a lot more lately. I decided to leave these photos as-is instead of lightly editing them (my editing skills suck anyway have you seen the rest of my blog?) It was overcast and I think I hit the mood perfectly. Or this was actually just good luck.
I was reading an article where someone described the silos as the last real agricultural feel within the county.
We took a turn to go along the river and came across something interesting. So of course I had to go down a rabbit hole about it for this post. This is the grounds of the old state hospital, actually the first mental institute built in Minnesota. It was built in 1900 and there’s a cemetery nearby where the patients from the hospital were buried in numbered graves. Twelve “cottages” form a circle and some of the buildings are used now for staff offices and some are standing empty.
It’s a pretty fascinating place with a history of a lot of terrible things happening to people. There’s an underground tunnel system that connects all the buildings that’s a site of a lot of ghost hunters. Eerie stuff.
But then we walked back the way we came and visited the rock garden, choosing a few more rocks to take home.
I have a feeling this is the kind of stuff we’ll be doing this winter. I’m hoping it stays mild since the coming months are going to be long enough as it is.
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Cannot tell you how very much you raised my spirits and brought smiles to my face. Crisp here (for our climate), very blue skies, leaves still changing colors and falling. Thank you!
Love the changing activities that take on a greater significance when Covid has limited our activities to a great degree. My daily walks with Ellie are crucial to my mental health and wellbeing. Going to Costco is a fun family event for us. We are actually going to stay in a Bend for a few days which is heightened fun in any circumstances, but I’m not sure if anything will be open. At least we can walk/hike in beauty and be in a bigger, nicer house. Sorry so much about me! I loved your post and them pictures did capture various settings and moods very well. Your family is adorable!
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That sounds so fun! Hiking and being in a different house is always a good thing. 🙂