Gromit, Chewie, MInneapolis

I really enjoy living in Minneapolis. Like Minnesotans who assume I grew up on a farm just because I tell them I went to school in Iowa, I know some people think of Minnesota as one big season of winter cold and snow. I like the snow, I do okay with the cold. I have a hard time with the short days and darkness sometimes. I know that we have something to do with this perception - we talk about the weather all the time.

The people that call Minnesota a fly over state, though, they don't know some of our secrets. I have memories from childhood of driving into South Minneapolis as the highway turns into Cedar Avenue over Lake Nokomis and then over Minnehaha Creek, taking a left on the parkway that curves and winds, traveling with the creek. Turning on 13th Ave, huge elm trees arched over the streets, turning right because it is the only direction you can turn, up a steep hill and there on the left a block and half from the creek. is my great grandparents house - Carl and Marie. The house is still owned by my great aunt Gladys. A medium stucco Tudor bungalow. The kitchen has a tiny breakfast nook with a table and built in phone cubby. The house- like so many American bungalows - has two bedrooms in the back of the house with a bathroom in between. A small hallway and dining room off the kitchen with a living room in the front of the house. A fireplace and warm red oriental floor rugs covering oak wood floors. The house always smelled like pipe and sweet cookies and coffee - at least to me.

As teenagers my sister and I used to go visit my aunt and uncle who lived about 5 blocks away on the other side of the creek. These were our young, hip and groovy aunt and uncle who were always on to the trends - first to start disco dancing, always gave us great clothes for birthdays, first health nuts in the family. They took vitamin E and read Prevention Magazine before it was popular. Lisa and I would visit for a week and during the day while they went to work we would hang out playing tennis or biking on paths along the creek. The paths followed the creek from lake to lake and back to the creek. Crossing over the creek on wooden creaking bridges past ducks and big houses to parks filled with joggers and roller skaters. At the lakes would be sail boats, swimmers, games of volley ball and sun tanning people. Sometimes there would be a concert at the band shell around Lake Harriet or a play in the park. Following the creek in another direction would take you to where the water rolled over a cliff at Minnehaha falls where it joins the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers.

Today the pathways are still in heavy use. Instead of roller skaters there are roller bladers and along with the sail boats are wind surfers. No motor boats are allowed so you see kayaks and canoeists. Walking around the lake is a common activity and they are often busy and great people watching. The bike path extends around the city including the 20 miles of river out of our front door. When you bike downtown along the Mississippi you can see the old flour mill silos and stone arch bridge. There will be groups of Segways and lot of people drinking coffee and walking dogs.

Across the river from us is a private golf course. In the winter we snow shoe and cross country ski in the course. The dogs love to race around in the snow for a good hour. We stay away from the greens and watch the kids going down the big sledding hill. When you get to the very top of the golf course which is built into a hill, you can turnaround and see the city and the river.

The other direction along the river, past Minnehaha park takes you to a 4.5 acre dog park with a large sand beach and woodsy paths. Gromit loves to race around on the paths, through the woods, over fallen trees and prancing through little creeks and into the river. Chewie loses his ball more often in this park, but he still loves the water and the loamy smelly woods. While he loses the one we enter the dog park with, he usually replaces it somewhere along the walk. On a Sunday morning you can see families and dogs and first dates around every corner without feeling crowded. The big trees and the sand bottoms are easy on the joints. Gromit and Chewie don't know this but whenever we go to the river dog park a bath always awaits their return to the house. Still I think they like living here. They get to run like the wind for an hour each day and sleep like a log in a typical Scandinavian bungalow. We watch the river through four seasons. We know when the eagles are hunting our part of the river on their journey north in the spring or south in the fall. We watch the squirrels get fat in the fall and dig up the tulips in the spring. We listen to the crew as they row by us on our morning walks along the river.

I think Gromit and Chewie like Minneapolis too.