LOCATION: Rochester, MN
WEATHER: Winter-y! Highs in the 20s (Now 4!)
The Wine, Wit, and Wisdom event at the library went well last night. We gave two 45-minute presentations to an audience of about 30 each. People seemed quite engaged and asked a lot of questions
With nothing on our slate today, we decided on a trip to the Mississippi River, about 40 miles away. We drove by lots of cow pastures and cornfields buried under snow
Our first stop was in Reads Landing at a brewpub for lunch.
Along the river, we saw eagles soaring among the trees, swooping down occasionally for fish in any open water they could find.
Then, across the river to Nelson, Wisconsin. In the Mississippi River tributaries, we watched fisherman out on the ice doing ice-fishing in their tiny ice houses
Then, we stopped at the Nelson Creamery, one of my favorite winter-weather destinations. The front of the store is retail, selling cheeses from Wisconsin and from all of the world, and ice cream cones. The back of the store is a delightfully cozy wine bistro.
We (daughter Alexis, George and I) ordered a bottle of wine and a cheese platter and luxuriated in front of the fire.
Back to Rochester, we settled in with our friend Pat with whom we will be staying for the rest of our stay in Rochester.
Reids on the Road with Joy 