When I last wrote, I was still staying at Ben’s house. He called Friday afternoon to let me know that they were packing up and heading back home. I washed the bedding and touched up the house so it would be spotless when they got home. After taking Yoshi for his nightly walk, I came back home about 9:00. I just love my little apartment and my own bed, so it felt good to be home again.
I loaded up my car and headed to LaCrosse at about 10 am on Tuesday morning and took the scenic route along the Mississippi River through Red Wing, Wabasha, and Winona on the drive down there and met Pat and Susan at the Grand Stay Hotel - we pulled in about 5 minutes apart. The hotel is just a couple of blocks from the downtown area and Riverfront Park, so a very nice location to be.
We sat around talking, then walked through the beautiful Friendship Garden and Riverfront Park. Downtown, we stumbled on Buzzard Billy’s where we sat out on the sidewalk patio and had dinner. The menu had a lot of Cajun items and I had the Shrimp Creole that was quite tasty. Pat wanted to stop at Festival Foods for some wine and I just happened to see a bottle of Dripping Springs Vodka on the shelf, so of course I had to buy it - just for old times sake (our days in Rockport, TX). Back at the hotel, we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the evening until it started to rain.
We really wanted to take the Trolley ride on Wednesday, but we learned that it was only running on the weekends, so we did some shopping, took a drive to French Island to River Rats Bar and Grill for a bit of lunch and a tasty Bloody Mary, and went back to the hotel for a nap. That evening, we walked to La Crosse Distillery for dinner on the outdoor patio and we learned from some passers-by that the City Band was playing at the bandshell at Riverfront Park, so we headed there before going home. The theme for the concert was “America’s Road-trip” and it was a beautiful evening to sit outside and enjoy the music.
On Thursday morning, we walked through the Friendship Garden to get to where the La Crosse Queen Riverboat was docked and then had a very nice ride up and down the river to see the sights and to learn about the history of the area. Back at the hotel, we took naps, then Pat and I walked to Subway to get sandwiches to eat before heading back to Riverfront Park for another night of music. We heard a great Country Band for the first hour and left halfway through the set of the next band - it was way too loud with lots of long guitar solos and we couldn’t hear the lyrics.
Riverside Park and the Friendship Garden in La Crosse
My Good Friends, Pat and Susan on the La Crosse Queen
This morning, we were packed up and on the road heading for home by 9 am. It was stormy when we woke up, but cleared before we left. My drive was a nice 2.5 hour trek through beautiful Minnesota farm land and Rochester.
When I got back home, my neighbor delivered the last project that we did at Art class with Genevieve. This is the result of my clay poppy.
