Retired Biker

What is the most popular thing to do in Minneapolis in August? The locals will tell you to go to the Minnesota State Fair and enjoy those cheese curds.
As in most large cities, buses take visitors from shopping mall parking lots to the State Fair. This particular bus had a 'hinge' in the middle of it. We sat in the rear of the bus to get the full effect of the ride from the Brooklyn Shopping Center to the State Fair.


Hmmm... We've visited the 'Miracle Birth Center' and walked around a number of diplays. What will be the next stop? Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar, of course. We bought a 'cone' of chocolate chip cookies that threatened to spill at any moment. None of those cookies had a chance of touching the ground!
Some of us were more brave than others of us when invited by the band, Brave Combo, to participate in the 'chicken dance' played in a minor key.
We had munched our way through pretty much of a very large fair; saw a variety of displays; ate our share of cheese curds; listened to the band and headed home.

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New Ulm, the City of 'Charm and Tradition,' is nestled just 90 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, in the heart of the scenic Minnesota River Valley. The idea for the City of New Ulm, a settlement of German immigrants, was conceived by Frederick Beinhorn in Germany. Beinhorn came to America in 1852. By 1853, he was in Chicago where he and a group of other German immigrants formed the 'Chicago Land Society.' The name, New Ulm, was selected because many of the original settlers were from the province of Wurttemberg, Germany, of which Ulm is the principal city. (Albert Einstein was born March 1879 in Ulm, Wurttemburg, Germany.)
In 1856, Wilhelm Pfaender arrived in New Ulm with members of the Turner Colonization Society of Cincinnati. The two groups merged, and in 1857, the town of New Ulm was incorporated by an act of the Legislature.
The Hermann Monument, erected in 1897, was built in memory of an ancient Teutonic hero, Hermann of Cherusci. Hermann is honored as the liberator of Germany from Rome in 9 A.D., and the father of Germanic independence.
The 102-foot-tall monument is second only to the taller copper-sheathed Statue of Liberty and towers over the city of New Ulm. The Hermann Monument is now officially the national German-American Monument, symbolizing the contributions of German heritage to the nation.
We climbed to the top of the Hermann Monument to enjoy a spectacular view of New Ulm and the Minnesota River Valley.
Founded in 1860, the August Schell Brewing Company is the second oldest family-owned brewing company in the
United States, and the oldest industry in New Ulm. They make about 15 'Schell brand' beers. (The oldest brewery is the Yuengling ('ying-ling') Family from Pottsville, Pa, since 1829.) Since its founding in 1854, New Ulm has had five breweries, of which only the Schell Brewing Company survives.




New Ulm was also the home of Wanda Hazel Gag, author of the classic children's book, Millions of Cats. Wanda was born March 11, 1893. She was the eldest of seven children. Wanda grew up in this unique home until the age of 20. Following the death of her parents, Wanda struggled to provide for her five sisters and one brother while pursuing her dream of becoming an artist. Scholarships enabled her to attend art schools. Wanda moved to New York City and later to New Jersey, where she wrote and illustrated children's books, and created lithographs and paintings which won her international renown.

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Some of us spent Sunday working on various around the house projects; some of us spent the better part of the day shopping at the Mall of America - including a visit to the aquarium.

Our Minnesota trip was concluded with a very nice dinner Sunday evening at the Granite City Grill.
Walter, Fred, Kate, Janice, Martha and Fritz.

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Our trip to Minnesota was really a trip to visit the relatives. Roughly two years ago, my brother, Fred, called to say that his wife's breast cancer had returned. The care she would receive, would be of a palliative nature; she would not be a survivor.
Knowing that things had become hectic in my brother's household; we planned to visit briefly in the morning, then briefly in the evening. During the day, we would explore the surrounding Minneapolis area to be out from under my brother's feet.
Fred called late in the afternoon of August 25 to say that Kathleen had passed away earlier that morning. She is missed by all who knew her.

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We purchased an Appalachain Litespeed last September. We have changed the front fork from an aluminum one to a carbon fiber front fork. And the tires, no longer 'touring' tires, are now 'road' tires. The bike has an additional 1400 miles on it.

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A 'cold front' had moved through the area the night before, lowering the morning temperature to the high 60's. The sky remained overcast as we walked through the Ohio Valley Antique Machinery Show. The cool temperatures and the small crowds made for a pleasant time of looking at the displays.



Even though Ford was the featured tactor, John Deere was well represented. Not counting the 'yellow stripe' in the background, this is a 'set' of John Deere tractors - Models 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80.






Here is the 'set' from the other angle.

Here is something you don't get to see every day!
We wandered through the small engine area and found the booth making ice cream using a hit and miss engine. The black walnut ice-cream was superb, with actual crushed black walnuts; made even better because it was free...
An all time favorite is the steam shovel.
The grass was wet, the pulling track was muddy making even the kids garden tractor pull difficult and the skies threatened rain at any time. Good thing we left when we did. The skies opened for yet another downpour. Of course, we got no rain at home....

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