Following the North Star

Minnesota Bound

A serendipitous opportunity presented itself in the form of an invitation to a Minnesota wedding setting in motion overdo visits with my 4 brothers, families, Zayn, Heaven, Juno and friends from my combustible teenage years.

From France, Oregon, California, Iowa our wagon trains advanced as all roads led to the North Star State for an impromptu reunion.

My 4 fabulous brothers, the wonderfully supportive sister-in-laws + Youssef, Bailey, Juno and Avi (the dog), Eli and Sam (the growing youngsters who can eat the "whole burrito"), team Portland-Zayn, Heaven, Juno, and friends that were an important part of my formative years, Cheri and Robin who gave up their Mother's Day to meet me in Minneapolis.

You betcha!

Meet me in Minneapolis/St. Paul

Returning to Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis where I lived for several years, adding on a Mississippi River Road Trip was like Marshmallows on the rutabagas, Cheddar cheese on the apple pie, Soda pop with ice, Chocolate dip on the Dairy Queen ice cream cone.

You're darn tootin!

The logo "Etoile du Nord" were the French words on the original Minnesota flag, giving Minnesota its name, the North Star State.

The state flag has been redesigned giving Minnesota residence a chance to collaborate on a new look. Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Utah and other states are also looking for a way to make their flags; unique, simple, display symbols meaningful to their state, fewer colors, fewer seals and lettering.

Minneapolis/St Paul, otherwise known as the Twin Cities, mark their artistic contributions to music, art, theater and history with home grown Charles Schultz of Peanuts comic strip (one of my Dad's favorites), F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Prince, Sinclair Lewis, ode to the Mary Tyler Moore Show and State Capital.

Minnesota's 11,482 lakes make it hard to pick a favorite but Lake Harriet has a special place in my heart having lived nearby with my Aunt Penny's family in 1973 when I took a job after graduation at Vassarette-ladies lingerie division of Munsingwear.

Can't you just hear 18 year old Wendy answer the phone in Customer Service "Vassarette: Ladies lingerie, girdles, bras and slips, how can I help you?" Anyone looking for their favorite discontinued lingerie, grievance or suggestion contacted us, we researched their request and typed a letter in response.

Vassarette still sells lingerie under the Vanity Fair label.

Don't cha know!

The celebrated Walker Art Center sculpture garden with Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s famous Spoonbridge and Cherry makes an impactful impression on the cityscape and the Walkers current Keith Haring exhibit highlights contemporary art and progressive design.

Big cities have their light and dark sides. George Floyd was murdered in 2020

by police officers after being arrested for trying to pass a fake $20 which set off demonstrations worldwide raising expectations for change against racism and police violence. The site is a gripping reminder of how much still needs to be done for racial equity 5 years later.

Scandinavians abound in Minnesota and there are several cultural centers in Minneapolis. We visited The American Swedish Institute which was the home of Swan Turnblad.

Swan Turnblad emigrated from Southern Sweden escaping poverty in Småland and built a fortune publishing a Swedish language newspaper Svenska Amerikanska Posten and also a mansion on Minneapolis' Golden Mile.

The family donated their mansion to the newly funded American Swedish Institute to highlight Swedish culture.

Interestingly enough Feodor Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea comes from Småland too.

The Institute currently has a Sami art exhibit and a collection of stunning tile porcelain stoves, or kakelugnar. Using history to create a quilt homage from The Swedish Hospital Nursing class of 1967, the graduates creatively incorporated a bed sheet from their dormitory and fabric from their uniforms.

The Mighty Mississippi River starts in Minnesota, crosses 10 states ending in the Gulf of Mexico, divides Minnesota and Wisconsin at a stretch of southern Minnesota. The impressive bluffs jutting above the river hold the tragic tales of maidens throwing themselves into the Big River voicing their objection to a loveless arranged marriage.

Minnesota is made up of the many cultures seeking adventure, fortune, freedom and opportunities. French fur traders followed the rivers and waterways in their canoes to supply the burgeoning demand for beaver, marten, fox pelts, Scandinavian settlers escaping poverty looking for a better life, French Huguenots searching religious freedoms.

Minnesota is full of French city names, ones I barely noticed as a child that now reveal their true meaning, Prairie de Chien, Calumet, Fond de Lac, La Prairie, Grand Marais.

Across the border in Wisconsin the Swedish town names surprise us as we find Stockholm and Lund marked out as small holdings of Swedish immigrants stamping their influence on the region.

The lutefisk and lefse jokes along with the “Uffdas and Don’t cha know” bring back a myriad of chuckling memories for me. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder based her book Little House in the Big Woods on her childhood home just miles from the Mississippi River in Pepin Wisconsin.

Let’s not leave out the biggest: Ball of Twine and Biggest Boot, Guinness Book of Records achievements that make small towns proud and put them on the tourist destination map for people like me who love the kitsch. Even Al Yankovich, the reigning king of parody wrote a song about the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.

Iowa

Brother Bruce went to Iowa for a teaching job and never returned. We couldn't miss a visit to see him and Marcia and his carefully curated, eclectic collections, the Winnebago factory or the grain silo art.

Our monthly Stottrup family phone calls are a good rubber band that hold us together. The real glue are the visits that connect us.

The Big Event

Josh and Laura, my cousin Beth's daughter happily married. A great time was had by all. My 95 year young Aunt Penny stole the show.

Of course Minnesota jokes involve mosquitos as well as funny sounding Scandinavian food. No mosquitos in sight - the glorious month of May, lilacs in full bloom everywhere. 

The Song of Hiawatha

The popular fictional epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow written in 1855 tells the tale of the love of Hiawatha, an Ojibwe warrior and the Dakota maiden, Minnehaha.

My mother grew up near Minnehaha Falls and it's a gorgeous location to visit.

My Hiawatha hero trying to hoist me across the waterway.

The Melancholy Factor

Melancholy soaks into my bones creating pockets of longing when I say my farewells to family and friends, most certainly when I part from my children and their families.  Gosh I love and miss them.

Could someone put a rush on creating a quicker teleporting route so I won’t have to take planes, trains and buses to bask in the glow of their beings?

Reflection and gratitude heal the empty spaces where I feel the melancholy tug.  The humorous moments, laughter, rich memories and funny signs I found in Minnesota act as a bandaid.

You Take Care then...