north and west

If you look at a map of the upper Midwest, you'll see that Minneapolis is as much to the west of Madison as it is to the north of us. Nonetheless, that small jump up toward the north brings with it not a small amount of change in both weather and landscape.

I could surely appreciate this on the bus ride up to the Twin Cities.

But first, breakfast, for which I am so grateful, despite the rush today.






(I'm also grateful for the one photo I could eek out of my camera before it ceremoniously died on me. Yes, it will discharge the battery if I leave it on overnight, even if it is plugged into a recharger.)

The trip itself was as good as all my other Megabus rides weren't. On time, not freezing (not toasty warm either, but I come prepared!), and comfortable. The deal now is that you can reserve a seat if you're willing to cough up the additional $3. Most students (the primary riders of a bus between Madison and Minneapolis on a Friday) are not. I feel like at my age, I can indulge my craving for that extra bit of room and the lesser chance of being stuck, as I once was, in the middle seat of the very last row. Talk about bumpy and tight!

And of course, there were the colors up north (not yet in Madison) to admire.






In Minneapolis, good fortune would have it that my friend Diane is passing through (now a permanent resident of Florida, she just happened to be up here this week). And so in my first hours, as I wait for my daughter to be done with work, I am able to sit back and have a protracted cup of coffee with her, right here (Anelace):






And then comes the thrill of having exceptionally long stretches of time with my daughter and her husband. Here is my little girl, welcoming me (as always, with such great care) to their home.





We're about to set out for a night on the town (cross that out and substitute an evening; I am 62 after all). I'll do us all a favor by clicking "publish" now!