National Train Day 2010...

Today we went up to St. Paul with Diane & Mike to celebrate "National Train Day." Sammy enjoyed all the trains and later we went to lunch at a place called "Cupcake."

"All aboard!!"

Sammy re-enacts a scene from "North by Northwest"

Mike & Diane in a passenger car...

We suspect this van made the evening news...

...don't mess with trains!

A brand new GE locomotive...

Engineer Sam....

Barreling down the tracks...

Sammy inspects the locomotive's engine...

A hobo's life is not appealing to Sammy...

Cupcakes at a restaurant called "Cupcake"

The kitchen of "Cupcake"

Sammy outside the restaurant...

Sammy wanted to ride a train...

...so we took him on the light rail...

Mantorville Theatre with Family, Friends, and One Stranger...

Last night we went out with family & friends to have dinner, celebrate a few birthdays, and watch a Mantorville Theatre production of Neil Simon's "Fools." Dinner at the Hubbell House Restaurant was tasty as ever.

We occupied the first two rows of the Mantorville Opera House. One seat was already occupied by a curious lady, so we sat around her. Michele sat in the second row with Sammy and Paul sat in front with the mystery lady. At the Mantorville Theatre shows, in particular their melodramas, the audience is supposed to participate by booing at the villain, cheering for the hero, and sighing for the heroine. Last night when the crowd would boo the villain, the mystery lady would cheer for him and then look at Paul. Strange night in that sense.

During the play (which is a light-hearted odd-ball comedy), a character has no fish to sell so she sells flowers claiming they are whitefish. When she tells this to another character, at just the right moment, Sammy blurts out loudly, "That flower is NOT a whitefish!" to which the audience laughed. He made several outbursts like that throughout the night, at just the right time, to add to the laughter of the evening. At the end of the show, the cast stands outside and shakes everyone's hands. When Sammy came out, the cast (no kidding here) broke into loud applause for Sammy. Apparently they were laughing like crazy behind stage at his outbursts. Maybe Sammy will be in a future production there...his timing is uncanny.

Ulysses S. Grant once stayed/ate at the Hubbell House...

The birthday cake...

Amanda, Sean, and Anne...

Sammy runs to Linda and Michele...

The Mantorville Opera House...

Our group filled up the first two rows...

1st Row (l-r): Mark, Bernie, Mystery Woman, Diane, Mike F., Sonny, Barb

2nd Row (l-r): Mike, Georgia, Linda, Michele, Sammy, Amanda, Anne, Sean

We're not in Kansas anymore...

This past Sunday night, we went down to the Mayo Civic center to watch a free concert with the band Kansas. Sammy's Aunt Diane and Mike came down to watch it with us. The weather was great, the crowd was (very) large, and the music was great.

Diane & Mike...

Michele & Sammy...

Paul & Sammy...

His future is so bright...

Our Superman...

City at night...

North Shore 2009: Days 3 and 4

Tragedy befell us when Paul slipped on the rocks and his beloved Nikon D50 camera fell in a puddle of water. As a result, we don't have many photos for the last two days (we're hoping we can get some from everyone else). Lake Superior: 1 Paul: 0

Bernie and Mark came up to go fishing with us. Sammy really got a kick out of it.

We had occasional rain during the vacation...

...but also had a good amount of sunshine too...

Heading out to fish...

Bernie swaps fishing stories with Sammy...

Bernie and Mark...

Gooseberry Falls State Park...

Morning view from our deck to the shore...

Mike, Diane, Anne, Sammy, Michele, Bernie, and Mark...

North Shore 2009: Tour of Soudan Mine Video

It's a bit lengthy (about 8:52) but it has the excellent description provided by the tour guide and if you look really close you can see a bat!

North Shore 2009: Day 2

On our second day of vacation on the North Shore we went to the Split Rock lighthouse and then the Soudan Underground Mine.

Soudan mine is known as Minnesota's oldest, deepest, and richest iron ore mine. It was closed in 1962 but is now open as a state park. Visitors can today travel 2,341 feet below the surface on an 80-year old electric hoist through shaft #8. The ride is fairly scary. Underneath visitors ride 1/2 mile to view some mining chambers.

Aunt Annie told Sammy that we were going to see the Joker in the BatCave (currently, Batman and Superman are all that matters to Sammy). When we went to get into the rickety 80-year old electric hoist, Sammy was afraid to go, until our tour guide told him that she had already taken care of the Joker. We'll post some video at a later time.

Oh, and there were bats down there too!

Split Rock lighthouse...

A view from Split Rock lighthouse...

Lighthouse-keeper residences...

Sammy with lighthouse-keeper dude...

Diane & Mike...

Group shot at Split Rock...
Anne, Diane, Mike, Michele, Sammy, & Paul...

Soudan mine...
...we barely got there in time for the last tour of the day!

Part of an electric hoist...

The miners would mine from one level up to the next...
...throwing the junk rock mined to the level below them...
...and work their way up...

The scariest ride in the world!!
It will rattle your fillings loose!

Sammy in the BatCave...

Michele & Sammy...

Miles and miles of tunnels...

Anne, Paul, Sammy, Michele, Mike, & Diane...

North Shore 2009: Day 1

Sammy's Batman & Robin take a rest from crime fighting on the north shore...

Last weekend we went to Lake Superior along the North Shore of Minnesota. We rented a lakeside cabin in Tofte, MN (this is the cabin). We drove out Thursday night to stay at a hotel in Superior, Wisconsin. At the hotel we met up with Paul's sister Diane and Mike. In the morning, Sammy and Paul went for a swim in the pool, then we went to Canal Park in Duluth, then Bettie's Pies, and finally our lakeside cabin. We were lulled to sleep by the sound of waves crashing on the rocks.

Sammy bravely enters the pool...

Paul is not moving fast enough in the water for Sammy...

Diane and Mike play air hockey...

Mike and Diane...

Michele and Sammy...

With a steady hand, Sammy navigates stormy waters...

Sammy explains to us the geology of the Great Lakes...