mindaTHINK

One of My Happy Places

Lame-ish Blog behavior. Oh so sorry!

Ah, I need to keep up here folks, and I'm so sorry!  I just checked my blog stats, which I haven't done in probably six months and I'm embarrassed.  In the past 24 hours I have had not one, but FOUR BIG names in scrapbooking stop by my blog per my little tracky-thingy, and they've seen....not much.

I just don't seem to be able to muster the energy to record my thoughts here unless they are snap happy and S/H has been in short supply here, just little bursts now and then.

So.

And so.

Anyway, tomorrow Erin, Andrew and I leave for our big trip to Minot, ND.  All 518 or 548 miles of it, depending on which route my dad recommends...we are eagerly awaiting his superior advice.

Erin and I, being the big night owls that we are, are leaving at 9pm tomorrow so we arrive just in time for morning coffee on Thanksgiving Day. 

Because my dear hearts Danielle, Don and the girls were leaving for Texas, California and then Uganda today, I haven't really put much thought into my Minot trip details.  Of course its been weighing on my mind:  The whole visit is about my grandmother, and the possibility this is our last visit to her as her heart condition is becoming difficult to manage. 

Anyway, as a way to IMMEDIATELY distract me from missing the heck out of D&D I started my internet based research on what's gonna be what in Minot.  Saints preserve us.

• The weather will bounce between the frigid 30 and the frigid-er 14.
• Snow is expected on Saturday only at this point. 
• The nearest WIFI appears to be at the Wild Things Gallery about 2 miles away...problem is their website is gone and it seems that maybe they have gone out of business.
• Oh and I thought I'd look into the coffee options.  Did a yahoo maps search...and...
• The nearest coffee shop appears as Kum & Go, a gas station about 3 miles to the NE of my grandmas place...

Nope, I don't make this stuff up, I speak the truth.  But wait, I thought, that can't be right!  My grandma lives less than a mile from the "new" mall.  Surely there is a coffee shop there!  According to the directory for the Dakota Square Mall there is a Taco Johns (eat your heart out cousin Josh!) but no coffee shop.  Not even a kiosk!  But that cannot be!  I cannot except this defeat!  Surely there must be a Starbucks SOMEWHERE in Minot!  So I type in Starbucks and Get driving directions and sure enough, I am right, ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN, a total of 2.6 miles to the north is the lone Starbucks.  Yes, I do mean lone.  I searched the Starbucks site for all of North Dakota and there are FIVE Starbucks in Bismarck and 1 in Minot.  And that is it folks. Now I can't remember how far it is to Bismarck from Minot, I think a couple hundred miles, but I'm too lazy to look it up right now.  I wasn't too lazy to look up the flights between Minot and Bismarck, which would run me upwards of $800 and take 5 hours, as they connect through Minneapolis airport...talk about your end arounds.

Anyway!  I'm stubborn, so I kept at it, doggedly searching for coffee that wasn't made by a truck driver or a gas station attendant and (insert heavenly voices singing here) I found that the mall DOES have coffee.  Not Starbucks, not Caribou, not Seattles Best, oh no, none of that is good enough for Dakota Square Mall.  They have (more heavenly voices) Bellissimo Caffe Casa.  Waaa? (insert needle scratching a record album here)

Okay these are Italian words. (well, not exclusively Italian, casa is also commonly used in Spanish, French and Portugese...) Bellissimo is actually not used often in Italy, but roughly it translates as Very Beautiful.  Caffe' is also Italian and it means coffee.  Casa of course means house.  So they are trying to tell me that not only can I have coffee at the mall next door (which of course will be open BRIGHT AND EARLY on Black Friday!) but I will be getting that coffee at a very beautiful coffee house.  Sounds divine, yes?   Why do I feel a coffee nightmare story of DUNKIN DONUTS proportion coming on?  Hmm??  Is it the fact that I spent many years of my life living in Minot?  Is it that Minot is proud of being the 4th largest city in North Dakota (there ARE four cities in North Dakota?)  Is it that at the age of 43 I have come to discover that my purpose in being brought to Minnesota in the first place was so that I could grow fat and happy off the FABU, unparalleled coffee available right here in the good old Minneapolis of Minnesota?

And I wonder if Dunkin Donuts has a foothold in Minot...brb...whew!  I am relieved to report that there are NO DDs within 50 miles of Minot.

So, a report on Bellissimo Caffe will be forthcoming...if I don't find WIFI in Minot, it will be reported upon my return.

And hey, I just noticed...the Starbucks at 2.6 miles is actually CLOSER than the Kum & Go at 3 miles...hmmm...is there some sort of an anti corporate coffee klatch going on here?  In collusion with Yahoo Maps?  Dear, dear....

Boston Layouts: A Beginning

Finally getting a moment to post a bit about Boston.  It was really a wonderful trip.  Everything went smoothly, I loved everyone I met, sightseeing was wonderful too!

Here are the first few layouts I've done about the trip:

The cover of the album

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Section dividers

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Traveling with the Palate

Sigh.  The ONLY thing wrong with not being wealthy is the difficulty in traveling when one is "older". 

I'm reading a great book by Donna Leon, Blood from a Stone.  Donna is one of my favorite authors, one of the few accepted "outsiders" in the tight knit society of Venice.  She was born in New Jersey (gee, wonder why Venice seemed appealing?) and lived in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China before settling in Venice.  Ms. Leon writes celebrated mysteries.

Ms. Leon's main character, Commissario Brunetti is a big fan of Grappa.  So I decided since I can't travel to Venice just now, I'll read some Donna Leon and sip some Grappa.  I also picked up some Moscato D'Asti, a light bubbly white wine from Northern Italy, which I'm sure the Commisario also enjoys.  While they chill, I'll tell you a little bit about both.

Grappa is a uniquely Italian drink. Traditionally, made from pomace, the discarded grape seeds, stalks, and stems that are a by-product of the winemaking process, Grappa has been around since the Middle Ages. For generations, Italians have sipped this "firewater" after meals and even added a little to their morning espresso, to "correct" it.

Grappa was originally made in Bassano del Grappa, a town of around 40,000 residents in Italy's northern Veneto region. It is from this town that Grappa gets its name. Grappa started as a by-product of the Italian winemaking trade, a rough drink made with what was available, potent enough to get the farmers through the cold winter months. It was good at warming you up, but not particularly tasty, similar to the grain alcohols of the Midwestern United States. Grappa, largely, remained a drink of the poor workmen and farmers until the 1960s.

Similar to France's brandies and Cognac, and Portugal's Sherry, Grappa is a distilled beverage. That means the mixture of grape pieces and alcohol is heated gently, allowing much of the mixture to evaporate, and leaving a potent concentration. Today's Grappa is about 40 to 45 percent alcohol. That's 80 to 90 proof. After distillation, Grappa is usually stored in glass bottles for about six months before it is distributed. The flavor profile of Grappa depends on the grape varietal used, and, generally, Grappa is potent and dry. Occasionally, a producer will add a little syrup to sweeten the lot. This sweeter Grappa is particularly popular in the American market.

Today's Grappa

The character of Grappa changed in the 1960s, thanks, largely to the efforts of one woman - Giannola Nonino. Her Nonino distillery, in Percoto Italy, has been producing Grappa since 1897. In the early 1970s, she began making Grappa from a single grape, as opposed to the customary mélange of grape leftovers. She sought to make a quality drink, one to rival the great eaux-de-vie of France. It was an uphill battle. She sold very little of her first, 1973, production. Undaunted, she offered her Grappa free to journalists, restaurateurs, and asked that it be served at important commercial and government dinners. She poured the drink herself and told her story as she filled the glasses. Slowly, in this way, the charismatic Ms. Nonino created a following.

The Nonino Distillery's first single grape Grappa was crafted from the Picolit grape. Today, over a dozen different grapes are used for single grape Grappas, called "monovitigno" Grappas, a term Ms. Nonino coined herself. In 1984, the same Nonino distillery gained government approval and began producing a higher quality Grappa made from whole fruit. They began with grapes and in the following years, produced products using cherries, pear, apricot, peach, and raspberry, among other fruits. Seeking a way to show off their new products, Nonino is also responsible for the stylish glass bottles in which Grappa today is sold, a dramatic change from the old medicinal-style bottles.

Grappa is also added to espresso to make a "Café Corretto," a popular after-dinner concoction.

courtesy www.alifeinitaly.com

In Italy they say Moscato d'Asti is the ultimate breakfast wine. Certainly, I could drink it all day, and as it is so innocently low in alcohol (typically 5.5%) it is tempting to start early. It's best after dinner, though, or at lunch, slopped into large wine glasses.

It can taste of white peaches, more often apricots, sometimes of orange-fleshed melons, and it is good when drunk alongside those fruits. It's also something of a chameleon - drinking one bottle with a mango and passion fruit tart dripping with crème patisserie, we became convinced it also had a suggestion of mango. Actually, though, it was just meshing so well with the fruit that we couldn't tell one from another.

Victoria Moore for The Guardian

When most people think of Italian wine, they think of the lush, robust reds of Tuscany or the delicate white wines of Piedmont. They don't generally think of sparkling wine…but they should. Italy produces more different kinds of sparkling wine than any other country in the world. In fact, they have been crafting spumantes (literally, sparkling wines) since Roman times, long before Dom Perignon popped his first cork. From the light, off-dry Proseccos to the classic Franciacortas, Italian sparkling wines are varied, tasty, and often quite affordable.

Unlike Champagne, most Italian sparkling wines are made using the Charmat method. Using this method, the wine's second fermentation is done in a tank instead of in the bottles, and the resulting wine is bottled young. This technique is particularly suited to crisp, low alcohol wines, such as Asti and Moscato d'Asti. Generally, sparkling wines produced this way are best consumed when young and have little staying power.

www.lifeinitaly.com

My Dream Vacation

Someone recently challenged me to do a scrapbook page about my dream vacation.

Well I have several, but right this instant it is this:

Anyone care to pay my tuition and airfare and accompany me to a week in Amsterdam?  I make a great traveling companion!

Scott and I did new scrapbook pages about my mom.

mine is a 6x12 layout that opens to reveal two more 6x12 panels.

"Anyone have a lint brush?"

I started going through my Seattle photos this morning.  Seems like its time to remember the perfect vacation with had just a month ago.

More later!

Getting Ready

Scott, Andrew and I are leaving on Wednesday noon for a trip to Seattle for five days.  This means a few extra items on my weekly to do list.

I need to call the neighbor about watching the cat,

empty the suitcase that was holding our summer clothes,

pick up a travel guide,

and stop by Walgreens for this:

not exactly backpacking hostelers anymore,

are we?

Work Changes and Seattle Bound

Scott has been asked to change his schedule from Feb 10-May 9 to Sat night through Wednesday night.  This means Thursday and Friday nights are his nights off.  We aren't hung up on weekends needing to be traditional, so mostly we are okay, but it means limited church attendance for the time period and no church meeting at our house.  Oh well, the time will fly and then he will be back to "normal".  Who ever thought that we would think 11pm-7am M-F as normal?  Hmm.

On a much brighter note, we booked a family vacation a few minutes ago.

Seattle 4/25/07

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Flight + hotel + car package reservation

www.cheaptickets.com

Flight reservation

Traveler(s)
MINDA SHULTZ
DAVID SHULTZ
ANDREW SHULTZ

Wednesday, April 25, 2007	Leave
Northwest Airlines #807 Depart: 2:20pm afternoon Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP) Arrive: 3:55pm afternoon Seattle, WA Seattle/Tacoma Intl (SEA) Seats: 44A, 44B, 44C Economy  |  Boeing 757-300 Passenger (753)  |  3hr 35min  |  1395 miles

Monday, April 30, 2007	Return
Northwest Airlines #170 Depart: 12:10pm afternoon Seattle, WA Seattle/Tacoma Intl (SEA) Arrive: 5:28pm evening Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis St Paul Intl (MSP) Seats: 45D, 45E, 45F Economy  |  Boeing 757-300 Passenger (753)  |  3hr 18min  |  1395 miles

Ticket information

Hotel Reservation

Reservation for: Minda Shultz Total guests: 3 Total rooms: 1

Wed, Apr 25, 2007 Mon, Apr 30, 2007	Check-in Check-out
La Quinta Inn Lynnwood
Address 4300 Alderwood Mall Blvd Lynnwood, WA 98036 Phone:     1-425-775-7447 Fax:     1-425-775-8063 Check in/out:     3:00 PM / 11:00 AM	Room description N/A Special requests non-smoking These requests cannot be guaranteed. CheapTickets recommends that you contact the hotel directly to ensure your request can be accomodated.

Car rental reservation

Primary driver: MINDA SHULTZ

Wed, Apr 25, 2007 4:25pm	Pick Up
Budget
Location at or near airport Seattle Seattle/Tacoma Intl(SEA) Address 17801 International Blvd Seattle WA 98158 Sea-tac International Airport 206-444-7510	Car details Chrysler Sebring (or similar) Midsize Car Air Conditioning Automatic Transmis

We are planning to just enjoy all the wonderful things that Seattle area has to offer.  There is the common stuff like the Space Needle and Whale watching as well as a great children's museum, a visit to the "rainforest", some island hopping on the ferry, and the great Science Center.  It will be warm, there will be flowers, there will be open water.  Ahhh....are we there yet?

We haven't done a vacation like this since 2002 when I was in San Fran, so we are really looking forward to it.

Cold Spring Entry

Minda here in Cold Spring, Minnesota, my favorite out of town hang out.  We are here at the Bagel & Brew, using up some free WIFI and catching up on the real world.

I won't go too far into things, just share a couple of quick pics.

The first is our friends the Pierce's riding bike: seems the bike craze has hit those I love all the way to Africa...

I did a 5 miler and 11.5 miler since I got here.  There is a perfect 11.5 mile course from the lake to Cold Spring, and I'm planning on two more rounds of it once the rain clears.

Here is last nights sunset as we took a turn around the lake on the pontoon boat.

Back in Time

We have started reading the Little House series of books, and on a whim decided to go here to show Andrew where it all began.  On the way down highway 61, we saw a sign for this, and I turned in to check it out.  Seems we were trespassing a bit, so I don't recommend going without permission, but what a cool find, and at the time we didn't realize we were out of line to be there unannounced.  Many of the buildings were locked up, but we had a great time enjoying the ones that weren't and walking around the beautiful little town that has been recreated by a family, starting just 20 years ago.  Amazing.  Fun photos too!

Andrew had a blast, and it was nice to have the whole family together for a change, we've had so much going on that parts us lately.  The photos listed by flickr to the right sidebar are from the day.

I will recommend this place for photo shoots if anyone wants me to do one this summer/fall.  For $25-$50 fee the grounds are ripe with beautiful locations, great textures, lovely gardens.