I started the day in West Des Moines but I was on the road less than an hour after I woke up. I showered, gathered up my belongings, and got a quick breakfast at a nearby convenience store after checking out of my hotel. There was plenty of rain early on in my drive, and I made just one stop along the way. It was in Clear Lake, IA, at the Casey's. I got some more baseball cards there, but it was tough to see when I got home and got all of them in binders how there was plenty of duplicates. I got two packs, one was 12 and the other 7, this weekend. Another pack of 36 was already at home, and 14 of them were duplicates I destroyed, about a quarter of them. During the drive I liked hearing Prairie Home Companion, and Wits, on public radio. Of the songs I heard, I liked 'Don't dream it's over' by Crowded House and 'Alive' by Pearl Jam. Also this weekend I liked hearing 'Tennessee Stud' by Johnny Cash, hadn't heard it in a while. I am wearing my Johnny Cash shirt today. I did one thing during the drive that I don't recommend: wrote down a quick note on top of the steering wheel. I told myself it shouldn't take long and I should be able to hold the wheel steady for long enough, and I was right.
I liked how the drive was fairly uneventful, this time of year you never know with all of the road construction. Around Owatonna there was plenty of warnings how traffic may be backed up on the weekends, a lane merger and one exit was closed. But I didn't have to slow down at all. Maybe I was lucky since I went through it around 1pm and not sometime later in the day. It looked like it was backed up on the southbound side. I was getting tired, evident with some yawning, but I was nearly home by then.
I made it back to the Twin Cities shortly after 2pm, turning off I-35 and deciding to go to a festival
first before going home. It was German Fest at the former Schmidt brewery on West 7th. I wanted to see the Rathskeller and found out a speech was in progress on arrival. I got plenty of pictures inside, as there was messages written in various languages in the rafters, mostly in German. There were 19 of these messages. I even liked seeing a diagram of the beer making process, it was near the entrance to the former gift shop on the same level. The diagram is a likely photo for my Facebook page. The light fixtures were supported by old wagon wheels. I liked hearing the speech as it did cover some things I was familiar with, like the nearby Marie Schmidt Bremer home, as well as the two beer heir kidnappings by the Ma Barker gang in the 1930s. It means they did cover some of the history of the other big brewer in St. Paul, Hamm's. I did eat there, having a bratwurst, and a pilsner beer. Later on I found a German chocolate donut. I also saw a fellow comic there, a real estate broker. I did pick up a souvenir besides the beer wristband, it was a cowbell somebody else had abandoned. It said 'German Fest at the historic Schmidt brewery'. The poster, shirt, or mug would have been much more expensive. I got more than 50 photos at this festival, as it was my best look at the complex since the artist lofts were completed.
I liked how the drive was fairly uneventful, this time of year you never know with all of the road construction. Around Owatonna there was plenty of warnings how traffic may be backed up on the weekends, a lane merger and one exit was closed. But I didn't have to slow down at all. Maybe I was lucky since I went through it around 1pm and not sometime later in the day. It looked like it was backed up on the southbound side. I was getting tired, evident with some yawning, but I was nearly home by then.
I made it back to the Twin Cities shortly after 2pm, turning off I-35 and deciding to go to a festival
first before going home. It was German Fest at the former Schmidt brewery on West 7th. I wanted to see the Rathskeller and found out a speech was in progress on arrival. I got plenty of pictures inside, as there was messages written in various languages in the rafters, mostly in German. There were 19 of these messages. I even liked seeing a diagram of the beer making process, it was near the entrance to the former gift shop on the same level. The diagram is a likely photo for my Facebook page. The light fixtures were supported by old wagon wheels. I liked hearing the speech as it did cover some things I was familiar with, like the nearby Marie Schmidt Bremer home, as well as the two beer heir kidnappings by the Ma Barker gang in the 1930s. It means they did cover some of the history of the other big brewer in St. Paul, Hamm's. I did eat there, having a bratwurst, and a pilsner beer. Later on I found a German chocolate donut. I also saw a fellow comic there, a real estate broker. I did pick up a souvenir besides the beer wristband, it was a cowbell somebody else had abandoned. It said 'German Fest at the historic Schmidt brewery'. The poster, shirt, or mug would have been much more expensive. I got more than 50 photos at this festival, as it was my best look at the complex since the artist lofts were completed.
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