Minnesota - Part 2, July

Minnesota finally dried out, and then came the mosquitoes and the gnats!   We reconnected with friends in Mankato, Belle Plaine, and Amboy and I have played numerous games of cribbage with my sister.   She won as many games as I did, and we skunked each other equally :-)   We also played some great games of Sequence with two other of our sister friends.   Loved them!  

On Thursday, July 7 we left the Mankato convent and drove 5 hours northwest to Wadena, MN where we are attending the Spahn cousins reunion on Saturday, July 9.   The campground here is in the city park and is nicely shaded and has full hookups ( a big deal since we're staying a week!).   Friday we drove to Bemidji, 90 miles north of Wadena.   Good old Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Babe, still stand guard over Lake Bemidji and they're still the tourist beacon they were meant to be in 1937 when they were erected.   If you aren't familiar with Paul and Babe, here are a few legends we gleaned from the Bemidji Welcome Center:

• Paul, legendary superman and woodsman, hero of early logging days was born in Bemidji.   It took 5 large storks, working overtime, to deliver Paul to his parents.  
• Every time Paul sneezed he blew the roof off the bunkhouse.  His booming voice forced his lumberjacks to wear earmuffs year round.   Paul is said to have dug and built Niagara Falls for a shower bath, and he dug Lake Superior as a watering trough for Babe.   Paul could cut down acres of timber single-handed, in a few minutes, by tying his axe to the end of a long rope and swinging it in circles.  
• He's standing 18 feet tall, weighs 2 1/2 tons and protects the shores of Lake Bemidji.

I'll be posting some pictures of this giant in a future blog.

The Spahn Cousins Reunion occured today.   In all there are approximately 55 first cousins.   Five have died and four could not make it.   Counting spouses, children, and grandchildren there were 110 people at the reunion.   We had a great time meeting everyone!   The party continues tomorrow as we gather at various farms in the area to continue our dialog.  There were cousins from AZ, Washington, FL, and NC as well as from closer neighboring states.   We do not have bragging rights for traveling the farthest.  The longest distance was 1700 miles!