160.July 25

Rachel and I took a trip to Minneapolis today, and on the way we stopped in Lanesboro to look at creating a wedding band at Crown-Trout Jewelers. They were beyond our budget, nearly everything, but we did get her ring resized that I had ordered last year. We stopped again in Oronoco at an antique shop and found her a wedding band that fit her perfectly of 18k gold and got it. We were heading for a coffee shop in NE to meet Christine, our pastor, who had lived with me in England but never met Rachel yet. It was a very lovely time, and I think they got on well. We had a coffee, and Christy had to leave to meet her sister, but I finished her iced coffee and then we stopped at LUNDS to get some dinner for the road and juices for the wine that Laurel was making for us in Lake City. We tried the wine she had made for us, and then sat in her yard. Her electricity went out, and soon we drove back out of apple country and came back home.

2010

We celebrated Rachel's birthday at Doc's with her family, and then moved over to Norski's Bar with nearly everyone else we know and love. I spent the entire time serving desserts to everyone with Gayle's help. We had pound cake left over from the musical, and fresh berries from Lara and the Wolds. Rachel dressed like a German fraulein and cleaved my heart in twain. NONE OF THE PHOTOS SURVIVED THE EVENING.

2011

Rachel worked at KNEI radio station this morning, filling in for somebody, and then came over for Friday lunch club and Nordic Fest. I tried to meet her at a music stand, but her phone had died before I corrected the location, so we met about 15 minutes later, and went to the hotel for lunch, because she'd already ordered for us and had a drink she was working on. She was saddened that no one else was coming, but this is hard to arrange on Nordic Fest with most people volunteering or not wanting to find parking in the area.

We parted, and then met again at Chris's house after work for Purple Cow ice cream that she'd picked up in Waukon this morning. She had also been keeping that cold in the freezer at the hotel during lunch.

We went home to pack for tomorrow's trip.

2014