Day Three- Free Day

Today is my birthday, and the best gift was that we had a free day at Mayo. That means no needles, a very good thing. Tomorrow there will be lots of needles, a not-so-good thing. We love exploring up here. It is so different from home, and we have seen some amazing things in the years we have been coming to Minnesota.

Today we went east, to a community called Harmony. Wouldn't it be nice to live in a place called Harmony? It is an Old Order Amish community. Horse and buggies, no electricity, very strict rules. We passed a horse and buggy with his rider, and while the rig went faster than I had imagined, I also felt sorry for the man. It's cold up here, and that open air rig couldn't have been a comfortable drive. We browsed in some of the shops, and the attention to detail and workmanship was incredible.

While I think I would go crazy living that life-style, I can see the benefit of a community of like minded people working together and pulling together in times of need to help each other. Gary thinks that if you could get accustomed to the life style, it would eventually be relaxing. No debt, less stress, people that you knew you could count on.

We also drove to the small community of Lanesboro, probably what our downtown Main Street would like to grow up to be. Shops, restaurants, theaters, galleries and other attractions are in old historic buildings that have been restored. The town is nestled into the bluffs along the Root River, which meanders its way lazily in around and through town. A foot bridge crosses over the river and leads to a lake with a gazebo on it. The lake is frozen now, and shows signs of foot and snowmobile traffic across it. We watched eagles fly and land in their nests in the cold, clear air, and looked out over the snow covered hills and valleys.

When we got back to Rochester, I went to my favorite Italian restaurant, Victoria's. It's almost worth the twelve hour drive just to go there. Even Gary likes it, high praise from my picky husband. They make a great steak for those non-Italian lovers among us, husbands included. The hotel shuttle driver sang to me on the way to the restaurant, so all of the rest of the passengers on their way back to the hotel from their various appointments at Mayo joined in. It was a .... unique....experience.

So this has been an excellent day, filled with new sights and sounds and wonders. I would prefer not to spend a birthday, or any day when it comes down to it, at Mayo. But since I had to be here, we made the best of it.