OK, bad news first.  I lost my camera this weekend (that’s the tragedy in this tale).  If anyone has any information that leads to the recovery of said camera, there is a reward.  But it’s a surprise, so you’ll just have to trust me.  If you found a camera and you’re not sure if it’s mine, it should have about 300 pictures on it that correspond with everything below.

Saturday – Garden, Trap Shoot, Gator Ride, Wedding

So, for the good stuff…Jenn got married this weekend (and there’s the love)!  After a “decade of dating” as it’s been affectionately referred to, she and Craig tied the knot.  The wedding was in Primghar, Iowa (yeah, we were off the grid) and the reception was at the Clay County Event Center in Spencer.  As wedding’s go, I have a hard time distinguishing the differences so I’ll spare the details, but I had a lot of fun!

(Imagine pictures of the wedding party strutting into the main ballroom)

(Imagine pictures of the table setting, each with its own cake)

(Imagine pictures of late night dance-offs; I’m pretty sure they burned a hole in the dance floor)

(Video: Brynn Wede, 2 years old, shaking her tail feather…she’s a heart breaker)

Now rewind to Saturday morning.  We had taken a 5:40PM flight from SFO to MSP on Friday night and drove down to Lea’s folks’ place in Garner, Iowa.  So the next morning I took some time to catch up on a few winks before Judi gave Lea and me a personal tour of the garden, filled with dahlias, day lilies, yarrow, poppies, and more.

(Imagine pictures of exotic flowers filled with radiant colors and some very happy honey bees)

Then Don gave me a chance to redeem myself out on the shooting range (I threw my back out before we even made it outside last time).  The beauty is that the shooting range is the back yard.  I love it here!  I must’ve burned through about 200 shotgun shells.  I’ve got a sore shoulder to show for it, but TOTALLY worth it.

(Imagine pictures of men being manly)

Not only did we get to shoot guns, but we took his new Gator out for a joy ride!  This pup’s got more torque and HP than the old one.

(Here you would see pictures of pretty field and pond)

It’s about a 2.5 hour drive due West of Garner to Primghar. What a drive.  The landscape here this time of year is one of God’s greatest works.  The ground is a sea of green fields, met at the horizon by a massive blue sky filled with billowy soft cumulonimbus clouds (the big ones).  It’s like sitting first-class in Heaven.

(Imagine pictures that prove this is God’s country)

 

Sunday – Granger Week, Barefoot Bar & Grill, Food Co-op

The next morning was Rough.  As is usually the case when old friends reunite, we over imbibed Saturday night.  No doubt about it.  Sunday, I’ll have to recount to the best of my memory, but I was really only half there.  We found out just the week before our trip that my step-brother’s family and my parents would be in Okoboji, just 20 miles north of Spencer where we were staying!  And since we had a 7PM flight that evening, we had time to pay a visit.  What crazy luck!

It happens to be Granger Week this week.  Granger’s a town that I spent quite a bit of time in growing up.  Population is roughly 600 people, and it’s a pretty tight-knit community.  A lot of Grangerites own a lot in the same neighborhood on West Lake Okoboji, and every summer they pick a week to go up together.  I’ve heard about these houses.  They’re really not big enough to do anything but s*, shower and shave, but it gets you to ‘boji and that’s a damn good thing.

 

(If I had a camera at this point I would’ve taken a picture of a neighborhood of small summer cottages surrounded by old Maple Trees)

Granger Landmarks: Hot and Cold water towers

We had lunch at Barefoot Bar & Grill on East Lake Okoboji.  It’s a huge place right on the lake, on the backside of a boat dealership.  Brilliant idea.  You have to walk through the showroom to get to the huge patio with really big palm trees, tiki bars and a counter-service grill.  They did a spectacular job with this place.  Granted, I was only running at half-speed mentally thanks to my beer indulgence from the night prior, but this felt like the real McCoy.  Lots of pretty people wearing not a lot of clothes – felt like Jamaica to me!  I had a pulled-pork sandwich that was a little dry, but good sponge material for my stomach.

(I would’ve taken pictures of this huge party patio. I could work on another hangover at this place.)

From here we had to part ways.  Lea and I drove straight to MSP.  FYI – If you’re ever in this area doing the same, take Hwy 169 – bee line NE to the city.  On the way, we made a stop at the Saint Peter Food Co-op (http://www.stpeterfood.coop).  I’ve heard of these types of places in the Bay Area, but the first one I’ve ever been to was in St. Peter, Minnesota.  All produce is organic and basically locally-grown.  The peaches were from Michigan and the best I’ve had all year.  We’ll try more of these places in the city, as well.

Well, that about wraps it up here.  Sorry for the lack of pictures on this one.  Remember – surprise reward!  You’re gonna want this, so keep your eyes peeled for that camera.

Slanche.