Last week we took the girls to Brainerd for a little get-away.
Our first stop after picking them up was Safari North, since we could not check into our hotel until after 4:00 PM. We saw lots of animals, including alligators. We enjoyed it, but I did not like having to pay for every extra - feeding the animals, riding the train, and using the amusement park. By the time we were done we had spent a considerable amount beyond the admission price. There were no hand stamps, so we could not come and go as we pleased. We were forced to eat there, and the menu was extremely limited. The girls had Uncrustables, hardly a hearty, filling meal. Our only other option would have been pizza.
The next day we stopped at Paul Bunyon Land. We liked that much better. We had the place almost to ourselves. We were not sure if that was because of the weather, or because it was a week-day. The girls went on ride after ride without having to wait. Ari is an old hand at amusement park rides, but it was new to Maja. She was scared the first time she went on the Frog Hopper. We were surprised that they wanted to go on it a couple of times more. We really appreciated the man voicing Paul Bunyon. Arthur described him as a Santa Claus personality. I would say he was grandfatherly. Not only did he remember the girls' names as we went back and forth during the day, but he also sang a few songs for us. We were thrilled that the animals in the petting zoo came up to visit us without our even having food in our hands. They had to parade from one side of the enclosure to the other so that we could see them. Bella Rose the calf was especially sweet and gentle and ready to nuzzle.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn because the water park was open, unlike at the Arrowwood. The girls had a blast in the water. The hotel had very few guests, so we also had quiet nights. That was a Godsend. The breakfasts were not so great. We had to eat bagged foods in our room because people are still afraid of COVID. We had only one desk and chair for the four of us so it was not very comfortable. Mixing beds and food is disgusting. The girls had oranges the first morning. That was a sticky mess, with no paper towels or dish rags to clean things up afterwards. I felt bad for the housekeeping crew which had to empty garbage with all of the breakfast food waste in it. I just cannot believe that eating in our rooms was healthier than exposing ourselves to the possibility of contracting COVID in the breakfast room.
On the way home we stopped at the Northland Arboretum. We did not spend much time there, but we did see some beautiful peonies and other spring bloomers. The Arboretum was suffering from drought as well as we are at our house. I was thrilled at the help the Arb staff gave me in looking up Ak-Sar-Ben (That's Nebraska spelled backwards.) Gardens, a place my family visited in the late 1960's during our stay at The Gingerbread Cabins on Serpent Lake near Crosby. It sounds like the gardens still exist, but as a private event venue.
I gave in and spot watered a few of my perennials last night, just to keep them alive. I lost an echinacea on the side of the house already for lack of moisture. Also one in the Mary Garden at church. I thought echinacea were supposed to be drought hardy. The lilies look great in the heat. The asters, heliopsis and echinacea are the ones that get droopy with no rain.
