Purple Rain (Purple Rain)
Back on the road to our next event in April, the Minnesota-Wisconsin-Iowa TRIO Tri-State Conference in Rochester, Minnesota! We are headed to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and home to The Purple One himself, the artist currently known as Prince. Full disclosure: this post was composed after a loooooooong Prince bender of watching his best performances on YouTube and singing along to Purple Rain and When the Doves Cry at full volume. We bear no responsibility for what follows.
It was a dark and stormy night... no really, it WAS a dreary drive from Arkansas to Minnesota in the pouring rain, but that is apropos for April showers in the spring. No big. It wasn't until well after dark and a few miles from the Minnesota state line that we heard a loud "THUNK-BANG" from the right front tire. The conversation in the car went a little something like this: "What was that?" "Not sure. I think it might have been my umbrella that fell over." "No, it felt like something got run over by the tire and it hit the car." "Should we pull over and look?" "It's probably okay. Let's not pull over on the dark Interstate." "Yeah, I'm sure it's fine."
A few minutes later, cue the tire pressure light coming on, glaring orange from the dash panel. Uh, we have a problem. Right at that moment, we come up to the exit for the Minnesota Visitor Center. Welcome to Minnesota! In previous posts we've mentioned how things continue fall in place for us rather perfectly; little happenstances at just the right time? Small blessings out of nowhere? This was one of those times! Thank goodness for the welcome center at that exact moment! Inspecting the injured tire, Whit hears a distinct hissssssssssssss emitting from an actual tear in the tread. After calm discussion and consideration of our options, we girl power through this debacle with the help of a tire pump and Fix-a-Flat. It's truly a short term fix, but we don't have time to wait for a tow in the middle of the night. We hobble onward to Rochester (stopping many times along the way to air up the damaged tire), finally arriving at the hotel in the wee hours, praying that we can make it somewhere to repair the tire in the morning.
The next day, the tire holds out just enough for Aim to drop Whitney at the conference location in downtown Rochester before finding the nearest tire repair shop. Gratefully, our session presentation isn't today and Whit can hold down the fort solo. The tire fix requires TWO brand new tires and took half the day to sort out. But voila! We can roll again. Which is good news because we have plans to take a mini-road trip to Winona, Minnesota this evening after exhibiting. What's in Winona, you might wonder? Only one of the country's foremost art museums featuring maritime/nautical themes by some of the most notable names in art: Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Thomas Moran, and Thomas Cole (to name a few). The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is home to the acclaimed painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. Ever heard of it? Of course you have! That's because it is capital F-famous and incredible to behold. This painting used to live in the White House, but now its home is at the MMAM.
Also in Winona: some incredible historic architecture, an adorable downtown (11 blocks of which are on the National Register of Historic Districts), and a surprising collection of stained glass windows in the buildings downtown. If you're visiting the Twin Cities or near that area, this town and its unbelievable collection of master painters at the MAMM are worth the drive over to Winona. Plus you can say you've laid eyeballs on the actual painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware. Patriotic feelings come included.
The Tri-State MN-WI-IA TRIO conference goes really well. It's interesting to see the reactions of TRIO conference attendees. Without a word from us, our booth often catches the eye of most people walking by (we aren't the typical vendor booth). Some folks stop, while others make a pass-by at first only to return later for a more serious inspection. Initially there's confusion as to how our products work and what exactly we have to offer. After some clarification on our part, you can almost see the dawning realization of how much easier our handouts and ready-made workshops would be for their TRIO program. Enormous savings of time and effort. Time is money and our products are very reasonable in terms of cost per participant. Our jam-packed session has a great deal of engagement from attendees, as well. Overall, a fantastic experience! So happy we made the journey north.
After the last day of exhibits we leave Rochester with happy hearts, ready to see more of the Twin Cities area. Our first stop: the town of Red Wing, home to the famous work boots that bear its name. A stop to see the GINORMOUS, world-record breaking Red Wing boot is required, of course. Then onward to the town of Excelsior for a delicious dinner with friends at Maynard's restaurant, right on beautiful Excelsior Bay. To get to Minnetonka (where we shopped at the General Store before dinner, a certifiable AWESOME place to shop in the Twin Cities area), we took the scenic route through Chanhassen, pretty much driving mere miles from Paisley Park, home to none other than PRINCE himself! We joked in the car that it would be polite of us to swing by and invite him to dinner. If only we would have....
The next morning we are up early to explore Minneapolis, driving the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, skipping from lake to lake, seeing some beautiful homes and parks around the city. The rain has followed us this entire trip and the day is dreary and chilly. Time for lunch at Matt's Bar, a Minneapolis landmark and home to the one and only "Jucy Lucy" cheeseburger made from two meat patties smooshed together around a hunk of cheese. When the burger cooks, the cheese melts to a liquid that oozes out, hot lava style, when you have a bite. This burger is incredible! Matt's has been featured on the Travel Channel and in the New York Times, among many other accolades. This is an historic dive bar with a tiny amount of seating and the smallest "kitchen" behind the bar you'll ever see. Totally worth it!
Next up: a brief tour of the University of Minnesota! We arrive on campus, but while searching for a place to park, Whitney gets a news alert on her phone that Prince was found dead at his home in Chanhassen! What?!! We were JUST THERE last night, literally driving within miles of his estate, joking about inviting him to dinner. How could this have happened? We tune to a news station on the radio and sit in shock as we hear confirmation that The Artist has indeed passed away. It doesn't seem real. So much for walking on campus... although we do snap a few pictures from the car. A sad time like this requires caffeine and sugar, pronto. Off we zip to Glam Doll Donuts to drown our sorrows in tasty treats. The staff at Glam Doll seem just as shocked and dazed as we feel. Everyone is talking about this tragic loss in disbelief. We sit in silence for the longest time, just looking at social media on our phones and feeling sad. And the rain kept coming down.
After the longest time, we drag ourselves back into the rain and onward to the next stop: The Mall of America. How can you come to Minneapolis without an obligatory stop here? At least for the first timer visiting the Twin Cities (and this is Whitney's first visit). So off we go, still in a sad stupor, but determined to check The Mall off our list. As we wander around the many levels of shops galore we begin to hear Prince music blasting from a central area. There we find a giant screen playing Prince videos along with live tweets from distraught fans around the world. It was deeply moving. Couldn't help but sing along and stand there watching the genius that was Prince on the big screen.
Time to get back on the road home, bidding Minneapolis a sad goodbye. The Twin Cities were the cherry on the spoon (wink!) to our voyage north for the Tri-State TRIO conference. It was a special time to be here, experiencing the loss of Prince in his native city. Goodbye purple rain.
On a sunny day, this sculpture (Spoonbridge and Cherry) is MUCH cheerier and a common symbol for the city. On the grounds of the Walker Art Center just days before closure for renovations. We made it just in time!