Our new town

One of the criteria we had for moving to the suburbs is that we still needed a town. Mini-malls don't count. And the town had to be close enough to walk or bike to. We wanted coffee shops, restaurants, and ice cream. Book stores are nice too. I wanted my kids to have a community that had some character, rather than just a local McDonalds or Applebees (don't even get me started on Applebees).

Our new town, Wayzata, actually has a rich history. I know about its past as a tourist destination in the late 19th and early 20th century. However, I also found out its livelihood was maintained through the trade of ginseng in the mid-19th century. Wayzata was an important train hub (and still gets a lot of train traffic passing through...we can hear the whistles) in the late 19th century, and also supported steamboat travel across Lake Minnetonka to other vacation sites along the lake. You can read more about the history here if you are interested.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the kids to explore the town. We drove this time, since it was close to Marlo's nap, but once there, we walked up and down Lake Street. We found the depot (a big hit with Hayden who loves trains), and the beach and playground. The playground also had "bird hotels" that entertained us for awhile. We watched boats on the lake for a bit, and walked along the docks. After the playground, I let Hayden buy a book at the bookstore, and of course we had to get treats at Caribou. Hayden would have stayed longer, but Marlo was ready to sleep.

I am sure we will spend a lot of time in Wayzata this summer. Especially if there's ice cream to be had.

Go West

Well, we've left the city. I swore up and down countless times that I would never leave the city. Famous last words, I suppose. We lived there 12 years--2 in an apartment, 4 in a condo, and 6 in our old house. A part of me will always be in Minneapolis and will always be urban. I may have been raised in the suburbs, but the city felt like home.

And now, here I am, back in the suburbs! But although I worried and wondered whether my heart would break upon suburbanizing, so far so good. Our new house is beautiful, and although we are in the suburbs, it seems really like we have found a little half-acre nature oasis. Already, Hayden and I have spotted deer in the front yard and 2 baby turtles in our pond. The neighbors tell me there are also foxes, and I have seen a ton of hawks. Our house seems covered in bird nests (I've counted 3), and the frogs sing like crazy at night. It's weirdly private--no airplane noise, no neighbors in underwear. We can hear the nearby highway sometimes, and also the sound of a train whistle.

The best part has been seeing the kids in the yard. Hayden loves the wildlife. He's named the 2 baby turtles Snoopy and Max and he loves to watch them nibble at the moss on the edge of the pond. Marlo has a lot of soft grass to toddle around in, and lots of room to roll her beloved balls ("baaa!" "baaa!").
We're a week into suburbia...we'll see how it grows on us!