2025 MN State Fair!

 

It was a very busy 1st Saturday of the fair. We also had perfect temp around 69/70 for the day. Super Comfortable with a light jacket and shorts. 

Far too many people as it felt like a record breaking day. We shall see once they post the attendance up dates. 

We ate our way through the fair. First was coffee at the Farmers Union for Celina then we all shared a Papa's pronto pup which I still think was the best item I ate at the fair all day! 

We shared pretty much everything we tried or got a taste of it. 

plenty of Octoberfest beers, a pistachio beer too and tastes of wine slushes and new slushy drinks at the fair. 

We always share the Garlic fries at the Ball park. 

Logan wanted the Chang chicken on a stick and ate that with rice. 

There was a stop at the Blue Barn for Chicken on a stick for Logan and a breakfast sandwich for Steve with an egg, pork, potatoes etc. 

The new fair food was the beer sour ice cream. Celina got that and we all shared. It was different, good and refreshing. I don't think I'd get it again, but it was okay. 

We skipped the food building mouth trap cheese curds and instead went and got 4 flavors, garlic, ranch ,jalapeños and orig cheese curds with marinara and ranch to dip. 10 out of 10. 

Friends of Celina and Don were in line for Peaches donut, so we gave them $7 and we got a donut from them $2 extra for the 2 hour wait! yikes!! We didn't have to wait which was nice! It was light, doughy and warm, very sweet. They were an 8 out of 10

I also bought 2 mini donuts at the fair, Tom Thumb $7was too sweet with more sugar but gave you more. The other locations were larger and less sugar coated which I liked better. $5 We brought them back to Claudette. 

Lines were sooo long at most places. We seemed to pick places where we didn't have to wait too long. Which was nice. Mostly the drink lines went fast and were plentiful. 

Lots of places to sit on benches this year! Better tables in some areas. Self flushing toilets in lots of bathrooms. 

We went to the Animal Birthing Center, looked at baby pigs and baby ducks. 

Watched people almost step on horse poop in the middle of the road. Good laughing entertainment. 

We were there from 7:30am to 7:30pm 12 hours! We were tired and done with 2025 at the Fair. 

Most food and drinks were $11 and up! I spent around 160 for the day. Giving Logan $80 and me $120 for the day to spend. Logan came back with $17 and I had $21. 

I won $5 in scratch offs, got 2 free t-shirts for Steve. Plus a red pine tree to plant. 

We got a judge pencil, lip balm, fish calendar and a pronto pup button. Entered some giveaways too. 

Grand Marais... North shore..

 We had a nice trip to the North Shore. Only one issue! A flat tire Sunday morning. That made us get a late start to the day. We had to drive 40 minutes to town to get supplies to change the tire/spare and then wait till Monday to get the tire fixed. We were all able to pile into the truck to get to town (Grand Marais) later that day. 

Our trip started out kind of rough when Steve and I arrived up in Lutsen at Lake Clara. No camp sites open and it was getting late as the sun was going down soon! We were able to get 3 campsites at Bakers Lake! A farther drive from everything but a really pretty area next to boundary waters. 

The sun coming up in the morning,. 

Hammocking

looking up

Night time in the woods. 

Lutsen in the mountains with all the flowers

Hazy skys

Lake Superior 

In Grand Marais

all the daisies. 

Painting rocks

Fishing at Devils track lake at the public launch

Ducks

Steve caught a fish in Crescent lake

Cooking breakfast

Stopping for Maple Syrup and caramels

In town seagulls

Pow Wow

More pow wow

In Grand Marais

Fur Traders at the fort

At the fort

Grand Portage

Indian village

Driving by the messy house with junk out front

Logan and Heesue cooking breakfast

In Grand Marais Swimming, drinking wine, eating fish and swimming. 

Madelyn and Evan swimming in Lake Superior

Evan building rocks

Kendra painting 

Sidneys Roof top. oops, I couldn't see while taking the photo and I cut off Kendra. 

Sidneys

Night squashing

At the fire with Evan and Madelyn.. camping

Grouse and her babies running across the road.

Road side stop

The end...

New things!

 I started a fitness challenge Aug 1st, 100 miles in 31 days = 3.22 miles per day. It just so happened to start the same time as I started back running and purchased new running shoes. Out with the old that were hurting my feet and in with the new that seem to be fine. 

 

They are white, which I'm used to black. It's a nice change up but they will get super dirty. Which reminds me, I need to order another pair of my favorite slip on shoes.

My new cheap fitness watch. I down loaded the app Glory Fit running and it was only $30! Which I feel like its the same as an expensive Apple Watch! 

I went shopping for pillows for the two new chairs and wanted to tie the blue into the room with the pillows for the couch. Not 100% sure I love the chair pillows. I kept the tags on for now. I have to check TJ Maxx as I only went to Marshalls. I really wanted some in beige so maybe I'll keep looking? 

I do love the new couch pillows and have some white or dark gray to go behind. Of course the cost of pillows increased and I spent a little over $90 on 4 pillows! Were they really needed? Not really. 

I am still looking for a new rug for our porch to replace what I have out there. I just don't want to pay over  $200 for that rug. Looking to spend $150 on a 8 x 10 or a little larger. I have yet to find anything I love or I might consider spending closer to $200 if I found something perfect. So far, that's not the case. Is it really needed? Not really but the rug we have is looking kind of rough.