Right before I left for a weeklong trip to the Heartland, an artist friend emailed, “Do not look for me in Wisconsin.” I replied that those words would make a good title for a novel. Her words come back to me now after spending the past week with dear women friends in Roberts WI and Grand Rapids MN. I would subtitle the novel–“But look for Kate in the Heartland.”
I was born in Kenosha WI, lived in Milwaukee, moved to Buffalo Grove IL, back to Delafield WI for most of high school, and moved to western Los Angeles County, where I met my husband Bill in 1973. We lived in the Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park in Agoura CA, where I met and have remained close friends with Gretchen Babbitt and her family. Gretchen lives with her daughter Teddy in Roberts WI, a village of cornfields and silos. The women have a trio of kittens who provided us with endless entertainment. I always feel at home with these ladies, friends for nearly 30 years. You won’t see photos of these ladies, and I honor their request. Imagine smooth apricot cheeks, honest and humorous faces. Ponytails. Jeans and t-shirts.
Gretchen picked me up at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport. Here is the price of gas pretty much everywhere I drove:
While in Roberts, we watched a series about a couple who live off the Alaska bounty, talked and joked much, and Teddy and I watched “His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman on HBO Max. Not Gretchen’s cup of tea–she likes CSI whodunits.
I swam three times at “The Centre” aquatic club in nearby New Richmond WI. Friendly folks with good humor there. I marveled at the cornfields and fields of dark green feathery plants as I drove in Teddy’s borrowed KIA. On my last visit to the pool, I noticed a crushed garage following the Aug. 15 thunder and lightning storm. Lightning struck Gretchen and Teddy’s neighborhood recently, downing a venerable tree, but not damaging any homes.
I rented a minivan from Enterprise in Hudson WI Aug. 13 and 14. I planned a short trip to visit Ann Johnson, an artist/retired educator who we met while she lived on Whidbey. We’ve enjoyed each other’s company and can talk about anything. Ann lives near her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren in beautiful Grand Rapids MN.
I stopped in Duluth MN for lunch at Ritual Salad, which I found by Googling healthy restaurants. The restaurant has a witchy theme and healthy food. While I ate my salad outside, I eavesdropped on the conversation of four women behind me–realtors, I think–because they gossiped about selling homes, Californians driving home prices up, and people they didn’t like. I had mistakenly believed Ann lived in Duluth, and when I drove to the address–which has the same address in different cities, we discovered I was in the wrong city. Oops!
So I drove an extra 80 miles to Grand Rapids MN, home to 1000+ lakes in its Itasca County. I enjoyed seeing the evergreens and birch lining the highway.
Arriving at Ann’s, I enjoyed the garden at the red house Ann rents from Mary the Kayak Lady, who published The Kayak Lady: One Woman, One Kayak and 1007 Lakes.
Ann gifted Gretchen and I with signed copies of the book.
Ann has a way with gardening and I admired her flowers and apple trees whose apples wore mesh bags to prevent moths from laying eggs and causing wormy apples.
After visiting a bit, Ann drove to nearby Coleraine MN, where she treated me to cauliflower crust pizza at Smoke on the Water. Delicious pear, brie and pastrami pizza enjoyed on the deck overlooking Trout Lake.
Getting a tour before it turned dark, we visited the Grand Rapids Area Library, admiring its Black-capped Chickadee mural and the Mississippi River flowing behind it. Grand Rapids has an Americana feel that is comforting and welcoming. I’d like to return with Bill and camp in the nearby national forests, and travel to Quebec, where my dad’s ancestors once lived.
Back at the Red House, we visited a long while, catching up and enjoying the bonhomie of our friendship. I admired Mary’s colorful red walls and a statue of Xi’an, a terracota warrior Mary brought back from a visit to China. Wow!! They were created in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting China’s first emperor in his afterlife. Ann’s paintings, ceramics and photography reflect her creativity and appreciation of the natural world.
Following a great sleep upstairs under the eaves of the barn-roof-sloped ceiling, Ann made scrambled eggs and cheese, which we enjoyed with peach crumble, a recipe Ann received from a Whidbey Island friend. After breakfast we visited her daughter Erin, husband Jason and their children Abram and Elsa, who live nearby and are remodeling a home in the woods they just bought. Oh my, I felt immediately at home with Ann’s grandchildren and their parents. I missed seeing their family of foxes and a black bear–photos Ann shared with me. After a house tour and invitations to return, I left to drive back to Roberts, a four-plus-hour drive. Ann is also reticent about photos. Here is a postcard I drew of her in 2023 when I last visited her where she lived in Sturgeon Bay WI in Door County.
Back at the car rental I stood in line behind a couple. We listened to the man in front of them explain that he had been in an accident, rented a car from Enterprise, and had an accident with his rental. The man’s face was puffy, his eyes sunken. He looked ill. The couple in front of me turned and we agreed the man should not be driving. Since the car rental place was due to close, another customer suggested I drop my keys in the drop box instead of waiting for the sole rental agent to work out details with the ill-fated driver. Gretchen was there to pick me up.
The following two days we visited, enjoyed the cats’ antics, had a fun dinner at Denny’s in a dramatic thunderstorm, and enjoyed fresh corn on the cob, baked salmon and fresh salad for a last supper before I returned home.
Gretchen was kind enough to rise early with me and leave Roberts at 7:15 AM to get me in time to the airport. Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport has some nice art, including this mosaic of a birch tree in the women’s restroom alcove. Note: I was prickled at having to pay a last minute $40 baggage fee for my suitcase when checking in and getting my boarding pass with United. When booking the roundtrip $362 ticket with Orbitz, the charge was not revealed. I flew out on Alaska Airlines, which allows for a carry on bag to be stowed overhead for free.
Our flight to Chicago was a bit turbulent due to rainstorms. O’Hare International Airport has a beautiful concourse in Terminal 1:
And, I arrived intact at Seatac where Bill picked me up. We dined at PCC in Burien and avoided the road construction on I5 by taking the 99 tunnel, a 2-mile double-decker tunnel bored through the earth by Big Bertha to replace the failed infrastructure of the Alaska Way Viaduct. The controversial project was completed in 2019.
And, I could not have written this without my faithful editor Ollie the Orange:
