TheBanyanTree: Mill City

[Margaret R. Kramer]

I bought each grandson a disposable camera for our “fun day.”  (I see my
grandsons all the time, but once a month we have a “fun day,” where we go to
the zoo, a museum, ice skating, a movie, etc.  My grandsons are four and two
years old.)  When I let the four year old use the disposable cameras I
bought earlier in the summer, he actually took some good pictures.  I
thought it would enhance each boy’s experience about our day if they could
take their own pictures.  The disposable cameras are easy to use and not
expensive, so we wouldn’t need to cry if they were broken.  Plus, I could
buy one for each boy, and not listen to them fight over one camera.

Most of our summer “fun days” were at the beach and the water park.  Now it’
s September and I still wanted if I could do something that was outside.
Our winters are long and cold and soon we’ll be driven indoors.  I was
hoping we could savor a great September afternoon in the sun.

And the weather gods were with me.  It was a beautiful day.  Sunny.  In the
70s.  We didn’t need to wear jackets.  It was perfect for an early fall
outing.

We drove to the big city (Minneapolis) and navigated through all the
outgoing Twins traffic and parked close to the Stone Arch Bridge.  This
bridge was built in the late 1800s as a railroad bridge.  It twists and
turns across the Mississippi River.  I believe it was shut down in the 60s
or 70s and wasn’t used anymore for anything.  Then it was restored in the
late 90s as a bridge for walkers, bikers, runners, and the touring trolley.
It offers a great view of St. Anthony Falls and the boat locks, plus a
fabulous view of downtown Minneapolis on one side of the river and the
commercial and housing developments and a wonderful park on the other side
of the river.

Young boys with their fast moving legs slow way, way down for interesting
things.  I had to adjust myself to “kid time.”  Their perception of time is
so different than mine.  We had barely got on the bridge when we stopped and
looked at spider webs in the rails.  We looked at the cool bikes people were
riding – double bikes, triple bikes, sit down bikes, and regular bikes.  We
stopped to pet dogs.

The younger grandson was snapping pictures like crazy and by the time we got
to the middle of the bridge, he was out of pictures.  But that’s OK – he’s
only two, and I was pleased how well he worked the camera by himself.
Picture taking will come with time.

It took forever to maneuver them on the bridge so they could see a big tour
paddleboat go into the locks.  When we finally did, they were amazed.  We
watched the falls for a while.  We took pictures of a canoe and a kayak on
the river.  We watched some guys fishing.

I’m sure the bridge seemed like a big tunnel to them where they could run at
will.  We had the stroller with us, but that was mostly to carry our stuff.
We let the two year old loose and he ran as fast he could along the walkway.
The only traffic the boys had to worry about was the bikes and the trolley.
The loved walking on the ledge that held the railing, and then they would
jump off, I’m sure in the their minds they were Power Rangers or something.
Oh, yes, the younger one told me he was a dinosaur.  He’s always a dinosaur.

We turned around and headed back, stopping to tie shoes several times.  Then
we walked to the new Mill City Museum.  It’s an old burned down flour mill
(the big fire was in 1991).  The building was a shell, but they built this
glass enclosure within the shell and created this neat museum.  The museum
shows how flour was milled and shipped out.  The mill closed in 1964.  The
last mill on the river, the Pillsbury mill, closed last week.

We went on the Flour Tower tour.  We sat in this huge elevator as we went
from floor to floor and the tour guide explained how the flour was milled.
Then we got off at a glass observation deck and took pictures of a fantastic
view of the river, the falls, and the Stone Arch Bridge.

The boys were able to play in a “kitchen,” set up a huge wooden train, and
splash in a water lab on the lower level.  We ate roast beef sandwiches at
the café.  Then it was time to go home.  The museum was closing.

There was a Minnesota Gophers tailgating party going on across the street
from the museum.  Louisiana Lafayette was in town to get clobbered by the
Big Ten Gophers and fans were in fine form, decked out in maroon and gold,
and grilling steaks, burgers, and brats.  Oh, the smells!

The older grandson stood on a ledge, aimed his camera, and used his last
shot to take a picture of the revelry.

We found our car and took the scenic Mississippi River Blvd drive home.  The
boys fell asleep in the car.

I’ll take the cameras in today and get those pictures developed.  I’m
anxious to see how they turned out.  And see how the boys viewed their “fun
day.”

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at earthlink.net

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