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Duluth: the Last Days

8/15/2011

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Hi folks! I apologize for the lack of post on Friday- Weebly was not working so great for me...

Beach Fun!

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Five had a lovely time at the beach on Park Point, although there was NO swimming in water that cold! He doesn't really care as long as there's sand (and anything else he can get his hands on) to eat.
We got to watch about 30 sailboats disappear into the distance as part of the weekly sailboat races, so Fred was in heaven too.
I laid on the blanket. Good enough for me.

An Ode to the William A Irvin

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Hello, beautiful ship, it's been too long- nearly 6 years. How we've missed you.
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Your many levers and dials and gauges helped you traverse the Great Lakes accurately for 40 years.
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Your living chambers may have seemed cramped and smelly for big sailors so many years ago, but they could probably rent for a small fortune to petite hipsters today.
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Your galley was well known for being well stocked in its day, but now I drool over the ability to clean it with a hose.
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Give me a long walk topside with my gentleman suitor (and our sleeping babe) and I'll be happy as a clam.
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Thank you, William A Irvin, not just for a lovely hour and a half, but for a new mom-friendly motto. See you in a few years.

Damn Good Pie (and everything else)

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I will sing the praises of one final restaurant. The Duluth Grill was possibly my most exciting find. The exterior, as a former Embers, was unimpressive, but the menu offered more choices for me than any other in YEARS.
I was faced with crippling and unexpected indecision. Usually a menu will offer me at least one, but no more than three possibilities for a dinner meal. The Duluth Grill had more than a full page.
They offered vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options galore, but the best part was all the locally-sourced, organic, or home made ingredients.
All their meat was grass-fed, the eggs cage-free organic, and the chocolate sauce was made right in their kitchen.
Every restaurant should be like this.
They offer health benefits to all employees working more than 16 hours per week. Hot damn!
After all this good stuff, the food was DELICIOUS! I was stuffed to the gills when we left, but I took some pie to go (for our picnic lunch the next day). The above picture is what they gave us. I know, right? Unbelievable. It tasted even better than it looks.

Goodbye Duluth! We hope to see you again in less than 6 years!

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Duluth: Part II

8/10/2011

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5 Would Like a Bigger Bed Please

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The baby (and the mommy) are LOVING sleeping in a king sized bed! If we could fit one of these guys in our bedroom and still be able to shut the door, I would want one SO SO bad. I still kind of do, but in a more theoretical way.

Northern Minnesota Culinary Adventures

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Yesterday morning, we got up nice and early (thanks 5), and walked just a few blocks to the absolute best Scandinavian restaurant I have ever been to for a DELICIOUS breakfast! The walk was so short we didn't even bring the stroller. Great, right?

Takk for Maten means "Thanks for the Food" and that is how you will feel.

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We walked past this place, it's actually called Takk for Maten, our first day in town. It was so cute from the outside and the menu was so intriguing, we immediately scrapped any prior breakfast plans in favor of this little gem.
All the tables are set up like the picture above- directions for how to order, a vase of feather-pens, menu, and fabric covered book with ordering tickets inside.
The menu covers ground in Norway, Sweden, and even Finland with breakfast items like grilled lefse with bacon and egg, swedish pancakes, yeasted waffles, and cardamom french toast.
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After waxing extremely poetic about the amazing delicious properties of lefse, Fred decided to get the bacon/egg/lefse combination. Lefse is like a Norwegian tortilla made primarily from potatoes, but better. I am an expert lefse griddler, but alas, can no longer partake as I cannot eat of the potato. The woman with whom we placed our order gave me hope though, when she informed us that traditionally, lefse is made from flour and ground reindeer horn- no potato!
I naturally ordered the item with the most whipped cream- the Swedish pancakes. Yum! I also had some tea they blend themselves with cacao, cinnamon, and orange, I think. Super tasty good.
This place was so fantastic, with great service, a designerly (but comfortable) feel, and kid-friendliness to spare, we had to come back today for a coffee/ chocolate-lingonberry milkshake break. That's right, I said chocolate-lingonberry milkshake. Combining the two was a special order, but it was delish. I hear their gooseberry shakes are good too.
If you live within 100 miles of Duluth, you have to come here. The end.

The Last Whaleback Ship in the WORLD (and minigolf)

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We also visited THE LAST WHALEBACK SHIP IN THE WORLD! We did not play minigolf, though it was conveniently located right in front of the boat.
So, for those of you who are curious as to what a whaleback ship is, why there are no more, and why we would go see one, read on. For those of you who are not, skip to the end.
Somewhere between 100 and 150 years ago, people who do these things wanted to design a boat that would have a minimum of drag in the water. So they made a ship that looked like a whale. As I understand it, they worked great, but the people who worked on them thought they were ugly, so they stopped making them. They were called whalebacks or pig noses. My husband is the ultimate boat dork, so visiting this boat was mandatory.
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Fortunately, the guided tour was not mandatory, because we will be touring the William A Irvin great laker tomorrow. For the second time.

Bridges and Pinko Burritos

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We rounded out the day with a lovely walk through Duluth's extensive skyway system, crossing this pedestrian lift bridge, leading to the beautiful lake walk (you guessed it, it's a boardwalk that goes along the lake) and back to the hotel.
We had dinner in the former location of the Whole Foods Coop which now houses Burrito Union, home of the best Communist Mexican food money can buy. Seriously, very good. For any of you old-school Madisonians out there, it kind of reminded me of Porto Bananas.

Join me Friday for the exciting conclusion to the Duluth Report: boats, pie, and naps, oh my!

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Greetings From Duluth!

8/8/2011

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First Things First

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Ok, we're here. Where's the ice cream?

That's not exactly how it went. First, we had a super delicious sandwich at Amazing Grace Bakery and Cafe, checked into our hotel (which is delightfully motel-y), and walked pretty much the length of downtown Duluth- ending up. of course, at ice cream.

This Portland Malt Shoppe, pictured below (btw, all photos, except where noted, were taken by my husband today), takes at least a pint of whatever flavor ice cream you choose and stirs it up with malt and whatever flavor you choose, and calls it a "malt". This is a little bit insane.
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I ordered a marshmallow malt made with dark chocolate ice cream, and was not really sure what I was going to end up with. As you can see, I ended up with a whole lot of ice cream. It was delicious. Not particularly refreshing. Definitely fits in with my recent "sweet and exorbitant frozen calories" diet. I may never say this again in my life, but, I could have split one with Fred. I, in fact, could not finish the whole thing. Unheard of.

Vague Duluth Memory

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I took this picture. It's the only one I took today.
My husband and I took a trip to Duluth together not long after we started dating. I remember having a good time. Apparently, that's about ALL I remember of the trip. Fred's been talking about all the places we went when we were here last time and for the most part, I have NO IDEA what he's talking about.
The one thing, that for some reason, I remember with pointless, excessive clarity, is the Family Sauna. We didn't even go in. Not last time, not now.
As we walked past it today, I started talking about what we saw in the window last time and how they had those brushes outside the front door to scrape the snow off your boots before entering...
Well. I guess Duluth was memorable after all.

Dinner at the Lift Bridge

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After our multi-million calorie malts this afternoon, Fred and I were not really feeling a big dinner. Imagine that. We went to the Whole Foods Coop and got some veggie egg rolls for me and a wrap for Fred, plus some other tasty picnicky items, and went down to Canal Park to watch the boats, the bridge, and the moon.
It was lovely.
5 ate many grapes and stole a handful of my egg roll.
A boat came through, the bridge went up.
A good time was had by all.

Now it's time for all weary travelers to GO TO SLEEP!
Join me Wednesday for Part 2 of the Duluth Report.

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New Friends and Grand Plans

8/1/2011

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Two New Friends

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While we were in Madison, 5 received a fantastic percussion set from two of my mother's lovely colleagues. It is his new best friend. It's supposed to be 18months+, but I figure if there are no knives involved, he can play with whatever he wants.
He's figured out how to use the sticks to hit things and the xylophone is one of VERY few things that can distract him from power cords and stereos...
It was supposed to be a toy for Oma's house, but I'm so glad we brought it home with us!
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Kai the Zombabie

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Yeah, so this was one of those things that I bought "for my baby" (meaning really myself). It was the only things I absolutely HAD to have at the Craftacular. Check out the other Zombabies here.
Happily, 5 and I have pretty similar taste. He loves his Zombabie, (who is named Kai), and enjoys chewing on his ears and biting his face. If only people understood it when I show my affection with biting...

A Tall Order for Some Short Folks

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The munchie has become a fan of squatting. Just had to include it.
We are preparing for a family trip to beautiful Duluth!
As usual, I have some exceedingly grand plans for the things I will accomplish before I leave.
I'm planning to:

make myself some new shorts (I made my trial pair last week and am now ready to use my "good" fabric)

make myself a new skirt (this will also involve screenprinting, because I clearly have nothing better to do)

prepare to make a Scandi-style Mei Tai. This is only a little bit ridiculous. I have to choose my fabric for the body because I'm going to get the strap fabric in Duluth. For all my shelves of fabric, I almost never buy two full yards of anything, so I actually need to buy some! I'm hoping this carrier will be a nice option for both my husband and me so we can just throw one in car for trips (instead of 3).
I promise to share the process when I actually put it together.

Totally doable, right? Oh yeah, I have to pack, too...

What's fun in Duluth? Any recommendations?

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Other Madison Fun

7/29/2011

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While the Craftacular was certainly the focus of our visit to Madison last week, there was oh so much other fun to be had while we were there!

Learning to Share with Uncle Jay

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Photo by Tracie Tudor (I think)
Jay, my sometimes twin brother, came through town with his Swedish juggling colleagues on Monday to enjoy my fabulous company, teach 5 how to share (see above), and see some crazy unicycling.

Oompah Loompahs on Unis?

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Photo by TR Loon
That's right, do not adjust your screen! On Monday, while I was busy NOT posting here, I found myself at the North American Unicycle Convention and Championships. They just happened to be held in Madison this year, crazy luck, right? We had the pleasure of seeing an entire team of unicyclists perform to the, you guessed it, Oompah Loompah song from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was an experience that 5 will not soon forget.
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Photo by TR Loon
We also got to enjoy the Individual Expert Freestyle Championships where this young man demonstrated his long heritage of German unicycling, passed down from father to son over the generations. Not really. There were lots of other interesting costumes and such, but these were the ones that cried out to be shared.

Good Times

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photo by TR Loon
5 learned that he is really a fan of unicycling and cheerleading music.
I got some precious face time with my extended family in my hometown.
A good time was had by all.

Have a lovely weekend everyone! See you on Monday!

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Craftacular Report

7/27/2011

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Whew!

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Well, I'm a few days behind, but I'm back, or rather, home. A big thank you to everyone who came out to support Rispok and all the other fine vendors at this year's Summer Craftacular in Madison, WI.
Here is my little lovely booth. I learned my lesson, next time I will have a back wall on the tent. Otherwise, I was very pleased with it.
We had beautiful weather- cooler than it had been in what seems like 100 years, and partly cloudy with a sweet sweet breeze.
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Here you can see quite a few of my products as well as the adorable signage I made. I'm quite proud of it.
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I was in the row of booths closest to the lake. I am a lucky, special girl. That's my mom off to the left, bouncing the baby to sleep. Again, lucky, special girl.
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My sort-of cousin Maite, who was visiting from Berlin, was AMAZING and helped keep 5 happy and safe all day. It wasn't always a simple task...
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Who wouldn't want to go to a craft fair where you could sit here a take a break from all those nutty crafters?

Join me Friday when things will be back to normal!

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Sleeping it Off

7/22/2011

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Oh! We are in Madison now and it is STILL so hot! We are trying to get all of our Madison business done (such exciting things, like new socks for Papa Fred, and thread for Mama), but we are also needing some naps...

If I don't see you this weekend at the Craftacular, there will be a full report on Monday!

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Rain. Boots. Bugs.

5/30/2011

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We've had quite the rainy stormy Memorial Day, with only brief glimpses of sunshine. Fred had the day off so we all played inside today. Five discovered he could scoot himself all the way under the couch, a delightful game until he realized he was stuck under the couch...
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North Woods Weekend

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We spent Saturday and Sunday with Fred's parents in Wisconsin's beautiful North woods. 5 found a new play spot in the very center of all the action and we got to celebrate our honorary Finnish-ness in the sauna.
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We all thought it would be a great idea to go for a walk on one of the local trails. I had forgotten, however, that mosquitoes are the state bird. That's me, 100 yards ahead of everyone else, being chased by a hungry swarm of blood-sucking villains (and not even the studly Swedish variety). I don't think I'd run so far in years!

Hand-Me-Down Heaven

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some favorite stripes and plaids
My Sister-In-Law, who has three sons, cleaned out her attic recently and bestowed upon us a most amazing collection of baby and toddler clothes! I sat down this dreary morning, ginger tea doctored with coconut milk and buckwheat honey in hand, and had consecutive mommy-hormone-surges imagining my little baby growing into these big-boy-clothes. Running around in shorts. Wearing rain boots. Dressing up! Oh the places we'll go, I love this Mama adventure.
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cutest. sweater vests. ever.

Join me Wednesday for some cool new projects!

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Spring in Decatur

4/9/2011

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I'm writing this morning from the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel in beautiful Decatur, Illinois. No, really, it is! The little guy and I tagged along on bigger Fred's business trip just to see something different (hmmm 10 hours in the car...) but so far we are genuinely enjoying Decatur.
First, it's 40 degrees warmer than home, yeah!
Second, there's lots of historical architecture, double yeah!
Third, it's still the midwest so everyone says hello and is all friendly and up in your business, fantastic!
Apparently Decatur has experienced some shrinkage of its population, so there are all these gorgeous old buildings that are just a bit run down. The conference center we're staying at on the edge of town is largely empty but really nice (and I enjoy a bit of desolation).
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blooming!
It's been really nice to experience a Spring that isn't just the melting of snow, too.
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awkward two-handed self-portrait
The boy and I spent all day yesterday walking the downtown. He got a bit wiped out from so much brightness and warmness.


Thank You Decatur For A Lovely Time!

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    Author

    My name is Ansley Knoch. I am the creator of Rispok, a line of accessories for big and little people made from repurposed materials. I live in Madison, Wisconsin with my husband, Fred, and our son, also Fred, better known as 5.

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