Deardorff Orchards and Vineyards

Since we have lived in Minnesota we have had the pleasure of doing our fall apple picking at Deardorff Orchards in Waconia, MN. The first year we were here we actually did try a different place, but they charged you to get into the orchard, charged for the hayride and then proceeded to charge an arm and a leg for apples. Really folks? I don't care if I picked it off the tree. It's still just an apple. And since I had to exert my energy to ride the wagon, reach up and pick the thing off the tree and transport it to the store myself shouldn't that apple cost me less? Alas, we left that place promptly and found Deardorff.

Deardorff is a family-run business down a lovely dirt road in Waconia, MN. On the way to the orchard you get breathtaking views of Lake Waconia, as well as all the beautiful hilly farmland and woods that surround the area. If you are retentive about your car getting dirty, this is not the place for you. You will kick up quite a dust cloud on the way in and the way out. Parking is sometimes tight, but don't be fooled by all the cars parked on the road. We have always found a spot to squeeze into in the lot or up by the barn.

A few years ago the orchard also started offering wines made from the grapes they grow in the vineyard. For 5 dollars you can taste 4 wines or for 10 dollars you can taste all of their wines. And you get to take home a lovely glass etched with the words "Parley Lake", which is the name under which their wines are bottled. We are starting quite a collection of these glasses. My favorite wine this year was Apples and Vines, which won a Gold medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. It's a lovely white, not too sweet, nice and crisp. Next year, we're going to buy a bottle and partake of the wine as we pick apples :)

Be sure to check the picking schedule before you go to make sure you will be able to pick the type of apples you want. It changes every week. Once there get on the FREE hayride out to the apples of your choice or borrow a little red wagon to pull your little ones if you would rather walk to the trees. There is also always a bonfire going and a great petting zoo with horses, goats, llamas and rabbits for the kids to pet. Visit the store on your way out and try some of their offerings. They have yummy cider donuts, but don't leave this till last, as the donuts sell out before that last hayride at 4:30 and then you are left wanting. This happened to me once. It was very, very sad.

Baseball! At Target Field...

Minnie and Paul shaking hands.

In April I drafted a blogpost about going to a baseball game at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins...

"As I got off the bus and saw it there, my breath caught in my throat for a moment. I have been near it before, but today was MY day. Today I was getting to be a part of it.  We walked towards the stadium and crossed the street, the kind, though stoic, crossing guard waving us on, whistle in mouth, donning his fluorescent yellow vest.  Stepping onto the sidewalk I looked left to see the championship banners hung proudly against the honey colored limestone bricks...1965, 1969, 1970...We turned to our right and walked along the sidewalk, my son being drawn in by the megastore with offerings of every kind and color for this, HIS team.  

There, around the corner was this beautiful wall, so simple in its design, yet magical in its effect-a building-size wall of metal tags that each dangle from a metal frame.  When the wind is silent, they mean little...but then the breeze...and your eye is captivated by this beautiful effect of mist rolling across the stadium, or of an undisturbed surface of a lake being rippled. The energy hit us at once as we turned that corner-the excitement, the feeling of all being there for one reason, all robed in varying shades of red and white and blue, with the same TC logo, to support this team. We found our gate and entered, immediately heading for the souvenir stand to buy the coveted foam finger.  I stood there staring at the wall of mist, entranced by its effect and then allowed my eye to wander left towards this tall light tower, with TC traveling up and down in various patterns and effects. I breathed in deeply and thought, I have never been high, but I am sure this is close to what it must feel like.

Foam finger purchased, we climbed the stairs to our level and found the section where our seats were located. The height dizzying at first, but easily adjusted to.  The beautiful Kentucky bluegrass was mowed perfectly into a checker pattern with alternating shades of dark and light green, the diamond neatly raked and sprayed, it was nearly game time. As we waited we were approached by several workers in their bright yellow shirts offering various baseball game favorites, using that voice, you know the one-that circa 1915 New-York-City- newspaper-boy voice. "Kettle cawn-getch ya kettle cawn he-ah!"...

The Foam Finger

That was as far as I got with that blog entry. Sometimes life gets in the way. And back in April, when the season was fresh, and the Twins hadn't lost almost 100 games, I fully intended to go to many games this year. But, life and work got in the way. And here it is, the last week of the regular season, the Twins have had an awful year, but I got to go to a game again.  The beauty of baseball is its unchanging nature. Pre-season, post-season, winning or losing, baseball is constant. It is constantly good, and honest and dependable. When I enter a field, I leave the world outside and just take in the game, the people, the smells. It is wonderful and Twins Stadium last night did not disappoint.

We attended the game with two friends Ian and Joanna and their new little baby. It was her first Twins game, and Chris, my husband's, first game as well. She wins for cuteness though in her miniature Twins hoodie. People around us were just eatin' her up. 

Chris on Deck, pretty happy to finally be INSIDE the stadium

No words needed :)

 Last night Ian taught us a little secret. There is an area called the Skyline Deck. The tickets in this section are very affordable, we only paid $14.00 a piece. (I think the price increases a bit for certain games.) You are high up but have a great view of the field as you are perched  above third base. If your goal is to get to many games and cash is a consideration, these seats are perfect. It is also a place to get THE picture. THE picture at Target field is the one I have seen on so many friends' facebook pages-the one of smiling faces decked out in Twins gear against the backdrop of the field and the Minneapolis Skyline. So, I am now the proud owner of one of these pictures. 

THE picture

View from the Deck

We ate dinner before we headed in so we did not partake of any of the offered goodies, but as a former Yankees attendee, I can tell you the prices at Target Field are very reasonable. Parking will cost you an arm and a leg, but that is the only place we felt we got taken. (We paid $15.00.) Be sure to walk around the stadium a bit and view all the great Bronze statues and of course, no trip to Target field is quite right without a picture in the giant baseball glove. 

Twin Cities Bean Hunt Coffee Passport

Earlier this year I came up with a fabulous idea. After years of drinking Starbucks only, I decided I wanted to branch out a little and try some of the locally roasted coffees the Twin Cities have to offer and experience the atmosphere of as many of the local, independent coffee shops I could find. I have a friend, his name is Ian. He worked with my husband Chris at Starbucks for a few years and is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur. He is also a student and has a bit of time on his hands. So, I roped him in to my adventure and we came up with a Coffee Passport which we call the Twin Cities Bean Hunt. We made a list, which is ever growing, of many, many coffee shops in the Twin Cities and beyond where we will be "Searching for that perfect cup of brew on the banks of the old Mississip'..."

Every week or so, we will set out on a coffee-hunting expedition, traveling to various bean-brewing establishments throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul. We may even go so far as to try some coffee out in the 'burbs. We hope to capture the essence of each place, rate the brewed coffee, and sample other pair-able offerings.

To rate the coffee we will use a 5-point rating system, which we have aptly named "The Mug Scale of Overall Caffeinated Goodness", or simply: the Mug Scale. This rating will make up half of the 10-point Star Scale we will use to rate each shop; the other 5 stars will be divided as follows: two stars for atmosphere, two stars for value, and the final star will be jealously guarded and awarded for excellent service. We're no pushovers.

There are also a few tea houses to try here in the cities and since Ian's wife, Joanna, has an affinity for tea, not coffee, we decided to rope her in too and try some tea for folks who don't drink coffee. (GASP! I can't even imagine!)

Our goal is to make this a go-to list for people with a taste for good coffee, who may or may not be as experienced with the coffee options the Twin Cities has to offer. We all know the nervousness one might feel upon entering a new place, and the fear of The Coffee Shop Thing. We're here to cut through that pretension for you, and hopefully familiarize you with the great big world outside of Starbucks and Caribou! (Not that I DON'T support Starbucks ;-) Just getting a little crunchy and non-corporate! Sorry Chris, hee hee!)

Welcome...to life as I know it.

Greetings. If you have wandered into this little corner of the internets, you have stumbled upon what I hope will become one of the most comprehensive expositions of the food, drink, and activities available here in Flyover Land. Life on the tundra can be difficult at times, but there is much to do and see here. I moved to Minnesota from the east coast in 2007 and in early 2011, after 3 and a half years of feeling like maybe I wanted to move back, I decided to embrace my new state. I set out to make life in Minnesota more livable and really started enjoying myself along the way. Here in this blog, I will enlist the help of family and friends, fellow residents of the tundra, as we imbibe with you the beverages, eat with you the edibles, and share with you all the pleasantries (and not-so-pleasantries!) that we discover in the Twin Cities and beyond.

Come and discover some MinnesotAdventures!