Last week Laurie and I spent a week in Minnesota visiting our daughter and son-in-law, Caitlin and Ross, and our new grandbaby, Summit. What a blessing it was to be able to spend time with this little bundle of joy!

It’s hard to deny what a beautiful state Minnesota is: the lakes, forests, parks, etc. But while there, I made some other observations. See if you agree.

1. They really enjoy summer! All 20 days of it.
2. They have a lot of bikes.
3. They have a lot of bike trails.
4. They are sort of “Southern Canadian.” (Eh Der!)
5. Hockey is on the front page of the newspaper’s sports section in June.
6. It’s normal to have a hockey rink in your backyard.
7. The Land of 10,000 Lakes is filled with nature lovers. Think Subaru meets hippie meets tree hugger.
8. The whole state feels like a great big IKEA store.
9. There’s lots of dogs, squirrels, geese and….poop.
10. It is a gorgeous state minus the Chicago-style traffic.

Did I miss anything?