AFTER A ROAD TRIP to Owatonna for a Father’s Day picnic at beautiful Morehouse Park, my husband kicked back in the backyard with the paper. It wasn’t long before he was sleeping, getting a much-needed nap on a glorious day.
To all of you father’s out there, I hope you had a fabulous celebration with those you love. We love and appreciate you.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Portrait #28: Hank
Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo of Hank from 2013.
I wish I lived closer to sweet Hank. But my great nephew and his parents (and soon to be sibling) live nearly 125 miles away in Walnut Grove, childhood home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder. I see Hank only a few times a year at family gatherings. But such is life these days with extended families separated by many miles, sometimes even by oceans.
Hank, though, is lucky enough to have his paternal grandma and a beloved auntie caring for him while Mom and Dad work. He is loved by many near and far.
This Saturday, Hank turns three. I expect he will have quite the birthday party.
If you’re fortunate enough to live near relatives, I hope you appreciate that close geographical connection. And if you don’t live near family, I hope you’ve found your own circle of friends to embrace and love and support and care for you. We all need each other to get us through the rough patches and to celebrate those occasions when life is as simple and good as it was when we were three.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
IT WAS WELL AFTER THE NOON HOUR on a Saturday. I was hungry. And we were still too many curving miles away from our destination of Pine Island in southeastern Minnesota.
I needed something, anything, to settle my immediate need for food. I unzipped my purse, scrounged for two peppermint Life Savers, unwrapped them and then dropped one into my husband’s hand and popped the other into my mouth. This would tide me over until I could get real food into my empty stomach.
Driving along Pine Island’s busy Main Street, I notice a meat market and a Subway. I was looking for a small town cafe but was semi distracted by the historic architecture.
Finally, we rolled into Pine Island from the west backroads, not from U.S. Highway 52, the crazy busy four-lane that connects St. Paul to Rochester and bypasses this rural community.
The Rainbow Cafe is among businesses housed in historic and architecturally interesting buildings.
Simple and lovely signage above the front door.
I like to see menus before entering an eatery. Since I don’t have a smart phone, this street side menu listing is helpful.
Now, where to eat. We drove through the downtown scouting for a place, finally settling on the Rainbow Cafe. The outside sandwich board advertising a variety of unique selections not typically found on small town diner menus drew me to this eatery.
My Prime Rib Sandwich.
The Rainbow did not disappoint. I ordered the grass-fed Prime Rib Sandwich with a bowl of Cream of Artichoke Soup. Randy chose a Cuban Pork Sandwich (with a delicious smoky taste to the meat) and fries. Both arrived promptly and piping hot. I like my food hot. And I always appreciate quick service.
First I enjoyed a bowl of Cream of Artichoke Soup.
The creamy soup would have been even better, though, with additional and larger chunks of artichoke. And both Randy and I agreed that our sandwiches, although definitely savory and filling, could have done with less mayo on mine and less mustard on his.
That said, I would not hesitate to return here because many menu items, like the Organic Blueberry Pork Sandwich—slow-roasted organic pork, blueberry and arugula on ciabatta—and the free-range Chicken Apple Sandwich and other lunch choices sound delectable.
On the cafe’s Facebook page, I noted this recent dinner offering: Grilled pork chop with pea vine macadamia pesto, bacon and chile roasted broccoli and kohlrabi over green garlic confit mashed potatoes.
The Rainbow features locally-sourced (from places like the farmers’ market) and (sometimes) organic food with an ever-changing seasonal menu. I welcome that approach in a small town restaurant where the usual lunch offerings often lean toward your basic burgers and fries or chicken/fish sandwiches with minimal creativity. You’ll find burgers at the Rainbow. But lots more, too. Among the salad listings is a Roasted Beet Salad that I’d like to try sometime.
The dessert menu and water served in a wine bottle.
The waitress tempted us with a dessert list. But we were too full to indulge.
Uncluttered decor with clean lines and those dangling stones define the interior.
Besides the appeal of creative and tasty food choices, the Rainbow Cafe presents a soothing environment in which to dine. Granted, we ate there at past peak meal time. But I think even at its busiest times, diners would feel comfortably relaxed in this minimalist setting. Randy and I were a bit curious about the stones dangling from the ceiling beside tables. I forgot to inquire. My guess: They are related to the concept of Fen Shui.
From my seat, I had a good view of beautiful historic buildings and Main Street.
We purposely seated ourselves next to a front window, for the light as much as the view of Pine Island’s Main Street which sees a steady flow of traffic. Cross carefully. We did exactly that after finishing our sandwiches and setting out to explore this town of some 3,300 only 18 miles from Rochester.
FYI: The Rainbow Cafe, 212 South Main Street, is open 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday; from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Sunday brunch; and is closed on Mondays. This post is based on our dining experience in May.
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OTHER DINING OPTIONS:
Borgy Boyz appears to be a popular pizza place which also serves wraps, salads, sandwiches and more.
I really like this signage. I’d like to know the history behind the name.
On a few drive through along Main Street, I saw a number of folks hanging out outside this sports bar. I don’t care for sports bars, so did not consider this a dining option. It seemed a popular place, though.
Because I know everyone has different tastes, such as a Wisconsin resident who didn’t find cheese curds at the Rainbow Cafe (so our waitress shared), there are plenty of other options like Borgy Boyz Pizzeria & Cafe, which looked busy; the Pine Island Sports Bar; Cathy’s Catering and Cafe; and Better Brew Coffeehouse. I’m sure I missed a few places.
The Rainbow Cafe serves mozzarella sticks. Not quite Wisconsin cheese curds. But then this isn’t Wisconsin.
FYI: If you missed my first post on Pine Island, click here to learn more about this southeastern Minnesota community.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Approaching Pine Island on U.S. Highway 52 southbound.
TRAFFIC ZOOMS BY on U.S. Highway 52 around Pine Island, hurried motorists rushing to Rochester or St. Paul or places in between.
On the left, a street sign directs motorists to U.S. Highway 52. On the right, the antique store that was closed the afternoon of my visit to Pine Island.
I’ve been one of those travelers all too many times while en route to and from Wisconsin. Never pulling off to explore Pine Island. But always wondering what this small town holds and thinking I really ought to stop at the highway side Pine Cheese Mart.
It’s too late now to visit the Cheese Mart. The long-time business folded last year after an exit into Pine Island was closed due to traffic safety issues. That closure made navigating to the Mart cumbersome, resulting in a business downturn. So I missed out on the cheese.
A view of Pine Island’s Main Street while driving into the downtown.
Early this spring, my husband and I took a day trip to Pine Island. We hopped in the van with our Minnesota atlas and road map and headed east, stopping first in West Concord.
My favorite scene of the day by the old butter factory where, yes, butter was once made.
I should have done my homework. After the fact, I learned that Pine Island was once considered “The Cheese Capital of the World” That would have been in the opening decades of the 20th Century when some 40 cheese factories existed in the area. In 1911, Pine Island cheesemakers crafted a 6,000-pound block of cheese for the Minnesota State Fair, earning that cheese capital title for the town.
Today the small cheese factories are gone with only the large Land O’ Lakes cooperative producing cheese. But the community honors its cheesy past with an annual July Cheese Festival.
Look closely at this downtown mural and you will see a hunk of cheese, a visual tribute to this community’s rich cheese past.
Perhaps I missed it. But I didn’t notice anything visually significant tipping me off to Pine Island’s rich cheese history other than a mouse and a block of cheese painted onto a downtown mural and a lovely brick building labeled BUTTER-FACTORY.
This old butter factory now holds bicycles available to ride on area trails.
I should have done my research. The old Butter Factory today houses bikes and bike helmets available to borrow at no cost from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on weekends to cyclists using the nearly 13-mile Douglas State Trail from Pine Island to Rochester and Pine Island’s Paths to the Past trails: Historical Trivia Trail, Young People’s Path and Homes & Heritage Trail. Check ahead as this usage is seasonal.
So I missed a few things this visit. But I didn’t miss the remarkable historic architecture that defines the downtown business district:
Downtown historic buildings feature stunning architectural detail.
A broad view of downtown historical buildings with grand architecture.
A stairway appears like a work of art on the side of an aged building. I stood in an alley and aimed my camera up.
More historic buildings, including one that houses the post office.
The top of City Hall.
And some of the beautiful old homes close to downtown:
I snapped a quick shot of this lovely house with a wrap-around porch while driving by.
Another sweet house near downtown.
I was disappointed, though, to find the one antique/furniture refinishing store, Green’s Stripping & Antiques, closed when I was there.
Likewise, I really wanted to get inside the Olde Pine Theater:
The theatre that I wished I could have seen.
Maybe next time.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Many small towns still have thriving hardware stores like this Hardware Hank.
Outside Hardware Hank.
I even noticed a below street level barbershop.
I spotted this early spring scene in a flower box outside a downtown business.
Murals grace the sides of two brick buildings sandwiching a vacant lot that is now a downtown mini park.
Driving out of town, I shot this image of Pine Island’s mobile home court across the then stubbled cornfield.
IF YOU KNOW Pine Island, what other things did I miss on my first visit to this Minnesota community of 3,300 residents?
How did Pine Island get its name? According to the Minnesota Historical Society “Minnesota Place Names,” an early settler named the town Pine Island in 1855 for the large, lone white pine on a small island in the Zumbro River. The island was once thick with pines and was once a winter shelter to the Dakota.
Check back to read about the Rainbow Cafe, where we ate lunch.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
IT’S BEEN A BIT of an animal menagerie on my property lately. First, three baby ducks bee-lined across the driveway, around the corner of the garage, up the hill and into the lilies that grow wild at woods’ edge. I have not seen them since their surprise showing on my residential lot blocks from the river.
I was pulling weeds in a flowerbed when I discovered this frog.
The frog stayed put for a long time so I could photograph it.
That leaves me wondering also why a frog would appear, perched on a chunk of limestone rimming a garage side flowerbed. But there this bug-eyed amphibian sat in the sun, unmoving except for the pulse of his heartbeat. Unlike the baby fowl, the frog froze, allowing me to take a multitude of images before he slipped into the flowers.
The bunnies always show up each spring when I plant my flowers.
Petunias are a favorite tried and true annual.
No rabbit photos, just more flowers.
And then the rabbits, oh, the rabbits, they have arrived in force since I potted and planted flowers like kale, petunias and impatiens. I’ve noticed a nibble here, a nibble there, but not complete consumption of what, to a rabbit, must seem a salad smorgasbord.
It is the crows, though, which I find bothersome. Ducks are cute. So is a frog in the odd sort of way such a creature can be cute. And bunnies, even if they prefer my flowers to grass, are, undeniably cute.
But crows? There is nothing cute about their annoying and raucous caws that grate at the nerves, that threaten in an unsettling Alfred Hitchock sort of way.
I won’t give crows the satisfaction of photographing them. But I did photograph this bird on a tabletop fountain.
And, no, I have never rushed to grab my camera and photograph a crow.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
THE NEWSPAPER IN MY COMMUNITY runs a mystery photo every Saturday. Readers are invited to identity and name the location of the place in the image. If correct, their names will be entered in a drawing for $100 in Faribault Chamber bucks at the end of the year. I’ve participated only once. I’m just not that interested in challenging my brain to identify some place in town.
But maybe you like brain teasers. So I’m challenging you to name the items in the two photos that follow. These are both at my home and are two of four items/appliances which broke within 10 days. Whoever said things happen in threes was wrong.
PHOTO A: Why don’t they build these like they once did? This is the third one we have installed since moving into our home in 1984. The one in my mom’s house was original to the 1950s rambler and was still working in 2014.
PHOTO B: This object may or may not be familiar to you, depending on your sense of humor.
Identify these objects and you will know what we had to replace in addition to a microwave and a dehumidifier.
Try not to cheat and peek at the answers. If I knew how to turn this print upside down, I would.
ANSWERS:
Photo A shows the top of our leaky gas water heater. I entered the laundry room on a recent morning to find water spreading across the floor. I phoned the husband at work. It was only 7:15. What a lovely way to start his day. Upon his arrival home much later and after supper, we headed to the local hardware store which had exactly two gas water heaters and no one on staff who knew anything about them. Randy surmised we needed the taller one. I disagreed and suggested we return home to measure. Nope. So the taller version was loaded into our van and unloaded onto the driveway. Guess what? I was right. Eventually, with the correct size purchased, it was then time to wrestle the old water heater out of the basement and the new one into the basement. No one was injured in the process. At 8:40 p.m., the husband announced that the old pipes were not long enough as the new model differed slightly from the old. The hardware store was closed by then. Because my husband desired a hot shower after a hard day of work, we then drove to a Big Box retailer in a neighboring town for those pipes. By 11:30 p.m., he had hot water and a shower.
Photo B is an improvised door handle to replace the one that fell off in my hand one morning, leaving me locked outside. Fortunately, my son was home to let me back inside. Then, what to do. I called the husband. Again. Are you seeing a pattern here? Hey, I am not mechanically inclined or good at solving problems like this. He advised that I find a screw driver and remove the broken handle and slip wire through the holes where the handle was once secured. I did. But apparently I do not know how to twist wire as the wire broke loose, leaving me once again stranded on the back steps. The son let me back inside and retwisted the wire. It held. For the past week we have been using this wire handle, appropriately dubbed (by the husband) as a Redneck Door Handle.
There, how did you do? Did you guess hot water heater and Redneck Door Handle? If so, award yourself an “A” and then explain to me why nothing lasts anymore.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Portrait #27: Kaylee Wegner
That young people are still interested in agriculture pleases me, for I grew up on a southwestern Minnesota dairy and crop farm.
While I left the farm for an education and career in journalism, youth like Kaylee Wegner have remained true to their rural roots. I’ve known Kaylee, a classmate of my son, for a long time. She’s smart, poised, confident, driven and passionate about agriculture. This fall she begins her senior year at South Dakota State University, pursuing a bachelor of science degree in dairy production.
I last spoke with Kaylee in June of 2013 when her parents, Ron and Diane (about as salt-of-the-earth wonderful people as you’ll ever meet), hosted “A Day on the Farm” at their rural Faribault acreage. Kaylee and her older sister, Brianna, were there, too, actively involved in the event that drew some 600 visitors. Kaylee, then a Rice County Dairy Princess, posed for photos with a calf and kids. I could see how much she loved promoting the dairy industry.
Since 1937, June Dairy Month has been an annual tradition celebrating all things dairy. When you pour yourself a glass of milk, order a cheeseburger or enjoy an ice cream cone, think of Kaylee and all the other young people who still care about, and are the future of, agriculture.
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This is part of a series, Minnesota Faces, featured every Friday on Minnesota Prairie Roots.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
ON THE AFTERNOON MY HUSBAND and I dined at Teluwut in Lake Mills, Iowa, family and friends were filtering into Jayde Thompson’s graduation reception across the street at the Senior Citizen Center.
The juxtaposition of that reception venue was not lost on me. Young and old. Beginnings and endings.
Not that senior citizen is an end. But it’s nearer ending than beginning. And although those of us who qualify for senior citizen status may sometimes feel young at heart, we no longer fit the physical definition of young.
All too many days now I wonder how the years vanished. I was once a Jayde Thompson, albeit not a cheerleader, embarking on life, eyes focused on the future. Today it’s not as much about the future as about yesterday. Or perhaps it’s that I think more now about my children’s futures.
May and June mark periods of transition for many families. Passage of time. Ceremony and applause and tears. Moving forward and standing still. Time gone. Youth beginning that all too quick movement of days, weeks, months and years that propel into the future, to wondering where yesterday went.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
CLEAR LAKE IS AN IOWA town with character.
Downtown Clear Lake offers an abundance of locally rooted eateries.
It’s memorable in the sort of way that’s good. Main Street good. Welcome to our town good. Meander through the shops, dine in home-grown eateries good.
Relaxing outside a Clear Lake floral and gift shop, The Red Geranium.
People watch. Kick back on a bench. Dip your toes in the lake or dig them into sand.
Even the backs of buildings possess visual charm.
Fish or shop. While away a day or two. Take in the local history of the Surf Ballroom. Or simply amble downtown, right into a Norman Rockwell type scene.
Larson’s Mercantile, like an old-fashioned five-and-dime, has a back corner devoted to fabric.
Walk the aisles of the mercantile.
Hanging baskets line the alley behind Larson’s Mercantile.
Take the back route through the alley.
Order a treat from South Shore Sweet Spot, shaped like an ice cream cone.
Eat ice cream. Drink beer. Grab a burger.
From a window side counter (common in Clear Lake eateries) in a downtown restaurant, I photographed these guys crossing Main Avenue.
Come in your cowboy hat or no hat.
Something I’ve never seen until visiting Clear Lake: a drive-through convenience/ liquor store.
Clear Lake beckons with Americana charm rooted in character and small town Iowa friendliness.
FYI: This concludes my seven-part series on Clear Lake. Check back for more posts from my recent overnight visit to Iowa.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
My husband, Randy, leaves the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel as Scott Kennedy and his nephew finish cleaning.
WHEN WE FINALLY FOUND the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel tucked into the woods along South 24th Street in Clear Lake, Iowa, after we’d asked for directions and still drove by the unmarked landmark, we met Scott Kennedy.
Scott Kennedy outside the chapel built in honor of his aunt.
He was there with his nephew, an Iowa State University student from the western U.S., cleaning the chapel and grounds for a funeral the next day.
I forgot to count the pews. But I believe there are eight or ten, each seating only a few people.
It’s difficult to envision a funeral inside this miniscule place of only a few short pews. But one was planned and the mess from an invading squirrel needed to be swept and gathered into garbage bags. Although I did not see it, my husband spotted the succumbed squirrel.
The chapel is beautiful in its craftsmanship. This place is truly a labor of divine love.
I was more focused on the chapel interior with its beautiful center stained glass cross crafted by a local artist and side stained glass windows salvaged from Zion Lutheran Church. The cross was designed to attract the attention of travelers along nearby Interstate 35.
This truly is a functional church with altar, organ and baptismal font.
Exiting the chapel grounds.
I was especially delighted to find my favorite bible verse—the scripture that has guided me through some rough patches in life—inscribed on a dedication plaque inside the entry: We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him.—Romans 8:28. Serendipitous? Perhaps. But more likely divine.
It is the divine intervention of God which led Scott and others to construct the Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel in 1991 in honor of Scott’s aunt, Marguerite Williams. She was convinced that God protected her from kidnapping by a band of gypsies while growing up in Clear Lake. And later, while working at a Chicago medical clinic, Marguerite again experienced God’s protection when she encountered a gang of hoodlums.
It was hoodlums, or more accurately criminals, who set fire to the first Guardian Angel Chapel a year after it was built, Scott shared. The blaze was to distract responders from a break-in across town. Undeterred, Scott and others determined to rebuild this chapel which was rededicated on April 4, 1993.
An informational paper I found inside the chapel states its purpose:
This chapel was built as a witness to Christ. It is the hope and prayers of the builders that people worshipping here will be closer to Christ and will have their own guardian angel look after them.
This is looking toward the highway off which the chapel sits atop a hill in a wooded area.
FYI: The chapel is open daily from dawn until dusk, although I am uncertain whether it’s open during the winter months.
Check back tomorrow for my final installment in this seven-part series on Clear Lake, Iowa.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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