Fall in Minnesota

Without a doubt autumn is my favorite time of year. So much so that I hope when my time comes, it's in the fall. My instructions to my family is, no flowers; bury me in autumn leaves. So much more appropriate on so many levels.
The only close contender is winter. A Minnesota blizzard that stops everything, camping me out in a warm home with a crackling fire and the sound of the wind outside trying to get in. If it's daytime, I get in my 4WD and go hunting, bundled up, hoping my shot brings relief to a miserable buck. If it's at night, I snuggle up in something warm, with a book, or writing, my wife nearby in her chair, reading or Facebooking. The Labs, one black, one yellow, curled up at our feet, comfortable and sleeping.
But now, sipping on my Borkum Riff Cherry in a light, cool breeze, a kaleidoscope of fall colors surrounding me, the town quiet except for a far away mower giving a lawn one last trim before the yard is covered with leaf chores.... This is heaven. This is Minnesota.
The Iowa Field of Dreams has nothing on a Minnesota fall. Not even close.

Which part, Druid? I'm in SW corner, in Worthington. It's on I-90 about 50 miles east of Sioux Falls.
I'm a transplant from Iowa. Moved here when I married one of your Scandinavian beauties. Got to be heaven: there's angels here.

Love South Dakota, too -- for its freedom. There's two Minnesotas. The Twin Cities (which should be a separate state). And the rest of us. But we're under the restrictive legislation and taxes of that more populous entity.
Few years back, though, the Minnesota governor put a sign up on the border where travelers would see it on their way to that Great Faces, Great Places state: "You are now entering South Dakota. Why?"
Minnesota is the land of beautiful landscapes, beautiful people, and a mild, soft, warm humor.

North Dakota is probably the only friendlier state. Friendliest in the Union, maybe. The mean, angry people having no friends can't survive their winters. I *would* go their more often, but I haven't found a tobacco shop there.

(I know if they had any they would share it. But anything that will burn is saved for the furnace, I imagine. Can't be spared for a pipe).

prairiedruid... my relatives are just south of Albert Lea, so I go by Fairmont every so often (if I don't drop down and cut across on Iowa 9).
My wife works in Jackson. My office is in Round Lake. That new winery over there -- that's my boss's other business. IDEAL location for a writer, top of a winery.
And yes... leftovers from the tasting room find their way to my desk. What a job! Drinking is not only permitted during the day, but encouraged. We are *required* to give our opinions on the blends.
(Sorry. No openings). LOL

Say... you married? Bring your wife over here and I'll set you up with a tasting. You pick out 7 blends and a hostess will give you the spiel on each, tell you what they pair best with. It's fun!
Harvest is wrapping up right now. We'll give you a tour. It's a lovely estate. Largest vineyard in production in the state of Minnesota, with additional properties by Windom and down in Milford.
Remember the old Sathers Candy Co.? This is Kenny Sathers home. There are koi ponds, waterfalls, a horse ranch (boss's wife runs that). Family-oriented, so children are welcome. Look us up (Roundlakevineyards.com) Better yet, come on over!

Druid -- that's where my South Dakota affiliation comes in handy. When I visit my friends on the Sisseton Res, they fill my truck for me at about $1/gal. Cigarettes are a buck -- but I don't smoke cigarettes. Pick you up some? (Have to have them buy them, because, gots to be a "member" before you get past the state and federal taxes).
Until recently (financial hardships right now... stupid weddings, being a father, all that), I bought all my pipe tobacco online. The first $700 are tax free, you see (annual). You don't have to claim luxury tobaccos until that amount. After that, it's 95% of the cost. Have to fly under the radar, watch your spending.
And yep -- the weather pattern that is drowning the East Coast right now has kept cool, clear skies over Minnesota.
Out of state folks, boast about your place. This is a gorgeous continent. Don't let our blathering about Minnesota leave you out. The only states I haven't been to yet are Florida and Hawaii. I bet you all have scenery to get poetic about here!
Canadians, you too. Newfoundland is its own world. A place for artists and writers. Wonderful! Northern peoples in the Northwest Territories, I envied you. The clothes the Northerners wore back in February, their apparent immunity to the -40 degree temps and constant wind. I went for a walk and my beard and mustache turned me into the Ice Man. Before my camera froze up, I tried to take a picture of an Inukshuk -- where the camera body touched my nose, it was immediately burned and I had a scab there for the week. But the landscape, the town, the people of Yellowknife... I was enthralled. Nearer the Arctic Circle, the wildlife there... I couldn't believe things lived there ---- though none of them seemed to be enjoying it. Except for the ubiquitous ravens.
Fly over Ottawa in the fall. Holy hell, what a view!
But then, I even like Sudbury, Ontario. And the drive to and from Timmins from there, I took my time and now and then got out to take pictures.
I love this entire continent. But the UK can't go without mention. My visions of anything overseas had me expecting overcrowding and land abuse. But when I was there, it was anything but. It was like walking in a deck of postcards, each a new scene that wiped away my Western biases. A driving tour of Scotland? Don't blink. You encounter the same varied landscapes of the Americas but in a much more compact form, rapidly changing scenery. Farms in England are smaller. There are stone fences dividing many of them. And in town, every yard, it seems, flowers instead of lawns. Or a drive to the moors, wide expanses of grasses with rocky outcroppings here and there.
I'll brag about Minnesota, and always feel good coming home. But the only "ugly" places I've been... India? The less fortunate areas of Lima? ... Those are giant landfills. There aren't enough bulldozers to fix them. In India I kept hearing "Some things you cannot change" as I looked down at the thick layer of trash smothering the lower Himalayas. Delhi? Give up. I understand the lack of hope, and felt it. But Lima seems to be more progressive. That might not always be that way down there. Besides, they seem to have contained it to the urban areas. A short drive north or east, you're in the pristine Andes; to the south, the Cerro Lindos.
Where do you live? What makes you proud to call it "home"?

Hunter -- I'm not familiar with Salem Glen, but I'll look it up!
Once Minnesota discovered that it *could* make great wines, they seem to be popping up all over. And they have quite a following. The "ice wines"? Big hit. For those not familiar, picking fruit like apples after they are frozen concentrates their sugars, similar to evaporation. The ice is water, you see. They are crushed while frozen. Our apple reserve wines are going at about $40 for a "half-sized" bottle -- and they are selling well.
The explosion in American viticulture -- as the wine-grape industry is formally called -- was an expensive fad I thought, especially for the Midwest. But... now it's not looking like a fad. These are serious contenders in "gourmet" blends.
I don't know. The micro-brewery thing has taken off, too. Hard to predict if these enterprises are going to leave a lot of people bankrupt here in a bit, or if the trend is here to stay.