With temperatures resembling more that of August, we had an exceptionally great time enjoying the beauty of Minnesota. Here we are having an early birthday celebration for Craig on the patio of Captain Jack's, a local pub/restaurant on Prior Lake. We also wrapped up four months of full time RVing in the Northern Plains and along the Great River Road, only to start preparing for another four month vacation in the southwest and in Mexico. Roaming through retirement is GREAT!! Keep in touch by clicking here Larry and Glorine.
	We overheard Clara telling Chase, "Grandpa Larry was sure nice for building our indoor playhouse for when the snow flies."	Chase said, "Yah, but I like this playhouse so much that I will be out here no matter how cold it gets."
	Chase said, "Wow, look at me. I'm driving the pontoon and I ain't even one yet!"	Grandma Glorine uses Clara to warm up as the sun goes down.
	We spent the whole day at the Minnesota State Fair and only picture Grandma and Grandpa put on their web site was of us with this baby duck. The Fair was much grander than that!	This spring, we received an email from Gerd Höfinghoff, one of the seven German educators we hosted back in the 1980s. He asked where we planned to be in September and if it would be OK to visit for a week or so. We said Minnesota and here we are at the Renaissance Festival, one of the many great events that showcase the Twin Cities.
	We had a fun experience eating breakfast at Mickey's Diner. The waitress was not shy, nor were the other customers who ate there. In addition to having a big breakfast, it was served up with a flair you could only get at Mickey's.	Mickey's Diner is a 10' x 50' classic diner car restaurant in St. Paul. It opened its door in the late 1930s and has been opened 24 hours a day ever since. It has quite the reputation as the background setting in movies like The Mighty Ducks, Jingle All the Way, and A Prairie Home Companion. It is one of kind, for Minnesota anyway!
	We met several people from Minnesota who also winter in Ajijic. One is Edie Green, who we met on one of the coldest night's in Ajijic during the celebration of our Lady of Guadeloupe. She invited us for coffee and home made apple crisp at her home west of the Twin Cities. She and Gerd had something in common--they were both born and grew up in Germany. It was a beautiful day and a nice get together.	In addition to seeing the sights and sounds of the bustling Twin Cities, we showed Gerd RVing--American style on the North Shore along Lake Superior. Craig and Clara joined us on the camping trip. These pictures include Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Light House, Palisade Head and the swinging bridge at Jay Cooke State Park. We also toured Duluth, had a couple of campfires and lots of smores.
	You can't visit the Twin Cities without shopping at the largest "Mall of America." We did and Gerd went to four men's stores before buying a pair of blue jeans. A nice fit at a great price.	It is Baby Chase's day at the Gillen house hold. He turned one year old on September 13. While he was not poising for this picture, it sure turned out to be a striking poise.
	Elmo was the theme for the party, including the cake and the piñata. Most of Craig and Denise's friends have girls, so the girls outnumbered the boys five to one. For the middle of September, the weather could not have been better for an outdoor birthday party.	A slow cruise on the pontoon is a great way to enjoy an evening on the lake. Here Glorine and Gerd are poising for a picture while reminiscing about his time in North Dakota in 1988 and our time in Osnabrueck in 1999.
	Denise and Craig have a summer tradition. Every Saturday they take the boat over to the "beach", dock it and walk about a mile to the City of Prior Lake for the weekly Farmers' Market. While there, they treat themselves to pastries and coffee. With as much time as we spend with them, we are starting to like this tradition.	Like father like son. Not really. Chase is using Grandpa Larry's empty beer bottle as a prop for this poise. Cute, don't you think!
	Three years old and water skiing. It helps with training skis and a dad that is willing to run back and forth along the shore line. Clara says she will be ready to ski behind the boat next year.	Larry is not going to be outdone by a three year old. So on three occasions, he got up the first time. It's like riding a bike, we think!
	Friends Bob and Sharon Larson hosted the second annual get together for some of the administrators at his home east of St. Cloud. Ken and Sue Maddux and Diane Wysoski joined us in the festivities, which was mostly enjoying another great meal, a little brew and great company.	Rich and Nancy Pointer, friends and business colleagues from way back, hosted us on a boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka, one of the Twin Cities' most premier lakes. After an hour or so of sightseeing million dollar homes, we partook in a great lunch at one of the many restaurants on the lake. Another pretty day.
	Latter that week, we met up with another couple we met in Ajijic who live on Lake Minnetonka. They have a 1940's vintage home with a gorgeous view of the lake. We boated to Maynard's, to hangout with the locals and treated to another delicious meal and fine company. We talked about how interesting it was that Ajijic is such a wonderful place to meet other Americans. We look forward to getting together again with them this winter.	Date Night!! Denise and Craig had not had a date since before Clara was born over three years ago. So we encouraged them to go out on a date and we would take care of the grand kids. We puttered over to Captain Jack's, order a meal over the phone, had it delivered to the pontoon and stayed there tied up enjoying our meal. Clara in particular enjoyed people watching while enjoying another day of unseasonably nice weather.
	A day at Bachman's Nursery. They had a corner of their store set aside with all the straw and twine you needed to make your own scarecrows. We also got to ride in one of the original delivery trucks, tried to find our way out of a corn maze (thanks to Clara we found the exit), played pumpkin bowling and after we got home we got a start in setting up the Halloween display. Doing these things with the kids made it a very special treat.	Birthday treats are getting more elaborate, especially when we compare them to the days we celebrated birthdays with our kids. Here friends of Denise and Craig had a party for their daughter. Clara and Chase loved playing in the children's pool.
	And little Chase was not going to be out done. He went down the big kid's slide (with the help of Mommy). They did not want to leave the pool. But the birthday cake and ice cream got most of them ready to dry off and move on to the next treat.	Princess Clara was sporting her long blond hair on the back of the pontoon. We know this is trite, but it is hard to believe how fast they grow up and develop their own special personality.
	Our final outing before leaving for Boise. This one was to Cannon Falls, MN, a nice little village with great restaurants, winery's and parks. Our reason for going here was it is home to CrankyApe.com, a web site geared to selling repossessed RVs. So we showed Denise and Craig the kind of motor home we are looking for when the time and the price is right. That will be next year's adventure!	On to Bismarck where we packed in ten days of fun into four days. Here we are with Dennis and Betty Steele. Our night started out with a birthday cheer with a mutual acquaintance, a burger and home to their place to play a little WEE. Short but fun!!
	Larry's sister-in-law, Gloria and her husband Martin invited us to their home along the Missouri River. We got a chance to meet up and visit with her daughter Diane, who recently moved to Bismarck from Duluth, MN. Diane surprised us with some mighty fine homemade wine.	While we were in ND, we had a dozen relatives on the Ressler side get together thanks to hosts Marlene and Leonard Kraft (sorry, we forgot the camera). Larry's nephew also opened up his home to another Barnhardt get together. Picture here is James, Lee Ann, Austin and Erin; Randy and Marla; Glorine, Amber Rose and Austin; and Lori, Jim and Lil. A beautiful night, but the very next day the wrath of winter set in with cold temperatures and a wind that kept us off the road for an extra day.
	After a lunch with Larry's sister Lorraine, we started the endless trek though Montana. On the second day of driving (still in Montana) and listening to the Adventures of Huck Finn (book on CD), we missed a sign and drove 30+ miles on the road that lead to one of the best preserved gold mining towns we have every seen. Nevada City, MT dates back to the 1860s. We walked on the same boardwalks that desperate Vigilantes once patrolled. One brochured mentioned "You are transported to a time when rowdy miners mingled in saloons and restaurants with women of negotiable affection." While costing us three hours of time, we found it so cute of a place we decided to go back some day and spend more time there.	We were mentioning to people throughout our trip that thanks to Ajijic we had not experience a winter in three years. Well, that ended in Dillon, Montana where we spent the night at a KOA. We woke up to two inches of snow, with temperature hoavering in the high 20s. The roads were find and within 100 miles we were out of the snow altogether. September ranged from Indian Summer weather in the Midwest to winter weather in the mountains. It was an interested way to end our first full time RVing experience.

September's web page includes September 1 through September 30.