Another loss

So after two grandmothers passed away in the Spring, I thought was done for awhile. A naive notice but it really was just more of hoping than anything else. It didn't happen.

In mid November my step-father passed away unexpectedly. I always thought of Frank as more of my mother's husband and a friend than a father figure. I dont mean that statement in a negative manner. I feel that way because they got together when I was in my twenties and never see them a handful of times per year and he wasn't that much older than me (Mom married a younger guy this time around). And it doesn't mean I was any less saddened by the news. It sounds selfish, but he provided me with a piece of mind knowing my mom was being cared for. He is gone and its way too soon.

Frank was a good guy with a great heart who loved and took care of my Mother. His enthusiasm for NASCAR and Michigan Wolverines could be a bit overwhelming at times as could his good natured joking, but he was never malicious and very entertaining.

The man will be missed greatly by family and friends.




Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.

Minneapolis...

I am so behind on blogging. No sure how people find the time to these things on the side. But since I enjoy writing it will keep at it.

Anyways, late October I traveled for work to Minneapolis. I've drove through the city and I have flown into the city's airport but never actually spent time here. For the most part I was pleasantly surprised.  

I have worked in many convention centers in my career. And Minneapolis has a huge and very nice one located downtown.  One of the first things I noticed when walking around the area was how clean everything is. It's not necessarily new buildings or streets but it all looks so darn up kept and inviting.

The second thing I noticed is all the city artwork on display. Countless statues and buildings with awe inspiring paintings on the side.


  

Happy Gnome

There is also a lot of great food and drinks to be had here. As any foodie would tell you. I ate well and drank better.

I got to cross another famous beer bar off my list when I was able to get out to theThe Happy Gnome in St. Paul. An amazing place which lived up to it's expectation.

A couple other interesting food and drink joints I wondered into were 8th Street Grill and Taphouse, Devils Advocate Bar, Market BBQ, Brit's Pub & Eating Establishment. All had delicious food and a fine beer selections.



The show I worked had long hours, as usual, and I didn't get to explore much other than the few blocks surround the convention and my nearby hotel. There were plenty of other places I wanted to check out. 

I was also unprepared for the first snow fall of the year. It got very cold for a few days as the white stuff littered the ground and building tops. Also found Minneapolis to be a rather expensive city. More so than I would have expected. I will know this for next time and I want to come back and explore more... only in the Summer though.

 






Observation of An Illogical mind by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.seankimmel.com.
Please feel free to share the link but contact me for any other uses or publication. Thanks.