Getting to know family in Minnesota

Tom has family roots in Minnesota. We haven't really had an opportunity to get to know this side of the family since his grandmother's death. When Tom reaches out, we receive an invitation to come and visit from cousin Vivian, so we're off to Rochester, MN. 

It turns out, we have met Vivian once before when she visited California. Although Vivian is not a blood relative, she reminds me a lot of Tom's grandmother in her gentle and gracious demeanor.  We spend a very enjoyable evening getting to know Vivian better and learning more of Tom's family history. 

We spend the night in Vivian's driveway, and she invites us to visit her up at the family cabin, even after we blow a fuse in her garage! We will be getting a head start as we have reservations at the campgrounds in the Cross Lake Recreation Area near Brainerd, MN. Our initial reservation was for three nights. 

The campgrounds are a well-kept Army Corp of Engineers location with water and electric service. After being there a day, we found a water view site on-line that coincided with our stay and were able to change site. 

Vivian's cabin is on a different lake, just outside of Emily MN, and not too far from the Crosslake area, so we are able to spend more time with her. We really enjoyed our second chance to visit Vivian and spend some relaxing time out at the cabin.