Friday, July 06, 2007

STILLWATER!

Ever seen that movie "Almost Famous?" Well, "Stillwater" is the name of the fictional band in that movie, and I can't help but think of that movie every time someone mentions the town Stillwater, MN.

Speaking of Stillwater, Dan and I went there for the 4th of July -- one of the littler bands he plays in was supposed to play a house party there, but they ended up cancelling -- I guess the neighbors weren't too interested in outdoor rock 'n' roll. (Alas.) So, we just ended up bumming around downtown Stillwater -- poking in shops, dodging the crowds, (it's a VERY popular tourist destination, especially on holidays!), and grabbing some dinner.

We went into a kitchenwares store that I thought was very similar to the one at which I currently work . . . this store had lots and lots and lots and lots of stuff, (we're talking, overflowing gadget bins to the ceiling, probably fifty different styles of teapots, a whole back room of tabletop, etc.) but a very limited selection of cookware, and almost no cutlery. How can you cook without decent pots, pans, and knives??

We also browsed briefly in a local used bookstore -- they had a whole room of old maps, globes, and atlases, which were right up Dan's alley, and I, of course, beelined for the cookbooks. They had a whole shelf of vegetarian cookbooks -- wahoo! Didn't buy anything, but I certainly could have. :)

We had dinner at a local ice cream/grill type place -- very cheap, very tasty, and very quick. I had a grilled cheese and tomato, onion rings, and a root beer float. (And a stomachache later . . . I don't usually eat like that!) Mmmm . . . tasty. Can't remember the last time I've had a root beer float!

I didn't take too many pictures -- I was too busy having too much fun! It was a beautiful day, though:
example

The bridge over the river, to Wisconsin:
example
(We debated "just walking over to Wisconsin," but in the end, decided to wait until next time.) :)

I should have taken pictures of all of the boats out on the river, waiting for the fireworks to start, but there were so many people, I couldn't get a decent shot!

In the end, we grew tired of the crowds, and just tired in general, so we drove back to the city long before the fireworks started. (I did catch glimpses of a few displays from the freeway, however.) Hope everyone else had a happy Independence Day!

3 comments:

Carrie™ said...

I'm glad to see you back! I've been incredibly busy and haven't had much blog time and I really miss it. I can understand your need to break your exile. Nice that you got a bit of a get-a-way. Sounds like a fun day.

bazu said...

Sounds like a fun outing! You've made me crave root beer floats- it's been ages since I've had them, too! I don't care much for independence day, but I LOVE fireworks. I watch them every year.

Crystal said...

Sounds like fun - I haven't been up to Stillwater in a couple years. They have a great co-op though.

We didn't do anything for the 4th because Ryan was on his working-streak. He's now done and I get him back for 1 day before I fly off to Chicago until Sunday.

Grilled cheese and tomato...my favorite!!

-Crystal