Once upon a time, Kevin Costner thought Iowa was heaven. Having never been to Iowa, I cannot vouch for that. I do know that Minnesota has an amazing quality to it. The question came to me today while riding back from Rochester, how do you describe Minnesota? This makes nearly ten visits for me to the land of 10,000 lakes. Only one time did I dare travel up this way in winter. The cold cured me of any desire to make any more winter visits. However, the summer is a whole different story.

In spite of the heat this week, Minnesota is still as mesmerizing as ever. You look off the road while driving to see miles of farmland. The corn seems to just rise up in response to the perfect weather it has for maturing. The fields are everywhere. These are not small lots of farming. Corn rows go on as far as the eye can see. Where there is no corn there are peas or other crops that capture the eye. Houses here are almost always immaculate in appearance. Rare is the home that does not have siding as a sheild against the elements. Yards are mowed, watered, and landscaped with constant care. The grass is flush with the green that comes from the rain that falls on a weekly basis. It is truly very easy to imagine yourself caught in a timewarp. The scenes of daily life have not changed much in fifty years.

Garrison Keillor describes this world for us every week on his radio show. Perhaps that is why I long to hear him weave his stories about life here. It is one of the reasons I hope to return yet again to this simpler place and time.

Bro. Trey