Sunday, August 22, 2010

A little time away....

We went away for our 10th anniversary this weekend to a lovely place in the country called A Journey Inn. It is an eco-friendly Bed & Breakfast located on 66 acres of prairie and woods with winding paths throughout the property. We left on Saturday afternoon on a leisurely drive and arrived in the nearby artsty town of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin in time to visit a funky gallery owned by my friend's mom called Secret Heart Gallery. I had tried to visit it a while back when Janet and I visited Seed Savers in IA, but we arrived after hours and missed it. What a place! Ron and I found a few goodies to bring home to decorate our ever-expanding collection of Mexican-themed art in the upstairs hallway. I can't get enough of Frida!
Back at the inn, we enjoyed our stroll down the plush (and too buggy for being outside without bug spray) mowed paths through the woods and restored prairie. We dream of someday moving to our farm and maybe even turning the old house into a retreat center of sorts, so this place helped us to imagine what our lives could look like in ten years. The construction of A Journey Inn is very eco-minded and simple, with dramatic views of the nearby rolling hills and bluffs, as well as filled with thoughtful details like a walk-in shower, plush organic cotton towels, low VOC paints and a delightful organic brunch in the morning. The brunch is served at 11:00, with coffee and toast available for early risers (or coffee in bed fans, like me!).

We stayed on the 2nd floor and thought the view was amazing!
Our cucumber salad this morning featured house-grown cukes and tomatoes and was sprinkled with calendula flower petals and garnished with a nasturtium leaf. So beautiful!

For dinner we went to Norton's Downtown in Red Wing, MN. The restaurant is owned by a local MN musician and has been on our "must visit" list for years. Mmmm.
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We returned home 24 hours later feeling refreshed, well-rested and happily in love. And tomorrow... I return to work.

6 comments:

Kerry said...

I am soooooo jealous! I have been dying to go there! I'm on their email list and every time I get an update I try to figure out how we can manage to escape there! I can't wait to hear more about it.
I'm thinking of you today my dear! Hope all is well!
Call me if you have a minute!

Sarah Jane said...

Ahhh!! You're back a work. Shoot. I was hoping to try to connect this week. Wow. Well, I'll be thinking of you.
And this place looks beautiful. I've never heard of it. And they Frida stuff sounds super cool.
Glad you got away before this big week. Again, thinking of you.
Take care, lady.

Julie said...

Happy Anniversary! Back to work as in teaching or back to work and in back to Mom activities? :)

paperseed said...

Wow, it looks really wonderful. A nice way to celebrate the 10 year landmark.

Anonymous said...

Wow Jenn that sounds wonderful! And happy anniversary. We celebrate 10 years next year and are already talking about our trip. Kids will be included, which will be their first BIG trip outside of family trips.

Terry Nelson said...

Oh I wish we had gone with you!