Hopefully better late than never with today’s post! 🙂 Recently I returned home after a few days away. There’s something about a a road trip and a little break in routine that refreshes the spirits, don’t you agree?
First, my husband and I set out for Pipestone, MN, which is about four hours from home. On our way, we found ourselves driving along the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway and had to make a stop to see the site of the original Ingalls family dugout home outside Walnut Creek.
In Pipestone, I gave a talk about books, research, and writing at the lovely Meinders Community Library. There my husband and I met several kind and friendly people (and forgot to take any photos).
After that, we continued on to Freeman, South Dakota to attend our second Smeckfest, a “tasting festival” that celebrates the heritage and food of the Mennonite Germans from Russia who settled in the area in the late 19th century. My husband is from a Mennonite background, and enjoyed the opportunity to reacquaint himself with favorite foods of his childhood. We tried sausages, twin zwieback buns, poppy-seed rolls, kuchen, pluma moos, and much more.
We also attended a workshop on making German apple tarts (variously called Prieshke, Pirishki, etc.) which included sampling the finished product. Yum!
For me, the highlight was attending the top-notch musical put on by the town. This year they performed “Bright Star,” a poignant but ultimately uplifting story written by Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin). Tears, laughter, and much toe-tapping ensued, as the bluegrass music as well as the performances were excellent.
Soon it was time to make our way home, and we visited a few relatives on the way back. It was a short but sweet getaway that left my tank filled–literally and figuratively!
What was the last road trip you took?
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Lovely pictures, and it sounds like a fun time. My husband was of German ancestry. His father settled in the Pennsylvania Dutch country, and we’ve eaten lots of German food. My last trip was a short two hour drive for my sister’s birthday, where I stayed for four days.
What a fun trip! Now seeing Plum Creek and the site of the Ingalls’ dugout is on my list of places to go. And that musical on my list of ones to see! 🙂
That sounds like a wonderful trip! So many sights, sounds and delicacies.
Love hearing about your trip! Thank you for sharing these pictures of the dugout home and of the German food. My Grandma would make bierocks (aka runzas) and kuchen for Christmas as a special treat. What kind of kuchen did you have in MN?