Lots of shopping

Sunday we had a barbeque in the back yard. Chrissy's and Karen's brother Bill with family came over and we sat outside and talked and ate very tasty hamburgers. Their house is pretty close to the airport and the planes came in low, causing some noise. I got a very nice present, Bill's wife had made a handbag of precisely the colors I happen to like, and it was filled with Minnesota souvenirs and candy. Since the siblings have Swedish ancestry also on their mother's side, I got curious and asked if they had done any research, and they hadn't. So I got the brief information and logged on to the Swedish genealogy database remote. It was very easy to find their origin, the family had immigrated in 1890 from a small place outside Goteborg. I searched for the family name on the internet and came up with a website for the very family - in Sweden! They actually have an organized website where all the ancestors were listed, along with information on the descendants, even the ones who emigrated. The same family photo Chrissy has was posted on this website. It was incredible, you never have such luck in this kind of research! We sat up late that night talking about family history and looking at photos.

Monday was a great shopping day. Karen, Chrissy and I had breakfast at a restaurant, and then the shopping spree began. I cannot even remember how many stores we went to. They knew of all the second hand and thrift stores in the area. I made some huge bargains. I got several pairs of jeans very cheaply, and several other pieces of clothes, a handbag and two watches. It's the end of the summer and most stores have sales. Some even have sales on the new fall collections. That's how desperate they are here.

Since I was out of cash (for some strange reason), I had to get some more from the cash machine Tuesday morning. Then we went to Albertville north of Minneapolis. There is a large area with outlet stores. I did some shopping also here, but not as much as yesterday. Three tops and a pair of capri pants. Afterwards we went to town to get some pizza and brought it to Bill's house to eat it. We sat in the livingroom and talked about Sweden.

This morning I said goodbye to the relatives and then Chrissy gave me a ride up to Mounds View. I visited a genealogy friend named Randy that I have helped with research. He has a very Swedish style of interior decoration, which was interesting to see. After the guided tour and exchange of souvenirs, he and I went out to have lunch at International House of Pancakes. I had some very tasty pancakes with strawberry sauce. We also went to a few second hand stores, so I got some more clothes. In the afternoon he drove me to Ron and Mary in Stillwater. They belong to the Nelson family. They have an absolutely lovely home with a wonderful view of the St Croix River. My camera will never make any justice to that view. We were treated to salad for dinner and then Randy returned home. This evening Ron brought me to yet another thrift store called Goodwill. Got a top and some Christmas ornaments, and it was even cheaper than expected. The store had 25% off for seniors today, so Ron acted as a purchaser on my behalf.