Dave and Vannie with "THE"
Paul Begnaud
Standing by the Great and Mighty Mississippi River
Paul's Son, Blake, and his wife, Kathy
Leather Works Minnesota
Another one of Paul's Sons...Kent and his wife, Lee
Pain Perdu
Ramsey Court House with the BIG statue
Décor reminded Dave of the Empire State Building
No matter
where we travel, it seems we can always find somebody we know…and that’s what
happened this week. Vannie and Dave’s
good friend from Scott, LA, Paul Begnaud, spends the summers in St. Paul,
MN. He has kids that live in this area,
and he, himself, lived here many years ago.
Paul is the one guy that literally taught Dave the drapery business…the
ins and outs, the ups and down. Paul is
90 years young. You wouldn’t believe it
by the way he looks and gets around. He
drives and cooks and loves life! A
lesson for us all!
We were
about an hour from St. Paul in our campground in Clear Lake. I held the fort down while V and D made the
trip over to see Paul. Vannie said the
gumbo was on the stove simmering when they arrived. Paul had brought chickens and seasonings from
Early’s Grocery Store in Scott. It was
truly a taste of home. Paul’s son,
Blake, and daughter-in-law, Kathy was there, also, to give us the full
Minnesota welcome. Dave said they felt
like royalty.
After
eating, Blake and Kathy drove V and D down to Stillwater, MN. Vannie said it was a sweet little town right
on the St. Croix River. The St. Croix is the north-south boundary water that separates Minnesota from Wisconsin. They walked
around in the downtown area checking out antique shops, a German Christmas
store, and along the river walk. The
river was actually lapping over the sidewalk.
V and D
spent the night with Kathy and Blake in their basement. Being from Louisiana, basements are just
something V and D have read about in books.
So to actually get to sleep in one was a treat. They were up and at ‘um the next
morning. Paul was already calling about
his “pain perdu” breakfast he was preparing for them. He called to tell Kathy to please bring a
“bucket” of milk. Guess he thought they
were going to milk the cow before coming over.
Of course,
Vannie said the “pain perdu” or French toast was out-of-this-world…made from
whole milk, butter, sugar, lots of vanilla, white bread (thick slices) and
fried in butter. Dave said he could feel
his arteries clogging, but, at that moment, who cares!
After
breakfast, Paul was ready to show V and D around St. Paul. Although they could have had a nap after that
breakfast, they piled in his car and headed out to see the sites. The Indian mounds along the Mississippi, the
Ramsey County Court House with the huge Indian statue inside, the beautiful
cathedral, the gorgeous old neighborhoods, Leather Works (Kent Begnaud’s
business, another son of Paul’s), and the Capital were all part of the
tour. They ended up at a cute little
restaurant for a late lunch. Paul wanted
them to try the special which was a Juicy Lucy Burger. V and D just couldn’t do it. After eating gumbo and French toast, they
just had to have a little lettuce. I thought
that sounded a little wimpy, but to each his own.
Wow…what a
visit…V and D headed back to me and Clear Lake with full tummies, full hearts,
and happy memories.
Another great post about your life on the road!
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