A tropical afternoon

I took today off from work and decided to escape for the day. Dad and I went back to the neighborhood where he grew up and had lunch. He regaled me with stories about when he was a kid on the drive by his old house.

"...this is the corner where Mike, Jimmy, Scotty and I used to meet to ride our bikes to school together. And Tammi Maloney lived there. I took her to the Regimental Ball. She was a hottie. And That skating rink, Scotty used to run it and in college we'd come back on the weekends to kick all the kids off the ice early so we could drink beer and play boot hockey..."

Then, it was time to visit one of my favorite places in the entire world: the Como Conservatory. Open every day of the year. For only $2 (suggested donation, not required) you can warm up and pretend you're far away from it all...

We spent the afternoon wandering from room to room, soaking in the humidity, fresh air, and bright colors. A much needed mini-tropical break in the middle of a cold Minnesota winter. Snow above, leaves all around...

You learn something new every day....