College Friend

I was able to visit my college friend Mary this week. She has lived in the MN Governor's mansion for the last eight years, and she invited me up for a visit before they move back to their own house in Jan. The Residence is such a lovely place. It was especially pretty right now while it is decorated for Christmas.

The entrance hall. Such lovely woodwork and beautiful old furniture on display.

St. Paul had some snow! The storm over last weekend made us put off the visit until this week. Mary and I grabbed a bit of shopping time. It was fun to catch up on her and Tim's life and see their beautiful daughters again.

The dining room is gorgeous.

The Residence has a little mouse hole on the stairs where Herb the Mouse lives. Mary gave me a new book that the Summit Avenue Society wrote about him. (http://www.minnesotasbookstore.com/) This group helps support the upkeep of the Residence. My girls and I enjoyed reading it when I got home. If you were to sit very quietly in this beautiful old chair and read a book, you might be able to see him sometime when he peeks out of his hole.

I had a quiet cozy cup of tea and craft time by the fire while Mary and Tim were at a political supper. The next morning Mary and I had our breakfast here near the fire again. So warm and relaxing.

The view from upstairs and the stairway. The chandeliers are pretty neat.

Mary gave me a tour of the Capitol building. The tree in the Governor's reception room was very nice. We also saw his office. Tim was out and about tending to MN business.

The next morning I went for a quick walk and a bit of shopping on my own, then headed out to visit my sister Rose. I thought I might stay over with her one night, but the 2-4 inches of predicted snow squashed that idea. I made a quick stop, dropped off presents, ate a few cookies and had a cup of tea, then headed for home. I (mostly) beat the snow!