things I miss about the States

All things I miss about the US seem related to places (actually this also relates to food I now see, to shop for or sit down and enjoy) and people. I miss ...

• our house; hanging on the porch in the spring (surrounded by the scent of lilacs) and summer (into the fall), visiting with friends and good neighbors, going for walks in the neighborhood.
• eating lunch at the house with Leighton; yummy sandwiches made with fresh bread from the local bakery (Brick Oven Bakery), just down the street from our house.
  
• driving up and down to the Twin Cities in the midst of the vast prairie landscape, maybe stopping for a bagel snack at Einstein bros. in Bloomington. Walks in the arboretum.
• stopping for ice cream at Hogan brothers. Or having lunch (hummus pita sandwich and spicy bean soup) there.
• the warehouse district in Minneapolis, along the river, crossing the bridges, stopping for sushi at Origami.
  
• beer on the roof at Brit's in the summer, downtown Minneapolis.
• or at the deck of the Tavern or the Contented Cow, both overlooking the Cannon river in Northfield.
• or at Pracna on St. Anthony Main, on the riverfront, in Minneapolis (a surly furious).
• our local co-op, the freshness of the food, the friendly people.
• good yummy fresh salsa and healthy (sort of, right?) chips.
• corn on the cob in late summer.
• the lucky jeans store in Mall of America (though I hate shopping, I appreciate that I can find jeans that actually fit here).
  
• the lakes in Minneapolis, Minnehaha creek, Mississippi river (even)

These are just some of the things I miss about living in the Midwest. But I also get homesick for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, and even other places in the States where I've been. I miss neighborhoods, parks, places to eat and drink, stores (like REI and Target, the Wedge, Trader Joe's, and our local co-op). I miss friends, family, neighbors, colleagues. I miss the general friendliness of people that you know and don't know.

Ahh, those good old days... A photo taken by Leighton, right around the time he moved into the house, back in 2006, late summer, me sipping a margarita.