The art of cheese

I used to volunteer at Concord Childcare with Allison when she lived in California, but she and her husband David departed the West Coast some months back to go to grad school in Madison, Wisconsin.  And that's only a four hour drive from Minneapolis!  They were kind enough to head over to meet us when school finished.

It was time to mix in some high culture so we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to see what was on offer.  It's huge and, most importantly, free!  Among the worthy works of art from Greece and Rome there was also the obligatory crazy stuff, such as the completely empty gallery, and an artist that's living in a corner (though he claims not to really like people).

Then it was time to recover with - what else? - lunch at the Mall of America.  There's a local delicacy around here: deep fried cheese curds.  They love their cheese so much that, if you're a Green Bay Packers fan, you have to wear it on your head.  Anyway, David and Allison insisted that we didn't leave until we'd eaten some (but, thankfully, not worn).

Then on we went to the airport to follow the sun westward.  It was going to be 28C (82F) in Walnut Creek when we got home, which meant my feet might finally thaw out.  So farewell Minneapolis-St. Paul and the Midwest, but we'll be back.  In summary: freezing, friendly, beautiful, cheesy.

More friendly locals.

David and Allison in the sculpture garden.

Rather nice light fixtures.

Considering a purchase.

Hello!

Yes, modern art is a self-caricature.

That's more like it.

And now a real work of art.