After a long blogging hiatus, I’m back with some on-the-road, cultural musings.

Work sent me to Canada.

*kidding*

I’m in Minnesota. I feel like it’s a crime that I don’t pop on over the border, but I lack a few extra hours to make it happen during daylight. C’est la vie. (Vancouver is calling my name. I must go. The travel bug is biting. And beautiful British Columbia beckons.)

I’m in Duluth for a homeschool conference. Strangely moderate temps, sunshine, and thawed snow welcomed me for my first visit to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

I brought my winter coat.

Am I disappointed? Maybe just a little. I thought this was going to be my last fling with winter.

I wore my favorite scarf this morning though. I will be going home a happy man.

Here are some highlights from the trip so far:

• Frank Sherwin. (Need I say more?)
• As we drove from the Twin Cities to Duluth, on I-35W North (no, I’m not in Kansas anymore…nor Texas…man, this road goes on forever!), Fred and I noticed the effects of endless winter & erosion. Here’s a nugget from the ever-hilarious Fred Schermann: “Man alive! Some of these potholes have their own zip codes.” Seriously. They were HUGE.
• During a phone call on our drive up, Fred got disconnected twice due to poor cell reception. Here’s another laughable: “These dropped calls…I guess they confuse cell towers with totem poles up here.” No comment.
• The accent up here makes me so happy. I could listen to it all day. 🙂
• What are the top questions I get as #IAmEventMan up in MN? (Notice #2. Can I ever catch a break?!)
  • 1. Are we (the organization I represent) related to Ken Ham’s ministry? (Or, do we know Ken Ham? And other similar questions.)
  • 2. Am I married? (I’m learning to embrace the reality of my singleness. Sometimes I revisit Jon Acuff’s posts for a good laugh: Surviving church as a single; and, Awkward “You’re Single?” conversations at church.)
  • 3. How old am I? (I had to stop and think about this one. Is that a bad thing?)
  • 4. Where are the restrooms? (I’d like to know this answer, too.)
  • 5. Where’d you get that latte? (That’s top-secret info, sister. I don’t want folks depleting my source of raw energy.)

• If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed these photos:
  • I’m not a morning person. But moments like this tempt me to become one.

• God gives small, gentle reminders sometimes; other times, they’re ginormous. (Read James 3.)

• My #foodie adventures for dinner this week:
  • Re-Constructed Reuben. Too much food. But oh so YUM-O!

• Smoked. Alaskan. Salmon. I might have just died and gone to heaven. And I just might be eating the rest of my meals at this lovely place. Feast your eyes on the Sitka Sushi sandwich. Ginger infused wild Alaskan sockeye gravlax, pickled ginger, cilantro, cucumbers, cabbage, sesame oil, wasabi mayo, and Sriracha on a hero roll. To DIE for.

Goodnight & happy weekend, all the way from Duluth, MN!