I enjoyed a couple hours this afternoon at the Afton Strawberry Festival. In the park I wandered from vendor to vendor looking at homemade jams and salsa, photography, crafts, jewelry, and much more. Up the street I went into Squire House Gardens – a store located in a house filled with cool garden items, knick knacky things, and lots of one-of-a-kind items – the side yard had paths winding through the gardens. I walked past a restaurant with outdoor seating and a musician playing Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. I headed back to the park and waited a few minutes in line at the Berry Barn – which was offering all things strawberry. I didn’t want to leave without trying the strawberry shortcake!

On the way home I made a stop at the Lake St. Croix public beach. There is no parking on streets near the beach (the roads are pretty narrow), and I didn’t want to pay $5.00 at the parking lot for just a short time, so I jumped out quick in a no parking zone and snapped a photo of the beach and St. Croix River. It was a beautiful beach (or any other activity) day. These days are precious and few here in Minnesota, so we need to take advantage of them! As I type this I have my laptop out on the deck, as I can’t bear to be inside on such a great day. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to park unless I wanted to pay, but I was just itching to walk barefoot through the sand. I’m counting the days to my Carolina trip (77 days to go), but I am not wishing this time away as that will mean the end of summer here in Minnesota, and it seems as though it has just started!

My last stop was at an antique store that was having a sidewalk sale. I am not much on an antique person, but it’s kind of fun to look once in a while, and I did find a couple inexpensive “treasures!”