The Hammond Inn - Day 178

On Sunday we stopped in Winnipeg to visit the latest addition to the Gray clan. My niece Kara and her husband Gord Gilmore, had a daughter in April. Kendra is the first of the next generation of the Grays. She is of course the best looking kid ever, and I hear that Great-Grandma competes with Grandma for "holding" rights. Gord and Kara also served up a delicious Bar-B-Que for us.

We found a great way to wind up the first 179 days of our trip – two days spent at the “Hammond Inn” in Woodbury, Minnesota. Sue, Paul, Jessie, Justin, Miko the cat and Cory, the loud but lovable budgie, all welcomed the Gray’s into their home. It was a fun filled two days; the males golfing – the females shopping, walks and badminton for all and great home cooked food.

The Hammonds have been our good friends ever since Tom and Jessie became friends in daycare when they were about two years old. Paul works for 3M and he moved the family two years ago to Minneapolis - St. Paul so he could take on a senior IT Role at Head Office. Sue cooks such fantastic Indian food; we always seem to find a way to show up just in time for dinner. We were once again wowed by the great food. Paul and I were also able to make a little dent in their wine cellar stock.

Last night the heavens put on a lightening show for us. It was non-stop sheet and flash lightening for several hours. Severe storms passed south of MSP, but missed hitting Woodbury. We were up early this morning and on the road by 8:30 so we could get by Chicago before rush hour. We stopped in Kalamazoo – don’t you just love that name – for the night and should be home by early afternoon. The kids, especially Katie are excited.

This will likely be my last blog entry until we hit Ireland on July 7th. I am looking forward to some home time for the next three weeks.

Cheers Ian

Hammond Inn

Roti Cooking by a Master