Minnesota 2012 with Kevin

I kind of wanted to go swimming but didn't want to get all wet and then go back in the car. Besides, I don't think you're supposed to swim in rivers because of the current and everything. Sure it looks like the river is pretty calm but you don't want to get sucked under. Rivers are wild. They are dangerous. The minute you turn your back on them they turn on you. I wasn't going to take that chance.

I try to make it up to Minnesota at least once a year to hang out with my pal Mike Bates and his family. We usually plan this around the annual Brewers/Twins series so we can meet in Minneapolis, which is halfway for both of us. The Bates Family lives up in Bemidji and rarely get to go to a Brewers game so this always makes for a good time. And now I'm bringing Cousin Kevin. Oh God. Look out folks.

I have no idea what time we left home but I'm guessing that it was midday because when we got to the Mighty Mississippi River it was sunset. That's usually pretty late in the middle of summer but it worked out well that we left when we did.

This year's trip was from June 15-17 and before I left home I made Coach Gordon Bombay take a picture with me. I knew that he didn't like doing this sort of thing but it was my responsibility to document our friendship. I'm glad I did.

I hang out with Kevin so much that sometimes I forget how young he really is. He's almost 10 years younger than me so I guess it is acceptable that he acts like a little kid. When we got to beach he started jumping in puddles, playing in the water and picking up little dead fish and attempting to put them in his mouth. If I hadn't stopped him he might have done it. This kid needs a babysitter at all times and I'll admit that I'm not qualified for the position. I can hardly take care of myself. So we are currently accepting applications.

For the most part this walkway was paved but there were all sorts of rocks, sticks and other sharp objects. It is the outdoors after all. Since Kevin is an idiot, he was forced to walk on this path twice without shoes. He did his best to avoid the rocks by walking on the side rail like like being on a balancing beam but that was proving to be difficult. Then he put these plastic bags (which are there for cleaning up your dog's droppings) on his feet to see if it would make the trip easier. It didn't. This kid is a real mess. But he's family.

I've traveled over the Mighty Miss countless times in my life but I don't know if I've ever stopped to go in it. Today I would make sure that I have been in there. Despite being only 35 minutes from the Twins Cities we stopped in Hudson to stretch. We walked along this bridge and Kevin left his shoes in the car, which was great once he got to the sand and in the water but terrible for when he was walking on the gravel path. Sometimes I don't understand how he manages to survive in this world when he makes decisions like that.

Mike wasn't planning on driving down to the Twin Cities until tomorrow so we knew we had some time to kill. Our only plan for the night was to hang out in the hotel room and drink a couple of beverages. So that's why we ended up staying here a little longer than we might have. But it was really nice to splash around in the water and misbehave. Plus we were given some beautiful scenery to look at including God's entire pallet of colors in the sky. I love sunsets. Say what you want about my sexuality following that statement but I can't help it.