Monthly Archives: September 2016

October 2016 Newsletter

A Note from our President –

Wow, these chilly nights mean summer’s really winding down. Get out and take advantage of these last warmer days before it really feels like Fall. I’m not ready for summer to end. Come along with us and enjoy our Minnesota autumn, along with all the “colorful” and fun activities we have planned

Coffee Break—you won’t feel guilty eating “healthy” treats and breakfasts at French Meadow Bakery

Garden Tour—don’t let the scarecrows scare you at Emma Krumbee’s orchard

Lunch Bunch—zen out on Japanese fusion at Nakamori

Books & Booze—discuss “1000 White Women” at Macy’s

Hope to see you there!         Sally@TheWanderersMSP.org

OCTOBER ACTIVITIES

COFFEE BREAK:  Wednesday, October 12th at 10:00AM—French Meadow Bakery & Cafe 

2610 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408, (612) 870-7855

Come join us for a hot beverage and maybe a late breakfast. To view their menu and for directions go to frenchmeadowcafe.com

RSVP by Monday, October 10th to Brenda@TheWanerersMSP.org

Parking: Off-street parking is available in the two lots adjacent to the North and South sides of the building. Street parking is also available.

 

LUNCH BUNCH: Monday, October 17th, 12:30PM—Nakamori Japanese Bistro

7101 France Ave. at Hazelton (Leisure Lane Mall across from Byerly’s)   952-920-9980

Nakamori offers Japanese-based fusion cuisine, a blend of French, American, and Asian cuisine. They have the best Kobe beef, French foie gras, Californian sea urchin, bluefin toro and Russian caviar. Elegant presentation designed right in front of you. There is also an open bar and a sushi bar. Great luncheon menu in a convenient location.

After lunch we’ll take an optional walk around Centennial Lakes, weather permitting. This 24-acre park offers the ultimate urban escape, featuring more than 1.5 miles of paved pathways meandering around a 10-acre lake interspersed with beautifully landscaped grounds, formal and informal seating areas, swinging benches fountains, and mini golf course.

RSVP by Friday, October 7th to Pam@TheWanderersMSP.org

 

GARDEN TOUR: Thursday, October 20th, 10:00AM Departure—Emma Krumbee’s.

Hwy 169 and Co Rd. 3, 351 Enterprise Drive E, Belle Plaine, MN 952-873-4334

The 33rd Annual Great Scarecrow Display is open daily 10AM – 6PM, September 10th– October 30th, featuring over 100 unique, handcrafted, artistic, exciting scarecrows in Emma Krumbee’s 45-acre Apple Orchard. Admission of $5.50/person (plus tax), includes entrance to • Farm Animals •Giant Hay Stack • Tombstone Forest • Wagon Ride • Goat Habitrail • The Barrel Express U-Pick Apples, Pumpkins.

Lunch to follow at Emma Krumbee’s Restaurant  http://emmakrumbees.com/apple-orchard/.

 A carpool will leave south Mpls. at 10:00AM or meet us at the Emma Krumbee’s at 11:00. Please indicate if you plan to car pool and are willing to drive. 

RSVP by Tuesday, October 18th to Barbara@TheWanderersMSP.org

 

BOOKS & BOOZE: Tuesday, October 25h, 3:45-6PM—Macy’s Lakeshore Grill

Macy’s Southdale—Lower Level

One Thousand White Women:  the Journals of Mary Dodd by Jim Fergus is based on an actual historical event but told through fictional diaries. It is the story of a remarkable woman who travels west in 1875 and marries the Chief of the Cheyenne Nation.  Drinks First, Book Discussion, Then Food. Macy’s has great Happy Hour food and drink specials.  No loud music—we can actually hear one another talking around a big, round table. Just come even if you have not read this great book.

RSVP by Sunday, October 23rd to Anne@TheWanderersMSP.org

Books & Booze Upcoming Titles:

December 2016 Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Follows three mothers, each at a crossroads, and their potential involvement in a riot at a school trivia night that leaves one parent dead in what appears to be a tragic accident, but which evidence shows might have been premeditated.

February 2017–Gertrude’s Oath by Ram Oren

Michael Stolowitzky, the only son of a wealthy Jewish family in Poland, was just three years old when war broke out and the family lost everything. His father, desperate to settle his business affairs, traveled to France, leaving Michael in the care of his mother and Gertruda Bablinska, the family’s devoted Catholic nanny. When Michael’s mother had a stroke, Gertruda promised the dying woman that she would make her way to Palestine and raise him as her own son

April 2017–Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Olivia Donatelli’s dream of a “normal” life shattered when her son, Anthony, was diagnosed with autism at age three. Understanding the world from his perspective felt bewildering. And just as Olivia began to realize that happiness and autism could coexist, Anthony died.

June 2017–My Stroke of Insight by Jill Taylor

On the morning of December 10, 1996, Taylor, a brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke. She observed her own mind completely deteriorate. Now she shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery.

August 2017— Accidental Empress: A Novel by Allison Pataki

The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth (“Sisi”), Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor.

October 2017–The Residence by Kate Bower

While journalist Brower moves by theme in presenting the memories of select long-running staff at the White House—“Controlled Chaos,” “Discretion,” “Extraordinary Demands,” “Dark Days,” etc.—there is an irresistible, charmingly pell-mell quality to the arrangement of these dashy stories. The author has managed to track down numerous former staffers

December 2017–“The Grave Soul” by Ellen Hart (MN author)

“When Guthrie Hewitt calls on restaurateur and private investigator Jane Lawless, he doesn’t know where else he can turn. Guthrie has fallen for a girl-Kira Adler. In fact, he was planning to propose to her on Christmas Eve. But his trip home with Kira over Thanksgiving made him uneasy. All her life, Kira has been haunted by a dream-a nightmare, really. In the dream, she witnesses her mother being murdered.

NIGHT-TIME BOOK TALK: This group will meet on the 3rd Monday opposite months from Books & Booze at 7:00PM at Byerly’s Mez. Upcoming titles are:

November 2016—“The Wives of Los Alamos”, Nesbit (Currently No wait at HCLIB.org)

“Their average age was twenty-five. They came from Berkeley, Cambridge, Paris, London, Chicago–and arrived in New Mexico ready for adventure, or at least resigned to it. But hope quickly turned to hardship as they were forced to adapt to a rugged military town where everything was a secret, including what their husbands were doing at the lab. They lived in barely finished houses with P.O. box addresses in a town wreathed with barbed wire, all for the benefit of a project that didn’t exist as far as the public knew. Though they were strangers, they joined together–adapting to a landscape as fierce as it was absorbing, full of the banalities of everyday life and the drama of scientific discovery. And while the bomb was being invented, babies were born, friendships were forged, children grew up, and Los Alamos gradually transformed from an abandoned school on a hill into a real community: one that was strained by the words they couldn’t say out loud, the letters they couldn’t send home, the freedom they didn’t have. But the end of the war would bring even bigger challenges to the people of Los Alamos, as the scientists and their families struggled with the burden of their contribution to the most destructive force in the history of mankind.The Wives of Los Alamos is a novel that sheds light onto one of the strangest and most monumental research projects in modern history. It’s a testament to a remarkable group of women who carved out a life for themselves, in spite of the chaos of the war and the shroud of intense secrecy”

January 2017—“A Man Called Ove”, Backman    (Reserve Early—there’s a wait—movie just released)

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon; the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him ‘the bitter neighbor from hell’. But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

September 2016 Newsletter

A Note from our President –

Summer is flying by. These cooler days mean September’s colors will be here soon. That’s the beauty of Minnesota—there’s always another season to look forward to. We’re looking forward to more great seasons as The Wanderers. It’s been an exciting year. We changed our name, membership has grown by leaps and bounds, and we have more and more great activities on the docket. Come along for the fun and friendship—and great food, too!

Ladies Night Out—see every era of Elvis performed at El Loro

Garden Tour—take a road trip to St. Cloud’s beautiful Munsinger Gardens

Weekend Explorers—visit the beautiful Museum of Russian Art

Coffee Break—there’s plenty of yummy to choose from at Yum!

Night-Time Book Talk—join in the discussion of “Plainsong”

Lunch Bunch—end of the season farm-to-table goodness awaits at Wise Acre Eatery

Games People Play—good times to be had at Elaine’s

             See you there!

Sally@TheWanderersMSP.org

ACTIVITIES

LADIES NIGHT OUT: Friday, September. 2nd, 5:30PM—El Loro Restaurant

8405 Lyndale Ave. Bloomington, MN (952) 881-2151

Brought back by popular demand – come for lots of laughs, a margarita and great Mexican food while listening to Elvis’s old tunes!  This is the only El Toro Restaurant hosting an Elvis impersonator. You can see their huge menu at: http://www.ellororestaurant.com/images/template/bloomington/menu-bloomington.pdf

RSVP by Wednesday, August 31st to Anne@TheWamderersMSP.org

Dirctions: 494E to Lyndale Exit.  Turn RIGHT (S) and see restaurant on left side of street.

 

GARDEN TOUR:  Friday, September 9th, 10:30AM Departure—Munsinger Gardens

1515 Riverside Dr. SE, St Cloud, MN

Munsinger Gardens, Located on the scenic banks of the Mississippi River, came to life in 1915 as part of a park.  The gardens now boast huge shade trees, a lily pond with fountain, and a pair of peacocks.  Afterwards we’ll have lunch at Nelson Bros. Restaurant & Bakery, 950 State Highway 24, Clearwater, MN www.clearwatertravelplaza.com

A car pool will leave Barb’s at 10:30AM. Please indicate if you plan to car pool and are willing to drive. 

RSVP by Wednesday, September 7th to Barbara@thewanderersmsp.

 

 

WEEKEND EXPLORERS: Sunday, September 11th, 1:45PM—Museum of Russian Art

5500 Stevens Ave S, Mpls 55419 (Diamond Lake Road and 35W)

Meet us at 1:45PM to see The Museum’s fabulous exhibit: Masterpieces of the 20th Century: Russian Realist Tradition. Admission is $9 or Seniors 65+ $7. The hour-long public tour starts at 2:00PM. Then view more of the museum’s collection or shop their great store for another half-hour. Then we’ll gather for tea.   The museum www.tmora.org is in what was originally a Spanish-colonial-style church – a gorgeous building! Free parking is in the Mayflower Church lot across the street to the north.

RSVP by Thursday, September 8th to Nancy at weidlernan@comcast.net.

Directions: Hwy. 62E to 35WN to Diamond Lake Road exit. Turn LEFT (W). Mayflower church parking will be on your RIGHT after crossing the bridge.

 

COFFEE BREAK: Wednesday, September 14th, 10:00AM—Yum! Kitchen & Bakery

4000 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN  952-922-4000

Come join us for something yummy at Yum!

RSVP by Monday, September 12th to Brenda@thewanderersmsp.org

Directions: Hwy. 100N to MN-7.   Turn RIGHT ( E) onto Minnetonka Blvd. The restaurant is on the left hand side before Lake Street. 

 

NIGHT-TIME BOOK TALK: Monday, September 19 , 7:00PM— Byerly’s Mezzanine

Hazelton and France Ave.

“Plainsong” by Kent Haruf.  “From simple elements, Haruf achieves a novel of wisdom and grace – a narrative that builds in strength and feeling until, as in a choral chant, the voices in the book surround, transport, and lift the reader off the ground.”

Beer and wine are available on the mezzanine level and you may purchase snacks from the grocery store.  Please to come even if you haven’t read the book. This is our second meeting and we will determine a schedule for future meetings; we are planning on meeting every other month.  Please come prepared with ideas for additional book titles for future meetings.

RSVP by Saturday, September 17 to Sara5217@aol.com.

 

LUNCH BUNCH: Thursday, September 22nd, 12 Noon Departure—Wise Acre Eatery

5401 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55419    612-354-2577

This from-their-own-farm-to-fork cafe prepares American eats for brunch and dinner in an industrial-chic space with a patio. A flavorful ever-changing menu is the forte of this well-conceived Tangletown spot set in an old gas station.   The restaurant, charming both inside and out, again made Mpls St Paul ‘s best restaurant list. Tangletown Gardens is nearby at 5300 Nicollet for those that want to browse afterwards. It is an upmarket garden center with a huge variety of trees, shrubs and plants, plus other garden accessories.

A car pool will leave Edina at 12 Noon. Please indicate if you plan to carpool and are willing to drive. Or, meet us there at 12:30PM

RSVP by Friday, September 16th to Pam@thewanderersmsp.org

Directions to Wise Acre Eatery: Highway 100N to MN 62E. Merge onto I-35W North. Take exit 12B onto Diamond Lake Road. Turn LEFT (W) onto East Diamond Lake Road. Turn RIGHT (N) onto Nicollet Avenue. The restaurant is on the right side of the road.

 

GAMES PEOPLE PLAY: Wednesday, September 28th, 7:00PM—at the home of a member

Enjoy a casual night out with friends, fun & laughter. Elaine has been hosting and providing treats for every game night.  If you’d be willing to bring wine, treats or dessert, please let her know. If you’d be willing to host in the future, please contact her.

RSVP by Monday, September 26th to Elaine@thewanderersmsp.org