Yesterday we went to the Land Of The Loon Festival in Virginia. (Named because all the girls are virginians) This is becomeing a tradition. We went last year. It was good to get out of Duluth because it is Grandma's Marathon week-end and about 60,000 people show up and crowd the place. You can't get a seat at the House Of Pancakes or Denny's for any amount of money. (Actually, there isn't either a IHOP or Denny's in Duluth but I used them as a universal reference because you might not recognize the humour (spelled that way because I WAS in England last month) if I had written Perkins or OCB)

If you have a desparate need for a "Welcome to our Home" sign, or a candle holder made out of barbwire, or a plaque that says, "Sit Down and Fart A While"...then, the Loon Festival is for you! It isn't that I didn't spend any money...I spent a bundle. Five dollars for Cheese cruds...oops...typo....supposed to be Cheese curds, but now that I think of the effect on my arteries, cheese cruds is appropriate. Had some onion rings...started to hear a sound like a rubber-band stretching coming from inside my chest...and a bit later a festival made nachos grande. Ignoring the shooting pain in my left arm I managed to find room for a home-made ice-cream-dipped-in-chocolate-the-size-of-a-dinner-plate and a couple of diet Cokes and half a baby aspirin.

My cardio-vascular surgeon and God willing, I plan on being at the Loon Festival next year too and I WILL find the Italian Sausage with peppers, onions, and mozarella booth. My brother has agreed to carry the paddles for the heart resuscitation machine. Hope your summer is as fun as mine is and let me know if there are other good festivals in my future. My goal is to eat Minnesota State Fair food for every meal.

btw-I liked the Soprano ending.

Rob