This just in: thieves suck.

...the most.
It's my last day here in Minneapolis, and unfortunately my sister-in-law and I got a harsh reminder last night that for all its mid-west, Minnesota Friendly, people still occasionally suck here just as much as anywhere else.

First things first though, I have to admit this has been quite a trip. I'm not generally much for urban areas. Cities make me feel claustrophobic, and a little harried in all that hurry and asphalt. I'm surprised, though, how much I liked Minneapolis, right off the bat. The pet boutiques I visited, and the areas around them, were artsy without pretension, urbane without being supercilious. There are several lakes, a chain of them in fact, scattered right through the heart of the city--beautiful stretches of greenspace and getaway with over forty miles of foot- and bike path crisscrossing the city. As previously mentioned, the skyline is gorgeous at night, and the historic warehouse district (former home of General Mills and Pillsbury processing plants) still keeps the Gold Medal Flour marquee burning. The MIA and Walker museums are here, along with some of the most beautiful period homes I've seen.

Our trip to the northern Minnesota wilds was everything I could have hoped for, if far, far too short. No amount of time spent there is ever enough. I was incredibly fortunate to have married into a family of the most kind and caring folks I have ever known in my life, and spending a weekend every few years with them just doesn't even begin to approach enough. We arrived Friday around lunchtime and spent the rest of the weekend chatting, napping, laying around and enjoying the solitude, and stuffing ourselves silly with wild fish and game, Sharon's remarkable (secret recipe) coleslaw, blueberry pie and peach cobbler. The one downside to visiting this time of year is that we showed up right smack in the middle of the full swing of the two-week shooting season for deer, so long, early-morning runs in the Chippewa national forest which is their back yard were unfortunately out... both to avoid being plugged by an over-ambitious gun hunter and to avoid disturbing the hunt for people who hunt for subsistence, living year-round on what they're able to harvest in this short window of opportunity.

We were back late on Sunday for JJ's return to the pressing matters of life and law school. Charles and I are hoping to make a trip back maybe this summer in a repeat of the Great Road Trip of 2006 wherein we made a 6500 mile trek around the western half of the US with all my gear and a big, white dog in the back seat. I'd spend all summer at that cabin if I could.

Monday was great, Docent Larry was kind enough to smuggle me into the MIA for research purposes on a day where the museum is closed to the public. We visited a few of the permanent collection exhibitions we'd not had time for on Thursday and did a little more communing with Olive Trees. I brought along my sketchbook and pencil roll and took a lot of sketches and photos for research. We attended a discussion group regarding museum acquisitions, which was really interesting, and later in the day met with Larry's friend Margaret Osbourne, an emerging lampwork glass artist with whom I hope to align on some upcoming collar projects. Dinner time rolled around and we decided to pick up JJ at the law library and grab some moussaka and spanakopita at a Greek restaurant voted best in the city for eight consecutive years. The food was great, but after a leisurely and enjoyable meal we strolled out to find Margaret's car windows smashed in, with my semi-professional digital camera and JJ's backpack being the casualties. I'd thought to bring my camera in to the restaurant but decided against at the last second, instead stashing it under the seat, figuring that in such a busy area such minimal precautions were enough. The real tragedy, though, was JJ's backpack, which happened to contain her laptop (lame, but not a complete crisis) and a zip drive containing the entirety of her law studies along with all her photos from her European travels. In one fell swoop a couple theives walked off with her entire professional portfolio--something completely useless to them. My camera is easily replaced--lame, but no big deal. I'm far more bummed about the loss all the photos I took of the trip, the cabin, the art, but that doesn't even begin to touch the tragedy of the loss of JJ's work. Countless hours of study and labor, lost in an instant, and she's understandably devastated over the loss.

We walked through the alley, checking all the dumpsters, circling the block in case they'd grabbed the laptop and tossed the bag, but no luck. The Minneapolis PD showed up. They were very nice but pretty thoroughly unhelpful. They basically took a report and said they'd give us a call if either item showed up, but really not much else they can do. I'm not holding my breath.

Meanwhile, I'm heading out in a few minutes to spend a last hour at the MIA in the Egypt and Chinese ceramics collections before Larry drops me off at the airport and I begin the trek home. Please send your very best wishes for an uneventful trip home!