We love Duluth.  We even love winter in Duluth.  But spring – or more accurately the lack of it – can be ever so trying.  Rich has been bemoaning the cloudy skies, which are poor for photography.  I have been cursing the brutal winds, feeling battered and blown about on my morning runs.  Day after day we wake up to the same chill, the same brown earth.  One can handle it only so long.  So we defected, and sought refuge.  We went south.

It was like a feast for the eyes.  Green never looked so inviting, so alive.  Trees actually had leaves and bushes were, yes bushy.  Thick grass sported fresh tracks from a recent lawn mower, and the smell of freshly mown grass filled our nostrils.

Better yet were the blossoms.  Whole trees were blooming in pinks and whites.  The heady perfume wafted through the air.  Gardens were alive with bright tulips, and wildflowers lined the trails.

How novel to be able to go for a bike ride in shorts and short sleeves.  The warm air caressed my skin.  My face turned pink from the heat of the sun.  I was grinning from ear to ear with the pure pleasure of the experience.

It was a short but sweet escape full of sun-filled delights.  Picking dandelions with my grandkids.  Meeting friends for happy hour on an outdoor restaurant patio. Seeing kids out playing, families out walking.  True spring everywhere I looked.

Yes, it was worth going south.  All the way to the Twin Cities.  It sure felt like Florida to me.