the notes for my DUFF report and get you all interested in my exciting adventures at
the same time as I'll take up with what happened in Minneapolis so far.
                                                                    To begin with
we were met at the airport by Fred Haakeli, this was a relief as we'd heard about the
ringing receptions that Minneapolis is renowned fox.  Thank Ghod I said and then we
walked past this little construction on the concourse  and there were six or seven
Minneapolis fans there and one had a funny little three stringed instrument and they
sang a strange version of "Waltzing  Matilda".  We were a bit flattered and a bit
bemused by the strange antics.  Then everybody but Fred and another went off and we
lept into Fred’s little (by US standards) car and got driven to where Fred lives.
It's supposed to be in a run down part of the city but I don't quite believe it.
                                                                                 We
expressed interest in food and having a look at the city so Fred served as native
guide and took us for a walk to downtown Minneapolis where we investigated the form
of food known as Subs and walked about the skyway system which must be s marvelous
invention in winter when, so everybody keeps telling us, it knows a lot.  We also
investigated a bank where we got our travelers cheques turned into spendable money,
a bit of the library and a bit of the museum and also pottered around the streets and
shops a bit more.  There were a few visitors that night but we didn't last too long.
On Saturday we went with Fred and Ruth Odren to a Minn-Stf meeting which wasn't too
exciting since most of the people there seemed to be involved in playing Dungeon
which is okay if you're really interested in that soft of thing and you get there at
the beginning of the game.  So we hung about for a while until it was highly obvious
that there was no point in staying any longer.  So we drove back to the area and
picked up Jerry Stearns who had earlier said that he'd come with us if we were going
to be going to a Burger King.  So we got there and instead ended up going over the
road to a place called Embers where they sell hamburgers and very nice strawberry pie.
Valroa is one of those people who has eyes bigger than her stomach so that she was
bloated by the time she got through the mass of delicacy which we are a bit unused
to in our native land.
                   In the end we ended up back at Fred's apartment again and there
was a sort of party which kept us entertained until all hours of the morning and also
ended up arranging a Jim Young all-walking all-talking two hour tour of the immediate
area of Minneapolis.
                 The next day began very instructively with Pro football on the tv
with Fred giving a running commentary on the points which would-be obvious to one
who had known the sport for a long time but would not be as obvious to people looking
at it for the first time.  Sometime during the middle of the game Ken Fletcher, Don
Blyly and Jim Young arrived and so after the game had finished and we had collected
ourselves we set off.  For some reason or another we ended up at a Dairy Queen
establishment where Valma and I (not knowing better) ordered the largest serves of
whatever we wanted and got well overfed.
                                        The next place we called on was a pretty
little park with ducks swimming in it and from there we walked up and down hills
looking at houses and scenery (not to mention calling in at the Guthrie Centre).
There was after that another lake which had something to do with Owls but all I saw
were ducks, sand gnats and frisbee players.  Then we came across a slightly odd house
which was said to be the first house that Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed and after
we walked a bit further it was time to eat so we stopped at a place called the
Rainbow Restaurant which was quite strange and about as middle class as they come
though the roses in their solitary vases were quite genuine.  We emerged and the sun
had gone down and we began walking in the general direction of Freds' place.  We
were walking over a bridge which turned out to be a railway  bridge and quite by
accident a train appeared so we stopped to look.  There were three locomotives which
I thought was a bit excessive until I counted up to 126 wagons which is what they had
attached on behind.  I reckon it was one way to learn about the vastness of US
commerce.
        We kept on walking and made a side visit in at the abode of Tom Foster where
we chatted a bit and looked at an absolutely ridiculous tv show called "Police
Surgeon".  Finally we woke Jim Young and headed home but no sooner had we walked in
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