The 2025 annual Minn Clan gathering was in St. Paul, Minnesota, during September 9 through September 12. Gail and Al arrived on Monday, a day ahead of time, to have dinner with Gail’s brother, Guy, and his children, Niki and Troy at Gorman’s Restaurant in Lake Elmo. We enjoyed reminiscing with stories that included falling down stairs, Grandpa Henjes, and other old times. Appropriately, the background music was pre-Beatles rock. We stayed at Bill and Julie’s apartment complex, Greenhouse Village, on Larpenteur Avenue in Roseville. Gail and Al stayed in the Daisy Guest room, and Bob and Lolly stayed in the Rose Guest room. Maija stayed in the Burke’s spare room. Tuesday morning, we visited the local farmers market where we acquired fresh farm corn and a large bag of kettle corn that lasted longer than our gathering. Maija arrived in the afternoon with pies and a case of Spotted Cow smuggled out of Wisconsin. We went to dinner at the Chianti Grill that evening. It was raining heavily when we finished eating, but we got home safely.

Greenhouse Village	The Lobby

Our adventures started on Wednesday. In the morning, Julie took Maija, Gail, and Al to the boardwalk in Roseville’s Central Park. The boardwalk circled through a marsh. We saw lots of flowers, a green heron, ducks, a couple of warblers, and other birds. I wished that I had brought binoculars.

We returned to Greenhouse Village for a free lunch of hot dogs and potato salad. It was followed by a presentation on efforts to control Emerald Ash Borers and to restore the city’s tree cover.

Later that afternoon we all went to Allianz Field to see The Calling a 32-foot high sculpture of a loon created by Andy Scott. Scott also created the 98-foot high horse heads in Fallkirk, Scotland, called The Kelpies, which we saw when we visited Scotland in 2018. Next we went to the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota to see the three bronze statues of bulls in front of Haecker Hall.

Bob and Lolly arrived in the early evening, and we had a filling, evening meal of lasagna, salad, and bread sticks from Olive Garden.

An expanse of bur-marigolds and cattails	Gail, Maja, and Julie on the Boardwalk
The Calling with Julie, Bill, Gail, and Maija	The Bull Statues created by artist Peter Woytuk

Thursday’s adventures began with lunch at Owamni, a Native American Restaurant on the bank of the Mississippi River. With guidance from the waitress, we sampled a number of small plates, ranging from the exotic Crickets & Popcorn to the more conventional Red Corn Soup and Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding. Surprisingly to me, the background music was pre-Beatles pop music, not Native American music.

After our meal, we walked down to the Stone Arch Bridge Park. The bridge was recently repaired for foot- and bike-traffic.

Our next stop was the Minneapolis Art Museum to see the seed art winners from the Minnesota State Fair. We were also impressed by a statue at the entrance, The Fighter of the Spirit. The statue was made by German Ernst Barlach to represent an angel defeating the wolf of greed. The Nazis tied to destroy the statue, but it was rescued.

In the evening, we supped on Julie’s Portuguese Kale Soup and some of the pie that Maija brought.

Bob about to enter Owamni	Green Beans with Duck Remoulade and Crispy Onions
The Stone Arch Bridge	The Pillsbury Building across the river

Bob and Gail looking at seed paintings of Goat and of the Wave	Gail, Bob, Julie, and Maija with the The Fighter of the Spirit

Bob with the Dutch Baby pancake
	Friday began with a Dutch Baby pancake, a treat from Bob for all. (Page 20 of the “Around Our Table: Recipes from our Life” cookbook. Then we dispersed. Bill took Al and Gail to the airport for their flight back to Baltimore. Maija drove back to Madison. Bob and Lolly stayed on one day more to visit the Mayos on Saturday.

Bob and Ann Zink did not attend this gathering. Bob passed away in August. We missed Bob’s good humor, intelligence, and wisdom at this gathering and will miss him in the future.

Responsible: Albert Holm
Created: 17 September 2025; updated 11 October 2025