Learn a new skill or technique amid the beauty of the bluffs

Relax amid the beauty of the bluffs as you learn a new skill or technique this summer.  I know that you will enjoy Running Dog Ranch located atop a bluff on an old Swedish farmstead.  I have assembled a line up of interesting classes at Running Dog Ranch Folk Craft and Learning Center that I think you will like, too.  Take a look below.   

• Travel Journal - Nature Writing:  An American Tradition,  Sat, July 13, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• Birch Tree Painting,  Sat, July 20,   2 - 6 p.m. 
• Sheep to Loom - A Journey  (Adults)  Fri, July 26, 1 - 5 p.m.
• Sheep to Loom - A Simply Fun Trail (teens 12+) Tues, July 30, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Navajo Weaving Thurs - Sun, Aug 8 - 11,  9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Beginning Norsk Relief Carving Workshop  Fri - Sun, Aug 9 - 11
• Beyond Strumming Guitar Workshop:  Release Yourself from the Habit of Playing All Six Strings and Open Up to New Possibilities Sat, Aug 10, 2 - 4 p.m.
• Extend the Growing Season Workshop - new update!  Sat, Aug 10, 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Build and Bake in a Portable Brick Oven Sat, Aug 17, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Find out more about the instructors and fees for the classes here.

I still have openings in all these classes.  Normally, I like to get the reservations for the class two weeks in advance so that I can get the materials, alert the instructor, and prepare for the class.  I am offering you the opportunity to sign up for the Travel Journal and the Birch Tree Painting classes even though one is a week away and the other is near the two week cut off. 

If you make your reservation four weeks in advance, you will receive a 5% discount on the class fee.  If you are a resident of Bay City, Maiden Rock, Stockholm, or Pepin, you also receive a discount.  You can receive one discount per class.     

Make reservations soon for the classes you want by contacting me.

We’d love to see you,
Corrine Young
Running Dog Ranch Folk Craft and Learning Center

Enjoy the natural abundance…

We love the abundance of nature just out our door at A Sense of Place and Spring Street Inn in Stockholm.  Our yard, a Certified Wildlife Habitat, is teeming with birds, butterflies, and beautiful plants.  Up and down the street, flowers are bursting with color and fragrance.  Eagles and hawks soar overhead.  Across the Great River Road, Lake Pepin offers new sights every day.   

We want to help you enjoy the natural abundance in our backyard and yours, too.  With that in mind, we are building our stock of hands-on items for appreciating nature.  You will find birdhouses galore at A Sense of Place, all of them locally handmade of durable, natural materials.  Get a closer look at nature with our three different sets of binoculars.  Choose a 10 power, a zoom 10 - 30 power, or a 5 power for kids. 

Introduce kids to nature though a book from our selection that includes see-through pages, accompanying CDs, and other tools to capture their imaginations.  Identify wildlife and plants yourself by using one of our nature guides which cover the entire Midwest.  Whatever the depth of your reading experience, you will discover a book you’ve never seen before at A Sense of Place. 

Buy a kite featuring animals or a rainbow of colors and experience the power of the wind.  Our kites start at $10. 

Stop by, and we’ll help you find more fun in nature.  Stay the night at Spring Street Inn to absorb firsthand the wonders of nature in our backyard.  

We’d love to see you again,
Paul and Pam Larson
A Sense of Place and Spring Street Inn
Stockholm  

Celebrate the arrival of summer with us…

Celebrate the arrival of summer with us at our annual Midsommer Swedish Festival this Saturday, June 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  In anticipation of the event, we have colored the village with beautiful flowers.  You’ll even see some of us wearing wreaths of flowers on our heads Saturday, too. 

You’ll find a bit of Sweden throughout the village.  From Swedish music in all the shops to Swedish treats at the eateries, we merchants are honoring Stockholm’s roots.  Join us and immerse yourself in the sounds and scents of Sweden.  Take a class at Ingebretsen’s and learn a Swedish craft.  Get into the Midsommer spirit at 4:00 at SideSpot Park in decorating and raising the Maistang, the Swedish maypole.  

We’ve been eager for summer a long time.  This Saturday soak in the spectacle of green along the Great River Road.  Take a drive to Stockholm and celebrate the arrival of summer with us.

We’d love to see you again,

Stockholm Merchants  

Indulge in the relaxing decadence…

At TansyHus a historical vacation rental, we enjoy the comments our guests leave in our journal about their adventures while visiting.  We love Heather C’s message in a child’s large but legibly-printed letters.  “Heather C. is a funny monkey and wants to live in this house FOREVER AND EVER!  Well, at least for a decade.”

Another group of guests were “off to pick apples at Maiden Rock Winery and Cidery.  We headed home in the rain.  We will be back next summer on a sunny day to pick berries.”

Sometimes, our guests’ purpose is to do nothing at all.  “This house is bigger, brighter, and cleaner than my own and has a faster Internet connection, too!  The place is loaded with charm and comfort…  On day one we just rattled around this big ole place with no pretense.  It seemed so very decadent.  We read and walked, read and napped, read and ate, read, and then retired for the night.”

Last fall, a guest and her husband extended their stay after discovering the Great River Wine Trail.  They deemed the wine from locally-grown grapes quite outstanding, much to their happy surprise.  As the day ended, they relaxed on the veranda and watched a storm roll in.

We invite you to book a stay at TansyHus, relax on our veranda, savor the local produce, and indulge in the decadence of charm and comfort.  Call Sandra on her cell at 626-523-8910 or e-mail smyklebust@tansyhus.com.  

We’d love to see you,

John and Sandra

TansyHus