Minnesota Archives - Circles in the SandCircles in the Sand

“Why did we leave?” I asked DH, as we drove to Minneapolis airport at the end of a wonderful holiday. “I love America – everything’s so green, so spacious, so easy and I get so many comments about my accent!”

We’d driven past our house, again, and taken a detour so I could retrace a drive I used to do nearly every day when BB was little (a nostalgic form of hara-kiri).

“Let’s move back,” I challenged. “I really think we should. It’s not right that the kids don’t get to play in the woods [referring to a little incident in which we discovered that our desert-raised BB is terrified of forests] and don’t get to enjoy all these lakes,” I continued as I glumly watched the lush scenery pass by. Greenery that will – at the end of the sweltering hot summer – give way to the brilliant red and gold hues of Fall.

‘Minnesota nice’: This lake is just round the corner from our house, and we gave it all up – sigh!

I do this every year on our long summer sojourn. Despite enjoying our Dubai life very much, I remember just how much I love seeing family and friends. How much I enjoy fresh air, my favourite foods, effective customer service and people who understand what I’m saying.

“Well, we had good reasons for moving,” DH reminded me. “Just look how much travelling you’ve done since.” Then he played his trump card with, “And if we came back to America, you wouldn’t have Catherine the Great.”

He gets me with that one, every single time.

Imagining my life without Catherine the Great – yikes..

There are many reasons why I miss the States so much – here are just some of them:

• The wide-open spaces: Big skies, no bumping into people, and always room to swing a cat

• The positive outlook: Americans see the glass as half full

• The can-do attitude: So refreshing and a deep-rooted trait (AmeriCAN)

• The random conversations: Strangers talk to each other, about everything and anything

• The extras: From free wi-fi to refills at restaurants

• The shopping: Target is retail Disneyland and I got to go straight there after our luggage got lost (wooohooo)

• Their love of pets: Cat with an ear infection? No ailment is overlooked

• The seasons: I got to ditch coats I thought were warm in the UK and buy fleece-lined mountain gear instead

• The welcome: With the notable exception of immigration at O’Hare, I’m always welcomed with open arms in America (the accent, perhaps, with the inflections I don’t hear and foreign terms?)

• The opportunities: Be it Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears or just your average schmuck, Americans allow people to mess up and get second, third, even fourth chances

• The patriotism. Americans love their country. Period.

Minnesota, I’ll miss you – though, I must say, it looks like our timing turned out to be good this summer….

Along with seeing dear friends again, one of the things I was really looking forward to in Minneapolis was visiting all my favourite lakes.

I quickly realised, though, that my excitement hadn’t worn off on BB. “Not another lake,” he’d yawn, rolling his eyes at us and letting out a sigh as long as the Mississippi. “They’re bor-ing!”

“Get over it, BB!” we’d reply. “There are 10,000 lakes in this state and if you continue to complain, we’ll take you to EVERY.SINGLE.ONE!”

His little brother, meanwhile, revealed to us that he hadn’t quite grasped the concept of a scenic lake surrounded by nature with no belly-dancing fountains on it.

“Is it indoors or outdoors?” he’d enquire – seemingly satisfied with the answer at least.

As our holiday progressed, the boys did start to appreciate the natural beauty more, especially once they discovered they could kayak, ride pedalos and learn to fish – and they were definitely won over by my favourite lake of all: Lake Superior.

Does this look like a lake to you?

I love America’s Great Lakes. So much so that I couldn’t imagine a nicer place on Earth to celebrate my big birthday. Though to call Lake Superior a lake is surely the biggest under-statement there is. Like calling the Burj Khalifa a high-rise, or the Himalayas a series of hills.

I know I’m really very British – and grew up thinking the English Channel was to be feared – but isn’t a body of water that measures nearly 350 miles from tip to tip and has 350 shipwrecks, tempestuous storms and numerous lighthouses more of a sea than a lake?

The three quadrillion (3,000,000,000,000,000) gallons the lake contains would cover all of Canada, the US, Mexico and South America with one foot of water. Seriously impressive, don’t you think?

Having taken a little jaunt up the North Shore by car and train, what better way to experience the vastness of the lake than by boat. A ‘pizza boat’ to be precise.

Queuing up beside the vessel (bobbing about in surprisingly choppy water, and that was just the harbour), I was astonished to see women in floaty, chiffon dresses and heels with smartly dressed partners. They were led to the lower deck, however, for a more slap-up meal, while we – the pizza eaters (aka families with small children) – were herded to the busy, upper decks for a Pizza Hut-on-sea buffet.

Actually, I think it was Domino’s, as we saw the delivery van speeding off from the port, and the sunset cruise was unexpectedly wonderful. As it was my birthday mini-break, DH chased the boys up and down the decks and stopped them falling overboard, while I gazed out over the water and reflected on the fact that the sun had set on my 30s.

Very special – despite the soggy pizza and the fact I swear the boat lurched as fellow hungry passengers stampeded like elephants over to the buffet.

Dedicated to @Circles in the Sky (DH): Thank you for an amazing, eye-opening decade xx