Ranier Days

So here we are in Minnesota...I am finally in the land of the living again after a nasty cold I received the day after arriving here- so there would be so much more to update on if I had actually done something other than just blow my nose and cry all week! lol But nevertheless we did get out on Saturday and thank goodness because Saturday was Ranier Days! Now what is Ranier Days you may ask, well I'll tell you. The town we live in, Ranier,  is just outside the larger thriving metropolis of International Falls. Since we moved in we have increased the population of Ranier all the way up to 202...yes two hundred and two but don't worry I. Falls has about 6 thousand. I will give you more of an update on what we are learning about Minnesota in another blog but this one is all about Ranier Days! So here's the deal- neither town is big enough to have a fair I suppose so they each have their own little summer bash. In Ranier the day began with a breakfast fundraiser held at the city center- it looked like a preschool-sized lunchroom with a stage- yes everything is cuter in mini- in fact this whole town is just cute- it feels like we've stepped back in time. Anyway the even we were most excited about was the Pooch Parade...oh yeah...there is a no leash law here and they seriously brag up their dogs...so this was a big event- and it was everything we thought it would be no more, no less- there were dogs dressed up walking down the street! Delightful- Ethan loved every second as he is absolutely obsessed with dogs and he tried to join in the parade.

Unfortunately I only snapped a picture when there were only dogs without costumes

Following the Pooch parade was the normal parade complete with old cars and boats...boats are a big deal around here because we are right on Rainy Lake- international waters- the opposite side of the Lake from us is Canada- pretty cool and weird at the same time to see the Canadian water tower in Fort Francis and just to know all those houses across the lake belong to Canadians! Weird!

Ethan waved, smiled and clapped appropriately throughout- it was delightful and wherever we went we were told how adorable our little boy was! Yes thank you, I know he's a doll!

Following consumption of a giant ice-cream cone from the tiny shop on the docks, and a very messy sucker from the parade, and a quick listen to the live orchestra at the gift shop, we decided it was time for a nap- Thus ending our experience with ranier days, we totally had to miss out on the lawn mower drag races and the water barrel and sailboat rides, but sometimes a nap is the best option! So all in all- Ranier days was a hit- it was fun and funny and totally a perfectly painted picture for us of the little town life!