The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid

   Those of you who know movie history will recognize the title of this episode to also be the title of a little-seen 1972 movie starring Cliff Robertson and Robert Duvall:

I've mentioned our looking forward to the Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield, MN, so now it's time for a short history lesson.

  On September 7, 1876, the James/Younger gang rode into Northfield intent on robbing the First National Bank. They'd been on a crime spree across the Midwest for quite a while and had been robbing banks and encountering little resistance. They expected Northfield to offer more easy pickings and rolled into town calm and confident.

  Unfortunately for them, alert townsfolk noticed them and quickly suspected they were up to no good. While three of the eight gang members were inside terrorizing the bank staff the locals were preparing to confront the rest of the gang outside, gathering rifles, shotguns and pistols. Determined not to accede to the outlaws' demands to open the safe, the bank's cashier, Joseph Lee Heywood, was killed for his courageous stand. Meanwhile, out in the street, the townspeople had begun shooting at the other gang members who were taking casualties. The robbers quickly exited the bank, joined their comrades and got out of town quickly, leading to a massive manhunt.

  This was a singular event in the town's history and, for the past 75 years, they have been celebrating it and Joseph Lee Heywood's courageous sacrifice. That brings me to this weekend's festivities, The Defeat of Jesse James Days.

  We started with Friday evening's re-enactment of the events:

  From there, we headed over for some delicious eats at the food trucks that were surprisingly not outrageously overpriced. Even though we were in landlocked Minnesota Penny was able to snare what may be the best crab cake either of us has ever tasted. I, on the other hand, had been jonesing for a corn dog since we were at Crescent Beach in Surrey. I was not disappointed here as it was also a remarkable taste treat. After dinner it was on to the rodeo, where we enjoyed all the traditional western horsey things like Bronco Busting:

Calf Roping...

Steer Wrestling...

Barrel Racing...

and Bull Riding...

By far, the weirdest thing we witnessed was something called Mutton Bustin' where parents enter their little kids in an event that expects them to ride sheep:

Strange but true. Welcome to Minnesota, although this may be a midwestern thing. More research may be required.

  The whole rodeo thing was very entertaining but the start of it was a bit unsettling. The emcee asked the crowd to stand while a woman rode a horse around the corral holding an American flag. Expected. A recorded rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Check. That was when things went over the top. The emcee proceeded to have a personal conversation with Jesus, asking Him to ensure the safety of US troops abroad, guarantee the freedom of the country and its way of life and generally affirm that the country and its people were The Chosen Ones.

  Penny and I looked at each other as this went on for a full five minutes, wondering if we were to be set upon as intruders, not of the body. If you want a cinematic example of what happened check out the rodeo scene in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. It wasn't staged. Just being there provided some insight as to Donald Trump's unbelievable popularity in the Midwest.

  This is a populace that is insular and overtly Christian extremist. We haven't seen a person of colour or a non-Christian house of worship anywhere, except in Minneapolis, since we left Canada. LGBTQ+? Forget about it. I wasn't intending to turn this into a liberal rant but the homogeneity of the residents offers some explanation as to regional attitudes, unsettling to someone who comes from a multicultural society. Anyway, seriousness over.

  Saturday we took in the local car club event and were treated to a couple of hundred examples of 1950s and 1960s Detroit Iron. Foreign cars? Three. I won't belabour the point. Of course, during our excursions back and forth to Northfield we were able to snap some pics of outsized animal life, like this true to life example of what happens if you don't hire the exterminator that lives here:

Army ants for sure but, American army ants? Note the one on the ladder. So patriotic. Oh, and who can resist a cow on a stick:

And I think I'll leave it there for now.

  We've been here for almost two weeks and it's been all the things we hoped it would be. The house has been comfortable and the cats have been a breeze, if you ignore Radar's squeaking at 5 am and Bongo mutely ignoring us. The homeowners maintain a small garden plot that has allowed us to enjoy fried tomatoes on toast repeatedly. For those of you not familiar with this dish I can provide the recipe. Try it. You'll like it!

  WIldlife? Every night brings the deer out of the forest to forage. Mornings are when the wild turkeys strut across the backyard, including a brood of chicks. There's my nightly conversation with Rocky, the raccoon who comes out to chew the acorns under the oak in the front yard. Hummingbirds and dragonflies you've already heard about. To paraphrase Ray Kinsella from my favourite movie, it's not heaven, it's Minnesota.

  We're entering our final few days here, after which we'll make our way home after our summer-long journey of discovery. We can't wait to see everyone and we freely admit this trip has been too long by about a month. But, oh, what memories! I think I've got one more installment to write, but it will wait until we're on our way.