We day

You've heard about my "Me Days."  I've written about them before.

(Which reminds me, I haven't had one in a very long time.)

Well, my husband and I have occasional "We Days."  Only not often enough, we decided.

They're like other couples' date nights. Only we're not ones for going out at night, so we have "we days" instead.

We had one last Sunday. A perfect-weather, lazy Sunday afternoon. Cool but sunny; great light, fresh breeze; no traffic into downtown St. Paul.

We started on a mission to purchase tickets to the Ordway Center. It was the first day that open ticket sales (versus the subscription series) were offered and I wanted to make sure I got the best seats for seven of us - my daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughters and great-granddaughter. We go every year. It's my Christmas gift to the girls.

This year is the first year we've added the 4-year-olds. The performance is Cinderella.  How we could not include our little ones for Cinderella?

Tickets in hand, satisfied with both the seating and the prices, we strolled from the Ordway, past the historic and grand St. Paul Public Library, across Kellogg Boulevard to be delighted with the new landscaping at the Science Museum.

Or new to us, as we don't get there very often.

In addition to beautiful gardens in full bloom, they've added a lookout platform which affords a wonderful panoramic view of the Mississippi River.

From the platform, I could see my friend, Carol's, houseboat, bedecked with bright geraniums facing the river. A few years back, she put her house up for sale and moved there full-time. A professional writer, she added a second story studio. No stranger to the river, sailing is her passion.

Below the platform, on the ground walk-out level of the museum, is a wonderful labyrinth. We watched, mesmerized, as a young woman was making her way through the lush green maze.

I wondered if she was pondering or praying, or simply enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon, as we were.

Leaving the Science Museum, we strolled back along Market Street, admiring the gardens at The Saint Paul Hotel, with its doormen with top hats greeting guests and passers-by.

We headed around the corner, down Fifth Street, topping off our late afternoon with a soothing glass of wine and scrumptious wood-fired artisan pizza at Pazzaluna, dining outdoors on the street patio.

It was dusk as we headed home.  A bit heady from the wine, perhaps, but mostly feeling the glow of the simple time of an afternoon spent together.

Our We Day. We really must do it more often.