About Saint Cloud's Sherburne County In Saint Cloud

I must admit, I tend to be one of those people with jumper cables, flashlight, a snap line or tow strap, and a snow shovel in his vehicle and during winter, if we go on a road trip, I will pack a survival pack (chocolate and clothing, blankets, and stocking caps, an air compressor, and water bottles).

The other morning Liz was out, and I was working from the home office, when the doorbell rang. One of the neighbors came over to ask a favor. Could I help him tow his truck which was stalled on the other side of town? I said I wasn't sure I even had a way to do it, as I had no trailer hitch on my new vehicle; so we went to look, and I do have a hard mount tow hook. So, off we went to the north side.

We found his little pick-up where he'd left it, linked up, and off we went. He did a good job of not hitting my new vehicle:) and before long we were back home. We got his truck situated, and as I was headed for home, he said he would return the favor some day. I just smiled and said, "I know." He is the kind of person who will Pay it Forward.

I continue to keep an eye out for those I can quietly help, inspired by the many stories I have seen in ActiveRain. I continue to be prepared to Pay It Forward, with a tow strap, or air compressor, or jumper cables, or a spare quarter for the parking meter :)

The Saint Cloud MN Fire station caught fire, and you thought you had a bad day.

Not long ago I had a bad day. A Really Bad Day, and as often happens, it was on a Monday! The feature of the day was my Buyer getting rejected by the Lender, and subsequent events piled on until, by late afternoon I was feeling pretty well Whipped!

I have had bad days like this before, and will again. Sometimes it's minor stuff like finding the chandelier in a vacant home, while walking backwards and talking to the Buyers. Ouch, crash, smash!

We've all had days when it seems like everything is going wrong, and you just have to take a mandatory breath of air, and push on through. I have gone out the back door and walked around the parking lot to clear my head. You tell yourself, "Tomorrow will be better.", or, "Heck, I'm glad I got all that outta the way. The rest of the month should be a breeze!", and "I think I'll buy a Powerball on the way home!"

This morning on my way to the office I drove by the St. Cloud Fire Department Station near our home, and noticed a charred fire engine out front. Then I noticed the burned building behind it. Yup, the Saint Cloud fire department caught on fire! One firefighter has a bit of smoke inhalation and is being treated at the hospital, the building was heavily damaged and the firetruck is a total loss. But aside from one firefighter, who will be fine, everyone is okay. Thank goodness!

It seems the fire engine had an electrical problem and simply started on fire and next thing they knew the fire station was ablaze. Residential garage fires can happen in this same manner, although in this area it's usually because someone leaves the car running to warm it up.

Up until now I took them for granted. I figured we were pretty secure with a fire station just over the hill, whenever we needed them. (side note: we did need them last spring, and they were the first ones to arrive, in the very truck that burned up this morning)

Here is my perspective. This could happen to anyone! Tuesday we had a violent storm roll in with 58 mph winds and driven rain that took out trees and flooded basements, and knocked out power to parts of the city; and we came through okay. Last night the local St. Cloud fire station burned. These things could happen to anyone at any time, so count your blessings, say your prayers, and hug your family and tell them you love them. Oh, and pay your insurance on time:)

Paying it forward - Great Pumpkin style

This was not anything that we had planned, as a matter of fact it started out as a joke. A friend of ours grew pumpkins this year and had a huge crop, knowing that Liz likes to can and to bake he called and asked if she would like some pumpkins. Well of course she said yes. Here comes the joke part, He brought over an entire truck load of pumpkins while we were out and put them on the walk way in front of our house. (I am quite sure that our neighbors thought we were crazy when they saw the pile)

We needed to find a good home for the some (OK Most) of the pumpkins, so we have started donating and giving away pumpkins. A dance troupe from Africa (children who have lost their parents) ended up with several to enjoy carving (we heard that most of them had never seen a pumpkin), which was really fun for them. Anyone we know with kids gets pumpkins.

Some clients I have called have declined, saying they had enough pumpkins, but this gave us a chance to reconnect and chat. To catch up on things in thier lives and ours. They appreciated the thought!

We have gotten to meet several of our neighbors and have reconnected with others. It has been great fun playing the great pumpkin and giving out pumpkins to local groups and to our clients, neighbors, friends and family. Next week when we carve a couple of the pumpkins that were best suited for carving I will have to remember to take pictures to post. Happy Halloween, and if you are in the Saint Cloud MN area and would like a pumpkin or 2 give me a call or shoot me an email, as the freezer is full.

The Reformatory Wall at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Saint Cloud

The Minnesota Correctional Facility in Saint Cloud MN a level four, close-security institution. This might seem like a strange thing to include in the list of wonderful reasons to love Saint Cloud and Central MN, but it is a definite part of the landscape in our society and here in Saint Cloud. The prison provides a needed service, offers good jobs in the area and has some bragging rights based on its construction and design.

The Minnesota Correctional Facility campus is 240 acres, 40 acres of the land was originally a solid granite ledge. The Facility was built in 1889, and is the site of the first granite quarry in the state. The quarry opened in 1868 and in 1885 when the legislators needed to find a place to build a reformatory they wanted a site that included one of the states quarries. The east St. Cloud, Sherburne County site was chosen in 1887 and was said to contain enough granite to keep convicts busy for hundreds of years.

The inmates mined the granite for commercial use until 1891, when pressure from the surrounding quarries mounted and the legislature decided to have the inmates build a granite wall for the prison. The original wall made of 16ft high oak planks would not survive as well as a granite wall and there was plenty of excellent material and labor.

The Reformatory Wall at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Saint Cloud is 22 feet high, 4 feet wide at the base tapering to 3 feet wide at the top. When completed, in 1922, the Reformatory Wall formed an amazing mile and 1/2 enclosure. The wall was quarried, dressed and laid completely by the inmates of the prison. The tailings, scrap and remnants from the building process were used as crushed stone for highways, this continued until about 1930.

The Saint Cloud Minnesota Correctional Facility's Reformatory Walls claims to fame include:

• the second longest connected wall in the United States,
• the largest granite wall in the United States
• one of the most extensive outlays of granite in the United States
• the longest wall in the world built entirely by penal labor

Currently on Highway 10, at the intersection with Minnesota Boulevard, the state is installing a new traffic light. Instead of driving by at 60 MPH it will now be easier for people traveling on Hwy 10 to really take a look at the massive structure that is the Reformatory Wall at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Saint Cloud.

The Falls of Our Fallen is a massive waterfall sitting along side of Hwy 10 close to the over pass of Hwy 23 on the east side of Saint Cloud MN. Many people drive by it everyday and do not even notice it as (thankfully) they are watching the traffic around them. However lately with the construction on the Highway I have heard more people talking about the huge waterfall and wondering what it is for, as it just seems to be sitting there between businesses along the highway.

The 2 1/2 story waterfall is named Falls of Our Fallen and it was built by American Heritage National Bank to honor the heritage of the community and its people. It is a memorial built to honor our veterans, law enforcement officers, and firefighters who gave their life for their community and their country.

Designed and develpoed by Rodger Johnston, the CEO of American Heritage National Bank, the Falls of Our Fallen is built from 220 Tons of granite that are supported with reinforced concrete. The amazing structure honoring our fallen heros circulates up to 1,000 gallons of water per minute. The water is stored in an underground tank and holding pond with a capacity of 15,000 gallons. The Falls of Our Fallen has 2 waterfalls one faces north and one faces south.

Beautiful symbolism was built into the design with the addition of bronze eagles perched above the falls. At the center of the falls is a silver eagle with one of our fallen cradled in its wings. It is a stunning tribute to the men and women it was built to memorialize, our heroes, who have helped make the United States of America the greatest country in the world.

"Their Gift of Life is our Freedom."