But it also was not far from a big city, which kept it from withering after the inevitable bust. And it lay on a beautiful river, now part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. It took plenty of sisu to settle Embarrass. The soil is poor, allowing farmers to do little more than grow potatoes and raise a few cows. On a certain lake in northern Minnesota, breezes stir calm azure water and the boughs of birch and jack pine.
Ospreys nest nearby on an old power pole.
Though Chicago residents pride themselves on their heartiness during the dead of winter, those who live in Minneapolis-St. Paul boast a cold-weather spunk worth saluting with humility. Or a song. The six huskies of my team pull strongly across the flats. When the trail leads uphill, however, the hounds resemble highway workers in a construction zone.