What's a little -10 windchill when there are hot dogs to be roasted? Recently I received an email from our church small group leader, who also happens to be the small group coordinator for Faith. In July we attended the Independence Day Picnic at Interstate State Park on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. This email announces a picnic with just as extreme weather as the painfully humid day of the last picnic, only this one announced an event that is just about as far away in temperatures as Minnesota can get.

Winter Picnic XV is a uniquely Minnesotan event where hearty Scandinavians and wanna-be's like us get together and have a picnic at the St. Croix River Boom Site. Hot dogs (or something else for those of us that are pregnant and told to avoid nitrates) hot cocoa and s'mores are served and a fire is laid along the edge of the river. From the photos in the invitation, it looks like a chilly and fun time will be had by all.

I'm really excited because we have had plenty of opportunity to explore places like Ft. Snelling State Park, Interstate State Park, have gone pretty far into Wisconsin and enjoyed the remote beauty of places like Asheville, we have also visited pretty much every park along the Mississippi in the Twin Cities area, but we haven't done much along the St. Croix (which partially forms the border between WI and MN.) The Boom Site, near Stillwater is also on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Waterway. Sadly, it sounds as if it has become a somewhat forgotten site, and I would love to explore a landmark like this that hasn't been overrun by visitors and garbage, although it sounds like the place might be in trouble due to neglect.

It will be strange to consider packing both snowshoes and our orange Kelsyus beach chairs for the same event, but it should be an exciting and frigid time of fun. Long underwear is definitely in order, and I may try to manhandle my bulging belly into a pair of snow pants, although zipping them has been abandoned before it is even attempted. Thanks to my yearly Christmas Stocking, I also have quite the storehouse of pocket hand-warmers that should come in handy.