Minneapolis, Mt Joy & my Mama

My mom and I took a quick trip to Minneapolis together to go see Mt Joy play at a brewery in the downtown university neighbourhood. This was a first time experience for my mom, who’d never been anywhere in the states besides Michigan… my friend Mel and I spent a single night in Minneapolis last August on our cross country road trip, but I’d never really gotten to see the twin cities much besides at night.

Last year, my mom graciously drove me all the way from our home in the Soo to Jasper Alberta over the course of a few days, something I’m very grateful to have gotten to experience with her. Neither of us are especially well-travelled, and anywhere prior that I’d had travelled to was on my own volition and never alongside her (besides the odd trip to Toronto). It was very cool to get to see the ever changing landscape of Canada moving westward, but even more so to be able to relish in these memories with my best friend in the whole world.

Heading towards Minneapolis, although this distance only covered the western stretch of Ontario north of us, was reminiscent through witnessing the differences upon crossing state lines, and how that compares to the vastness of provinces above. From a border town experience, when you visit certain parts of the States, it is hard to tell you’re in a whole other country than when you’re in Canada. But lots of the little towns in Michigan and Wisconsin felt a world apart.

Sometimes I think about how my relationship with my mom shifts overtime the further I grow into adulthood, and how we can experience these things together as both mother/daughter and as friends. I also often think about how there are so many lovely firsts my mom gets to experience into her fifties and it makes me feel nice to know I don’t have to do it all so fast. Since our first road trip, she has collected mugs from every state and province she’s been to. It used to be 3, now she’s covered 7! Gotta get her out east next.

Mt Joy was lovely as they sound recorded. We sat in a field, ate lobster rolls (something I never thought I’d do at a concert, let alone one in Minnesota?), got matching merch. Filled a 9 hour car ride with philosophical debate and our 98% shared Spotify blend. I imagine if I were to take a road trip with myself but 25 years my senior, it’d feel very similar.

Oh! I also found a shop to get my second Kodak disposable developed. I had the worst time with the turnouts of my first but this one was spectacular. It amazes me with less than 30 takes I can get so many keepers, but on our phones with 128 GB of storage, I hate every photo I take! How ungrateful we become when we’re given too much freedom I suppose.