You do bring up some interesting thoughts. There are actually older buildings in MN, but perhaps not so many north of the Twin Cities area. Of course Indians were here long before the folks who decided to build such structures. And a lot of the older buildings are no longer standing too…this is entitled ‘oldest still standing’. Minnesota is North and Center of the continent pretty much. So it took a while longer for people to get going away from the coasts and up in the cold northlands, thusly you see it settled later than the coastal areas. (however, these are pretty obvious statements I am making to be sure.)

I agree…there are no midevil castles, only forts that I think would even slightly rival some of the castles of Europe.

This all being an extremely loose answer to your wonderful comments.

Now on to the ‘heating’ element which has me going as well. Absolutely if they were going to spend more than 5 months out of the year in Minnesota the’d need heat. That being some sort of fire. However, would not always, at that point in history, have to be a fireplace. The roof on the house has quite an pitch to it and you can not really see the other side. Quite possibly it was a wood stove, perhaps more than one, that was used to do the heating. Coal is also a possibility at that time. Then then there might well be vents (stove pipe) that ran up and out instead of something that looked like a brick chimney. And might not be seen from the side of the house I took the photos from due to the pitch of the roof.

All that said and done…I don’t know and have written the Crow Wing Historical Society about it, asking them, since they are basically the ones who are currently responsible for taking care of the house and any restoration that might take place. I will let you know what I hear! Thank you for asking!

Now to throw on to the end of this regarding your response to me for your post above.

Ahhh – thank you, it is true, the American people and government are not toally always ‘one’. I for one haven’t see *too* much of it, but my youngest daughter did hear a lot about being an American when she went to live in London. Not a lot of nice things, though for the most part the people in London were very kind to her and there she stayed for 5 years. Now she is returning home to live and work and I *know* she is going to be missing her friends and the action living such a large and bustling city as London provided her. Still…she misses home and we are thankful for that for it is bringing her back to us.

Tumblewords – Thank you!

Maureen – Too scared to visit New York? Why? I think it’s no worse than any big city is these days? You have to be careful in them all, regarding muggers and pickpockets etc. Sad, but it’s the way of the world.

Lily – Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the tour!

Jama – We now have different coloured taxis here, too, but in New York, they still all seem to be yellow!

Kate – Thanks, Kate – happy New Year to you too!

Dragonstar – I would say the single yellow seat is probably for disabled people, except that it’s upstairs! I have no idea, failing that!

Pillion riding was never going to work for me. The only person I trusted to ride pillion with was my motorcycle instructor, and even then it was terrifying. I’d much rather be in the driving ‘seat’.

Reader Wil – Everyone should probably go to New York one time, just to see it. It’s a fun place!

Rose – Sophie must be in her element!

Yes, the bus tour was great to start with but by the time we got off I was absolutely freezing. My teeth were chattering! The men handled the cold better than I did, which surprised me, because OH usually feels it more than me.

Shrinky – ‘The Flying Banana’? I love it! I bet you didn’t paint it yourself though!

Meleah – If you’re that close, you have no excuse! You should get down there for a visit and have some fun!

Gattina – Thanks! Yes, we found it interesting!

EthelMaePotter – Leonardo DiCaprio? Ha! No, that’s Son No. 1 with his Dad! I’ll tell him you said that, it should make him grin. LOL!

Yes, these little Panasonic cameras are great! And I’m very impressed with this little bridge camera. They do an even better one that it’s hard not to lust after, too… *Sigh*

You know, when you posted this comment I immediately hopped over to your blog to see if you’d posted, and I was disappointed to find you hadn’t. You should get back in there!

Mr N – I knew you’d like this post! I tried to make sure I didn’t repeat any pictures of NY that I might have posted earlier, just for you!

Much more important to get to see your friends and relatives than getting to Manhatten, I would think! Sounds like you have Brooklyn well and truly flowing in your veins.