a) what's he doing in Minnesota?
Happy coincidence, actually.
My wife's family (quasi-distant, a great-aunt) has a family cabin on
Ten Mile Lake and we went out for a week-long vacation with the family. The cabin was actually a bit closer to Fargo, but the plane tickets were roughly equal in price and, well... I had a reason to visit Minneapolis.
I really enjoyed getting to visit with everyone. I'd actually met Jim once before, briefly at a NABShow a few years back, but never anyone else. And it was a very happy surprise to get to meet Hendrik too (though Jim let the secret out of the bag a bit early, so I anticipated it). And, as far as having something hanging out of my maw... There was a bratwurst there, but Jim thankfully waited till that was done before snapping the pictures. We saw the interesting building, and I distracted them from getting any work done on Friday afternoon (so sorry if there was no build that day). I even got a personal tour of the mill district and Nicolet Island from Jim, which was cool. And later, we got to enjoy a nice dinner with Bob, at the Loon Cafe (recommended by Jim above). Well, I enjoyed it anyway. My wife and the two year old were less impressed with our geek-talk, I suspect. But it was great (and there was beer, so that helps).
Minnesota was, unsurprisingly, a LOT like Maine. Almost the same climate, foliage, and landscape... Only a
lot flatter and with more people. Minneapolis was a great city. Very bicycle friendly, and there were tons of parks everywhere (including an amazing free zoo that my daughter really enjoyed). A great time was had by all.