January 21, 2010        

        This morning there were 15 eagles sitting out on the ice in front of my house.  We watched them gaze into the water, looking for fish to appear.  The ducks floating past them looked nervous, but we witnessed no bird eat bird.  You can see this, too if you come to Alma and visit our Chamber of Commerce (Wings Over Alma) building.  There are spotting scopes, lovely gifts and all sorts of cool stuff in there.  Another great place to watch the eagles is from the window booths at Kate and Gracie's at lunchtime.   
        Fishermen, the ice on the main channel is leaving, for the moment.  Bob says he may have the boat out in a few weeks (or less).  Meanwhile, all the usual ice fishing haunts are producing.  (update:  January 26th...ice skimming river again...don't bring your boat yet!)
        Alma is only about an hour and a half from Minneapolis, right on the river and so very pretty. Eau Claire, La Crosse, Rochester MN, and Red Wing MN are each about an hour away.  Winona is 25 miles south.   We have great restaurants, including Kate and Gracie's, Alma Hotel, Julie's Fin and Feather Pizza, Traxx (under new ownership...congratulations Kevin!), and Pier 4.  Don't miss our new bakery, right on Main Street!  Our shops are fun and funky.
           Alma sits gently against a western-facing bluff right on the Mississippi River.  Our real estate prices are still sane here, and we enjoy lives that are less hurried than many places.  We have a rich sense of community and have active civic and church organizations.  The town itself is completely walker-friendly and we consider visits to the post office, the bank and the hair salon to be social events.  Our live theatre often offers musical groups, and thought-provoking discussions called the Socrates Cafe, as well as author visits and anything else Mac can think of to entertain us. 
        

                                                            Really.  You should come here.