A couple of weeks ago, on one of those very hot weekend evenings, I packed up the boys and headed to one of our favorite spots in the metro: Hidden Falls Park.

It's always quiet, very intimate with the river, has walking paths and sandy beaches, and is just perfect for blooping rocks.

On this particular evening, just before the bugs really set in, we caught sight of one of those distinctively Twin Cities sort of things: the Jonathan Padelford.

I last rode on this boat when I was just a wee lad and my dad was taking his small town high school English seniors on a field trip. Has it really been 40 years? Hmm, could this really be the same boat it was then?

It's a pretty touristy thing, but quite a sight to see chugging up the Mississippi while blooping rocks on a quiet Saturday evening.