While chatting with this fellow on Lake Street the conversation naturally turned to stoops. It is the reason I am out and about after all. Toward the end of our talk I asked if he knew of any stoops of note in Minnesota. He closed the paper he was reading and closed his eyes to think. After a few seconds he opened his eyes and with a snap of his fingers he said, "Alexandria is where you want to go!" So I asked him to point me in that direction and, with a last salute to this helpful fellow, I was on my way!I was following some train tracks in the direction of Alexandria for a few miles when I felt a rumble under my stone -- a train! I stopped to watch it pass when I felt a tug on my belt! All of a sudden I was on the train, face to face with the train conductor. "You're a gnome!" he said. "I love gnomes! You must be on a journey if you're all the way out here." And he let me ride on the train all the way to Alexandria. He even let me ride in the conductor seat! I've never ridden the rails before and was happy to add the experience to my growing list of adventures.
I arrived in Alexandria today -- much sooner than I had planned, of course. I followed the main street through town and met a very large fellow with an incredible hat! I introduced myself and asked if he could tell me where in town I could find a stoop of note. He had a booming voice and I was a little frightened at first! He announced himself as Big Ole. I must have been staring because he said, "This is my viking hat." And we got to talking about our hats, his shield, and arrows and hatchets. I practically forgot the reason I came to Alexandria when Big Ole told me that the stoop I was looking for was just across the street! What luck! I thanked Mr. Ole and ran across the street to something called The Runestone Museum.
Inside I found the most ornate piece of stone I have ever seen. I watched a short movie that explained that Olaf Ohman, a Swedish immigrant farmer found this ancient and strangely carved stone on his land in 1898. People accused him of making the runestone himself. To make the accusations stop, Ohman made the stone his front step. A stoop is supposed to be a friendly and welcoming place -- not something that someone would make out of shame!
I couldn't find any information about there being a gnome who guarded this runestone stoop. I wonder if I'll find a famous and historic step to call home, or just stand on for a day! The ornate carvings, the thickness and color of this stone; I stood and luxuriated at being so close to such an ancient stoop until the museum closed.
