- Every child might feel that they belong in the state that they're growing up in.

One of the big things about growing up here, to me, has been the Mississippi River.

I walk there as often as I can.

That's where I learned how to swim.

A friend of mine and I took our children.

We were walking along the river.

One of her daughters brought a clam to my friend, and she could tell that there was a little clam still living inside.

And so my friend said, "Now of course, the clam needs to be back in the river.

We don't want it to die on the shore."

So she took her arm, and with a great motion, threw the clam toward the river, and it went splat onto the sidewalk and broke open.

And there we were, faced with the death of the clam right in front of us, and six crying children.

(laughs) And a little life's lesson that day, with the river and the clam and Minnesota.

(upbeat folk music) I have such good memories about living here and growing up here.

The house that I grew up in is this one, right across the street.

When my husband finished his residency in family practice, I thought that we could live anywhere in the United States.

And he was saying, "Yes, I think “we'll go back to Winona, Minnesota."

And I thought, what?

We're going back to Winona, where I grew up?

And that's where we did come, and we've lived here for those 38 years since then.

(birds chirping) (percussive music) I love this bridge.

I love the way the light hits it, and the shape of it.

The color of it, the rust.

You know, I love sculptures that don't know they're sculptures.

One of my favorite places in Winona, Miller Scrap Recycling.

I've been shooting there for 25 years.

(drum beats) But it is a nice challenge to look and observe and see different things.

(drum beats) I always think this is kind of like my hair.

I don't even know what any of these things are.

But they're so lovely.

I've been shooting here for so long, and things change.

These are new.

Although they're pretty old.

I don't know what they are.

Look at this.

(camera shutter clicking) I just realized how much time I spend just looking.

(laughs) Look at that sweet little scooter!

A lot of these stories and memories remind me how really wonderful it is to live in a city where I know the history.

The people are friends.

The support of the arts, the universities.

Winona is so beautiful.

It's really an island in the river.

And I can walk from one end to the other in no time.

(lush strumming music) The river's always been a great part of my life, and still continues to be.

I have decided that, at the time of my funeral, I would like to have a little procession from our house down to the river.

And one day, I was walking along “Oh this'll be so nice, people will be talking and telling stories.” And I noticed that the city was putting a sign up down at the river.

And I thought, “Well that will interfere “Well that will interfere with the procession.” Until I saw what the sign was.

“No Wake Zone!” Perfect!

(upbeat folk music) I love the beauty of the state.

I love all the variety of people We're so anchored here to Minnesota.

I don't know what I would be like if I lived anywhere else.

(upbeat folk music)