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One of the local houses that I’ve admired over the years is The Pagoda House, which sits on the corner of East Valerio, between Prospect and Grand Avenues. I was lucky enough to visit ten years ago, and write about my love affair with the house . I became friendly with the owner and purchased a couple of items from her estate sale that still grace my little cottage and remind me of her style. So when Zillow Gone Wild called out this Pagoda Boathouse on the shore of Lake Minnetonka , of course it caught my eye and my imagination. Turns out that the boathouse is part of an iconic, two-acre estate currently listed for sale at $5,495,000 that was featured on the cover of the book Boathouses of Lake Minnetonka .
I miss Tondi Gelato . There, I said it. And I know I’m not the only one. When my favorite gelato shop — a perfect 15 minute walk from home — closed last fall, there were lines down the block its entire last week of business. I knew I would miss its fruity flavors and the friendly folks who worked behind the counter. They always had a smile for me and a pup cup for Scout. When I saw that raspberry pink is apparently the “it” color for summer decorating, I realized that I missed Tondi’s vibrant colors as well. Guava, mango, passionfruit, and, yes, raspberry pink. The names of the paint colors — Pink Flamingo, Framboise, Piggi’s Piggy Pink — are as fresh and fun as their hues. But you can’t taste ‘em. Unlike my favorite fruity vice, the experts admit that, when it comes to paint colors, there actually can be too much of a good thing: Designer Mimi Shin advises “I always suggest to a client who wants to explore using a color like raspberry to start with a room where you can close the door.” Unlike Tondi, whose open door I will always miss.
