Two Pony Gardens

Last Day of Summer, First Day of Fall
I grew up in a weird in-between place. Not really a city kid, though I had strong ties to the city. We lived in an outer ring suburb that is remote and nearly rural but not quite. I’ve spent my adult life living in more urban areas. Not any major metropolis, just Minneapolis or St. Paul. But I find myself needing breaks from city life now and again. That’s why I find farms and orchards so charming. And I’ve always enjoyed pizza. So of course I adore pizza farms! A to Z Produce has a pizza night/picnic on the farm in Stockholm, WI that has been our go-to for years now. But it is a long drive and only open on Tuesday nights. We tried another elsewhere in Wisconsin that we didn’t much care for. But the latest? MUCH closer to home. Maybe a half hour drive out to Long Lake, MN. Apparently pizza night at Two Pony Gardens has been cranking away the last few years in relative obscurity. Then they received some media coverage and the quiet pizza nights are a thing of the past. The crowd jumped from 20-30 patrons on a Saturday night to 150-180. We had a lovely time but I wish we could have experienced the smaller scale version. In an attempt to control the chaos Two Pony’s Pizza Night is RSVP only and the size is limited. Since the press exposed them they’ve been full up each week. Thankfully I RSVPd for our group of five two months ago. And I’m glad I did. The transition from freeway to highway to tree lined dirt road was soothing. We parked in a field and walked up to the pizza tent to place our orders. We’d arrived early but there is only one brick oven and were told the wait for our food would be an hour and a half. Carriage rides are offered to pass the time and I’d packed some snacks to tide us over. And there is a gorgeous dahlia garden. Sadly I didn’t make it over to until dusk, hence the darker photos. Two Pony only has just one more pizza night this season but I look forward to returning next summer.

Yesterday was the first day of Fall, and a gorgeous one at. And it was also the first wedding anniversary for a lovely couple I know. They asked to meet up at Como Park for a photo shoot with them and their adorable three month old son. Once we got away from the crowds (it was busier than I’d seen it in ages) we had fun with that. I hope to post a few of those photos soon.