Connections

It's been several days since my last post...we have been being very social in the interim. The weather has been incredible...Spring is at least three weeks early in the Midwest...trees are in leaf, lilacs are blooming, and birds are nesting. We visited my niece and her husband, Christina and Troy, in Plymouth, MN, where they have a beautiful new home surrounded by flowering trees. They also have two very happy dogs...a Boston bull terrier (Lucy) and an English springer spaniel (Jasper). We were also treated to a great barbecue supper! Then we went to River Falls, WI, to see Nancy and Grant, my sister and her husband...we stayed in a park very close to their home, so we had lots of time to visit....and eat! One day we went to Stillwater, MN, and browsed through several huge antique/junque stores...I bought a ceramic loon for $8.00! Oh...and we shared a turtle sundae at a great old-fashioned restaurant.

Off to the Blue Hills of Wisconsin to pay a call at Betty and Audie's, Katie's aunt and uncle...they are quite aged but manage to stay in their rural home which has it's own private fishing pond. Apparently, if we had arrived earlier, we could have witnessed Bettie chasing four black bears out of their yard! On to Ladysmith to see my old hometown and visit with some old family friends, Bob and Lana. We shared supper at a local restaurant and then went to their home to reminisce about "Happy Days" many years ago.

And now we are at our best friend's new home in Madison, WI. Jean has found a fine older place right on Lake Monona in her beloved city. We have been out for walks, fixing Thai food, and generally having a grand time just gabbing! Here we are having "cocktails" on the front patio.



From here, we will turn northward again, and head for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where we will cross the border into Canada.