Up North!

Sometimes the trip is half the fun...Kristin, Ben and I hopped in the car after school on Friday to join Frank and his family up North. On the way we stopped to see the grave site of Ed Gein and his family...the blank spot is where Ed's headstone has been removed...creepy...



Then a brief stop for a dilly bar prank at Hadley (no picture or description available)

And finally a black bear sighting near Mole Lake!



All this before we even got to the lake!

The Zoo!

Kristin is a TA for a sophomore Biology class, and today was their annual trip to the Milwaukee County zoo. They needed chaperones, and who wouldn't ant to go the the zoo on a beautiful May day? Here is what we did...

We started off with ice cream for breakfast from the zoo farm





Rode the ski lift over the animals



Got "tatooed"





And then there were the animals...







Here's our group!

May Hikes-Day Three

Today was sort of a rainy day, so I took my time getting started. Once I did, I was treated to a stellar hike at Pike Lake state park, complete with this wonderful tower.



The day was so foggy though, that I couldn't take any pics from the top! That didn't lessen the experience or the beauty of the day for me though...thanks to all of you who supported me so that I could go!

May Hikes-Day Two

Wisconsin is such an unbelievably beautiful state! Today I got to see lots of water...first Lake Winnebago at high cliff state park



and then Lake Michigan at Whitefish Dunes State Park.





Afterward, I checked out the Paper Discovery Center in Appleton where Jean and Tom will be married this summer, then met Jean for a wonderful dinner! What a great day...

May Hikes-Day One

It's that time of year again, when my classes are done and my kids are still in school. That fact, and the generous offers of friends allow me to spend a few days away. This year I am collecting hikes. Here are the beautiful spots I visited today.

Natural Bridge State Park



Roche a Chi



Black River Forest



Hartman Creek



It was a gorgeous day!

The magic of music...

I love the sound of a good high school choir and that's just what I got to hear tonight...enthusiastic, youthful voices blended together in song...gorgeous!

The choir director chose a wonderful collection of songs too...that expressed the joy of life and the hope for more as well...

Then on the way home we were treated to a beautiful view of the moon...wow...

There's a fungus among us...

There's a tradition among some of our group that calls for us to record our best outdoor adventures on fungi (not fun guys!) The idea is to find one of these cool fungi and carve the date and participants on it so you can recall the fond memory. Well, I had a fond memory today, but I just couldn't bring myself to desecrate this coolest of fungi! I'll let this picture and brief entry serve as the reminder instead...isn't it amazing?

Prom 2010

It's a cool day, but feelings are sure warm around here. Kristin and her friends have a wonderful night planned. With the potential for a prom queen in our family, there is a little extra excitement too...

Check out these beautiful people...both inside and out...

UW Lake walk

I think I have the greatest job in the world. Not only do I love what I do, but my walk to class takes me along a beautiful lake every day...amazing!

Texas!

Kristin, Jane and I took a long weekend and set off for Texas...yes, I know, it is a long way, but we are ticking items off of Kristin's bucket list, and one of them is to get to all 48 continental states before she graduates from high school. So off we went in search of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas!

First stop, Luther college where we met up with Steve and Sue for a wonderful breakfast, a campus tour, some shopping in the bookstore and morning chapel. Sue introduced us to the bookstore manager and Steve introduced us to the president of the college...we are grateful to know such well-connected people!

Jane is a professional scrapbooker, so I wasn't allowed to take many pictures, but here is one from the trip. There will be many more to follow. A few highlights that will be coming up include; the Amana colonies, Guthrie, OK, and the Pecan Street festival in Austin, TX. It was great fun!