Saturday, July 29, 2006
Family vacation in Minnesota
Oh, man was that a good trip. We met new cousins, saw relatives we hadn't seen in years, went to two zoos [no elephants, though], went to the lake (where we caught fish and picked blue berries and made jam and saw a portable sawmill), went to the Mall of America and its Lego attraction, threw a party, replaced a broken mug, and a million other things.
And man were we tired when we finally got home:
The youngest "rested his eyes" for most of the flight back to Little Rhodey.
The indefatigable Grammie & Grandpa E. hosted us at their house, for which we are most grateful. The big kids were roommates, the little guy got his own room (which blocked access to the new rooof deck, sadly), and we stayed at the end of the upstairs hall. [The new kitchen looks great, by the way.]
Some of the kids at the dolphin show at the Apple Valley Zoo (which I have been told not to call "the new zoo" anymore):
The dolphin show was great. After that we headed out to see some of the exhibits. I did not get to pay five bucks and feed a giraffe by hand because we needed to get to the farm area for lunch. But the zoo visit as a whole was fun.
We visited Como Zoo the following Monday. There were again no lions or elephants (to someone's disappointment), but the polar bears were having fun in their pool, and we saw a few minutes of sea lion training before we fled to the gift shop. Actually, it was so hot that the giraffes weren't even on display, nor were the antelope -- both of these live in the African Plains area, which made us think we ought to get back to someplace air conditioned as soon as we could.
At the lake
My youngest and his dad got a little quiet time after his nap before he plunged into the water.
Our Big Girl went tubing with her cousin; Uncle Tim drove the boat.
Thanks; More to come
I'll post some more pictures soon. In the mean time, thanks to everyone for making us feel so welcome (as always), and for taking time out of your busy schedules to accommodate us.
And man were we tired when we finally got home:
The indefatigable Grammie & Grandpa E. hosted us at their house, for which we are most grateful. The big kids were roommates, the little guy got his own room (which blocked access to the new rooof deck, sadly), and we stayed at the end of the upstairs hall. [The new kitchen looks great, by the way.]
Some of the kids at the dolphin show at the Apple Valley Zoo (which I have been told not to call "the new zoo" anymore):
The dolphin show was great. After that we headed out to see some of the exhibits. I did not get to pay five bucks and feed a giraffe by hand because we needed to get to the farm area for lunch. But the zoo visit as a whole was fun.We visited Como Zoo the following Monday. There were again no lions or elephants (to someone's disappointment), but the polar bears were having fun in their pool, and we saw a few minutes of sea lion training before we fled to the gift shop. Actually, it was so hot that the giraffes weren't even on display, nor were the antelope -- both of these live in the African Plains area, which made us think we ought to get back to someplace air conditioned as soon as we could.
I'll post some more pictures soon. In the mean time, thanks to everyone for making us feel so welcome (as always), and for taking time out of your busy schedules to accommodate us.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Minnesota vacation: family photographs
Back in St. Paul we had a party for my brother's 40th birthday on Monday, July 24. We took advantage of the event to get a bunch of group pictures:
Note: Clicking on any of these pictures will open a larger version in a new window, which you can then save to your computer for your own enjoyment, printing, or whatever.
All the cousins.
The whole clan.
Our kids plus Grammie & Grandpa E.
Minnesota vacation: fishing
On the afternoon of Friday, July 21, we left Duluth and continued on to the lake, which is always the highlight of the trip for the kids. Uncle Tim & Aunt Steph were kind enough to extend to us a warm welcome and the use of the extra rooms upstairs. This time the girls were in one room and all three guys in another.
Grandpa E. helped the youngest fish...
...and the little guy caught his first one; here he poses for his Wall of Fame picture.
Note the tiny fish held in grandpa's hand; no that's not bait.
My older son caught the biggest fish of the weekend, according to Grandpa.
Posing with another trophy catch.
Even Mommy caught one!
Note the tiny fish held in grandpa's hand; no that's not bait.
Minnesota vacation: Duluth
On Friday, July 21, we drove up to Duluth (which, for New Englanders, is located at the south-east tip of Lake Superior). We visited with Aunt Kelly & Uncle Terry and their four kids. They took us to Canal Park to see the Aerial Lift Bridge (which, fortunately, went up and down while we watched) as well as the little light on the end of the jetty.
The lighthouse on the jetties leading to the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge:
The Duluth Lift Bridge goes up:
The Duluth Lift Bridge goes down:
The lighthouse on the jetties leading to the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge:
The Duluth Lift Bridge goes up:
The Duluth Lift Bridge goes down:
