Friday, June 11
Eau Claire, WI
On Friday the menfolk left to do a whitewater canoe and hemlock hunting expedition, leaving the women and children home on the farm. Since we didn't go out or do anything very exciting, I thought I'd share some pictures of the beautiful place where my husband grew up. As I'm sure you can tell, this is the front of the farmhouse as you come up the driveway.
Here's the back of the house, with the sun room and the master bedroom addition that Collin and his family built onto the original house. Collin said that the year they spent remodeling was like a year of intensive shop class. I'm very thankful for this experience, because now Collin's pretty good with building and fixing things. As the daughter of a home builder, that's something I really admire in a man.
There are the barns, off to the side and behind the house.
Inside the house, things were a little crazy. Here's Grandma Cathy, holding a baby, reading a book to a 3-year-old, and helping a 2-year-old with a puzzle. We were all very glad when our men returned home.
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Meanwhile, the men had a pretty great time canoeing down the Black River. Actually, brother Dan and father Forrest came in saying, "We had a great time!" while Collin said dejectedly, "We didn't find any hemlock trees."
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Forrest looking back at Collin.
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Daniel shoots the rapids.
Even though it's far away, this is such a typical picture that I can recognize my husband without any difficulty. Collin is drifting down the river in a canoe, binoculars raised, scanning the bluffs for hemlock trees. Even though they didn't find any, I hear it was still a good time of male bonding and all that. When they returned, we celebrated our family reunion with a delicious grilled feast. It was a great way to wrap up our vacation.
Finally, just for fun, here's a video of Annie and the old family dog, Casey. Finally, a pet that doesn't run in fear from a baby! (Sorry for the terrible sound quality).
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