Off to Wisconsin!

We set the alarm for 4 AM the morning we were going to leave for yet another trip to Wisconsin to see the children, but we both woke up at 3, so we were on the road by 4:23!

We hit KC at the start of rush hour.  Living in Small Town, USA, my nerves get taut by traffic in the HUGE cities.  Glad Al doesn't mind it.  Having grown up on a farm outside of a really small town, like 500 people, you'd think it would bother him.  I lived in one of the largest cities in the world - Tokyo - but we always traveled by train, not by vehicle. 

As we were driving north, Al began to get sleepy so I took over the driving.

And of course, it was while I was driving that we hit snow and icy roadways!

 Al finally woke up and took over for me.  Relief for me!  We decided to stop at Lamoni, the Iowa Welcome Center that is also an Amish country store.  We purchased some home-made goodies.  Having grown up Mennonite ourselves, we think there is nothing like Mennonite/Amish cooking!!

 We began to see MANY vehicles that had slid off the road from the storm that rolled through the day before.

 On the highway around Cedar Rapids, we noticed lots of birdhouses attached to the road signs.  I looked it up:

“Due to loss of habitat, American kestrel populations were in decline. In the early ‘80s the Iowa DNR started the interstate nest box program in cooperation with the Iowa DOT. Together, the Iowa DNR and DOT created the first of its kind statewide kestrel trail along an interstate system. The program was entirely supported by volunteer resources so the boxes belong to varying organizations or groups. The nesting box program allowed the population of the American kestrel to rebound within the state of Iowa. Although some of the boxes still remain, in recent years the DOT has discontinued the program.”

The American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America.

It has about a two to one range in size over subspecies and sex, 

varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove.

I love the barns in Iowa and Wisconsin!

We got to the kids' home soon after the kids had come home from school.  They had shoveled the driveway for us.  We were so excited to see the family!

Sophie 

Claire (Jill would like to paint this room, but Claire says she wants to keep it green)

and Hannah!

It wasn't long before it was time to go to Sophia's basketball game.

They won their game!  Undefeated so far!

We went out to eat because Jill had not thought we would be there for supper.  Leftovers would have been fine, but it is always fun to go out!

Looking forward to a good time with the family!