Off to Colorado

We were home for a week and then we were off again....this time to Colorado!

Goodbye again, home!

This year we have a student living with us so our house is well taken care of while we are gone!

When we left our home, it was 70 degrees.  We weren't but 15 miiles from home when we felt a gust of wind.  We had hit a front and mile by mile, the temperature continued to drop.

We were meeting Allen's sister in Salina as her son recently moved to Denver.  So she was going with us!  But where to park her car.  Wal-mart?  A truck stop?  Then we realized that friends lived on the way.  Not even too much out of the way.  We called and asked if we could park a car there.  And they were willing.  Unfortunately, Google Maps took us on a dirt road that happened to be pretty muddy, but Al, having grown up on mud roads easily made it.

 

 Such a beautiful home place!  It felt like it was out in the boonies, although it really wasn't.

    Such a sweet family!      They have a foster child they are caring for.  

When Julie arrived, we parked her car and got on the road. 

(notice:  for those of you who think Kansas is flat - it isn't.)

Something was wrong. When we got to 1-70, our car was jerking so badly!  Al realized that mud must have got in the tire rim.  He pulled over a couple of times to get the muck off, but it was so bad that he decided we would need to turn around.  We went back to Jason and Sarah's and transferred the luggage to Julie's car, parking our car.  

Jason said he would wash our tires while we were in Colorado.  We said we could do it when we returned, but he DID do it for us!!  He is just that kind of nice guy!

 We stopped in Colby for burgers.  Most people turn south there and go to the Oasis, but ever since we discovered this place, we stop there when we can!!  They are closed Saturday afternoon and Sundays though.

 The BEST burgers!  Fresh meat!  They are so big that Al and I split one.

We hit snow.  70's in the a.m. to snow in the afternoon!

 Denver.  Luckily it was busy on the road heading out of town, and not on our side.

 We dropped Julie off at her son's house and we drove to see Mindy and Jason.

 View of the mountains from Mindy's apartment.  This was where we would be going the next day!

Going Home for a Wedding!

Our last evening in Wisconsin, we decided to go out to eat.  Hannah had school activities and was not able to come.

We looked through baby photos with Sophia and Claire.  

Sophia at age 2!

Claire:  Look, I'm beside myself!

The next morning we said our good-byes.

After dropping Claire off  at school, we made a run to Starbucks and then hit the road for an all-dayer.

We splurged at DQ on a peanut buster parfait that we shared.

The waters were beginning to recede in KC

There was a downpour on 70 between KC and Lawrence

We called Al's sister who recently moved to Lawrence to ask if she'd like to go out to dinner.

When we got to her place, we saw this beautiful rainbow!

We would have stayed in Wisconsin longer, except that our dear friends' daughter was getting married!

 People highlighted their favorite passages.

Such a beautiful wedding!!

When we were neighbors many years ago, and Hannah was just 3 or 4, she used to come over to play "Pretty Pretty Princess" with Mr. Allen.  He also taught her how to twirl a baton!

Congratulations, Hannah and Matt!

Bookworm Gardens Field Trip

I was able to go on a field trip with Claire and her 1st grade class to Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan, WI.  This is a whimsical botanical garden with 70 different gardens, each inspired by a children's book. 

"Jack and the Beanstalk"

The tour guide opened the pod and inside were magic beans! 

There are book towers here and there with little doors.  

Inside are books you might want to take time to read.

 "Goldilocks and the three bears"

"Little House on the Prairie"

 The children could sweep or pretend to cook inside the cabin. 
                  Children love pretend so much!

The tour guide read them a story in a tree house.

"Peter Rabbit"

 
The children were all given some food to feed the fish.  With all the schools coming, I'm sure those fish became fat!

 "The Three Little Pigs"

 This is a replica of a club house in Sheboygan.

 "Horton's Who"

We ate lunch at "The Secret Garden"

Then it was time for the school bus ride back to school.  Claire wants to go again!  We did not have time to see it all and she wants to see "The Magic Schoolbus" and all that was missed!