Quick trip to Wisconsin

Jill and I got back to Kansas and had one day to rest up.  We went to church and then Jill was able to go out with a long time friend.  

Allen and Sophia came back from Arkansas Sunday evening.  (Our granddaughter, Emeri, who lives in Arkansas, had been to camp in Wisconsin with Soph.  After camp, they both went to Arkansas to spend some more time together.)  

Allen had gone to Arkansas to help Josh put a lap pool on their deck. 

Here they are below celebrating Sophia's birthday a little early.  Allen then came back home with Sophia.  Al remarked that he was really sore and tired.

Monday morning early, we said our byes to Al, then I took Sophia and Jill back to Wisconsin.  We drove through the Flint Hills, because WHY NOT?   We LOVE the Flint Hills!!

We decided to stop at a Walmart to pick up our lunch, rather than at a fast food restaurant. 

As we were getting close to Des Moines, we decided to make a stop at The Cheesecake Factory and we got a cheesecake to share!  Jill and I took turns driving.  We needed to make the trip all in one day.  

This is a barn that we always look for that is close to Platteville, Wisconsin.  I was driving and Jill was reading when we passed it and it had fallen down!!  Flat!!  I wished I'd pulled over for a picture!   Next time...

We made it by 8:30, in 13 1/2 hours.

When we got there, Claire showed me a fort she had made.

The next morning, I was reflecting on Psalm 1.  I had memorized this in gradeschool in the King James version, which was about all there was available in those years.  

Blessed is the man

That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor standeth in the way of sinners,

Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord;

And in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

That bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

His leaf also shall not wither;

And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so:

But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:

But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Here it is in the Living translation and maybe makes more sense for some:

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, 0r join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.  But not the wicked!

They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.  They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly.  For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,

but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. 

 I came across this that I really liked:

We took a walk around the block.

I was rather tired and when the girls went shopping for school, I stayed back and napped.  

Claire shows me her school supplies.  

I called Allen and found out he was not just sore from the work in Arkansas, he was actually sick.  As I talked with him off and on during the day (he'd not gone to work) I decided that maybe I should go home.  He wasn't doing so good.  And I wasn't feeling the best either.  I had hoped to stop to see my cousin in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, but cancelled that.

Wednesday morning, I visited the new school where Claire would be going and where Jill would teach music.  I think they will both really like it!

I said goodbye to the girls and Kobi.

I got to Madison when Jill called to tell me I should take a different route as there were storms headed right to where I'd be going.  Hail, possible tornadoes.  That's Kansas weather!  So, instead of going southwest on 151, I headed straight across Wisconsin from Madison to Prairie du Chien.  I had hoped to get a picture of that barn, but not this day.

My detour added a couple of hours.   Although I ran into a little rain, I missed the storms, so that was good.

Pulled into a hotel at Des Moines just as it turned dark, then finished the trip uneventfully, the next day.  I was glad to have gone home and be there for Allen.