Friends and Family of Wisconsin

My middle and high school friend Kim has lived in Madison, Wisconsin for the past six years, just 20 minutes away from where we were staying at Aaron's house. I'm so glad my brain remembered that to coordinate meeting for dinner with her! Shad counted: we ate Greek 5 times on this trip. Still not sick of gyros.

I didn't take many pictures of my kids and their cousins (okay, so these kids are MY cousins, but when I'm 18 years older than them, it's fine for them to think that my kids are their cousins and I'm the weird relation that is their mom.), but they all had fun playing with each other.

Thora and Sam playing the piano

Dancy and Sam playing the piano

Ian and Tommy watching TV. 

Ian was so funny one day. His sister Rachel, who is a freshman in college, called one afternoon. Ian answered the phone and told her cousins were at their house. "Um, I don't know which cousins they are. (I told him my name is Megan) But their mom's name is Megan." Rachel actually does know me, so this must have made sense to her because Ian didn't keep explaining.

Katie enjoyed sitting up in the loft to have an art space but also watch TV with Tommy and Ian below.

Leaving Sunday morning. Back: Shad and Katie, Samson and Jessie. Front: Tommy, Ian, Dancy, Sam, Thora.

Crossing a river into Iowa. I forget which river and don't care to look it up.

Wisconsin

Shortly after we crossed the river into Wisconsin...

The farmer in the dell!

The farmer in the dell!

High-ho, the dairy-o!

The farmer in the dell!

The cheese stands alone!

image borrowed from Mousehouse Cheesehaus

The cheese stands alone!

image borrowed from Yelp

High-ho, the dairy-o,

The cheese stands alone!

image borrowed from Silly America

Okay, so I had to google these images because I didn't think to take my own, but we really did eat at Mousehouse Cheesehaus near Waunakee, Wisconsin. The food was phenomenal! I had a liver sausage and Mousejack with horseradish sandwich on toasted rye bread. The liver sausage was juicy, soft and melted in my mouth, blending perfectly with the warm, melted cheese. The horseradish added nice contrast in flavor, and the lettuce and toasted bread gave a nice crisp balance to the soft mush of the meat and cheese. Oh, did I mention the lettuce was GREEN? Yeah, we don't see much of that here in Kansas. And the tomato was red! That mouthwatering goodness was a drippy mess all over my fingers and it was delightful! Shad had summer sausage and cheddar with honey mustard on sourdough bread, also with green lettuce and red tomato. I tasted only one bite of his, and it was good but I liked mine better. MHCH also had seasoned meat and cheese curds out to sample, as well as some 20 cheese spreads and toasted bread bites. We sampled a good bit, and came away with a bag of garlic dill cheese curds. Shad and I weren't sorry that most of our kids didn't care for them. We'll definitely eat there again if we get back to Wisconsin!

Quarry Hill

Monday morning in Minnesota, we went out to Quarry Hill. It's a nature reserve for walking, hiking and rock climbing (an outdoor rock wall), and there is an indoor center, too. Despite being overcast, it was a very warm day for October!

Turtle watching at the duck pond.

Still banking on the new "Strike a pose!" phrase.

And some ducks came, too.

My favorite trees are those that I can eat from, but the movie My Girl engraved willows onto my heart forever. I love willows!

Weeping willow with your tears running down,

Why do you always weep and frown?

Is it because he left you one day?

Is it because he could not stay?

On your branches he would swing,

Do you long for the happiness that day would bring?

He found shelter in your shade.

He thought his laughter would never fade.

Weeping willow, stop your tears,

For there is something to calm your fears:

You think death has ripped you forever apart,

But I know he'll always be in your heart.

--Vada, My Girl

Continuing our walk through Quarry Hill, we saw these trees with red leaves covering the trunks!

These trees are awesome!

A group of 5th graders arrived on a field trip. We now know what rock climbing is and can try doing it sometime.

Land of 10,000 Lakes

Ever since elementary school, I've fantasized about Minnesota. Reading the Kirsten American Girl books piqued my interest in the Swedish settlements, Swedish culture, and the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Even that title just sounds wildly exciting and adventurous to me. Mystical. 

We stopped in Minnesota on the way to Wisconsin to visit our Grandpa Dodds, a dear, sweet man who established a mutual "family" with Shad 10 years ago. We were excited to see him, but not nearly as excited as he was to see us. His daughter, Stephanie, who he lives with, said that when she told him we were coming, he just started giggling with delight. He spent the few weeks preceding our arrival smiling more than he had in months, and giggling spontaneously. That right there made it all worth it to me. Actually seeing him was just an added bonus.

When we pulled up at Stephanie's house, her brother Dale had raked a pile of leaves. He figured that we'd probably be excited to play in leaves, coming from Kansas. Oh, how right he was!

Katie's favorite thing to do is sweep, so raking just tickled her fancy!

Until the boys ruined her lovely piles. I had to convince her that this was okay. (This boy is Owen, Dale and Kirsten's son. I didn't get pictures of them. Dale is Grandpa Dodd's son.)

Dancy would only stomp through the piles. No jumping and playing for her.

Our kids took to Grandpa Dodds quickly, asking him to read books, help with shoes, or cuddle during Phineas and Ferb.

Did I mention Katie loves to sweep? She asked for a rake any chance she got.

Again with the sweeping!

Katie wasn't overly thrilled with the destruction of her leaf pile, but we made her join in the leaf fight. She and I teamed up against Tommy and Dancy.

Inside, Samson had fun teasing the cats.

After having a Sophia the First and popcorn night, we said goodbye to Stephanie in case we didn't see her in the morning before we left. Thora might have already gone to bed.

Saying goodbye...with vicious sunglare in our eyes! Thora, Megan, Don Dodds, Shad and Samson / front: Tommy, Dancy, Katie

Stephanie, Thora, Don, Shad and Samson / front: Tommy and Emma (the two-year-old Stephanie nannies), Dancy and Katie

Gorgeous vines with fall colors, covering the interstate walls.

Southeastern corner of Minnesota, almost to Wisconsin.

One last lake! I didn't get to see enough of what I think of as Minnesota (apparently I have to go farther north in quest of that), so I will be back some day.

Crossing the Mississippi River into Wisconsin.