Road Trip: Winona and Then Some

I'm a little behind but here's a pic taken along the drive to Wisconsin in Strawberry Point, IA

Wednesday was a lazy affair.  I strode around the gardens taking more pictures and later I obliterated Hans in a game of Monopoly.  The mornings have been thankfully cool but by the afternoon the air today was balmy.  We packed sandwiches and snacks and drove into Winona, first to have a look around Costumes International.  I was very tempted to pick up some pale pink winged glasses that looked like they belonged in a Baltimore Hon contest but decided to wait and buy some at the source next year.

As we drove around town Hans' sister and I sat in the back seat of the car, cooling ourselves with paper fans and feeling like aristocratic ladies riding around in carriages.  C'mon.  Use your imagination!

Our picnic along Lake Winona was very pleasant though everyone else was wearing shorts and therefore the flies mercilessly bit their legs and feet.  In the distance we had a view of Sugar Loaf mountain and every once in a while a classic car would drive by on their way to Cruise Night at the local drive-in burger joint, which we quickly stopped by to look at the other vehicles on display.

In the evening we went to Winona State University to see the musical The Daly News, written by one of the three actors who played 10 parts and accompanied themselves on a grand piano.  The story is based on memoirs that Daly's grandfather wrote from 1942-47 while his four sons were deployed all over the globe during WWII.  Everyone (even those with a few misgivings at first) enjoyed the musical immensely.

Today Hans, his sister, and I drove down to Ferryville to visit the farm and more of Hans' family.  Hans took some amazing pictures of the hummingbirds (it was very difficult to pick out a few to post here).  We (Hans, aunt, uncle, sister, cousin, three dogs, me) went for a short hike around the property and got properly sweaty in the haze but it was a good time.

Later, Onalaska for a little shopping, catching up after dinner, and a late night wine-and-cheese tasting to be continued through the weekend (or until the edibles run out).

 

Road Trip: Intro to Trempealeau (sort of)

Got in last night after ten hours in the car.  We were fairly punchy at this point but glad for a few snacks and wonderful salad of entirely fresh-picked veggies and greens.  Key lime pie for dessert.

This morning we were up early for our morning run and had the grand tour of the gardens Hans' mom has been establishing all summer.  Very impressive.

Lunch was had at the hotel restaurant in town and though we tried to look at the old-timey buildings on Main Street I was suddenly overcome with blindingly stinging eyes, possibly due to something that was blowing in the air.  After rinsing my eyes back at the restaurant bathroom we drove back to the house.

I took an antihistamine and passed out for a few hours while Hans and his sister played Monopoly in the basement.

I played around with the camera this afternoon and hopefully I will get a chance to do the zinnias justice tomorrow.  I will leave with a portrait of Kitoi.

Road Trip: In Search of a New Home

We're setting off to visit Hans' family in Wisconsin.  We boarded Bunsen with the vet this morning for the next couple of weeks to spare her the long driving days and lonely motel rooms.  I don't like leaving her for so long but I know she'll be fine and she usually has a room mate to keep her entertained.

According to Google Maps our itinerary should cover 2500 miles.

After the end of the month we'll head to Maryland for a few days to look at properties and hopefully have a lease signed by the time we come back.

I probably won't update very often during this trip until we leave the Weilands but I'll try to post a few pictures here and there.

BTW, Happy Birthday, Lance!

St. Louis Fair

Today we braved the city traffic and downtown parking scene to attend the St. Louis 4th of July Fair for the air show, B-52's (the band), and fireworks.  Those of you from Alaska know that Independence Day fireworks up north are a little underwhelming since the sun doesn't really go down at this time of year.  Therefore I was excited about seeing an actual night-time display.

We arrived at around 4 pm, an hour before the airshow, though the fair had been going on since the morning.  We were lucky enough to nab a parking spot in a lot on the fringes of downtown since the Cardinals game had just finished (7-1 win!).  There were at least a thousand people already settled on the hill before the arch and we joined the crowd so that we still had a good view but were far enough away from the stage to avoid deafness.  It was a very docile and pleasant crowd.  We pitched our camp chairs somewhere in the middle and listened to Spontaneous Nugent while we waited for the air show to start.

To kick things off, paratroopers jumped out of a C-130 Hercules and landed neatly under the Gateway Arch.  The rest of the show was equally impressive, though it was too bad the Harrier Jet was a no-show due to mechanical problems.  There was a short interruption by a heavy downpour of rain, but it wasn't enough to chase the spectators away.

The B-52's were pretty funny and put on a good show.  At the end of their performance Hans and I were worried that they weren't going to play our favorite song but they finished with an enthusiastic Rock Lobster.

As the sun set a last orange gleam of light illuminated the arch.

And, of course, the fireworks were fantastic.