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).