Pictures Continued

What a day it was!

Joe enjoying being at Lake Superior in Duluth

Tom and Joe relaxing in the peace of this beautiful setting

One of the campgrounds in the park we stopped at....we met some nice and friendly people along the way today

How easy it would be to get lost in the woods.......lost in thought and in the beauty of it all

Pictures From Our Trip To Duluth Continued

September 22, 2007 was our first day trip since Joe arrived from Ireland. As Tom, Joe and I headed out for Duluth, not one of us knew how wonderful the day would be. The weather was perfect....warm, sunny, clear and beautiful.

Joe said something interesting as we drove along. He said, "The air here is so light..I don't know...just light. It feels different than it does in Ireland."

It is easy to take where you live for granted. Seeing, feeling and experiencing Minnesota through Joe's senses makes me feel so proud of Minnesota.

A lovely, colorful Minnesota farm on our way to Duluth

Tractor ride anyone?

Joe and Tom outside the information building at Father Hennepin State Park

Joe at what I think is his first visit to a Minnesota State Park

Sunshine on Lake Superior

Joe and Tom enjoying Lake Superior

A penny for your thoughts Joe...what is it about looking out on water where you can see no end?

Gooseberry Falls just north of Two Harbours, Minnesota....the falls were so beautiful and the sound was great......we could hear the falls long before we could see them

Autumn beauty

Taking You On Tom, Judy and Joe's Trip .. C'mon...All Aboard

C'mon everyone............I want to take you along on our trip to Duluth with us. The pictures will not be in any special order...but neither are the memories.

Our day was beautiful and I am so proud to be able to share our state with Joe. Joe's being here is giving us the opportunity to see Minnesota as well. I have not been to Gooseberry Falls before or driven through Ogilvie Or Isle.

I will continue to post pictures and take you on our day trip with us.

Alllllllllllllll aboard.......the car is leaving! (My grandpa Hank said that every time we took a trip)

Showing Joe Small Town America

Our dear friend, Joe from Ireland, has come back to visit us again, or as we like to say, he has come home. That is what it feels like...that Joe has come home.

Yesterday, Saturday, September 22 Tom, Joe and I traveled north to Duluth to see the changing of the leaves. We took the scenic route instead of 35W and it is a good thing we did. It was on the way to Duluth that we saw the most beautiful leaves and much to our surprise, Duluth showed barely a colored leaf other than green.

We also went through several small towns which gave Joe a taste of the small town flavor. We all had a wonderful time and will make a second trip to Duluth to see the changing of the leaves and spend some time just hanging out in Duluth. Joe has been researching Duluth today and by the look on his face, I can tell he will be very much in favor of another day trip to the very lovely and quaint city of Duluth, MN.

Below are some pictures of small town America as we experienced it yesterday.

Joe enjoying the day

Some of the beautiful leaves on the way to Duluth

A big fish we thought Joe should pose by but he didn't

The small town restaurant we ate at...it was one of two restaurants in town and it was great

The restaurant had a great menu...this was just one page

How cool is this? A real live jukebox like when we were growing up

And....and....and....don't forget the mall! We laughed and laughed when we saw this

More Pictures From My Dad's 95th Birthday Party

My dad with one of the four scarecrows that greeted him. He liked them. They made him smile!

My dad with Josh (17) and Christopher (15)

My sister, Linda, with our dad

Linda's son, Marty, and granddaughter, Madison with my dad

Davey (4) with his great grandpa

Great grandpa holding Davey's hand...there is something tender about this picture. Hands are so very special!

Josh, Christopher and Amelia (9) with their great grandpa

Kara with her grandpa

Sarah with her grandpa and Derek (2) with his great grandpa

Sarah's husband, Dave, with my dad

It was a wonderful day filled with family, conversation, lots and lots of kids going in and out, laughter and far too much food! My mom would have been proud of me! Having more than enough food is tradition. I seem to carry on that tradition. My dad called me this morning and thanked me again for the party. One of the things he said was, "And, Judy.....the food...the food was just great! It really was!" Thanks, Dad!

Happy 95th Birthday Dad!

It seems like just yesterday that he was 94. Yet, in the blink of an eye, another year has passed and my dad is 95. Where does the time go? Wait.........isn't this how we talk about our children....how quickly time passes and how fast the time goes?

He got a card from some friends of his and they said to him, "We sure hope we are still here for your 100th birthday!" At the family party we had for him on Labor Day, my daughter, Sarah, said, "You make it look soooooooo easy, Grandpa!" And, he does! He still drives, golfs, does the grocery shopping, plays bridge and has recently taken up walking at the community center where he lives.

We had a beautiful day for the party and 17 of us gathered to show our love and appreciation for the oldest living member of my immediate family.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

Adam, Sara Beth, Joseph, Kallsen and Parker.........we missed you and love you!

I will post some pictures from the party in my next post.

Christopher Turns 15

On Thursday, August 30, Christopher turned 15. A present he gave himself was taking his driver's permit test. And, he passed!! Now, that meant he could drive himself and his family to grandma's house where he wanted to have a quiet family birthday party.

We had the birthday party on September 1. Christopher just wanted to hang out with family and have cold tuna noodle casserole, sloppy joe's and root beer floats. That is not a hard wish to fulfill is it? Everybody had a fun time and the day was beautiful. Sometimes we get exactly what we want!

Congratulations on your driver's permit Christopher and happy birthday honey! We love you and you can have your birthday here anytime!

Below are some pictures from our day.