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.

For Those That Wish To Sing Along

There is something about the old songs that make life feel better...at least to me. When I was in grade school, I used to go to my friend's house next door and the two of us would sit at her grandmother's piano and play and sing this song. It is such a nice memory. Her grandmother's name was Mrs. Klammer. In the summer when my friend and her family would go to their lake cottage Mrs. Klammer didn't want to be home alone. She paid me a dollar to come and sleep at her house each night and then served me toast in the morning before I went back home.

Words & Music By Stephen Foster

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

More Pictures Of The Tree Down In Sarah And Dave's Driveway

Here are a few more pictures of the tree down in Sarah and Dave's driveway. It is hard to believe how life can change while you are sleeping. What a shock to wake up to!

Sarah And Dave Lost A Tree

I just talked to Sarah and she said they had a storm last night. They slept through whatever passed through their neighborhood. The first they knew of the storm was when Dave opened the garage door to go to work and this is what he saw! The beautiful Maple tree in their front yard was down in their driveway.

Their house was the only house in the neighborhood that showed any sign of the storm. Help is on the way. One of Sarah's friends is bringing over a battery operated chain saw and then Dave will use her car to go get a chain saw. It is so wonderful to have friends!

As hard and as sad as the loss of this beautiful tree is, I am thankful that it did not land on the house and that all of them are ok.

I love you guys! You didn't need this!

Sounds On The Back Deck

I woke up early this morning. When I opened my eyes it was still dark. Sometimes that makes me groan silently and sometimes it gives me a little extra time to lie in bed and think about things. This morning was one of those think about things times. I guess I wanted to think about things out loud..(some people in my family know I have a habit of talking out loud to myself) so I got up in the dark and quietly slipped downstairs.

It was dark down there too. I didn't turn any lights on. I didn't want any lights on. Perhaps I wanted to be alone with my thoughts which seems easier in the dark. But, as it turns out my thoughts were interrupted when I heard a noise I wasn't familiar with. I sensed I was no longer alone with my own thoughts. I heard something on the back deck. I said to myself, "Hmmmmmm, I wonder what is making that noise?" Was it a tap tap noise? Was it a clip clop noise? I couldn't tell for sure.

I peeked up over the back of the couch and saw a raccoon pawing through the acorns. Within a minute another raccoon was there. I looked at them and I believe they looked at me. Soon they had had their fill and the two of them wandered down the steps and off into the woods. Whatever I had been thinking about was now gone and replaced by the wonder of nature and how nice it is to live where I live.

My Dad And The Reader's Digest

I mentioned in my last post that there was a story about my dad and the Reader's Digest. Since his birthday is coming up on September 1st, I thought I would tell this story as a way to share a little bit about what my dad is like.

As far back as I can remember my dad has loved to read stories that have heart. The tradition was that on Christmas the family would be called to gather around to listen to my dad read a story from a magazine like Ladies Home Journal, Redbook or Reader's Digest. It didn't matter if we wanted to do this or not and of course, we did. Why? Because it was tradition and it meant so much to him.

Over the years, my dad would become more emotional as he neared the end of the story and usually my sister, Linda, or I would have to finish reading it for him. That became tradition too.

I recently learned the history of my dad and The Reader's Digest. Here is the story as my dad told it to me.

I always wanted to learn. I tried to learn something new every day. In 1946, I went to business college one night a week. As part of the class, I was required to give speeches. I did well. One night, I didn't prepare in advance. I stopped on my way to class and bought a Reader's Digest and read a story for my speech that night.

The story was about a young college boy who was a football player. He wasn't good enough to be on the first team. The only time he could play was when someone was hurt. One night he told the coach that he had to go home because his dad had died. The dad and boy had often been seen walking arm in arm on campus.

When the boy got back from the funeral, he asked the coach to let him start in the game. The coach hesitated, but let him start. They won the game. The coach said, "What in the world happened to you today? You did such a good job!" The boy said, "This is the first time my dad ever saw me play football. You see, he was blind."

My dad got the top prize for the best speech that night and the above words are his words as he told me the story.

I think he must have told me this story when he was in his 80's and I believe it meant as much to him then as it did when he read it to his class in 1946. You see, he got a little choked up just remembering it and telling it to me.

I love you Dad!

And, now you know a little bit about my dad. He will be 95 on September 1st.

Just One Line

It is Sunday morning and the thermometer outside my kitchen window says the temperature is an unseasonal mid-fifties in mid-August. Sitting with my cup of coffee at the table I picked up the September 2007 issue of Reader's Digest. My dad has given us the Reader's Digest for as many years as I can remember. I recently learned something about my dad and the Reader's Digest, but that will be a post for another day.

I started to read a story about a young man in his late 30's who suffered repeated episodes of amnesia. His amnesia was a rare form of amnesia. While his story was fascinating and captured my interest, there was one line that led me to write this post..........Aristotle believed that memory resides in the heart.......

I guess I believe, too, that what touches our hearts we don't forget.

Thank You Rainee

I don't usually...in fact, I have never put a comment on as a post, but I had to share this beautiful comment today....(with Rainee's permission)

Judy this is Rainee from Australia, I have just read all through this Blog, and you know what? I have tears streaming down my face. It is the nicest story of your life I have ever read of anyones...so much has gone into it...your family, grand children ,the love and happiness of you all, something I missed ,never had that as a child and unhappiness,but by the grace of God I found the Lord. He makes up for everything I have ever missed and now has led me to chats where I meet such lovely people such as you and Joe, love all the info you have here. Thank you Judy for letting me share your world with you for the 1 hour I have been reading it. It has me enthralled to the very end...just wonderful Judy and I told Joe you were the loveliest person I have ever known and you know what, you really are... Huggs and love you for welcoming me to your world ....

Hugs to you Rainee! My life is richer for having met you! Judy

Bridge Collapses

It is with depth of feeling I write this post today. Two days ago a bridge spanning the Mississippi River collapsed and left our city, the nation, and indeed the whole world in a state of shock and grief.

My prayers are with the victims, their families, all those involved in the rescue and recovery operations, the medical staffs at our local hospitals, the unsung heroes who helped because they were there......perhaps just passing by on what seemed to be an ordinary evening.....and my gratitude for all those who have lit candles and said prayers because that is what is in their power to do.

Thank you to the people who have called or written me to check on my safety and the safety of my loved ones. I have heard from people in many states and across the ocean. Love is powerful and has such long arms.....Love to you all, Judy