July 2015 –
Every summer that we've managed a trip back to the good old USA we do a short hop & skip over to Dubuque, IA. Well, it's about a 7-hour drive from Mark's parents which isn't too bad in the scheme of things. This summer we're lucky! Mark is joining us – he'll be at work at the Dubuque John Deere facility while we're galavanting about and taking care of doctor and dental appointments.
Since the girls HATE leaving their cousins for the week I try to sweeten the deal by having us stay at a hotel with a nice indoor water park.
Another way to sweeten the deal? Visiting old friends!
Actually, our visit was to see Anuschka, Ulz and Rafiqu, our German friends that live in Platteville. Guess what? I was too busy chatting with them that I DIDN'T TAKE ANY PHOTOS. Argh!!!! So frustrating!
Next up:
Ava with her best buddy, Wynne:
And…
these three young ladies (Paige, Shae and Annika…and maybe not in that order ;-)
And hooray to funny little sisters who love photo bombing:
The bigger girls aren't quite so amused as I am!
We had fantastic hamburgers with our friends, the Siegerts…THANK YOU!!!!!
Sunset in Potosi, WI
And here we're taking a break from medical and dental appointments at the Dubuque Arboretum:
(In the Prairie Garden…oh my, has it grown!)
And here's a brief visit to the girls' old school (Potosi) to see some old friends and watch a reptile show before our medical appointment. It was wonderful to see Susan, the Potosi librarian & sweet friend:
After the medical appointment the girls and I ducked over to Rural Route Popcorn (that's my way of bribing them to get through rounds of vaccinations). With a stop at the Stader household for a visit and dinner (here's Noah and Emily playing with Annika).:
Why do I always forget to take photos of our friends while we're visiting them? I guess I hate being THAT person that can't set down her phone…but that means no photos! sigh
And here we're visiting the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (a perennial favorite):
It doesn't matter that the girls are getting older- they still love playing in this water works part of the museum!
oh…..WOW! Check out that blue sky and those fluffy white clouds!
The girls in a carp. Yeah…a carp.
Before our dental visit we stopped in at Hana and Todd's place:Hee hee hee…
Annika even got a chance to visit her friend Amanda!
(Ava got to have a play time at Wynne's house while Annika got to hang out with Amanda. And what about me? Well, I just went for a drive. Because I could! Such a huge treat for me!)
Before we left Dubuque we made one last visit to the Mississippi River Museum with Hana, Rian, and Mica:
Annika got to demonstrate her wood shaving skills (apparently she became comfortable using a wood planer in the northwest coast carving class at Sitka Fine Arts Camp):
Well, darn. That was too fast and not enough photos of our friends….I completely missed taking photos of the Marriages too! I guess I shouldn't be too upset – it means I'm so engaged in our discussions.)
On our drive back to Michigan, Mark needed to do a quick stop at John Deere HQ in Moline,IL to get booster shots. And we got to play with some big machines!Or pretend to play, as the case might actually be.
Ava, the operator!All together a fast trip to Dubuque with friends and events crammed into every nook and cranny!