almost home

We've been gone from home for almost three weeks.  It's our annual visit to Wisconsin to see as much family as we possibly can, and while it is rich in connection and memory-making, we are kind of exhausted here by the end, and longing to be in our own beds with our own kitties.  But rewinding time to the first week...

Our first stop was with cousins! We'll see them again today, bookending the whole trip, but here are the shenanigans that greeted us when we arrived...

finding chickens

Ada's not quite sure about Uncle Dan...

What I can't show because my camera is revolting against decent indoor photos, is the rest of this particular evening, which had us gathered around the piano for a long while, singing in parts with my brother and sister in law to my father-in-law's compositions, while kids played games late into the evening. It was really lovely!

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We have a tradition of meeting my cousin and her boys at Devil's Lake (also known as Spirit Lake), which we wouldn't miss for anything.  Hiking the Western rim, swimming, and of course, some ice cream...

carefully peering at the climbers

hey! it's me and ani! we selfied!

loves

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Before heading up north to Door County, we squeezed in another day with the brother-cousins (Dan's brothers' children). It was a great morning with big kids...

cute puppies...

...and a wonderful tobacco hornworm that was making short work of the tomatoes.