Fun !!

Ack!!!!  I had lots more good pictures of the Firemen's Breakfast and others to post, but yesterday I had a P.E.O. Luncheon in Okoboji to go to, and today I fly out of Omaha to Salt Lake City for the 25th Anniversary Stampin' Up! Convention!  I have about 17 in my downline going from all over (Texas, St. Louis, Indiana, Florida, Colorado, S. Carolina that I can think of). We'll have a lot of fun!  I've been to 13 conventions over the years so have made friends with lots of demonstrators in the United States.  Always fun to see everybody again. 

Will be taking more pictures of beautiful Utah and friends.  

Stay cool everybody!  

** Just noticed that I probably will have had 50,000 visits to my blog by the time I get back! 

Sesquicentennial Parade

Saturday was the parade - and I took lots of pictures.  One of the highlights for me was meeting Harvey Applegate.  His nephew, Terry, who has helped Bill a lot with the electrical project in our new shed, had told me that his uncle in Omaha reads my blog every day.  He went to school here in Rolfe, and I found out he was a classmate of Bill's dad.  So I've taken pictures of Terry in the past helping Bill so he'd be on the blog for his uncle to see.  

During parade lineup Sat. morning, these two neat old orange tractors pulled in behind us and then the calliope.  I eventually asked this guy standing back there if someone was going to be playing the calliope this year or would it just be "playing itself".  He said it was going to just be playing, etc.  Terry walked up and asked his uncle if he knew who he was talking to and immediately I said "is this your uncle from Omaha????"  And it was!  Too funny.  He told me his morning routine is something like getting up early, gets his coffee or eats something, looks at his local paper and the Fort Dodge paper here on the Internet and then it's always "Cindy's blog".  So now he's met me in person and I've met "Terry's uncle in Omaha"!  It was really nice to meet you Harvey!  Very fun!

tractors behind us

Harvey Applegate on his tractor

Harvey, his nephew Terry Applegate and Terry's son

part of the lineup down Railroad St.

Bill's 2nd cousin, Bryan who is here for the summer from CO

Bryan behind us

some very large farm equipment

unusual car

some P.E.O. sisters, Dee and Linda

look who I found watching the parade!

the guy who paints the Freedom Rock in southern IA every year

He painted a rock in someone's yard in Rolfe - wants to have one in every county in IA.

large dog

our church's bus carrying puppets

Some firemen - Bill, Luke Dahl, Glenn Munson and Aaron Orwig

Duck Dynasty's Phil and Miss Kay (P.E.O. sister Jule Hudgens & husband, John)

our P.E.O. entry - and Tim's Gator with Linda Clark riding

(nice Gator) - from the back

Sesquicentennial and Spraying Hay

Wow, we are in the midst of our Sesquicentennial celebration around here and there are lots of people back in town for this.  The P.E.O. group I'm in was the co-sponsor of a lunch today at The Lutheran Church and this was one of only 3 places for people to get lunch after the parade!  The serving line was from the street into the church most of the time but people leaving were telling those waiting in line that the food was good and worth the wait.  We had maidrite, ham or turkey sandwiches and then all kinds of homemade salads.  Plus another group sold pie and ice cream.  Our group had to contribute 15 ice cream buckets of salad and so did the Freedom Girls.  No time to take pictures there!

There was a sold out Bacon and Wine Fest this afternoon.

Here are a couple of pictures from the water fights last night.  The weather has been great so far.  Glenn is here and last night we babysat Diane's girls and he had them today until I got done working.  Then I brought the little one home. She's here with me and asleep and everyone else is at the rodeo tonight.  Took lots of pictures at the parade today including a couple of someone that it was exciting to meet!  

Tomorrow morning Bill starts bright and early grilling a bunch of sausages with another guy for the firemen's omelet breakfast.  Then we'll be cooking omelets and anything else that needs to be done.  From 1:00-3:00 I'll be in one of the homes that's on the Tour of Homes. This home is going to have someone playing the piano and after we're done, the homeowner is having wine and cake for those of us that helped her. 

Water fights.

Earlier this week, Bill was spraying the dairy's hay ground.  I like these pictures so included them all.  You can always click on a picture to make it bigger.

spraying hay

 

Bay Shore Inn, Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.

We're getting ready for a busy weekend here in our town.  It's the yearly Greater Rolfe Days combined with the town's Sesquicentennial (150 years).  There is an "all school" reunion.  The last class to graduate from here was in 1990.  The only thing left of the school, which started falling down, is the gym which is used for events off and on.  

Tonight the firemen put on the water fights which is . . . hard to describe.  Two teams of 3 face each other and each team has a fire hose.  They use the water to try to get a barrel on a cable overhead over to the other side before the other team does.  They wear fire coats and helmets - and get very wet.  There will be a meal there.   

Tomorrow is the parade, salad luncheon sponsored by P.E.O. and the Freedom Girls with pie and ice cream social, Lions Club auction, a Bacon and Wine Fest and rodeo along with the reunion.  

Sunday is the firemen's omelet breakfast, a Tour of Homes, a town & country softball game.  And more throughout.

Below are several pictures of where we stayed in Door County - the Bay Shore Inn.  It's a really nice place.  Bill's mom went with us and we had a two bedroom unit which was nice.  As she said, too bad we didn't spend more time there!

This was taken back in Feb. when we checked it out, thus the coats.

living room with little patio

those big windows let in a lot light early in the morning!

Comfy chairs to sit and look at the water.

this would be fun in the fall

little beach area with kayaks & paddle boats to use for free - also bikes!

nice outdoor and indoor pools - outdoor is near the water

found out hammocks aren't that comfortable!

  

Sturgeon Bay in Door County, Wisconsin

We got to Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. Fri. evening for John & Mary Jeanne's 50th anniversary celebration.  Fri. night they had everyone come to their house for food and visiting.  They were so lucky to have perfect weather both Fri. and Sat.  They had tents and tables set up in their back yard.  They both come from big families so lots of family were there from Ohio, Seattle, Iowa and all over and several staying at their home.  

Sat. we drove up to Fish Creek to take an hour and a half scenic ride on this boat.

We were surprised that the shoreline was all trees.  You couldn't see any houses.  We did see this lighthouse and the caves.  

lighthouse that is no longer used

caves

It was a perfect day to be on the water.

That evening was the anniversary party at the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club with dinner and dancing.  Mary Jeanne and John have always danced a lot, and it was fun to watch them.  There was a nice grassy area outside by the water and docks where the kids could run around and people could visit.

 

 

We're Back!

We just got back tonight from a fun weekend in Door County, Wisconsin - actually Sturgeon Bay - for a 50th anniversary celebration.  These are the people we visited in February and went snowmobiling with.  When we were there in Feb., the snow was deep so it was fun to go back when everything is green.  The famous Door County cherries are almost ripe.

I have a bunch of fun pictures to post - hopefully starting tomorrow - of a boat ride, the place we stayed, The Log Den where we ate last night, a Christmas shop, and a lighthouse for starters.  

It got hotter the closer to home we got today.  The high was 92.  It looked like rain was getting close but my flower pots looked so dry that I watered them some in case the rain missed us.  It didn't!  We got at least 8/10".   The grass, our trees and plants needed it. 

We have a busy week ahead of us with our town's Sesquicentennial being celebrated during the annual Greater Rolfe Days this weekend.  Bill is a fireman and will be helping with the water fights on Fri. night, he'll be in a fire truck in the parade and I'll be driving a Gator for our P.E.O. entry, then I help with a salad luncheon and Sun. we'll be working at the firemen's omelet breakfast, and then I'll be a hostess in a home on the home tour in the afternoon.

Tues. I have a P.E.O. luncheon in Okoboji, and then I leave out of the Omaha, NE airport the next morning for the 25th Anniversary Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City.