Flying with Craig

On the way north for this year's Jaunt with Jim bike ride, Rich stopped at Richard Bong Airport in Superior, Wisconsin, and received a one-hour flight in the new airplane purchased by his friend Craig.


Captain Craig, just after we took off and turned northeast toward the Apostle Islands.


The panel of Craig's four- or five-year-old Cirrus SR20. We spent much of our time at 3,500 feet.


A very large bar island just south of Madeline Island in Lake Superior.


Basswood Island in the foreground, with other Apostle Islands in the background.

Flying with Craig, Part II

Craig was generous and let Rich take the controls for much of the flight. Here we're heading back toward Superior, with Lake Superior in the background.


The harbor at Duluth-Superior.


Loading docks at Superior.


Duluth Sky Harbor Airport, with water all around. Rich landed here a couple of times several years ago.


Short final back to runway 21 at Bong Airport. Thanks, Craig!

Sunny summer day

Noah spent a week with us after finishing up seventh grade in Moorhead. He and Rich biked four miles each way to visit the Coon Rapids Dam.


Sarah sporting her new yellow sun hat and sandals.


Princess Erin.

Sarah's first train ride

Last Saturday, Sarah took her first-ever train ride with Daddy and Grampa Gordon so we could visit her great-uncle Arthur, who lives in Indiana and is sick. We took Amtrak's Empire Builder from St. Paul to Chicago, then rented a car and drove the rest of the way to Indianapolis. Here's Sarah, all decked out with her traveling hat and her pink backpack stuffed with toys and goodies.



The Empire Builder was about an hour late that morning, so Sarah and Grandpa had to kill some time.


All aboard!


Sarah was pretty excited during the first part of our trip. Here she is in the observation car, pointing out the spray being kicked up behind the cars driving on the wet road.


"Look, Dad! Lake Pepin!"

Sarah's first train ride, Part 2

We ate lunch in the dining car while riding through central Wisconsin, and sat with a nice lady traveling home to Cleveland. Sarah ate some of grandpa's salad, then enjoyed some penne pasta with meatballs.


Then she settled in with a Scooby-Doo video and some crackers ...


... before falling asleep for a couple of hours before we got to Milwaukee.


Beauty and the beast.


Sarah sees the Sears Tower in Chicago!

Trek to catch the El

After getting off the train at Union Station in Chicago, we had to walk about a quarter-mile with all of our bags to catch the El train to Midway Airport to rent our car. Here's Sarah and Grampa walking over the Chicago River. It was a little windy and cool, so Sarah didn't want to pose too long for a picture.


Walking through the Chicago streets.


Sarah and Daddy wait for the El to come by.


We told Sarah to hang on tight when the El started and stopped. It looks like she's ready for about an eight-G pull here!


Ridin' the El.

Pruney fingers

Almost to Midway Airport, a quick view of downtown Chicago.



Sarah and Daddy spent a good part of Sunday waiting in the solarium at the hospital in Indianapolis while Grandpa and Aunt Florence visited with and took care of Uncle Arthur. Several relatives dropped by, including five-year-old Noah, who is the son of cousin Joshua's girlfriend Shannon. Sarah and Noah hit it off immediately and even watched ... you guessed it ... more Scooby-Doo!



On Sunday night, Sarah went swimming in the hotel pool with Grampa and Daddy.


But on Monday, she and Daddy spent SIX HOURS splashing around at the hotel's big water park. A big red crab from "The Deadliest Catch" even showed up to play!


Sarah didn't have any fun at the water park AT ALL.

Uncle Arthur's communion service

Aunt Florence joined us for supper at Famous Dave's, and Sarah fell asleep after her meal.


On Monday evening, Grandpa Gordon helped organize a Lutheran communion service that Uncle Arthur had requested. As family members showed up, we gathered in a beautiful garden outside the hospital. Sarah showed cousins Crystal and Dawn her puppy doll.


Waiting for the chaplain to arrive.


Look at these three cutie-pies. Amber approves of the job Crystal is doing on Sarah's hair.


We had to gown and glove before going into Arthur's room for the service, and Dawn provided a little bit of levity.

Sarah visits Union Station; The train ride home

On the way back to Minneapolis on Tuesday, Sarah and Daddy took an quick opportunity to check out the Beaux-Arts architecture of Chicago's Union Station, which was build in 1925. The station was busiest during World War II, when as many as 300 trains and 100,000 people passed through each day. Those numbers are reduced by half today.


An ornate lamppost and beautiful Corinthian columns at Union Station.


Sarah orders Grampa to color.


That little girl really knows how to crash!


As we crossed the Mississippi River back into Minnesota, a woman started playing peek-a-boo with Sarah. Sarah really took to her, and Daddy invited her to sit with us as we rode past Lake Pepin. Lulu was traveling home to the Twin Cities from her first year of college in Illinois.

The new pool

Out of the frying pan ...

One of the littlest ducklings we're caring for loves it when Sarah puts him in her little toy frying pan. If only he knew what it was for ...



Mmmm, mmmm! Finger-lickin' good!



Don't worry, ducky ... I won't eat you.



Can you imagine dodging these guys if you had to go really bad and had to run upstairs to the bathroom? And no, this shot was NOT staged.


Sarah wanted to be in the picture, too...