The perfect end to a lovely summer was a week with our granddaughters, Amanda, 6, and Sophia, 4. They live in Chicago, so we are able to get to their house in only three hours if we correctly predict the traffic density on the expressway. We started our week with a celebration of Bill's birthday on August 29. Allen and Mindy went all out with food and wine, topped off with a very tasty cake. Here's a review of our week's activities--at least the ones for which we had a camera. We have not joined the smart phone world.
GRANDPA'S BIRTHDAY IN CHICAGO
Blow, Grandpa! We'll help you!
AROUND GRANDPA AND GRANDMA'S HOUSE
Even though they have some of the same toys at home, the ones at our house still offer hours of fun.
Grandpa and the girls created and printed fairies galore, which they were able to weave into lots of imaginative play.
The sweet corn season was at its peak, and we ate it every day. These kids can really pack away a lot of fresh corn and beans from the farmers' market. They always helped to prepare it, too.
Grandpa put out the wading pools and set up the hose, which more than compensated for the fact that the Berlin Aquatic Center, where we had planned to take them, was closed. Berlin, pronounced with the accent on the Ber, is a town about 12 miles from Ripon. School had already started in Berlin, which probably accounts for the closing of their large water park even though the temperatures were in the 80's.
Amanda has discovered Double 12 Mexican Train Dominoes. She could hold her own against regular players, Grandma Jean, Bill Neill, and Mary Alice Wilkinson!
Harvest time!
Artists
We visited the public library at the beginning of the week and brought home eleven books, which were read and re-read all week long.
Mom Mindy came for the Labor Day weekend and we went shopping for school clothes at the outlet mall in Oshkosh. Incidentally, we also found these fantastic Halloween costumes and a bike for Mindy. Between Sunday and Monday, Jean and Mindy rode 27 miles on country roads around Ripon, while Bill and the girls created fairies and a book about their Ripon adventures.
CIRCUS WORLD
The Circus World Museum is one of Wisconsin's historical treasures. The Ringling Brothers founded their circus in 1884 in Baraboo, about an hour and a half from Ripon. The site is now a place to explore circus history, see a huge collection of restored circus wagons, go to circus shows, eat cotton candy, and ride the carousel. The history is fascinating. Check it out at
http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/.
Amanda thought a painted face would be the perfect complement to her circus experience. Sophie said, "No thanks."
Bill and Jean remember cotton candy as pink sugar, spun before your very eyes around a white paper cone. For the girls, it was blue and already bagged for purchase at the concession stand. Jean's taste test verified that the taste has not changed.
The kids' interactive circus gives children an opportunity to be a performer or a member of the audience. Sophie was an attentive audience member, while Amanda performed as an elephant. A highlight of her day was walking the tightrope with a parasol, seen here.
This little pony, Lucky Star, was part of a circus act. Afterward, he was available for petting.
Given a choice between riding Tiny the elephant and the ponies, both girls went for small rather than Tiny.
Sweet dreams!
