Wisteria, Chives, and the Orange Star Flower Child

What a nice weekend this has been! My older daughter CJ came up from Indy, along with 3 year old grand daughter, baby daddy, and Grandma Pat.
They decided to wait until 6 am Friday morning to head out, fresh and rested, and arrived 6.5 hours later. That turned out to be a better trip for them, and left us half a day to rest and visit. I made subs for lunch, then we sat outside and enjoyed the deck and bird songs. Rhonda had a riot playing with Igor, teasing him with Teddy Bear Keep-away, driving the poodle to distraction! She also loved her dump truck. Looks like Igor wants one too!

It was a good time to give CJ her Wisteria Wrap, aka The Purple Thing; she loves it!

Rhonda sure is a cutie! We took a ride to the Natureland Park to see one of the effigy mounds, a short hike from the parking lot.
She was a perfect study in Nature, nestled among some wildflowers that proliferate on the mound. I identified one nice specimen of Orange Star Flower, gorgeous!

On our return hike back, Baby Girl has fun chasing butterflies!

Pat enjoyed the park as much as I did, the first time I found it. I think we could have found the other mound, if we had our hiking shoes on~
On the way back to the car, we stopped and got out feet wet in the natural spring- brrrr! It was cold! Rhonda took first her shoes off, then her shirt, and before anyone could say BOO!, she lay down in the cool water, much to her daddy’s chagrin… oh, but I bet it felt good!

As we drove back toward home, I showed them a local cemetery in Heart Prairie.

As we wandered around looking at the old markers and headstones, I noticed a monument stone I hadn’t noticed before.

Upon reading the inscription, we noticed a section of dried grass that appeared to have been lines along the former church’s foundation.

We drove toward the back of the grounds and noticed some large old concrete planters in the shapes of urns, and curiosity got the better of us, so we continued on back, only to discover a magnificent old victorian mansion hiding on a beautiful bluff behind the trees. In my wonder, I completely forgot to take a picture, but plan to go back soon. I hope the residents don’t mind this curious visitor

We enjoyed a nice evening on the deck, sharing pictures and laughter. CJ sure seemed relaxed and happy to be back.

Ryan and I compared smart phones; he and Pat want an iPad now heheee!

Pat just seemed confused as to what all the fuss was. ;p

I took CJ for a bike ride in the late afternoon, and we stopped to pick up some food for dinner. She had a good time, and the new passenger was not a problem.
Pat was content to relax on the deck and play with the iPad.

Our last evening together, CJ, Rhonda and I enjoyed some rest and relaxation and tried to forget about having to say our goodbyes then next day. We danced like there was no tomorrow.

Today was our last day, so everyone was up and rested, ready to go. Daddy started loading everything back into the SUV, and CJ wanted a picture of me and her on the bike. Rhonda and Igor got in on the action.

My weekend has the best news yet: my youngest daughter has announced her engagement to Jake Greenwood

And her younger brother Sam, has popped the question to his longtime friend Bridget, to which she said “YES!”

And now the house is as quiet as a mouse nestled under a pottery shard. All is back to normal, but the memories will linger until next time we’re all together

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