Smooth Manonna Water

We have been having unseasonably warm weather this September. Last night we decided to try and take advantage of it and see if we could steal another sweet outing on the boat. I am working Friday night at the hospital so it greatly limits the time when we can go, since all Friday evening and the next day Saturday are unavailable and the weather is supposed to get more normal on Sunday.

Unfortunately nobody really felt like taking pictures other then me. I was driving the boat so I did not get a ton, LH took a couple of Franklin while he was on the "Ski board" what Gail likes to call it and while Granite and his friend from the ward were on the tube. The water was so nice and smooth, the temperature was warm, the air not the water, and it was just beautiful. I was not able to get up on the slalom ski, (I was probably trying to protect my thrown out back from last Saturday of skiing) at least that is my excuse. I did get a sweet ride on the wake board as it was getting dark, but oh that water was super smooth.



Little Marjorie, really likes to ride in the boat. She isnt really showing it here but she was loving it on this outing. I took this while we were at the dock after launching waiting for LH to come back from parking the van.



Franklin was the first to go and he was loving the smooth water. Gail calls this his, "ski board"



Franklin as he is about to catch some big air. We caught this picture just a tiny bit to early but still a pretty sweet picture.




Granite and his good friend from the ward loving life on the Cruzer Tube.



All three of the boys riding the Cruzer Tube. We didn't do "Death Tube" with all three of them on there. They were pretty unsteady as it was so there was plenty of falling off and laughter.



LH riding the "ski board" I was trying to take pictures while driving since Franklin was not willing. I am using the rear view mirror on the boat, which has a fish eye effect making my bald head look kind of funny.



LH still going, looking great. My bald head looks more normal in this one. As normal as it can look I guess. I am pretty tricky, like the one armed boat driver in Guatemala.




Even Martin was loving the boating experience. Look at that glass. I went after LH, it got pretty dark on me, but it didn't matter because the water was so smooth. I wish my back wasn't tweaked so that I could have gotten up on the slalom. I had some good moves on the wake board just no evidence to show for it. We are hoping to get another trip in on Saturday evening before the weather gots colder. I just need to get through the call shift tonight, wish me luck.

Family Funny Farm

On Sunday after church we went to the Milwaukee area to see our friends from high school and college, and spend the afternoon with them. We don't get to see them enough, and the kids always have fun. They have a daughter that is the exact same age as Franklin and he gets along with her really well, and their second daughter is very close to Gail's age. They live close to a family in their ward that keeps lots of different animals on their land and they call it the Family Funny Farm. Their oldest daughter which is Franklin's age was caring for the animals while they were on a vacation in Utah. We got to go with her and enjoy all the farm animals. Unfortunately I left my good camera at home and I only had my smaller camera that doesn't take as nice of pictures or is as fast.



Gail petting the goat. This goat was so funny. They had raised it from a kid themselves so it was very friendly much like a dog. It loved the leaves from this pear tree and would do all it could to get them.


Gail petting the friendly goat, that like most goats I guess only cared about eating.



They even had a Wallaby. This is Franklin's friend feeding the wallaby. It was a little bit skittish. Franklin did get to pet it and grab it's tail etc, unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that excitement.



Granite petting the friendly goat, who looks like he is trying to find something new to eat.



Gail feeding the friendly goat some leaves from the apple tree. She loved this so much and would just giggle as the goat would eat. I don't think the goat minded much either.



Franklin feeding the llamas. The llamas were interesting they were so tall that I found them a little bit intimidating.


Some more of the llamas and the solitary black sheep.



There was a great big huge billy goat that enjoyed the hay that Gail was feeding it. It was not quite as friendly as the other smaller goat, and didn't enjoy to be pet.



Franklin and the Prairrie Dogs. They had two prairrie dogs, they were really cute. I am not quite sure why you would want prairrie dogs but they were really fun to see close up.


Franklin playing with the parrot and Cockatoo. That big white Cockatoo was a really friendly bird that would stick it's claws out of the cage and grab onto your finger or hand. The gray parrot in the back wasn't quite as social.


Back at our friend's house. They have several cats that Gail was enjoying. The cat was circling her and tickling her face with it's tail. I think this cat is named Calico.



Gail and Calico, she was just talking and talking telling me all about the cat while petting it. She is such a sweet heart.


Franklin found a sweet maple tree to climb high up into.

Even more cats. Granite and Gail enjoying one of the more mellow older cats. Granite is still a little bummed with us as parents because we didn't let him bring home a kitten when we were there last spring. He had picked out a gray cat and named it Tiger and he was hoping that it would still be there. Only Tiger's brother Calico was left. Calico is in the pictures with MG. We are going to try to get together with them again before Thanksgiving and not let so much time pass in between.

Labor Day Weekend

On Friday evening of Labor Day Weekend we went boating on the smaller and I think prettier of the two lakes that are in the downtown Madison area. We have been trying to get as much boating in as possible since this is really our last chance before we have to move. We may get a couple of trips in before we move, but you never know, since I have the big oral test in June.

Franklin and his friend in the Ward are holding on for dear life while careening around the corner. Franklin likes to call it "Death Tube".


Little Marjorie is always super cute. She likes the boat but doesn't like her life jacket as much, even though it is super cute.



Big G, being crazy while taking a swim. He was pulling on the tube making it stand straight up.



Franklin celebrating a sweet move down by his friend on the kneeboard or wake board I cant completely remember. It was a beautiful sunset.



We Stayed out on the lake as it got dark. It was a super pretty evening. I was trying desperately to get a good picture. It was extremely difficult because I had to deal with me being steady and the continual rock of the boat. This is the best that turned out. The long white buiding along the lake is called Monona Terrace which is used similar to the Salt Palace for conventions and things. It was designed by Frank Loyd Wright in his last years before he died who supposedly was a native of Madison, Wisconsin. It is a pretty building. It has really great views of the lake on the inside and great fountains and things.


On Monday of Labor Day after spending Saturday at the Cow Pie Chuck we took the boat to the great Root Beer waters of Lake Wisconsin. Franklin is showing us how sweet the water felt on the hot day.



Marjorie went for a little swim with LH, she didn't seem to enjoy it as much as Franklin did.



Gail and I played on the tube. She thought it was pretty great.




Even Martin went for a swim with his life jacket. He definitely did not enjoy it as much as Franklin.


Gail and her friend going for a tube ride. Gail's first tube ride behind the boat without LH or I. She is signalling circles with her arm, like the boys do when they went me to go crazy in circles for "Death Tube" we kept it pretty mellow for her.



Franklin was showing us all how it was done on the wake board. He is starting to get pretty good on that crazy stick.



Our boat went dead in the water and wouldnt start. I thought it was a battery problem, but it wouldn't jump start either. Somebody agreed to pull us to the nearest boat launch though not to where are van wias which was several miles up river. Conveniently our boat went dead right at the dam of the lake. We called our friends who came and picked us up and then drove LH across the ferry to the other side of the lake to our van. LH drove the van and trailer back across the ferry to where we were. We got out of there well after it was dark, the evening before the first day of school. At least we made a good memory. It turned out that it was a starter motor problem that I was able to fix myself once we were at home and I looked through everything.

Wisconsin State Cow Chip Chuck

On Labor Day weekend we went to the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Chuck. I have been wanting to go for the past couple of years that we have been in Wisconsin. It was really great, it basically is a contest to see who can throw a dried up cow pie the fartherst. They had a great parade, fair kind of thing, art sellings, animals, it was fun for all.

Franklin and Granite are picking out their "Chip" dont they look excited.

Franklin chucking it deep. He threw for 33 feet. I like the Cow Chip caught in action at the top of the photo.

Granite getting ready to throw. He threw for 24 feet.

There is nothing quite like a singing flag. This was the very first part of the parade.

The boys with their "Chip Deflectors" at the parade.

This thing was great, cow chips were falling out of the back of this and people with shovels were going behind scooping it up. It was pretty funny. Notice the boys have on their "Chip Deflectors."

Cute Gail wearing her pink dress petting the pink piglets. They had all sorts of fun farm animals there, ponies, tiny goats, puppies, chicks, ducks, sheep etc. Gail especially liked the farm animals. She decided that she didn't want to throw a cow chip this year.