Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival

Is there anything in summer as good as sweet corn?

Poor Nate doesn't have enough front teeth right now to eat the corn on the cob.  We brought a bowl, knife and fork so that he could enjoy the corn, too.

Crazy Sky

I've always loved being able to actually look at the sun when it's behind a cloud.

Soccer Camp 2010

Nate and Abbie participated in MSCR's Soccer Camp last summer and loved it so much that they decided to do it again this year.  We were lucky to have signed up for one of the cooler weeks in August; if they had gone the week before, I don't know how much fun they would have had.  They both enjoyed camp again this year.  Nate worked on his endurance, speed and skills, while Abbie led her team in scoring and speed.  I am continually surprised by how much skill Abbie has picked up just by watching Nate play on his team for the last two years.  I am equally impressed at how fast Nate can run, especially since he is usually the shortest player on the field.

Dubuque, Iowa

A couple of weeks ago, Alan and I really felt the need to escape.  The Bahamas would have been fantastic, but we settled for Dubuque.  We left on Saturday morning and got to Dubuque on Saturday morning.  It's a shorter drive than Milwaukee!  We did some touristy stuff and stayed at a Bed and Breakfast.  It was our first B&B and we all loved it.  The kids were so excited to stay in a mansion.  It was a good trip for us, not long enough to be exhausting, but far enough that we felt like we'd actually gotten away.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

 This is the B&B where we stayed.

 Gorgeous chandeliers in almost every room!

 Staircase up to the rooftop deck.

 Alan and I stayed in the Paris Suite.

 This was our shower.  It would have been better if the shower head turned--Marble is cold!

 Nate's and Abbie's bathroom.  There was a toilet, shower, and linen closet on the other side of the room.

 Nate's and Abbie's room

 The kids woke up at the BCOD, so Alan took them up to watch the sunrise.  Unfortunately, it got blocked by the clouds.  Yes, then he went back to sleep.

 Nate and Alan played a game of chess.

This is the Fenelon/4th St. Elevator.  A man built it so that he could go home every day to have lunch and take a nap.  A man after my own heart...

On Sunday morning, we went to the Mississippi and National River Museums.  Other than the fact the my kids are terrified of fish, etc., it went fine.  We just didn't stay too long.

 You can thank Abbie for this one... Alan always takes the opportunity to grab a picture on a toilet.

After the River Museum, we headed to the old County Jail.

On Sunday afternoon, we visited The Hamm House, a mansion from the late 1800s.  We weren't aloud to take pictures in the house, but the site also contained the oldest structure in Iowa, a log cabin.  There was also the remains of an early lead mine.  You'll see the cabin and mine below.

Even just for a day trip, I would highly recommend Dubuque!  It's so close, with so much to do.  Thanks for looking!