Minneapolis

My dad's gravestone

 We had a short weekend visit to my hometown, and my cousin Mary and her husband Jim, superb hosts, took us out to the cemetery where my parents are buried. I hadn't seen their gravestones, and my sisters wanted to make sure we cleaned them up. A poignant moment, for sure, especially since the last time I saw them was 41 years ago.
We drove around town a bit, saw the new stadium going up, and visited Minnehaha Falls where Bill and I spent part of the day we got engaged (waiting for the jeweler to create my ring!). Lots of family memories there of picnics and get-togethers.

My mother's gravestone

Minnehaha Falls - a landmark, and where we spent the day we got engaged

Having brunch with cousin Mary, her husband Jim & daughter Jackie

 Sunday after church we had some time to visit Bachman's, a local garden center that also has a lovely outdoor brunch spot (and time to browse all the northern plants we can't grow in Santa Barbara!). Home again to bustle about getting ready for Mary's older daughter Shannon and her family to come home for the summer from Bratislava. We're so lucky - we got to visit them there on our Danube trip, and then we got to spend a bit of time with them when they came home!

Sascha watching Grandpa Jim teaching Maggie how to swing a bat

Shannon with adorable Duncan...after a 12 hour trip from Europe

We awoke to a thunder shower and a wonderful breakfast, then headed west again, on the search for Bill's great-grandparents and some explanation of why they left Ontario to homestead in southwestern Minnesota.