Last weekend we spent our first overnight on the land. It was beautiful and quiet...for the most part. As we sat by the campfire, we heard a pack of coyotes howling to each other (or making a kill). The night was brisk, we were serenaded by crickets, and I slept great.

There was an antique tractor show in a nearby rural community, so we joined thousands of other people and took a peek. There were LOADS of tractors and steam engines; even a parade where the tractors puttered around a set route.

As we walked through the huge flea market area, John pointed out an old station wagon and said, "This is like the car we had when I was growing up. A Vista Cruiser." John doesn't remember much, so it's always fun to see him reminisce.

A big 'Hooray' for Isaac who turns SIX today! He has already started kindergarten and is riding the bus to school. Quite an active little boy...he reminds me of his father who was always busy and moving and running. Isaac is a fun one to tickle, with his authentic smile and giggly laugh. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAAC!

We had a Womens Retreat on Friday and Saturday. It was a spiritually refreshing getaway that focused on enhancing our personal worship of Almighty God, drawing near to Him, and reading Scripture. Connie welcomed us to her farm with views of the beautiful country- side, and the majority of our group slept in tents. There were strong winds, then a 2:30 am pouring rain, but we awoke to sunshine and a shared adventure. It was great to gather together for sessions in the barn...also to spread out individually for time alone with God's Word. Connie's daughter-in-law (Amanda) was praying in the hammock, but she heard my camera clicking and gave me a smile.

My sister and her husband live in the Oshkosh area. We visited with them on Friday and Saturday, and stayed in their guest room. They both work in the education field, so have some time off in the summer. Rachel has participated in two huge bicycle rides this summer (Colorado mountains and across Iowa), while Paul has continued his woodworking and other projects. When we saw them, he was nearing the end of a beautiful built-in hutch for their living

room. Rachel justs hands him a photo from a catalog and Paul goes to work designing and customizing and using extremely fine details to create a masterpiece. He's also done most of the other furniture in their home, along with MANY projects for the Middle School. He's very talented!

In our town we have a whitewater course. They've diverted a channel from our main river and set it up with boulders and drop-offs. Then at certain times in the summer the electrical company opens up the small dam and there's BIG water for kayaking and canoeing. John and I had a leisurely morning a while back and stopped to watch the adventurous ones.

There's a small shack on our land (that is falling down) and a maple syrup "sugaring off" shelter that has collapsed. John and I spent a little time tearing it apart and recycling the dry boards. I said, "maybe years from now our grandkids will use this wood to make a treehouse."

We also met the farmer who rents our cropland. He gave us the inside scoop on a bunch of stuff (history of our property, neighbors, farming basics, how-to's).

I remember going to our state capitol as a big field trip in 4th grade with my elementary classmates. It was such a big day...I distinctly remember mom dropping me

off in the VW Bug, liking a boy on the bus (but would never let him know), taking a 'special' lunch (probably because it included a Twinkie), wearing overalls (I think it was in-style), and getting home late. The tour of the capitol was beautiful and amazing.

Remembering that trip made me want to take an inside tour again. On Friday, we were visiting Luke and Niki (and Niki's brother Max) for a few hours, and they live SO close to the capitol that we walked by on our way to lunch. I didn't go inside, but mentioned to John that we should in the near future. It was fun to see our boys all together again...I'm pretty sure we haven't all been together since Christmas.

On Thursday I ambled through our County Fair for a few hours. There were so many entries in projects, food, crafts, and animals that I did not see them all. We're in the largest county in Wisconsin, and we are the #1 dairy producing county, so you can imagine the dairy cow showings. Huge! I ran into a few church kids who were showing animals or had entered 4-H projects, so I talked with them awhile.