Minnesota State Fair, part #2

Here are pictures of the rest of the parade.

An antique fire engine goes by.

Here's a close up of the food stand.

There were several bands;  this one is from Anoka.

Smoky the Bear prevents forest fires.

Here we have another float of some beef on the hoof.

The parade is over and people crowd the street.

Minnesota State Fair, part #1

The Friday before Labor Day, Dick and I went to the State Fair.  What follows are a few picture of a parade at the fair.

One of the floats in the parade.

There were two women that walked on stilts in the parade.

Girls from a dance team were also participating.

A bubble gum character walks past one of the many food vendors.

The Dairy Association's Holstein float.

Clean Up and Departing

On Sunday John, Drew, Dick, and I went to church services and then returned and had lunch.  Afterwards we took the boat out for one more ride and then cleaned up.  John and Drew then had to leave for the airport and Dick and I returned to our city home.

Drew watches his dad start the boat.

Dick and John ride up front and Drew sits way up front.

John captains the boat.

John and Drew are about to leave for the airport.

Evening Campfire and Singing

In late afternoon Dick built a campfire and we all roasted brats and hotdogs.  Afterwards, Rick got his guitar and we sat around the fire and sang.

Rick plays the guitar while Rose joins in the singing.

Terry, John, and Drew were there at the campfire.

That's me with my husband Dick.

John videos the proceedings as Drew looks on.

Does Rick consider playing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes?"

A Boat Ride

One of the things that the people did was to ride around the lake in our boat.

Rick was the captain of the boat.

Terry and his wife road along.

My son John and grandson Drew also went along for the ride.

Some of the Visitors at My Birthday

There were 15 people at my birthday celebration.  My son Rick (actual name is Steve) came with four others.  They are all musicians and they, along with Rick put on a music fest as part of the celebration.

Rose plays the saxophone, the flute, and is has a marvelous singing voice.

Terry is a singer that performs with Rick.

Rodney is part of the music group as well as Terry's wife.

Don Heath was one of my visitors.

My sister-in-laws, Judy and Connie, also were there.

Friday Evening Dinner

On Friday the four of us decided to go out for dinner.  We first tried Mel's in Spicer but it was closed.  So, on to Willmar to a Greek restaurant.

John and Drew drink Pepsi while waiting for the food.

Launching the Canoe

Drew wanted to go canoeing with his grandpa.  Here they are putting the canoe into the water with the help of John.

The three are getting set to carry the canoe down to the dock.

Drew goes up front to help his grandpa.

They are on the dock with the canoe.

Canoe is in the water and now Drew runs to get the life jackets.

Dick and Drew are now about to leave on a canoe trip.

Drew and His Grandpa

What a weekend I've had.  First of all, John and his son, Drew, flew here from Salt Lake City to be with me for the weekend.  While Drew and I get along just fine, he likes his grandpa.  The two were inseparable for the weekend.  Here are a few pictures of the two.

Drew uses his iPod Touch while Dick is doing some church work using his iPad.

Dick and Drew play a game of chess on Drew's iPod Touch.

Dick and Drew prepare the fire and forks before roasting brats.

Our Wild Pet Duck

In early July this year (2011) a baby duck was abandoned near our dock.  The duck hung around our boat lift, swimming between Don & Judy's pontoon and the Pierson's dock with our dock in the middle.  The duck survived the summer by itself and will probably be leaving us soon as it migrates south for the winter.  Here are a few pictures of the duck recently taken.

The little duck swims close to the dock to greet me.

The adults feathers are beginning to appear.

The duck comes right up to the dock.

The flight feathers are beginning to grow.