Big Easy

We were in New Orleans last weekend, where I was photographing a wedding. We had ample time to go exploring. Needless to say, the food and drink were phenomenal. Everyone loved Tilly...she stopped people in the street, left and right, who had to say hi to the adorable little northern girl.

We had a blast...we'd go back.

Amishland, Continued

We had a good time...Tilly will have to go back next year to be fitted for a child's rocker to match mine. The rug lady (we were at that house last year too) told us that she babysits her grandson every night when her daughter helps with farm chorese. We asked his name, but she couldn't remember...she's got 64 grandkids!

Annie also had a bad day on Sunday, when she cut her foot on something. But by this morning, she was chasing the sheep up and down the paddock (from outside the fence) and she seemed really sad to go.

We'll hope to be able to return there, hopefully next year around this same time. These family traditions...like Ely in August, time on the north shore...are wonderful. And now that our family has expanded, they're all the more meaningful.

Amishland, Part 1

Emma, Tilly, Madeleine, me and the dogs spent the weekend in the Driftless Area, that very hilly corner of Wisconsin south of La Crosse where the glaciers never flowed and where erosion has had 700,000 years to work its magic.

We stayed in a very nicely restored old farmhouse on some land with a river, sheep and a llama named Suede. The owners were hard at work all weekend working on other parts of the farm, which was the only distraction.

We walked in the river, went to Amish-land (the area southeast of Cashton Wisconsin where every farm is Amish, and they all are selling something). I got a rocking chair to sit in with Tilly when I read to her. Emma tried to bargain the seller down, but she's got such a soft spot for Amish people that she didn't push very hard. Emma got some rugs, and Madeleine got some spoons--carved by a 7 year old boy.

It was good to be away for a while, and for sure to be away from the Fair traffic. It's always bittersweet coming home...we all want to escape reality, I think, especially in a place so beautiful, peaceful and unique.

It was good to be there with family. We had lots of fun time, and some sad time too, remembering those who weren't there with us in body--but we could imagine their spirits with us.

State Fair, Part II

Some more. I couldn't limit last night's pics to just 5.

State Fair, Part 1

We went to the fair last night with Tilly. She loved the lights and people, sounds and excitement. We got some good pics. It was actually pretty pleasant to be there...not so many people that you couldn't move, the temps were cooler and the lights and light are much more interesting at night. The great get-together indeed.

Twins Game #5

So the Twins theme is getting repetitive, but I just love my time with Tilly at Twins games. Cannot wait til next year to be outside with her. It's going to be phenomenal. Feelings get deeper and deeper every day, just couldn't have imagined loving someone this wholly.

Twins Game #4

So on August 13, Tilly is 4 months old. On August 11, she attended Twins game #4 in her short life. I think I didn't reach game #4 til around May 5 or 7, 1984...it was the last game the Twins played before they called up Kirby Puckett, the Sunday afternoon game in the series with the Oakland As where Dave Kingman hit the pop-up that went up thru the hole in the Dome roof and never came down. (They gave him a ground rule double). Jim Kreft, John Kreft, I think Rick Moore and I and maybe others made some sign protesting rumors about Calvin Griffin moving the Twins to Tampa Bay, and we heckled Ricky Henderson while we sat down the left field line. I remember there being about 6,000 people there that afternoon. We thought we got a response out of Ricky, but who knows.

Anyhoo. The Twins are just about as bad this year as they were in 1984, just that this year we were expecting so much more. So I don't think there will be any magic this year, with Tilly seeing a World Series Championship before she's 1 year old. Oh well.

We went last night with my friend Andy. Tilly was, again, the hit of the night. Sitting on the aisle, we had a constant stream admirers commenting on how adorable she is, random strangers asking to take her photo to show their wives, etc. Good times. Between loving dogs, loving trees, and loving going to coffee shops and Twins games with me, Tilly is headed toward being a pretty awesome person.

BFFs

Tilly and Annie were watching the Twins game with me the other night. And as you can tell, it was another one of those nights. Tilly loves dogs...what a great start in life, to love dogs. She also loves trees, so I think she's either going to be a vet or a biologist of some sort. She lets Annie lick her face all the time, and she's started to grab very tightly-held handfuls of Annie's beard, and Annie doesn't even flinch. These two will have some very lovely times together.

Not As Good As Bacon, But You Gotta Start Somewhere

Tilly had her first solid foods the other day, some rice cereal. I am not sure she was all that impressed, but what can you do. Sweetheart, this is just the beginning. Wait til you taste fresh beets from a garden you plant, fresh raspberries in July's heat. Sweet corn from a stand by the side of the road, watermelon that melts like a sugar cube on your tongue. Calamari that you get while in Australia, none of this Minnesota stuff that's frozen and flown in for hours. Bacon. With, on, near anything. Walleye or bass you catch in Ely with Uncle Phil, and then Mom or Grandma cooks it that day. But you have to start somewhere.

Sleepy

Sorry it's been so long. We're having a busy summer. Tilly was hanging out with me the other night in my office, just sleeping while I worked on some photography stuff.