We took a trip to Wisconsin to visit Hubby's side of the family. The last time we were there, it was a quick visit on our way through, and that was seven years ago - B.T.B (Before The Boy). My parents-in-law met us there and we had a great time seeing the sites of a lot of family history, visiting with relatives, and catching up on life.
We spent three days in my father-in-law's hometown. We visited the town square, went to the Farmer's Market, and saw some of the places where my FIL went when he was growing up. The Boy found some cannonballs to sit on.
Nearby his hometown, a man who works for the railroad converted his dairy barn into a model train museum. What is in the picture is just a tiny part of everything that was in there. It was amazingly creative - he had set up hundreds of tiny moving parts, almost all run from household items (record players, answering machines, etc.). We tried to complete a scavenger hunt, but there was so much to see we couldn't finish it!
The trains run off microwave timers. His wife was in charge of giving the tours and running the museum - she seemed pretty open to having her house ransacked for items on a regular basis.
The barn - all full of trains - amazing!
We took a drive to all the small area towns where a lot of my husband's extended family still lives. This house is where his grandmother was born and lived as a child. We ate at a nearby cafe where his grandma and uncles used to visit.
One-room schoolhouse where my FIL first attended school. They walked about 1 1/2 miles to school and back every day.
House and farm where my FIL was born and where his family lived for several years.
Best of buds - The Boy and Grandpa.
We spent an afternoon with my FIL's brother, Hubby's Uncle P. He has a dairy farm with about 100 head of Holstein and Brown Swiss cattle. He was kind enough to show us around his farm. The Boy got to feed calves and inspect the herd.
We were able to see milking and show The Boy where milk comes from. I loved seeing his dairy barn and the milking - brought me back in an instant to Grandma and Grandpa S.'s milking room.
WI is the land of milk and honey! Uncle P also has bees on his farm. It was really neat to watch them buzzing back and forth to the hives.
Sadly, WI is having a bad drought this summer, so all the corn and crops were doing badly. It was really sad to see how hard it is on the farmers.
Uncle P's farm from over the hill. We had a great time visiting his farm and seeing what he does. We also visited with hubby's Aunt C., and she was kind enough to help The Boy find some toys to play with while we were there. He was the only little one most of the trip, so he very much appreciated her kindness.
Driving the 4-wheeler! He asked, "Can we get a 4-wheeler of our own? I know how to drive one now!"
We toured a brewery and a cheese factory in my FIL's hometown. Both were so interesting to see - the process is simple for both foods, but very precise. There is a lot of Swiss, Norwegian, and German heritage in the area that is still strong. We brought home beer and cheese from WI - yum!
There was almost three million dollars worth of cheese inventory curing in the warehouse - impressive.
After spending time in my FIL's hometown, we drove to the Wisconsin Dells to spend some time there. Along the way we visited a cave and were able to tour it. Stalactites, stalagmites, and geodes - very neat. I even got a "cave kiss" (water dripped on my head) - supposedly I'm supposed to be all lucky now.
Hubby's other uncle, Uncle L., has a place on a lake near the Dells, and we were able to visit them there. The Boy was able to play with a second cousin and Uncle L took us on a pontoon ride. It was lovely and peaceful.
The Dells was super touristy, but we managed to find some things to do that weren't too crazy packed or expensive. We played 36 holes of mini-golf. None of us are competitive, but for the record, I won the first round, Hubby won the second, and The Boy had the highest scores for both. The Boy did quite well the whole time, actually - sometimes he was closer to par on the holes than I was!
Having a fun family time.
The boys - Hubby, The Boy, and Grandpa - took a boat ride on the Dells. They had a great time and were able to see some of the beautiful nature in the area. My MIL and I decided to go shopping at the outlets - a different type of nature :-) We didn't break the bank, but I did find some good deals, including a bigger swimsuit for The Boy for next year and a pair of good dress pants for work.
We went to the science museum - this is The Boy lifting a car - what a strong boy! Hubby remembered loving the science museum when he went there as a boy, and we all had a good afternoon there.
The Boy did really well with the long days in the car. We had safe travels and a wonderful time with family. We don't get to see my parents-in-law very often, so it's always good to see them. Maybe it won't be another 7 years before we get to WI again. Thanks for the great time, Family!
