Sprechers, Squirrels, Surprises and Swimming

After an all too short visit in Peoria, we said our goodbyes and headed off to visit America's Dairyland. But not before we made a quick stop to check out how huge the corn stalks were this year...

Knee high by the 4th of July?  More like twice the size of my kids.

 Our 4 hour drive could be summed up in this one picture...

We did make a quick pit stop at O'Hare to gather Uncle Chris and his belongings.  But we didn't dilly dally because it was Friday, and we were going to be in Wisconsin, and we had to make it to Schwabenhof for Friday Night Fish Fry.  It's tradition.

We filled our bellies (some of us with beer instead of fish, but that is Wisconsin tradition too, so it's ok) and found that we were pretty wiped out.  It had been a long day, with a lot of driving, and we still had two days of parties to go.  So, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.  After a good nights sleep, we were up and ready for the day early the next morning.  Which left us with a few hours to kill before the Surprise party for Aunt Jackie that night.  What do we do when we have some time to kill - well, this...

And this...

And then we stopped for lunch here...(for those not from Wisconsin, this is Kopps.  World's Best Custard Stand)

After lunch, we still had some free time. Nothing says Wisconsin more than beer (well, maybe cheese), and we happened to be right down the street from the Sprecher's Brewery, so we took the world's shortest brewery tour.  And then drank some samples.  Because we all know that we aren't really there to hear how beer is made; we are there to taste the finished product.

 

They give you a beer to take on the tour with you!

See the tanks.  Smell some barley and hops...and Done.

Finally it was time to head out for the surprise party.  Aunt Jackie was celebrating the big 60, so family and friends gathered to celebrate.  I didn't take any pictures (shameful, I know) so I only have one snapshot of the night, but it is one of my favorites.  The girls had never seen fireflies before and were fascinated!  They spent a good hour chasing them and putting them in a glass so that they could watch their tails glow.  I remember doing the same thing many summer nights.

Another long day.  Another deep sleep.  And another few hours to kill before the next party.  Which meant another trip to the hotel pool - and this time the sauna...

And then we tried something new once again.  Stinkerbell fell in love with feeding the squirrels in Uncle Jim's back yard.  I have never seen her sit so still, for such a long time.  She fed those squirrels enough peanuts to last them through winter...

And when she had her fill of being the squirrel whisperer, she joined her sister in the pool.  For hours.  MadHatter didn't leave the pool for more than a few minutes the entire time we were at the party.  And then it was only because I made her get out to eat.  I swear my girls are part fish.  (But again, I didn't have my camera out much - so I only have a snap or two)

And all of a sudden it was time to head back home.  Somehow I blinked and 3 1/2 weeks were behind us.  It was a whirlwind but I wouldn't trade a moment of it for the world.  Until next time U.S....