Not-Quite-Mother's-Day Get-Together

Mother's Day is tomorrow and the family got together at one of my in-laws' place, as we do around this time each year. There are other get-together times, too, for my wife's immediate family: linked to Christmas and Easter. Right - and a family reunion that's coming up. That's another - and larger - set of kinfolk. We rent a park in Osakis, down the road, for that event.

#2 daughter and my son-in-law are settling into their new home. He's from Louisiana: never dreamed of moving to North Dakota (few people do); and has fallen in love with the family place, up in the Red River Valley of the north.

And bought a little garden tractor.


My son-in-law with this new (to him) tractor. April 27, 2010.

Remember, they're living in the Red River Valley of the North. As I recall, that's a smallish utility tractor: big enough for yard and garden chores, but not what you'd prefer for working the fields.


Lilacs starting to bloom. May 6, 2010.

Despite a little snow yesterday, and today, and a freeze warning in tomorrow morning's forecast, I'm pretty sure summer is coming. That 'freeze warning' applies to sensitive plants - I'm hoping the lilacs and cherry tree will be okay.

While I'm writing about weather: I found this on the Wunderground site:

"Statement as of 3:35 PM CDT on May 08, 2010

"... Snowfall amounts ending Saturday morning may 8 2010 from parts of central and east central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin...

"The totals below are separated into snow... and ice and sleet
categories... then by amount... and are not necessarily the
final amount for each location.

"Snow reports listed by amount

"inches location St County [!] time
------ ----------------------- -- -------------- -------
2.50 3 W Ladysmith WI Rusk 0500 am
2.00 1 E Cumberland WI Barron 0800 am
2.00 Centuria WI Polk 1233 am | one to two inches estimated on grassy surfaces only.
1.30 4 N Warman MN Kanabec 0700 am
0.80 Mora MN Kanabec 0800 am
0.70 Long Prairie MN Todd 0700 am
0.50 Milaca MN Mille Lacs 0700 am
0.30 Stanley WI Chippewa 0800 am
0.20 Clayton WI Polk 0230 am
0.10 1 SW Chisago City MN Chisago 0800 am
0.10 3 WNW Rice MN Stearns 0700 am
0.10 5 NE Forest Lake MN Chisago 0700 am"

Minnesota weather/climate is not boring.


My son on the trampoline, earlier today. May 8, 2010.

My brother-in-law does a good job of setting up the back yard for the kids.


My son on the zipline. This run went smoothly. May 8, 2010.

Take that zipline, for example: it ran a couple dozen yards, at least, from a platform in a tree off to the left, to somewhere off the right side of that photo. Some of the kids had a great time with it. My son tried it again, later, got just off the platform - and the thing stopped. He hung on for a while before dropping - quite a ways.

Got the wind knocked out of him, but he'll be okay. His biggest regret is that he didn't have his camera set, so that he could have gotten a video of it.

Quite a lot has happened since I was his age: a camera I can wrap my hand around takes video that's roughly as good as news broadcast video was then - and is inexpensive enough for a 14-year-old to buy with money he's earned.


Miscellaneous young family members on the trampoline. It broke in three places, a little later. May 8, 2010.

This photo was taken before the zipline incident. Even if I didn't remember that, I'd know, since my son's arms don't have the alluvial deposits they picked up later. He's having fun with some of his cousins.


Three generations. The older two inside, talking: the latest set outside. May 8, 2010.

Me? I stayed inside with the rest of the old guard. This is the first of these get-togethers I've gotten to in - years - and it's good to be back.


The Volkswagen bug is behind the green truck, and there's a minivan parked up the road. May 8, 2010.

That's a sort of 'as the sun slowly sinks' photo: I thought it'd be fun to show (most of) the vehicles we used to get there.

I see that the sun actually is sinking in the west. And I've got more tasks to get done.