Bonjour from French Camp

Thanks to Uncle Todd, Mary Jane attended a week of French Camp on the UW campus. Todd's love of Paris prompted him to make sure his Goddaughter learns French and enjoys the culture as much as he and Julia do. For a week, MJ spent four hours in the morning immersed in all things Francais -- arts and crafts, stories and songs, and even food. French Camp culminated in a program called "Les Trois Mousquetaires" this afternoon at the French House, a neat old building on the lake where French students and natives live. "Un pour tous, Tous pour un!" all the kids sang at the show. And "En garde!" they shouted. MJ was one of two young kids there, and she bravely joined the bigger students during the performance. We could see she was nervous. But she did tres bien! Merci, Uncle Todd. We hope this is the beginning of a life-long shared love of all things French.

Camping at Gov. Dodge

Back to Gov. Dodge State Park, we camped with two families last weekend. I must admit that prior to our camping trips, I am not very enthusiastic about the preparation, packing and the thought of all the set-up and clean-up, not to mention sleeping on the ground. But then we get there and the kids just bloom! They feast on the sun and fresh air and the chance to run around like feral animals. I love being in the midst of natural beauty, sitting around the campfire with friends, drinking Wisconsin brew and eating local foods cooked over the fire and hiking through the forests and meadows and along streams. Then there's the open sky and the stars ... I love camping!

Hiking along the stream and by Stephens Falls.

Swimming at Cox Lake -- there are two lakes at Gov. Dodge.
We also did some boating on Cox Lake.


MJ, Natalie and Mehgan.


Eating breakfast -- eggs, bacon and sausage from the farmers market,
along with Madison-made bagels -- around the campfire.


Wild kids.


You can't tell from this picture, but the gang is on top of a spring house that was once part of a farm in the mid-1800s. The family kept their cold storage items in the spring house. Gov. Dodge Park is 5,000 acres, much of which is old farmsteads returned to natural areas.

Grill Man

This is where Scott can be found on many a summer's eve. And we are the beneficiaries of his glorious grilling!

One man's trash ...

So I'm driving through our neighborhood and see two adirondak chairs sitting at the curb in front of a house for sale. I'm thinking, "HHhhhhmmmm, maybe they are about to put price tags on them," since the chairs look to be in good shape. Being both a scavenger and highly curious, I ring the doorbell of said house.

"Are you selling those chairs?"
"No! We put them out for the garbage. Take them."

"Wow, thanks! I will do that! They look nice."

"Yes, they are. I got them from LL Bean."

This woman was pretty distracted with people (possibly prospective buyers?) in her house, so that was all the chit chat we had. I rushed out and crammed both huge chairs in the Subaru, brought them home and Scott gave them a fresh coat of paint. Voila! Another chapter in the book of Treasures We've Found on the Curb. We also harvested an antique filing cabinet, Christmas wreaths, two beautiful old sleds with red runners, and some end tables. I'm thinking it's Karma because we have fed our curb as well, providing "treasures" for another lucky soul.

Shades of Summer

Another tooth bites the dust

Numero five. Loving that tooth fairy!

American Girls

Anna was invited to an American Girl b-day party by her friend Kayla. Guess what kind of birthday party she now wants next year? Looks like we'll be combing the AG sale for invitations.

Happy Dad's Day Weekend!

Sorry all you other Dads out there, you may be pretty darn awesome, but we think ours is the BEST. Here are two happy kids to attest to that.

School is (finally!) out

If anyone from the Madison School Board is reading this (um ... unlikely), can you please tell me why we need to go to school until the 3rd week in June! Oh, well. We made it through another year. Anna had a great experience in 1st grade. We will certainly miss Ms. Nolan as she leaves for another school, but she'll always be in our hearts.


Daddy taking Anna to the bus stop on the last day. One of the many reasons that Daddy is the best in the world: He took Anna to the bus stop (two blocks away) through rain, snow, sleet and hail the WHOLE YEAR. Thanks, Daddy!!

Lake Michigan -- and cows!

I took a brief trip to Sheboygan for work. Stopped and snapped some photos of the lake shore as well as a very common site in Wisconsin: dairy cows peacefully grazing. These cows are from Saxon Homestead Farms. The Saxon family started farming on this land in 1850. They are now starting to make cheese! Check out http://www.saxoncreamery.com/online/home/welcome/.

Blue Mound, Part 2

MJ, the forest elf.


Roasting s'mores.


The three girls put on a play (something about dogs ...)
at the outdoor amphitheater.

Camping at Blue Mound

Prior to our latest drowning rains, we did have some beautiful weather. We trekked to Blue Mound State Park the last weekend of May to camp with Anna's friend Lauren and her parents. The best part of the trip, for me, was watching Anna and Lauren together. They've been best buddies for two years now. Many people think they look like sisters! I love thinking about young frienships and how they'll always remember these years.

Best friends.

Our campsite. Okay, I will admit here in fine print that
I drove home and slept in my own bed due to back and neck pain.
But I was at the campsite again at 7 a.m. sharp!

A view from the tower on the mound.