T & J in town

Thanks to Uncle Todd and Aunt Julia for stopping in Madison on their way home from skiing. We celebrated Anna's b-day and -- as tradition now dictates -- Todd brought the "8" balloon all the way from Chicago.

Happy 50th Anniversary

They don't want to make a big deal about it, but I can't let 50 years of marriage go by without a blog! Jeff, Debbie and Todd came to Madison, along with Linda and Ervin, to celebrate. (We missed Julia ...) Happy Anniversary!

Maria

More than 30 years ago, a boy from Cincinnati (Jeff Bauer) befriended a boy from El Salvador. The pen pals exchanged letters and visited each other's homes far away. In the 1980s, war broke out in El Salvador. Letters were lost and friends disconnected. Fast forward to this spring when the El Salvadoran boy's sister, Maria, googled 2098 Danville Drive, the address of Linda and Erivn Bauer, where she and her brother spent happy summer months in the 70s, and found the Bauer's phone number. After several decades, Maria returned to Cincinnati while on a business trip to the States. We (Scott, the girls and I) had the pleasure of spending a weekend with Maria. She is a warm, kind-hearted soul with a soft voice, beautiful eyes and sense of humor that defies language barriers. Anna and MJ fell in love with her, and Anna will now be a pen pal with Maria's daughter, Daniela. (Maria has 4 kids!) So the tradition passes on down the line. And, Maria, we are planning our trip to El Salvador. And I have Coffee Break Spanish on my iPod!

Would anyone else but Linda keep paper pinatas in her basement for 30 years? Maria was surprised to see these historical El Salvadoran gems unearthed.

Maria at Hickory Hill, the day camp where she spent summers in Cincinnati years back.

And, below, more El Salvadoran relics from the Bauer basement.

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.

Gov. Dodge State Park, Part II

Uncle Todd always brings special treats for his nieces!


In the car on the way home after a beautiful day outside.

Mineral Point

We met Todd and Julia in Mineral Point, Wisconsin -- about 45 miles west of Madison -- for lunch over Memorial Day weekend. We then followed them back to Gov. Dodge State Park near Dodgeville (see next entry). Mineral Point is a town on the National Trust for Historic Preservation, deservedly so! It's one of the oldest communities in Wisconsin with many buildings dating back to the mid-1800s. "Why do they call it Mineral Point?" asked Anna. Well ...

"During the 1820s, prospectors were swarming over the hills of Southwestern Wisconsin looking for lead. After lead, or "mineral," was discovered here, a "lead rush" began and the mining camp that formed around the diggings eventually was called Mineral Point. Tradition dates permanent settlement by Europeans to 1827." -- from http://mineralpoint.com/

So it's full of history but also an artist community full of art studios. I know that we will be back to check it out in more depth this summer.

Horses and carriage with a twist --
the driver had two colts along with their mothers!

The Bauer gang in Mineral Point.