A Trip Home

Last week I went to Minneapolis, then on to Wisconsin. I took a red-eye on Saturday am. I arrived, went to Katie's house, then got ready for Jack's birthday. Jack turned 4, and his birthday party was at the Hopkins Fire Department. Then it was a round of visiting - I saw Paula, Connie, Theresa, Dottie, etc. before traveling to Shell Lake. While in WI I saw Erin and Terry, having a chance to dine at the new brew pub in Eau Claire. Then Jack and Emilie returned to Shell Lake; we spent a good deal of time in the water. Going back to Minneapolis, I caught up with Anne, Khanh, JT, and Jane/Chris/Andrew and Chris' folks. I returned to Seattle for a bit of rest on Sunday before returning to work. All in all, it was a great week and a nice chance to get away! Now it's back to work this AM - after 9 days away. Enjoy the pics of the Hopkins fire truck, and a sunset (typical) at Shell Lake. Mike

Emilie and her favorite dog

This year I was lucky to have so much family visit - my dad in Feb, Jane (with Andrew) in May, and Katie and Emilie in June. Emilie really likes the dachshunds, especially Bailey. She had a great time walking and feeding "her" dog. And when she and Jack pretend to be dogs, Emilie chooses to be Bailey, and Jack Sprout. I feed them each carrot sticks, as part of this little game. Katie and Emilie also took a Seattle bus tour this time, taking the monorail, and also going up the Space Needle. It's always great to have family visit and get so much time together 1:1. Mike