This weekend Brian and I headed south to visit Aunt Jean, Uncle Gary, and their son Bill. We had, of course, a great time! I hadn't met Bill before (he just moved back from a 3-year adventure in Hawaii) and Brian hadn't seen him years, so it was nice to get acquainted and re-acquainted. We're excited to have a cousin in the same state!
Our drive there was uneventful until the last turn, when Nuvi (our Garmin) took us down a backroad that turned out to be entirely mud. I've never been backroading with Brian in anything but his Jeep or 4Wheeler, so I had a great time watching Brian work his 3/4-ton heavy duty Chevy through the mud. He showed off some Alaskan skills and I was impressed. His truck is a mess (as was the road). This truck has had a rough few weeks. Last week Brian T-boned a Lexus sedan (not Brian's fault), so the truck is heading to the shop to have the bumper re-done. (The truck faired better than the Lexas.) We're hoping they'll give Brian's truck a bath while they're replacing the bumper. Figures...we just made the last payment this week! 
Brian wishes his truck wasn't such a mess.
One of the highlights of the weekend was a trip to the Kalona Fall Festival. There was a flea market, where I almost got talked into buying a miniature Australian Shepard pup, but Brian said no. I bought a necklace instead. We ate corn dogs and onion rings...
Aunt Jean found a giant ear of corn...
and we saw lots of Amish and their horse-drawn wagons. Here's Uncle Gary and Aunt Jean posing. 
Brian liked the tractors and old motors on display best (see a few shots below). There were several very interesting museums too that showed the Mennonite and Amish history in the area.
After leaving the Fall Festival, we couldn't drive by the local cheese shop without stopping to get some cheese curds, aka "squeaky cheese." At this particular factory you can watch the curds being made.Brian wishes his truck wasn't such a mess.One of the highlights of the weekend was a trip to the Kalona Fall Festival. There was a flea market, where I almost got talked into buying a miniature Australian Shepard pup, but Brian said no. I bought a necklace instead. We ate corn dogs and onion rings...Aunt Jean found a giant ear of corn...and we saw lots of Amish and their horse-drawn wagons. Here's Uncle Gary and Aunt Jean posing. Brian liked the tractors and old motors on display best (see a few shots below). There were several very interesting museums too that showed the Mennonite and Amish history in the area.
Brian was very excited (and drooling slightly). 
He polished off the curds on the way home. There was lots of squeaking going on.
Generally our pups head off to Critter Camp when we go out of town, but we were able to bring Mattie and Dawson on this trip because Uncle Gary has a nice big barn that they can stay in. Carl and Andre, Uncle Gary's two labs had a good time playing with our dogs. Here's a good picture of Carl. He has a beautiful blocky head, thick body, and nice temperament.
Bill did a great job of wearing out Mattie and Dawson with a Frisbee on Saturday afternoon. As you can see they found a mudpuddle in the driveway. Its near impossible to keep labs out of water, so we gave up pretty early on. 
What a mess! Mattie and Dawson immediately had baths when we got home, much to their dismay. 
Yup, they're Jerusalem Artichokes alright! How exciting! This tasty root has the crunch and taste of a water chestnut. I think it will be wonderful in stirfry. An excellent find!
Thanks for a great weekend Bill, Aunt Jean, and Uncle Gary! 
Ryan and Louise...we have some Hubbards with your name on them!
Everyone helped! Here's Seth, Michelle, Gabby, and Harmony filling up one of many large containers. Now that everyone has gone home I have my work cut out for me making apple sauce. Lots of apple sauce. 
James is a great tree-climber and did a great job getting the highest apples. All the best apples were at the top of this particular tree, so James was a super big help.
James and Harmony on the apple ladder.
Gabby, being here cute self, demolishing an apple. 
For lunch on Friday we went to the local apple orchard for lunch. They make a great breadbowl with "scarecrow" soup (a creamy, cheesy, potato soup). They also have a kid's area with lots of activities and some goats. Here's Gabby feeding one of the friendly goats. Like Michelle, these kids have no fear of animals. 
They also have a tricycle race track. James and Harmony did a lot of racing. 
There are lots of kid parks in the area, so we had to check a few of them out. Brian and I hadn't been to any of these playgrounds before, but were pleasantly surprised by how much play equipment there was, and that we were the only ones there. We had the place to ourselves! We all had a great time.
James, holding on tight during a spin.
Harmony going down the slide headfirst. 
James looking out from the top of the big slide. 
Uncle Brian was a little too big for some of the equipment
...but that didn't stop him from joining right in! (It takes a lot of work to be the "cool" uncle, you know.)
Aunt Hope and Uncle Brian at the park. 
This weekend there was a 
Here's Gabby again being her brave self. 
Harmony making friends with a sheep. 
This little goat was just the ride size for James. 
Of course there were rides! Gabby was too little to go on, but James and Harmony had a great time! 
Gabby got a ride on Uncle Brian's shoulders instead. 
We also had the opportunity to go to the 
There was even a jail. Everyone got a chance to be locked-up. Seth was very distraught about being in prison.
The evening before everyone left, we built a fire and had a marshmallow roast around our firepit. 
The kids loved roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores and watermelon.
Gabby was partial to the watermelon.
I need to note that the dogs were having so much fun over the last few days that they could hardy contain themselves! You can see the delight in Dawson's eyes in this photo. (we felt the same way too!) The dogs received lots of hugs and pets, gave lots of kisses, ate many apples, chased a lot of balls, and were given many, many treats. They had one of the greatest weekends of their lives! They don't get kid visitors very often. 