More Canada trip visuals

I will begin with some of the flowers in bloom around Sioux Lookout.

Lady slipper

Lupines

Corrected caption: Bunch berries

The men had been on the lake fishing several times during the week. Merle and Edith offered to take Romaine & I out for a canoe ride on Sunday evening. What a northern experience! We saw two cow moose soon after we were out on the lake and sat watching them eat for awhile. There was a baby moose partially hidden in the thickets that we heard whimpering. Then we crossed the lake trying to get closer to a bull moose we saw on the other side. By the time we got there , he had disappeared. We did see two beaver and heard loons to round out our evening. But the best was just ahead for us! We rowed back to where we had seen the two cow moose. We figured they had wandered off, but as we got near, the one cow moose came crashing out of the bushes and ran into the woods. The baby followed her as far as the water and then just stood traumatized watching us. It was a rare treat to see a one to two week old baby moose so close. I regretted that I had chosen to let the camera behind rather than risk it getting wet. I cannot seem to get that picture moved from my mind's eye to the computer now. I imagine Mama moose scolded him later saying, "When you see something like that again, you run and hide." Before we left, Merle made an appointment with him for Oct 9th at that very spot. (That's when hunting season opens!)

We left Sioux Lookout on Monday, June 7th. We drove near to Pepin, WI where we went on Tuesday to see the replica of the "Little House in the Big Woods". It is at the site where Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867, located seven miles out of town. We tried to imagine the land of trees that stretched further than a man could travel in a day in the 1860-70's. I took the book along so we could compare her words with the site. We visited the town and picked out the old buildings that existed in 1870. Laura felt like she could not see the town for the houses...there were more than she could count. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin was worth our time. We bought a CD with recordings of Pa's fiddle, Laura's pump organ, her recorded voice, some singing and narration. And would you believe, Romaine and I tramped around in the Pepin cemetery where we found some Ingalls relatives graves.

I picked up a few stones by the lake but did not tear out my dress pocket like Laura did when she gathered too many. And to keep up the tradition, I dipped my feet in the waters of Lake Pepin, WI. One of these days I could make up an album of the bodies of water where my feet have been on this earth.

Where have your feet been today?

Our last sightseeing stop was the Case IH tractor factory in Racine, WI. The company merged with Ford so there is a mix of blue and red tractors on the assembly line. Marvin's Grandpa was a Case dealer and had one of the Case eagle emblems on his barnyard fence at Landis Valley, Pennyslvania.
Chuck, our guide, gave us a four hour tour of the plant. I did not understand all the language about gears, transmissions and clutch parts, but I am grateful that Marvin does things like go along to a history conference and the Pepin cemetery too. Along with several other things, I was impressed with the precision that goes into the making of tractor parts.

We arrived home about supper time on Thursday evening. Marvin suggested we stop at a restaurant for supper before we got home. That was a nice idea..then Romaine and I did not have to cook supper. Our children at home were fending for themselves for nearly two weeks, we concluded that surely they could find something to eat for one more meal.

All in all, we thank God for a safe and pleasant trip...and Leroy & Romaine's gracious invitation for us to go with them. Thanks to Merle and Edith for making our visit to their home and Sioux Lookout so enjoyable.