our summer, part 2

At the end of July we went up to Iowa for the Hougen extended family reunion. We took a leisurely trip up, stopping in Wichita to visit the peculiar and fun Museum of World Treasures, and then heading up to Middle o' Nowhere, Iowa, to visit friends.

Charlotte could easily have spent her whole vacation here, in a house that boasts a BABY and TWO little girls and about a million Polly Pocket dolls and seventeen pairs of tap shoes -- who could ask for anything more?

But we continued on to Decorah, where the Hougen reunion coincided with Nordic Fest -- Vikings! Parades! Rommegrot! There were about a hundred family members at the reunion. Here 98 of them take pictures of the other two:


We live so far away that our children don't really know their second (and third ...) cousins, but they enjoyed watching the parade together anyways:


We were very surprised when parade participants started passing out ice pops in addition to candy. And then came the people with ice cream, and then cookies, and then cheese sticks! Truly Iowa is a strange land.



People look funny there, too.


George had a great time talking to Viking Sam:

In fact, over the two days of Nordic Fest I think we spent about 3 hours talking to the (very patient) Viking. His weapons are accurate but blunt, and both kids enjoyed posing with them:


Charlotte waited patiently for just about ever to get her face painted. The result was charming:

George joined us towards the end of our wait and made himself an Evil Crown:


We also visited Vesterheim, the immigrant museum. Charlotte loved making lefse:



After the reunion was over, we went to Dean's parents' house for a few days. It was a nice, relaxing visit. We toured a lovely garden at Iowa State, with a fabulous butterfly house.


Here's George inspecting Grandpa's compost system:


And we had a great time riding the restored carousel in nearby Story City:




Charlotte rode about 17 times, and afterwards we all went swimming. It was a fun afternoon, and a fun trip.

Our return journey was very different from the trip out -- the whole thing in one day, no stops, no sightseeing. It was a long day, but the kids were pretty good and we weathered it all well enough. All in all, it was a great trip.