Wisconsin Hospitality Part 2

Saturday Fay spent with his brother and I spent the day scanning family pictures with the cat.

That Sunday we went to a little country church for Ryan and Lindsey Pishion's baby girl, Shannon Rose's baptism. Beautiful church and a wonderful family service. I got to be the annoying relative who flashes a camera through the ceremony. 

Wisconsin Hospitality Part 1

Brad picked us up at the train station in Columbus, WI. He and Angie took wonderful care of us from that moment on. I know nobody has ever fussed over me as much in my life. 

The first place we went on our road back to Dodgeville was a stop at Oregon Manor to see Willie. Look at the shock on her face and the joy on everyone's faces in just a moment. Willie had been told she'd have a visitor that afternoon, but not that her oldest surviving brother was coming.

Vickie, Willie's daughter was able to drop by after work while we were still there visiting. 

The next day we took off with Fay's baby brother, Leonard. He took us all over the country, including a surprise visit to Willie.

And a stop at Alisha's pet 

store, including a cuddle with Leonard's great grandson.

 

The Train to Wisconsin.

We'd been talking all summer about how Fay ought to go back to Wisconsin to see Willie, his youngest sister. Her health isn't good. So after the Pendleton Round Up, the discussion came up again and we decided to just take off and go via our usual travel method: truck and camper. Neither one of us was looking forward to the cost of bringing the Ford ready for a 3,000 mile trip, plus the gas bill for afters. But, not two days after we decided to go, Fay's nephew Brad called and suggested going by train. The last time Fay took the train was in the 1960s. I've never been on a trip by train. But, the price was right and I gathered up our motley luggage.

 

Ada took us to Wishram Train Station and there we sat all excited and ready to go.

 

Sitting there,  listening to the waiting freight train, the sheer impact on our bodies as much as our ears. 
 

There's a lot of flat country between Oregon and Wisconsin. 
The other really important point about traveling by train: the upper deck is wonderful to watch from if you don't get motion sick like I did. Rather amazing to be that dizzy. I'm a lower level girl. I was perfectly fine riding there.

Pendleton Round Up 2010

The Pendleton Round Up is the crown of the year's parades for Fay, the biggest, the best. I was worried about this year, their 100th anniversary of the rodeo. I've a lot more imagination than Fay has. Just as well he doesn't, we're much better off with only one of us being high strung. 

There was supposed to be a new campground for teamsters, with all modern conveniences, ie, portapotties and stock water. There was even a shuttle advertised as available. 

The campground was a bare scraped acreage behind Walmart, stock water a quarter mile away, portapotties didn't show up until late Thursday night I'm told. The shuttle was a half mile away, and dropped folks at the Round Up ground's gate, leaving another quarter mile walk into the Teamster's barn. 

Neither one of us can walk that far. 

If it hadn't been for Billy Laurenzen, the parade manager, we wouldn't have been able to stay. He gave us his reserved parking spot on the Round Up grounds. In all of the chaos he had to deal with, he took the time to give away his parking spot, just to make sure one elderly teamster could stay for the parade. 

The sidewalks were packed, people were even up on the roofs of the buildings.

Fay's First Driving Show

Chafin Farm's hosted a driving show for the Willamette Valley Miniature Horse Club. But big horses could come and play too. We have so many friends down there in Sweet Home, it just had to go on the calendar. Neither Fay, nor the Fjords had ever done any kind of show at all. Fortunately they were all patient between our times in the arena competing. 

Discussing width of wheel base with the other two big horse competitors.

Eyeballing the competition, Fjords to Belgians to Fjord/Quarterhorse crosses.

Then there's the little guys, we weren't in their class.

Potluck lunch, talking breeds of draft horses.

Then back out to wait for our next turn in the arena and talking to Phred about setting lines and all the other details of harnessing and hitching.

Horses are so patient with our foolishness in pursuit of ribbons.

Way too many ribbons:

 

Freitag's Corn Field Camp out 2010

 

Friends, food, time spent driving in the fields and on the road. One of our best weekends every summer.