5-29-18

Back on the farm after the 5k run, the parade, Danish open-faced sandwiches & aebleskiver it was Slip & Slide time! Can't think of anything better on a hot & humid afternoon in Iowa.

Nephews Owen & Kyle slipping off the slide!

And I just love this video that Bob made with his new drone! So cool!

"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"

Caedrian, Kasen, Brielle, Elsie, Kennley, Greta, Lincoln, Kavan & Jaeya.

Great-nephews & Great-nieces.

Kennley enjoying her treat with Bob.

Sunset on the farm. Pretty ending to a good day.

5-28-18

Speaking of aebleskiver... how about an aebleskiver eating contest?!?!

First the amateurs stepped up and then came the professional eaters!

A new WORLD record was set... 108 aebleskivers in 8 minutes. WOW! It was pretty hilarious to 

watch.  :-) The guy in the middle won (with red Kool-Aid running down his shirt). Each professional had a resume that was funny to hear...  most chicken wings eaten, kale, pints of ice cream & several other food item titles. The crowd was entertained!

5-27-18

After the parade it was off to eat Danish aebleskiver; round ball pancakes that are delicious! The Elk Horn fire station served them up all weekend and it's popular with the locals and tourists. Eat with butter, powdered sugar, regular sugar, jam or syrup. Mmmmm!

Carol, Bob & I also had to walk up to the Elk Horn Town Hall for Danish open faced sandwiches; another Danish tradition. Egg with anchovies on rye bread is my favorite!

There are many different kinds of open-faced sandwiches.

All delicious! And all fun reminders of growing up with these Danish foods.

5-26-18

Everyone loves a parade!

Elk Horn-Kimballton-Exira high school marching band.

Firetrucks are fun & they throw candy to the crowd.

Tractors of course... it's an Iowa parade! :-)

Family hanging in the shade to watch the parade. Elsie & Riley beaming with their bag of candy.

Unicycling the parade route. Impressive.

Susan on her high school Class of '68 float.

Class of '58

We Arizonans miss ex-Arizonans; Kavan, Riley, Keelan & Janna. Andrew was out to see the parade too but missed the selfie. They are all happy Iowans now!

Many Hoeghs made it back for the holiday weekend and Tivoli festivities.

Curt & Nancy waving with Ryan, Kyler and Susan. It was essential to find shelter from the sun. I believe it was hotter in Iowa than Arizona this weekend!

5-25-18

Family runners for the M & M 5k Fun Run.

Each Memorial Day weekend my hometown of Elk Horn hosts a weekend festival called Tivoli. There is a parade, Danish food, Danish dancing and a whole lot more. Included in the weekend is a 5k run that my brother, Rod started many years ago. It goes from the Mill to the Mermaid (thus M & M). The mill is an authentic & working Danish Windmill in Elk Horn and the mermaid (a replica of the one in Denmark) is displayed in the neighboring Danish town of Kimballton. Sorry for no photos of either the mill or the mermaid. :-/

But here are some photos of runners... Great-nephew Lincoln crossing the finishing line with his mom, Jaime & brother, Roman behind him.

Nephew Reggie with 2 of his boys; Ryan and Kobe.

Niece Daira running with her son, Kyler.

Niece Laura running with her daughter, Kylee.

Nephew Jerome with his daughter, Kennley sprinting for the finish.

Not sure who is in the running stroller.

Nephew, Owen pushing his daughter Greta while his daughter, Elsie runs for the finish. Elsie took 1st in her age group!

Nephew, Jerod beside his son, Cooper. Jerod had finished earlier (placing 3rd overall and 1st in his age group)!

Nephew, Chad with his son, Lincoln (Lincoln's 2nd time through the finish line). Hahaha.

I didn't get everyone's finish photo but everyone finished & they were all awarded cold water & M&M's! It was a HOT day! In addition to above mentioned; Clara placed 2nd in her age group and 22nd overall. I placed 2nd in my age group and 25th overall. And I think Daira also placed 2nd in her age group. I probably missed several others. :-)

Hitched a ride back to Elk Horn in the back of Jerome's pickup truck. Just like when I was a kid. :-) Fun!

5-24-18

Today I went to the local flower shop to create new silk flowers for mom & dad's headstone.

I really like these colors & the 2 butterflies. I also really miss mom & dad. Of course this trip home is met with strong emotions & tears as we go through their home. Surrounded with so many wonderful memories is a good thing... just hard while healing too.

When I went to the Elk Horn Cemetery they were setting up the American Flags for Memorial Weekend.

The flags look beautiful.

Mom & dad's flowers look beautiful too.

5-23-18

I flew back to Iowa today. Wednesday, Thursday & Friday I'll be going through mom's house; sorting, organizing & arranging items in the garage (& in mom's house) for family to go through & find treasures for themselves. Later we'll donate to The Salvation Army. Susan was a big help as well as Emily & others. 

My mom is known for not throwing much away. I laughed hard when I found this tape recorder in the house with a note taped to the cover... "Tape Recorder Broken (eats tapes)." Hahaha... you never know when such an item will come in handy (ya know...if you want your tapes eaten). LOL. In mom's defense Brent said mom had asked him to fix the recorder.

Mom is also famous for scrapbooks and boxes full of newspaper articles & clippings of her kids and grandkids. It was fun to go through and find some oldies but goodies from the Iowa papers. That's Susan sitting with me at the kitchen table sorting, reading & smiling. Above right; clipping of Janna from college basketball days.

Track Highschool days for me... Runners of the year; Eric Juelsguard & Jane Hoegh. :-)

5-22-18

We added outdoor lights from the house to the gazebo.

Makes evenings extra lovely!

Also added outdoor drapes to the gazebo. When needed can block out south or west sunshine.

Makes days extra lovely!

Now to go shopping for one more umbrella (for that empty umbrella stand on the pool deck). Then our backyard & swimming pool is open for business. :-)

5-21-18

Mountain biking in Flagstaff with Team Vitesse.

Jay, Bill, Dara, Geoff & Bob (in red).

Friday skills clinic with Dara. She's a Flagstaff local and mountain biking coach.

I would have liked the tips on riding over big rocks and turning corners better. Bob said it was helpful. Not everyone did skills clinic & were riding the mountain dirt elsewhere.

On Saturday Bob got in a long ride with friends. Little Bear, Little Elden, & Shultz Creek were a few of the trails they rode. Thanks to Aaron & Jenn for hosting at your awesome Flagstaff place. Such a fun get-away for the team each year!

Next year I'm going too!

5-20-18

Bob went to mountain biking camp in Flagstaff on Friday. I stayed home. I didn't want to risk issues with my ears again since I'm not fully better. However, I was well enough to get in some easier rides around South Mountain.

Cool building near the entrance of South Mountain Park.

Couldn't pass up the photo op with my Scott in front of a stone house. Hahaha.

Vitamin D & a bike helps almost as much as my antibiotic. :-)

Bob had a great time with Team Vitesse. A few pics from his trip tomorrow. Bummed I couldn't make the camp but happy Bob enjoyed 2 days in the pine trees with friends.