Minnesota is beautiful!

Just look at it----trees and lakes and flowers...

 My mom and I arrived at the Dalquist farm in the early afternoon on Sunday. Michael took me exploring at his friend, Randy's place. This was the view from one of the hilltops:

 Little robins in the D's woodpile...

 Michael, his mom, Kathy, and my mom, Dawn, obviously discussing something of interest...

 On Monday, my mom and I went with Dale, Kathy and Michael to their Memorial Day family gathering. It was good to meet so many of Michael's uncles, aunts, cousins....and his grandparents (whose home we were at).

 Michael's brother, James as catcher...

 Michael at the bat...

Back at the farm:

Michael cell-grazes the dairy herd, so moves the electric fence every day so they can have fresh grass to munch on...

James and his fiancé, Jenny stopped in Monday evening on their way back to their homes and visited a while. James drove Michael & I up the river a ways so we could get in the canoe and go for a ride. (The Little Elk river runs right through their farm.) That was really fun! We stopped a couple times to get out and look at a field and to look for a goose nest that Michael had found earlier in the year.

That night, the 5 of us watched "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again" (Don Knotts and Tim Conway).....just because it's good to laugh. :) 

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AND THEN: I received a text message from Lauretta! 

 It was a picture of her hand with a RING ON IT, announcing her engagement to a young man named Lee.

I'm SOOOOO happy for them!!!

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The next morning, Michael & I went exploring in some woods that are several miles NE of their farm. We found several different kinds of wildflowers, ferns, mushrooms, ticks, heard a loon, and finally came to the hidden lake Michael knew was back there somewhere. We walked along the bank a ways, then decided to head back (and Michael kept us from getting lost, thankfully). 

On our way back to the farm, Michael drove through this lovely spot again. We went through here back in December when Andrew was along for ice fishing.

 It's even prettier now that it's so green.

When we got back, Kathy took my mom and I for a tour of Randall

(the small town that is right by the Dalquist's farm). 

She took us in the shoe shop first, as we'd heard a lot about that place from Michael.

Then we went in the quilt shop and looked around.

There were so many amazing things to see in  there!

We said our goodbyes at 4:00, as the Ds start chores at that time and we wanted to get home

 before dark. Here is one last picture----Sam in the grass.

As always, it was hard to leave,

but I'm glad that we have something that makes saying goodbye so unpleasant. :)

"Thank you, Lord!"