New York City Vacation, Day 1

Susan and I and our three daughters have not been all together since Christmas 2023, so we have been looking forward to this long weekend vacation in New York City. One of our friends (and Susan's coworker) arranges educational tours for student groups and occasionally schedules one just for adults; so Susan, Suzanna, Hillary, and I all signed up for the tour and made plans to involve Abigail--who currently is living in Brooklyn--in as many of our activities as her schedule would allow. (Abigail is in medical school and is doing clinical rotations at a hospital in the Bronx right now.)

Today Susan and I flew with the tour group from Bismarck, ND, into Newark, NJ, and then traveled by bus to our hotel in Manhattan. Suzanna and Hillary flew directly from Nashville, TN, to New York City. Abigail met them, and the three of them went out for food and cocktails while waiting for their parentals to arrive. There was much squealing and hugging when Susan and I saw them waiting for us when we arrived at the restaurant for supper!

After eating, we walked around Times Square a little bit before returning to the hotel to get some rest before tomorrow's adventures.

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Hillary and Suzanna departing Nashville.

Susan and I departing Bismarck.

(Pardon the blurs -- I'm protecting the privacy of others who were in the photo.)

Reunited! We posed for a selfie in Times Square.

And check out this brief video of what we saw while looking around Times Square.

Mother's Day Weekend at My Father's

My sisters and I spent part of the weekend in Tioga, ND, with our dad, helping him sort through photos, documents, and other items while we were all together. We ran some errands in Williston on Friday but spent Saturday at his house, reminiscing as we looked at old photographs, programs from our high school events, and other gems from the archives around his home!

This morning I made an early-morning departure so that I could get to Dickinson, ND, in time for church and brunch with Susan for Mother's Day. In the afternoon, we had a family video call with our daughters, who live in Tennessee and New York; and we ended the day with supper at El Sombrero.

By the way, Susan's Mother's Day gift from me was 13 bottles of wine: a variety of her favorites and potential new favorites, based on what I know she prefers. Why 13? Well, she will have 13 weekends off from school this summer, which means 13 opportunities to sit outside on our veranda on a Friday or Saturday evening, enjoying the summer weather and each other's company while sipping a beverage.

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The siblings: Sandy (middlest), Kevin (youngest), and Cathy (oldest).

The patriarch: Dad (oldest-oldest).

The western sky looked awesome Thursday evening when I arrived at Dad's in Tioga.

I took a walk around the neighborhood Thursday evening and enjoyed this view of my cousin Jeffrey's house with its lighting matching the sky behind it.

On Friday in Williston, we had a delicious dinner at Gramma Sharon's. These cheerful cattle greet patrons in their parking lot.

Cathy looks excited to start sorting and organizing.

It's always fun to hear stories from Dad about the days of yore. He wishes his memory were better for remembering recent conversations, upcoming appointments, or other short-term details. However, seeing an old photo or letter can trigger memories from decades ago, which he can retell in great detail. We love hearing those tales and continuing to learn more about our dad, even after having known him our whole lives!

I had had flowers delivered to Susan at work on Friday so she could enjoy them until I could get to town on Sunday. Happy Mother's Day!

Farm Photos

Susan and I spent Easter weekend in the Tioga/McGregor area with my sister Sandy and our dad. Here are some pics:

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Sandy serves as musician for several area churches, including First Lutheran in Tioga. We joined her for Easter morning service.

Before the service, the women of the church served a breakfast in the fellowship hall--so we arrived early and enjoyed a meal first.

We had spent the day before with Sandy. She lives on the family farm where we grew up. Note the Easter treats that she had waiting for us!

We enjoyed playing with her friendly cats.

Cool pattern of shadows on the deck.

The evergreens in front of and behind the house and surrounding the yard are the only signs of green so far.

Well, I guess there is a little green coming up in the yard, too.

Sandy took us out in her side-by-side (UTV) to explore the countryside.

When I was a kid, our dog and I used to "explore" and play in the pastures, tree rows, and hay fields of our farm. Might not look too exciting here, but this was one spot for many adventures during my childhood.

When we slowed down to take photos, we scared away the waterfowl from this creek north of the farm.

Pretty early-evening sky.