Anna gets a welcome sign from Baba on arriving in Des Moines

We just arrived back from visiting Marcy’s family in Iowa. Due to work commitments, we couldn’t manage a trip with all four of us together. So, Anna went out 10 days ago and came back last Sunday. Marcy visited from last Saturday until today. And then Jude and I flew out on Thursday and came back today.

Anna stayed at Baba’s house, so she spent most of her time there, playing games, bowling, swimming in the pool, and enjoying good food. Marcy had to work most of the last week, but she took Friday off, and they all went bowling.

Jude driving the MG with Grampsy providing instruction

Jude spent the afternoon on Friday learning to drive a stick shift on Grampsy’s MG. There was a car rally for the British Car Club of Iowa, and we were taking the MG and the Jaguar (and Baba had her beloved Smart Car).

Jude mastered the MG by the end of Saturday

We drove to a British Pub for lunch and then visited Iowa State’s campus in Ames, where we went to the botanic gardens and then ended with ice cream. Jude then drove all the way back from Ames to West Des Moines via the backroads and by the end of the trip he had it down. I drove the MG around Ames and it is not an easy car to drive, so if he can master that, he can do any stick shift.

Enjoying our dinner at Simon’s

On Saturday night, we had a delicious dinner at Simon’s. It provided a wonderful end to our summer trips to Des Moines.

Having fun in the Snake River near Keystone

Last Saturday, we met the Dahlens in Keystone for the annual family vacation. It was a wonderful week. Jude didn’t get back from his work in North Dakota until Tuesday, so he joined us then. Lily’s boyfriend, Owen, made the trip this year, so for the first time, we had two young men for much of the week.

Jude made the most of his time in Keystone

The one downside of the week was the smoke. Wildfires were burning in Utah and near Leadville, which caused several days of bad smoke in Keystone. And the rivers were all running low due to the record low snowfall this past winter. So, we ended up doing more exploring and hiking close to Keystone.

On the 14th tee at the River Course

As we have done every year, Nathan and I played some golf at the River Course at Keystone. But for the first time ever, we had our own foursome as Owen and Jude joined in. It was a really fun day on the course, with Nathan proving too good for all of us this year.

Playing Codenames, kids vs adults

Of course, many games were played: Codenames, Hitster and Wavelength to name a few. We also watched a LOT of the World Cup. I have been really into it this year, so we had the TV on for pretty much every game.

Anna climbing down the rocks near the top of Buffalo Mountain

On Friday, most of us tackled Buffalo Mountain. I was not one of them as I was feeling a little off color for much of the week. Then it was on to the Farmers Market in Dillon where a delicious lunch was enjoyed by all.

We forgot to take the traditional photo with Jude, so Owen subbed for him

It was over way too soon, as we all made our way home on Saturday. Despite the smoke and the low water (no rafting this year), we all had a great week.

On the Mule Deer Trail in Golden Gate Canyon State Park on Father’s Day

It has been a while since our last update, and I wanted to include the above photo from Father’s Day with Anna. We did a really fun hike in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, even Anna said she would do this one again.