carolcooperruebermusings: Visits to see the cousins, and other outings...

Vern's brother, Ron, was a Lutheran minister. When he was serving a parish in Green Bay, Wisconsin, we visited them. We also visited them when they were living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at another of Ron's parishes.

Here are Dave and Diane with Tina, the youngest daughter of

Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Alberta Hansen.

This is the Hansen house in Green Bay. That is Beth on the bike at the front, and Doug on the bike down the sidewalk. They appear to be trying to pull the wagon with Dave and Tina riding in it by a rope attached to Beth's bicycle. Diane is ducking under the rope, and Tom is in the back on the grass.

In this shot, Ronnie is playing a game of lawn darts with Tom.

While in Green Bay, we visited a train museum. Here I am with the three kids - Doug, Dave and Diane - with one of the trains in the back.

Diane is peeking out from the window of this huge engine at the train museum.

Another train at the train museum. Beth is standing on top to the left, and Tom is on top of the closest car. That's me holding Dave and Doug is to the right.

Here we are, all inside the train, taking a ride. That's me to the left, with Tom, Beth and Diane in the next seat. Down the car a couple of seats are Dave and Tina, Alberta and Ronnie. Vern must be taking the photos...

The Hansen families looking at all of the collection at the Train Museum in Green Bay, WI.

I don't remember just how this trip to Duluth came about. It seems we drove there from Eau Claire and then on to Park Rapids, but I may be wrong. In any case, the trip to Duluth was a bit stressful. There were tornados in the area of northern Wisconsin as we drove through, and Vern got very nervous on that trip. Of course, the kids picked up on our discomfort, and seemed to be bouncing all over the back seat. I kept trying to keep them a bit more quiet so Vern could concentrate on driving through the hard and pouring rain, but my efforts largely were ignored. I would turn around in my seat (passenger front seat) and shake my finger at the three noisy, bouncing kids in the back seat, and would say, "You kids be quiet, and I mean it!"

Well, we arrived finally, safe and sound, in Duluth, and had made reservations at a Holiday Inn motel for the night. We went to their restaurant to eat some supper before we retired for the evening, and little David was seated in a highchair at the end of our table. Suddenly, he looked very seriously right at me, and shook his little finger at me, and said (loudly) "You ki-et...mean it!" (OMG! Kids will let you know when they aren't pleased with you, even at a very young age!)

There's the big Lake Superior, and a dock, boats and other signs of harbor workings. I just remember that it was a big relief to be away from the storms, and ready to relax and try to get a good night's sleep. Traveling with three young kids was rarely a true vacation for me, but I was always glad to get out of my routine.

Here is the Rev. Roland Hansen family in front of their house in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Left to right - Tina, Beth, Alberta, Ronnie, and Tom.

Ooops...another split slide, but it is not so bad we can't tell who is in it... Here are Alberta, Beth, Ronnie, Tom and me (with my back to the camera) and Tina in the green shorts.

Tina doing a back bend, and someone's shoe off to the right of this split slide...(probably Tina's shoe, as that is how these splits seem to work...)

I think this is Diane doing a cartwheel...the Bermuda shorts are hemmed with a fancy zig-zag stitch, and I would have done that on my sewing machine. The pants wore out in the knees, and I would cut them off, and zig-zag a new hem, and they got more use as shorts!

A 'porch portrait!' Left to right - Doug, Tom with their little dog, Diane in front, Tina and Dave.

This shot looks like Dave is a bit older...I guess we visited in Eau Claire more than once...

Dave and Tina riding tricycles...

Doug and Tom playing basketball in Eau Claire.

...and Doug takes a shot!

Taking a hike in Eau Claire...looks like Diane is already halfway up a tree, and Doug is not far behind. That's Tom on the left, Ronnie in the blue shirt, and Tina bending down to look at something.

Here come the kids, running back across the bridge. Seems like I remember that this bridge was not too far from Ronnie and Alberta's house, but I'm not sure....I think they were located near the Firestone Tire Company...and that may be those buildings in the background.

This was Ronnie and Alberta's house in Eau Claire. I see Ronnie in the blue shirt coming around the side of the house, and Tom has their dog on a leash on the front porch.

This was the church that Ronnie was serving when they lived in Eau Claire.

And, here's the church sanctuary...

We went to church to hear Rev. Ron preach, and here we are, dressed in our Sunday best afterward (on that same bridge...) Left to right - Me (in my homemade outfit) Doug, Diane and Dave...