Charlie is precious!  I drove up to Sherry and Troy's rural home near Hartford, Wisconsin on Saturday May 26th, returning to Champaign via Galena and Port Byron, Illinois. It was my first opportunity to see Charles Andrew Waltersdorf since he joined his family on Easter morning this year. Cute as a bug.  I'll try and get some of the pictures I took on this blog.  It was good to get reacquainted with his older brother Zach...now 2.
Sherry and I and the boys had a lot of fun together while daddy Troy, his brother, father-in-law and a couple of friends hunted bear in northern Canada. Word is they shot a lot of bear.  Don't know if they were able to bring any of the delicious bear meat home.  They already have a large bear made into a rug hanging on a wall.  Troy shot it some years ago. He uses both a gun and a powerful bow. Sherry and I took one day to drive into Milwaukee and visit the fabulous Harley/Davidson motorcycle museum.  Got great pictures there also.

I had never been to Galena, which was a major Illinois city at one time because of large lead mines, but when the mines closed the city slept until it warped into a major tourist attraction.  Visually the main street looks like you have stepped back into the middle 1800s. With boutiques and all the other modern stores located in ancient buildings.  Fun visit.  I also drove down along my friend (the Mississippi River) and stopped off to see our old home (1944-1949 and farm in Port Byron, Illinois.  Couldn't recognize it.  Houses all over the hills with trees and brush everywhere. Dad's old foundry/garage of cinder blocks was gone...as was our old two story house. A fairly new swimming pool was located where I used to milk cows.

Wonderful trip.  Thanks Troy and Sherry for inviting me to Wisconsin.  Love you all.

Dad