After completing our 20 day - 2,000 - mile road trip from Mexico to Minnesota, we spent the remainder of June with Clara and Chase. Their dad, Craig, took a new job as a pilot with Delta and spent most of that time in Atlanta in training. When we posed for this picture, the kids asked, "Which is the funniest waterfall in Minnesota?" Answer is-- Minnehaha Falls. This 50' waterfall is on Minnehaha creek, which flows through the Twin Cities from Lake Minnetonka and dumps nearby into the Mississippi River. It is one of the most photographed places in Minnesota and a place the kids love to visit and play.

The first of June, we spent a couple of days in College Station, TX, to visit Larry's nephew, Terry.  Both he and his wife Teresa, work at Texas A&M University. While on tour, we got this picture of them with the $500 million dollar expansion of Kyle Football Stadium in the background.	June 1 was Terry's birthday, the big 60. His mom and step dad, Gloria and Martin flew down from North Dakota to take part in the festivities. Gloria cooked a traditional German meal, which was a big hit with all of us including her granddaughters Eva and Mamie.
At 80+, Gloria still plays a mean game of ping pong. Here she is staying even with her granddaughter Eva. She makes a great role model.	Along our route, we saw a sign near Hope, Arkansas--"Birthplace of Bill Clinton." We stopped, stretched our legs and toured his childhood home. He looks the same.
We toured the Clinton Library, designed to represent a "Bridge to the 21st century." The library also serves as a home for a temporary exhibit--"Dinosaurs Around the World" including advanced animatronics. It also credited four U.S. presidents who worked to preserve the fossil-rich areas in North America where dinosaurs once roamed.	We also toured the Little Rock Nine -- nine African American students who attempted to attend an all-white high school, following the Supreme Courts unanimously decision that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The governor stopped them from entering, but President Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort them to school.
We were quite impressed with how the city of Little Rock blended itself into the Arkansas River, including the Big Dam Bridge--the longest bridge in North America (nearly a mile long) designed solely for use by pedestrians/bicycles.	On to Branson, Missouri, where we met up with Kentucky friends, Scott and Lois. Here we are touring Table Rock Dam, one of the many dams that make this part of the Ozarks such an attraction.
Scott introduced Larry to the "blues" and both have been big blues fans ever since. We took in a show at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater which gave tribute to the Blues Brothers, Elvis, Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift.	We spent four nights in this Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) overlooking Lake Taneycomo. With two bedrooms, two baths, it had all the amenities we needed to make this place home and take in most of the sites in Branson.
Next door to our rental, we found a marina that rented pontoons, so we took one for a spin down the Lake through the city of Branson. Scott brought his fishing equipment and caught four trout, but not enough for dinner. The fish got to live another day!	While Scott and Larry golfed, Glorine and Lois toured the College of the Ozarks, Here the tuition is free, with students committing to work 15 hours per week. The 1,400 students run a bakery, restaurant, and greenhouses with some of the most stunning orchids.
This college is ranked one of the "Top Baccalaureate Colleges in the Midwest." It is a Christian based school which began in 1908, and are proud of their vocational focus providing kids the skills needed for today's workplace, along with the artisan crafts of yesteryear.	On to Nebraska, where we spent a couple of nights with Larry's brother Bob and Francie. We got to partake in celebrating Jackie's birthday and Bob and Francie and Cindy and Roger's anniversaries. It is always fun getting together with family.
We arrived in Minnesota on June 10, the kid's last day of school. With Craig in Atlanta and Dense at work, we took in lots of activities and events we all enjoyed. Including the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, which featured over 15 "larger than life" exhibits of wild life made of LEGO bricks.	The Arboretum is a 1,100 acre garden, first started as a horticultural research center by the University of Minnesota. Along with the LEGOs, the kids loved the maze of bushes where they played hide and seek. Grandpa cheated by climbing an observation tower overlooking the maze.
Clara celebrated her ninth birthday a week early. Each year she has a theme and this year's theme was Paddington Bear, a fictional character from one of Clara's favorite books.	This year, the party included mostly girls from Clara's school. And Denise went all out organizing activities the kids could do, with projects they could take home.
Opening presents is one of the highlights. Here she is with Grandma Cheri with the lake in the background.	Birthday parties would not be complete without a piñata for the kids to swing at and fill their pockets with candy.
A select number of girls got to stay for a sleep over. But first they got to go tubing, then watch Paddington Bear on an outdoor screen. Nice way to celebrate a birthday.	While most of the art displayed at the Minnesota Institute for Art were designed for adults, they have done a great job at creating activities designed specifically for children.
One of the activities at the Art Institute was creating pop-up cards, by cutting and pasting different colored card stock paper and using magic markers to accent them!	Both Clara and Chase are active and love learning new sports. Along with swimming and ice hockey, which they are both good at, they are still trying to learn the art of tennis.
For Clara's birthday, we took a trip to Lake Okoboji, which is a part of the Great Lakes of Iowa. Craig pulled the pontoon with and here we are cruising the lake. One of those condos in the background was a VRBO which provided great housing for our four day vacation on the lake.	Adjacent to our condo was this "awesome" indoor water park. It cost $30 per day, but the price of admissions was included as a part of the VRBO. And the kids got more than their (our) money's worth out of the weekend.
Along with the giant slides, the waterpark included tons of activities the kids got to enjoy. The park feature a "lazy river" which, Grandma and Grandpa got caught napping as we floated down the river.	Arnolds Park has a great water front amusement park with a Ferris Wheel, bumper cars and one of the oldest wooden roller coaster remaining in the United States. This was one ride we could only do once.
When we were not taking in the sights and sounds of the area we were enjoying hanging out in the cool condo we rented--with a great view off our second floor balcony.	We spent hours at the Barefoot Bar and Marina. After test driving a couple of $100,000 boats, Clara took Denise on a paddle board ride.
Arnold's Park can create a captive audience with all it has to offer. After playing a round of miniature golf, we toured the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and took in a free concert featuring locals as well as national celebrities.	The kids test drove Clara's new birthday present--a float pad. It is a durable foam pad that rolls out easy from storage ready for a day of fun and relaxation on the water.
One day, Arnold Park displayed Corvettes and the next it gave vintage car owners an opportunity to display their toys. Back in the day, Larry owned a 1948 Ford 5 Passenger Business Coupe like this one, but not quite as pristine.	On the way home from Lake Okoboji, Larry got to celebrate Father's Day at the August Schell Brewing Company in New Ulm. At 155 years old, it is the oldest family owned brewery in the USA. We also got to dine at one of New Ulm's famous Germen restaurants. Hmmm!
We spent an evening visiting Glorine's nephew Tim, along with his wife Nancy and kids, Harrison and Oliva. Pizza and beer on the patio made for a fine evening getting caught up with their busy lives.	We took the kids on a tour of a 250 acre farm, no more than five miles from their home on Prior Lake. The farm was part of the Organic Valley network of family owned farms. Organic or not, Chase learned that milking is hard work.
Denise signed Grandpa and Clara up for a golf tournament. Ten fathers/grandfathers and their girls were matched up for nine holes. Each took alternating shots with Clara starting from the tee. We both had a blast.	North Dakota friends Dennis and Betty drove from Bismarck to spend a weekend hanging out with us in the Twin Cities. They stayed at Mystic Lake Casino, which was nice, because we got to visit our money from previous visits.
We spent an afternoon at the races. Canterbury Park is located only a few miles north of the casino and provided a fun day in air conditioned comfort. Next time, we can visit our money at the track also!	We had breakfast at Mickey's diner, one of the first restaurants to be placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and designed to resemble the railroad dining cars of the period. It was a short but still a wonderful visit.
After enjoying a "full" filling breakfast at Mickey's, we took a tour of St. Pauls' Cathedral, dubbed the Great Temple on the Prairie. It was built in 1907. If this ornate structure built of granite and marble was destroyed, it would take an estimated one billion dollars to replace.	Our final outing in June was downtown Minneapolis. Our destination was a Movie in the Park, but before that we toured the Guthrie Theater. From there we took this picture of a memorial to the 140 people injured and the 13 people who lost their lives when the I-35 bridge collapsed in 2007.

June's web page includes June 1 through June 30.