Spending time with grandchildren on their birthdays  was a highlight of "Roaming through Retirement"  until COVID hit, which put a damper on this annual ritual. This picture is of Clara (center) who turned 19 on June 21. Denise, Craig, and Chase helped celebrate this big event. We also spent June catching up with friends and family in North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Minnesota.

Here we are with Glorine's sister Marlene (left) and daughter Lynn at their cabin near Lake Sakakawea where they host their four children and spouses and 13 grandchildren.	Next we spent an afternoon with Glorine's niece Jodene, husband, Mark, and sister-in-law Lorraine. Brother Emanuel passed in 2020.
We visited two local cemeteries with MaryAnn, Larry's sister-in-law. This chokecherry tree, which she waters weekly, was planted  at Fort Lincoln State Park in Memory of brother Jacob, her husband.	Larry's niece Rae Ann and George built this beautiful home north of Bismarck. She is the eldest of three of Lillian's daughters.  Lil passed in 2023. George loves to garden and has numerous gardens and orchards.
We joined in the birthday celebration ofAmber Rose. She is the daughter of Lori, Lillian's youngest  daughter. The party was filled with lots of food, family and friends.	Friends Dennis and Betty (middle right) had a party with former colleagues of Larry's from the 1980s. L to R are Ellen Boekes, Jerry Lydeen, Wayne Boekes, and Karen Bodi.
Pictured is Marlene with  son Dennis and Natalie and two of their three grandchildren. Dennis is retiring soon and looking forward to snow birding somewhere in the south.	We spent the night in Minot, with Glorine's brother Willie.  Dinner was at his daughter's Mandy and John house.  Great home cooked meal and fun time playing cards. Also pictured is the twin, Connor.
As we drove to Regina, we passed many oil derricks along the Bakken oil fields, considered one of the largest deposits of oil and natural gas in the USA.	We spent three days in Regina visiting friends we met in Ajijic Mexico. Brian and Marilyn sitting and Jim and Margo who hosted dinner. It was great catching up!!
Back in Bismarck we met up with Glorine's siblings Marlene, Ray and Ida at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. We had a fun time reminiscing about childhood experiences and wandering a bunch of "IF WHATS."	We stopped at one of MN's 10,000 lakes to visit Larry's niece LuWayne, Lillian's second daughter. She and Ken, spend most of the summer enjoying their lake cottage.
We spent the night with Ken and Musa in Nisswa MN. Ken and Larry worked together at St. Cloud Technical College. Ken joined us for a week in Ajijic pre-covid.	We arrived in Prior Lake on the 16th and had dinner with Denise, Clara and Chase. Chase is now taller than Grandpa by 1/8th of an inch and still growing. Chase is busy with hockey and Clara is keeping in shape for cross country and track.
We had dinner at one of MN's pizza farms that produce most of their ingredients. Chase's girlfriend Inga, joined in the get together including cards!	Clara is home from Saint Louis University and still getting caught up with mom. Clara is a patient care assistant, caring for a 16 year old boy with autism.
One of the activities we enjoyed doing was walking along the shorelines of  several lakes in the Twin Cities. This is Normandale Lake in Bloomington.	This lake has cool features like these waterfalls and wood bridges extending the walking and bike paths.
Patty, Larry's niece and Paul, Tim and Sara invited us over to their home in Eagan for barbequed hamburgers and fixings. Great  catching up.	Here we are joined by friends Jane and Jerry, and Jane's sister Judy and Luther. Glorine met them in graduate school at St. Cloud State University back in  1992 and have remained friends ever since.
Friends Rich and Nancy joined us for lunch at Charlie's on Prior Lake. Rich and Larry met in MN and worked together in Boise where Rich helped modernize the curriculum for over 40 tech programs.	Glorine's nephew Tim and Nancy live in St Paul and joined us for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Both work from home. Harrison and Olivia, their children, have graduated from college and are both working.
Midwestern storms woke us up to  sirens blaring alerting us to a  tornado watch. Town and Country RV Park had a storm shelter where about 100 of us crowded into. Thank goodness; no tree downs or damages.	Another lake and another walk. We are joined by Denise and Clara for a walk along Minnehaha creek near Lake Harriet in southwest Minneapolis. It starts at Lake Minnetonka and ends at Minnehaha Falls.
We spent a day shopping for candy at Minnesota's Largest Candy Store. Specifically, we were shopping for a birthday present for a "new" dear friend. I don't want to spoil the surprise. More of that in July.	The candy store continues to grow in size and volume. It also has a large section of sodas and flavored popcorn. Walking through the store was such a delight with giant characters and painted ceilings.