After spending time with Tom and Jo, our next destination was Kiel, WI to see Ted’s brother, Gary. That meant playing sheephead, eating at a variety of restaurants, and picking up cheese and bakery to take back to MO. Gary helps make this possible by contributing freezer and refrigerator space between the pick-up times and our departure time. When it’s time for Ted and me to head back to St. Louis, the food moves from Gary’s freezer and refrigerator to our ice chest and safely makes the eight-hour journey.
We brought back enough hard rolls, filled coffee cakes, and cheese to share with the kids, and some more for Ted and me to enjoy after the kids left.
On this trip, we also took time to drive to Door County to buy frozen pie cherries. People in the know are aware that cherries from Door County, WI or Traverse City, MI are the best cherries in the land! Since the tart pie cherries are frozen in liquid in large containers, they make the eight-hour trip to MO perfectly, thawing just enough to separate them into multiple pie-sized portions before putting them into our own freezer. Ted and I now have four cherry pies in our future.
When she heard Ted and I were coming to Wisconsin, my Aunt Ruth (LaCrosse area) asked if there would be a chance to get together if she and Uncle Ken drove across the state to see us during our visit. Absolutely! We had a delicious brunch with Ruth and Ken; my cousin, Donna; her husband, Jon; and Uncle Gibby. (Gibby and Ruth are my mom’s siblings, and Gibby is Donna’s dad.) It was a two-hour brunch, but the time went by much too quickly. Just like with Tom and Jo, we wish we could see these family members more often, but we make the most of the times we get together.
The happy ending: We had a great time, and the menus for the kids’ visit wrote themselves around the Wisconsin favorites Ted and I brought back to share with them on their late June visit.