Family Vacation- Part 2

After spending a weekend with my family in North Dakota, we crossed the border into Minnesota on Sunday and spent three days with the Gardener's brother. When we arrived the rain was still coming down hard and heavy. The gravel road that my brother-in-law (Uncle B) lives on was muddy and covered with water in some spots.

North Dakota and western Minnesota is in the heart of farm country. Not livestock, but field after field of wheat, corn and sunflowers as far as the eye can see. And I thought we lived in the middle of nowhere!The sunflowers are always my favorite but with all of the rain some of them didn't look too happy.

I think it's funny that the rural roads are labeled "street" and numbered avenues even out in the middle of nowhere, on gravel roads!

Uncle B has a cute little cabin in the woods right on the river which is usually great for fishing but with all of the rain the river was rushing too fast to do any fishing.

Uncle B is a bachelor, no kids, no pets, no woman* and spends most of his time in the garage restoring old tractors and it was very obvious taking a look around his house.

I'm not sure how long these houseplants had been dead, but from the looks of it quite a while. For a fun activity one day while he was at work, the Gardener and the girls made him some new flowers out of old scrap metal that never need watering.

Uncle B had been promising to take the girls out to bait for bears. Bear season doesn't start until the beginning of September but hunters are allowed to set out yummy treats for them 2 weeks in advance. We went out into the woods one afternoon between rain showers, cleared a path and made a little spot to dump buckets full of day old pastries covered in burnt honey, and sprinkled some smoke scent into the air to help attract hungry black bears.

On the way back to the truck, it started raining so the Gardener and Uncle B drove fast on the ATVs to get out of the rain but in the process we drove through some big muddy puddles.

Binny didn't mind too much though.

During the rain Binny and Mae played pool on Uncle B's dining room pool table.

The day before we left the sun finally decided to shine so the girls played with the very remote controlled cars that the Gardener and Uncle B played with as boys.

Mae had a great time changing wheels and racing her sister.
We had a great time even with all of the rain. Thanks Uncle B!

*I am accepting applications for a new sister-in-law. Contact me if you know any single, tractor loving women in western Minnesota.