Our Balcony in Uppsala

Hi Ward and other grandkids or family

We woke up on Wednesday September 5 in our canopy bed in Uppsala and looked out over the Fyrisan river from our balcony with wrought iron railing and saw lots of university students and other people going to work riding on bikes along the cobblestone streets.  We had breakfast in the hotel with a window table looking our across the river- still watching many people on bicycles and others walking along the river canal. After breakfast we packed our backpack with our camera and umbrellas and hats and water bottles for a day of walking and exploring the old buildings of Uppsala.  We crossed the canal/river on a bridge and walked up the hill to the castle fortress that was built on the ridge above the university buildings and the cathedral and the city. Most of the castle is used for the governor's house and official government functions so we walked around the plaza that overlooks the botanical gardens on the back side of the castle.  The art museum in part of the castle didn't open until 11 am, so we walked through the botanical garden first.  The botanical gardens are part of the university and a famous professor of botany-medicine (because plants were used for medicines), Carl Linnaeus, organized the names of all plants and animals- using two Latin words for each species.  It was fun to walk along the paths and see so many different plants and flowers and bushes and trees from all around the world. I was surprised to see plants from warmer parts of the world- I wonder how they survive the cold winters of Sweden?

Balcony of our hotel room

Fyrisan River at our hotel

When we made it back to the art museum we were disappointed because it was a "modern" art museum- with very strange paintings and sculptures. So we left and walked part way down the hill to the university buildings near the cathedral.  We looked inside the main auditorium that is used for large meetings and were very surprised to see the beautiful interior- it looked like an opera house with gold decorations and marble columns and staircases.  We went to the university museum that showed lots of the inventions and discoveries of professors and doctors.  One of the rooms was the anatomical amphitheater built in 1662- where 200 medical students and spectators would stand on raised platforms around a table where a dead body would be dissected to show how our bodies work (bones, muscles, blood circulation, nerves, and organs).  We were reminded that very few medical schools were established until about 150 years ago (Uppsala was one of the first medical schools). We are very happy that we live now and not back then- so we have Kaiser and Mercy and many other hospitals and emergency rooms with doctors and nurses to take care of us when we are sick or injured or when we are born! 

University Auditorium

Anatomy Hall

 

A King of Sweden ready for battle

We had lunch in a cafeteria in the basement vaults (arched columns of bricks and stones) of the university auditorium and then went into the huge cathedral built with bricks.  The tall arches of the cathedral are very majestic, and there were lots of paintings and stained glass windows and decorations in the side rooms of the church. Many of the paintings and windows show bible stories, but some show battles between Sweden and other countries.  Many of the kings of Sweden have been crowned in the church and some of the paintings of the kings coronations and battles looked like drawings of the scenes from Narnia.  The history of Sweden was evident in the old buildings of Uppsala. Uppsala university was founded in 1477 (15 years before Columbus sailed to America in 1492) and the cathedral was started in 1270 and the towers were completed in 1490- so it took almost 200 years to build.    We walked along the river/canal several blocks to the house and garden of Carl Linnaeus and his family.  The house was about to close so we decided to wait until the morning when we would have more time for the audio tour. While we waited until 5 pm so we could enter the garden without paying; I went down the street to buy a AAA battery for my insulin pump.  We stopped for dinner at an outdoor Italian restaurant at a plaza near the river below the cathedral towers and university buildings and I had spaghetti with large meatballs- yum yum. The twin towers are very tall- about 400 feet high- so you can see the towers from all over town and from the balcony of our room in the Grand Hotel Hornan.  




The next morning we slept past breakfast time at the hotel so we walked to a café we had seen across from the Carl Linnaeus House and then went to the house and listened to the audio tour- we needed more than 20 minutes.  The professor used his home for lectures to his students and he would walk through his botanical garden and show his students plants from around the world.  He sent students on trading ships to many far away countries and he planted the seeds and cuttings that they would send back to Uppsala.  Carl Linnaeus also bought a farm about 10 miles out of town where he and his family lived during the summers- he planted another garden there for many other flowers and plants that needed different soils for healthy growth.  So he had three botanical gardens- near the castle, at his town house and at his farm.  We didn't see the farm garden because it was only open on the weekends in September.  We walked from the Linnaeus house toward the train station and passed an English bookstore- so we stopped in and found the book I was reading that was stolen with our luggage- so I could finish the story and "recover" one more thing that was taken.  Judy bought two books that we shared during the rest of our trip and on the airplane.  We walked to the train station where the map indicated a historical train museum- but it was the ticket office for old train rides on the weekends.  We walked back towards our hotel to see another church that was built just across from the cathedral- we wondered why two churches were built so close to each other- maybe the smaller church was used for local services and the cathedral was used for more formal gatherings and ceremonies? 

Ceramic Stove in Carl Linnaeus House

The church near the cathedral

My cousin Lenna had told us that her son Fredrik would be in Uppsala with his work during the same week that we were visiting, so we arranged to meet Fredrik at out hotel and we walked to dinner at a restaurant that was in the cellars of one of the buildings surrounding the cathedral.  This was a very fun setting- with painted brick arches and narrow passages between different dining rooms.  Grandma and Fredrik both had reindeer meat, and I had very tender steak cubes with small potatoes, because our waiter told us this was a very Swedish dish.  This was another "cousin surprise"- he is a "third cousin" to our kids (same generation)- we told him about our family and Fredrik told us about his job working on computer programming for automated radar and flight control systems for smaller airports.  We invited him to come to California for a visit.  We walked back to our hotel and said goodbye to Fredrik and read some in our books- looking out towards the cathedral towers from our balcony- and slept once more in our canopy bed.  Uppsala had turned out to be a very interesting historical city filled with gardens and old buildings and churches.

Fredrik my cousin

Ward- Grandma and I had a map of Uppsala that showed us where the buildings and gardens were located, but when we walked along the streets the buildings blocked our view and we would lose track of where we were- we would become "lost".  We needed to find an open area-like a small park or plaza- and then we could look all around and see the cathedral towers and then we would know which way to go to reach the building or house we were trying to find. The cathedral towers were our compass in Uppsala- they showed us what way to walk.  I know you like to use your map of Fairytale Town to help you find your way to all of the fun places- like the crooked mile.  A compass helps you find your way on a hike when you can't see a mountain peak or any tall tower.  We need a map or a tower or a compass to help us find our way on an adventure, or to find our way back home.  The Bible is like a map for our lives- it shows us the places we can go- and the dangers or treasures that we will find along the way.  God wants us to follow Him and not just go wherever we want.  The Bible tells us that God is like a tower for us- we can turn to Him and we can run to Him- he will guide us (show us the way to go) and protect us when we walk into danger-like getting too near to a cliff.  "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe". Proverbs 18:10.  

Love, Grandpa and Grandma

Hunting for Carl Larsson's Paintings

Hi Paladin and other grandkids or family

On Monday September 3 we left Orebro, after meeting Grandma's cousin Ewa for breakfast, and drove through the forested hills and countryside of Sweden towards Falum.  We were on our way to see the country house of Karin and Carl Larsson.  Many years ago we first saw the colorful watercolors of Carl Larsson, and we have had many calendars and prints of his pictures in our house.  They both went to art school in Stockholm but they met and married and lived near Paris for several years with other artists in about 1880.  They wanted to move back to Sweden to raise their children and moved in about 1890 to a house in Sundborn, a small town near Falum where Karin's parents lived.  The house and gardens have been preserved like they were when they lived there with their 7 children.  Karin created beautiful fabric art- rugs, weavings, pillows, furniture coverings and clothes.  Carl painted large paintings for buildings and painted portraits of rich people for his income, but he also painted many colorful pictures of his family and their life together in their house- and published several "albums" with prints of his paintings so many Swedish people could see their house as an example of a comfortable and beautiful home. We saw a few of his paintings in Gothenburg, and expected to see more paintings in Stockholm, and we were looking forward to seeing their house with more paintings and decorated walls in Sundborn.

This part of Sweden is famous for decorative wooden buildings; so we stopped at the town of Nora to drive along the streets looking at the wooden houses and other buildings.  As we were driving along the highway we noticed a large red building with a chimney so we stopped to see what it was.  We discovered this was a blast-furnace and foundry for melting iron from rocks (ore) so that blacksmiths could make farming tools and hardware items like nails and hinges.  The iron ore was mined from pits and tunnels in the nearby mountains and was brought to the blast furnace to melt and purify the iron at a high temperature which required forcing air into the burning wood (charcoal) with large bellows that were powered by water-power or steam engines.  Iron and copper mines along with the furnaces and foundries and factories making metal items were a great source of wealth for Sweden.  Some of the iron bars were shipped by wagons or trains to the large lakes in Sweden and then loaded on ships to Stockholm or down the Trollhatten canal (we saw the locks) to Gothenburg to be loaded onto larger ships for export to other countries.

We made it to Falum at 4 pm and expected to see the mining museum for an hour, but the museum had closed at 4 pm because it was September and schools had started.  Fortunately we could walk around the buildings from the old copper mine and there were several display boards in English and Swedish- so we could learn about the famous copper mine and the very famous red paint that was made from the copper ore residue after the metal was melted from the ore.  At first only the king used the red paint for his houses. Then some of the richer people started painting their wooden houses and barns with the red paint.  Soon everyone wanted the red paint to show that they were important and prosperous- and now just about everyone in Sweden has a red house and a red barn.

Aldin- most people like to copy what someone else is doing.  That is how most of Sweden ended up with red houses. Sometimes you like to follow Perrin and do whatever he is doing- like riding a bike or playing with Legos. And Taliesin likes to follow you and Perrin around the house and play with the same things that you are playing with.  Usually this is fine- to join in the fun that someone else is having. But sometimes it is better not follow or copy someone else.  God has made each of us a little different, so we sometimes want to do different things- like running instead of walking, or drawing instead of reading a book, or playing with Legos instead of watching a cartoon.  Aldin- there are other times when you should not follow someone else- when they are doing something wrong!  Don't follow after anyone who is saying bad things or hurting someone else or taking things that don't belong to them.  God wants us to make our own decisions about what is right and to stand alone (not copy) when others are not following God's directions for loving and helping other people. Aldin- you can always follow Jesus and copy Him, but you shouldn't always follow or copy other people.

Blast Furnace

Falum mining museum

Red Paint Factory

 On Tuesday we drove to Sundborn for the 1 PM tour of the Larsson house in English.  We walked around the garden and looked at the small lake with a boat dock where the kids must have fished and gone swimming.  A small dam (20 feet high) and powerhouse were constructed just upstream of the Larsson house in 1903 so the Larsson house had electricity- very modern.  The powerhouse provided electricity for the mines and mills in Falum. We wandered through the garden and next door was another garden and an old wooden house of a mine owner- we could look in the windows but it was not open for tours.  There were lots of other cute houses along the river- and a nice sunny day for visiting the Larsson house.  The house was painted red and green and white- surprise- maybe they wanted to be different from everyone with a plain red house.  The rooms were very cozy and colorful- each room had different colors with painted walls and painted doors and built-in furniture.  There were several Carl Larsson paintings in the house, and many of the rooms are shown in his paintings of his family.  There were some paintings from friends and other artists that they liked.  Many rooms also had tapestries or pillows or rugs made by Karin.  The original hewn-log house had four rooms but they expanded and added rooms and a large studio as their family grew- they had 7 children- until the house had 14 rooms.  One of the upstairs room had large wooden cabinets and bookcases they had purchased- the cabinets were so large that they lifted them into the new room and built the walls around them.  We had a great time exploring their house and finding more Carl Larsson's paintings. We bought a picture book of the house because they did not allow photographs inside the house.  We had a nice smorgasbord lunch at the café that looked over the house and then went to see the town church- because Carl Larsson had added some painted decorations on the walls and over the doors.  We then drove about three hours to Upsalla.  Our hotel was on the tree-lined river canal in the old part of town.  Our room was on the third floor with a balcony overlooking the river and the cathedral and old university buildings- what an amazing view.

Aldin- we had been hunting for Carl Larsson's paintings and we found them! And we found his house and his garden where he lived with his family 100 years ago in Sweden.  I want you to hunt for the beauty that God has painted in His creation.  You don't have to look very hard because His beauty is everywhere you look. He is the one who gave us colored light- the rainbow!  He gave us flowers and butterflies and seashells and rock crystals and snow capped mountains like Mt. Hood.  He is the one who gave us the sparkling stars and the big moon and jellyfish.  Look for God's beauty everyday wherever you are.  And tell Him "thank you" for making such a beautiful world for us to live in!

Love, Grandpa and Grandma

 

Cousins Galore

Hi Allison and other grandkids or family

On Saturday September 1 we drove about 15 miles out of Jonkoping to the farmhouse where my grandfather Eskil Karlsson had lived- and is now owned by my second cousin Lena and her husband; they stay at the farm for several weeks each summer.  Lena's parents lived there and her mother Asta (my mother's cousin) was at the farmhouse to see us although she only speaks Swedish. One of Lena's cousins Elisabet (also my second cousin) and her daughter Ida (second cousin once removed) also came to the farmhouse for lunch with us.  Lena and Elisabet are both granddaughters of my grandfather's sister Anna. We had the same great-grandparents, Karl and Emma Svensson.  Lena had some photographs of my grandparents Eskil and Elsie (with Lena as a child) when they went to Sweden in 1960 when my grandfather retired and stayed at the farm for a while and bought a Volvo (Swedish car) and drove through Europe for several months.  She also had a picture of me and my brother Daniel and our parents when we visited the farmhouse in 1967 on a month-long trip to Europe when I was 15 and Daniel was 14.  My grandfather Eskil had helped build the farmhouse in 1918 just before he left with a friend to come to America in 1920.  My aunt Corinne and her family visited the farm about 25 years ago and my cousin Cecilia and her husband Bill and their two boys visited the farm about 15 years ago and they also bought a Volvo.  Lena and her family visited California in 2000 and Elisabet and Ida visited California earlier this year.  So we have had some contacts with my Swedish cousins over the years.

Elsie (my Grandmother), Lena and Eskil (my Grandfather) in 1960

Daniel Mom (Lenore) Russ and Dad (David) in 1967

Asta, Elisabet, Ida, Russ and Lena

Allie- you might hear people talking about their family "tree".  You can draw your family tree with  two circles close together (touching) near the bottom of one side of the paper for your mom and dad. Put their names in the circles, Gabe and Sarah. Now put four circles in a row above your parent's circles with Ben, Becca, Mike and Allie in the four circles.  Draw four lines from each child circle to your parents pair of circles- this is your family tree with your parents as the "trunk" and four "branches" to you four kids.  Now draw more pairs of circles across the bottom with your aunts and uncles names in the touching circles.  Now draw more circles on the second row with all of your cousins- with lines down to their parents.  I think you have 8 cousins on your mom's side of your family and 8 cousins on your dad's side of your family tree- so there are 20 branches in your family tree with 6 "trunks".  After you "cousins" in the second row grow up and are married and have children there will be many more branches to a third row of circles (in the future).  So this is why there are so many cousins in the world- cousins galore! I have cousins in America and cousins in Sweden, and I was happy to visit with some of them at their farmhouse.   

Judy, Lena and Elisabet

Ida, Russ, Lena, Judy

The original farmhouse built of logs and covered with wood siding and painted with a red paint was converted to a storehouse and work shed.  Lena's family used to have milk cows so there is a large barn with a stone ramp to the second level where they put hay for the winter.  They had about 20 acres of pasture and about 200 acres of woods.  It had been raining the day before but the sun was shining with some clouds and the countryside was fresh and very green.  After a smorgasbord lunch we took a walk down the dirt roads through the woods; Elisabet found some mushrooms that she picked to bring home and cook for dinner- we saw lots of these orange mushrooms at farmers markets and we had some with a lunch we had later on our trip.  Elisabet told us they were very good with deer and elk meat and that her son had just hunted and so they had some meat.  We walked to an area that was logged about 2 years ago.  The larger trees are used for lumber and the smaller trees are used for making paper and cardboard.  Lena said trees take about 80 years to grow big enough to cut in Sweden because it is cold in the winter and the growing season is short.  I could see why my grandfather wanted to buy land and build a cabin and live in the redwoods in Ben Lomond near Santa Cruz- these woods where he grew up look similar to the redwoods- with creeks and rocks and ferns and evergreen pine trees and other trees like oak and aspen with white bark.  We had a very nice walk talking about our families in California and their families in Sweden.  After our walk we had an early dinner together.  Lena armed up sliced pork roast and potatoes and delicious blueberry cobbler she had made from frozen berries she had picked from the woods last year.  Lena drew her family tree for us and we took "cousin" pictures and said goodbye and drove about four hours to our next hotel in Orebro.

On Sunday we planned to drive into the countryside to find the "village" where Judy's great grandparents August and Brita Erickson had lived before they left Sweden in 1880 with their three children (including Carl Joel Judy's grandfather) to come to America- about 140 years ago. Judy's cousin-once removed Eldridge had visited Sweden and looked for relatives in 1978- 40 years ago- and had found the church in Lannas and the farm in Yxtorp where they had come from.  Eldridge and his wife talked to people at the church on a Sunday and went to Yxtorp where they found an Erickson relative (second cousin).  She invited them back for dinner the next Sunday and arranged for descendants from August's family (six brothers and sisters) to come and meet them.  We wanted to see the Lannas church and cemetery and try to find Yxtorp if we could. We arrived at the church at about noon and walked through the cemetery looking for "Erickson" or "Yxtorp"  or "Vinon"- the small island where Brita was from- and we did find several of each.  The church service was just ending and we went into the very old church (originally established in 1200) and talked with the priest; he didn't know of any Ericksons from Yxtorp, but he did confirm how to drive there. There were several farms along the road and we stopped at a crossroad and looked for a small farmhouse that looked like the picture of the single-story house that Eldridge had included in a letter describing his trip in 1978.

A couple drove into the driveway of a large two-story farmhouse across the road and Judy told them she was looking for her relatives.  They didn't speak much English but Orjan tried to tell us that he was an Erickson and he remembered the big dinner 40 years ago with the American cousins!  His wife, Anita, called some of Orjan's cousins to see if any of them knew anything about the relatives that had left for America.  Orjan asked the man living in the small house across the street if we could look inside. His name was Gunnar and he spoke English and told us the house was built in 1790- so it might have been similar to the house that August and Brita lived in 140 years ago. We took pictures,  exchanged phone numbers, said goodbye and drove to the small ferry that took us across to Vinon island.  Because school had already started, the restaurant and the café were closed, but Judy asked a woman at the community center where the café was located about the family of Brita.  This woman said her cousin was the town historian and called her and relayed the information that we had about Brita- she was born in 1841 and married August Erickson from Yxtorp and went to America in 1880.  We gave her Judy's phone number and e-mail in case they could find out more about her family.  When we got back to our hotel in Orebro we walked around the old part of town along a river with a stone fortress with two towers and had dinner in a pizza restaurant that also had delicious tiramisu in a small canning jar.  Back at the hotel Judy got a text from a woman, Ewa, who explained that she had been called by Anita and was related to Judy.  Her grandfather had an uncle August who went to America in 1880.  So they are third cousins (same great-great-grandfather Erik Errson).  She lived in Orebro and wanted to meet us for breakfast at our hotel in the morning before we left town.  So we met her the next morning and talked about our families- living in Sweden and living in California. Ewa confirmed that Orjan was her cousin, so Judy had talked with four cousins from Sweden!

Lannas Parish Church

Gunnar with Anita and Orjan - Judy's cousin

Gunnar's House built in 1790

Inside Gunnar's house

Ewa- Judy's cousin

Allie- this Sunday turned out to be full of surprises- Grandma had "found" four cousins in Sweden that she didn't know about. Grandma was brave and talked with the people we saw and asked them about her relatives.  I know that you like surprises too- and you may be surprised by something that happens when you are friendly and talk with someone you meet at church or school.  They might tell you a story about themselves or tell you something they like to do or want to do someday- and maybe become your new friend.  Allie- you already have lots of cousins (17 when Adeline is born) and I know you are going to have lots of friends (100 or more) so you will have cousins galore and friends galore!

Love, Grandpa and Grandma

Second Trip to Sweden

Hi Brooke and other grandkids or family

On Thursday August 30 we walked to the bagel shop and bakery for our fourth breakfast in Copenhagen.  Back at our "Danish furniture museum" Hotel Alexandra we checked out and carefully drove our "new" rental car through the narrow driveway of the courtyard and out of town about 25 miles to the Fredericksburg Castle that is a very large brick building with towers and turrets and archways and fancy windows- really quite a sight.  The castle was the king's family residence for two hundred years but in about 1850 the king's family moved to Copenhagen so they decided to use the castle building as a historical museum of Denmark.  The 60 rooms were very fancy- with different painted ceilings and ornate crown moldings and carvings with furniture and paintings and objects from each era of Danish history- each king and the major wars and ship battles were shown.  They had an audio guide that told about each king and walking into each room was a surprise- they were each beautiful and different.  This was included in our Copenhagen museum pass and we felt like we had found the "best" museum to visit on our way back to Sweden.  There were large gardens surrounding the castle but because it was raining we just looked through the windows of the castle.

Brooke- maybe you can remember a bad day when you were feeling sad- that's how we were feeling  after our luggage was stolen.  But then God gives you a new day and a fresh start- and you smile and begin to feel better.  Maybe you get a hug from your mom or get to play with your dad.  This was how we felt after touring the castle- this was a beautiful place to begin our "second trip to Sweden". God was giving us a fresh start for the rest of our trip through Sweden.

We took a car ferry across the channel from Denmark to Sweden; it took less than an hour to load the cars and trucks and sail across and unload the cars and trucks. Then we drove through the rain in Sweden towards Kalmar.  But as I was thinking about visiting my cousin Lena, I remembered that we were meeting her the next day in Jonkoping.  I had made a mistake in planning our trip- I had "lost a day".  We stopped for dinner in a town that was still 100 miles from Kalmar, but only about 150 miles from Jonkoping where we wanted to be the next afternoon. So after dinner at McDonalds I used my phone (WiFi) to make a hotel reservation in Vaxjo, and sent a message to our hotel in Kalmar.  We switched directions and drove north instead of further east and made it safely to our hotel in Vaxjo after dark. 

Brooke- when you realize you have made a mistake or "gone the wrong way" be sure to stop and ask God "please help me do what you want me to do" or "please help me find the right way" from where you are.  Grandma and I stopped and drove in another direction to get back on our trip schedule and arrive in Jonkoping the next afternoon to meet my cousin Lena. 

Driving onto the Ferry

After breakfast on Friday we went to a shopping mall near the hotel and Grandma found a store with nice long-sleeve shirts and she found five that she liked and bought.  We also found a suitcase and a backpack and a bag to keep all of our bathroom supplies.  Having a suitcase and more new clothes helped us feel a little more "back to normal".  We stopped at the Emigrant museum that showed how many Swedish people left between 1850 and 1930 to go to America.  Grandma's great grandparents August and Brita Erickson came to America with her grandfather Carl (5 years old) in 1880, and my grandfather Eskil came to America when he was about 20 in 1920.  Our grandmothers had also come to America with their families.  The museum explained why the left (to find land for farming or jobs in the cities) and how Swedish people helped build America along with many other immigrants from other countries.  Because America was a relatively new country with lots of land and jobs, almost everyone living in America today has come from another county- or their parents or grandparents came from another country.

We drove to Jonkoping in more rain and met my cousin Lena Pettersson at the Husqvarna museum at 3 pm.  This was a very old factory that first made rifles for the Swedish army and in 1850 started making other metal items like stoves and cooking pans and in 1900 started making sewing machines and motorcycles and bikes and other mechanical things, and in 1950 started making chain saws and other logging equipment.  My grandfather Eskil had Husqvarna chainsaws and Grandma gave me a Husqvarna chainsaw to cut trees at Love Creek, on the property that my grandfather bought because it reminded him of Sweden. The Husqvarna factory is in the city that he came from in 1920.  My cousin Lena owns the farm where my grandfather lived until he came to America about 100 years ago.  After we visited the museum we went to dinner with Lena and we told stories about our family and she told us about her family.  She speaks English but we do not speak any Swedish- so we talked with her in English. 

Grandma and Lena (My cousin)

Husqvarna Factory Building

Brooke- These first two days of our "second trip to Sweden" were good ones.  We visited an interesting castle and rode on a ferry and saw the factory where my chainsaw was made.  But the most fun was visiting with my cousin Lena and hearing more about my Swedish cousins (family) who stayed and live in Sweden.  We each have many similar things in our lives- we belong to a family and we live in a house somewhere and we go to school or work somewhere and we have favorite things we enjoy doing and we sometimes go on trips.  My grandfather Eskil lived on a farm surrounded by woods, so he bought the land on Love Creek and built a cabin and made lumber from the trees with a chainsaw and sawmill.  He was a carpenter and built houses- just like your dad.  He had lots of tractors and chainsaws and other machines- just like your mom and dad have motor bikes and boats and many other machines with engines.  I know that you and Aprilia and Cameron like going to Love Creek just like I do- playing in the creek and finding salamanders or walking on the roads and finding banana slugs or riding on a dirt-bike or in the Gator or "flying" on the zipline.  I hope we can go to the woods together soon!

Love, Grandpa and Grandma