Wisconsin, I

The night before we had an early morning flight to the Dairyland, the Vining Sisters and their Husbands went to a delightful wedding. People had a hard time paying attention to the bride and groom...



Ella was entranced by the ruffles along Maggie's collar, as many people were; Ella gained many compliments from guests of various sexes on her dress, and you can see why!



Okay, Wisconsin. First stop: Milwaukee. Shorewood. After a brutal trip we got to the D'Amato Manse. And from there, to the Pancake House, where some chocolate chip cakes quickly made us forget the troubled airline moments:



Also, the excellent and progressively-minded Sophie D'Amato came along! She even packed her leftovers to take along for her lunch. She's a champion swimmer.



This beauty here is a champion Swedish pancake eater. Clean plate!



Soon, or after a particularly unpleasant and strangely long drive up the peninsula, we were at the Rock Compound. Check it out on the beach:



That's the Compound behind Ida, there:



If you look out the other direction, it's the lake ("the wake!") and the raft, which Ida liked to swim to and jump off of. She also liked to take off her life jacket in twenty feet of water. Her fearlessness is her greatest strength and greatest weakness. It is like she is a Greek Hero or something. Tragic flaw? We'll see.



These foxes, too:



Horseplay inside the Compound:



Oh, you say you've never been inside the Compound? Many are curious. This short/long film made by Ida gives you a pretty decent tour:



How about that! We're not kidding! This swimsuit has a lot of fans, and was made in Portland by Americans!



The sunsets from the deck where we got married (13 years ago) are phenomenal... (though Sophie's brother Samson D'Amato, who uses an ungodly amount of Axe Body Spray and has ten kinds of Old Spice Deodoarant, including "Vice" and "After Hours," claims they all look the same) ...



(to be continued)