Scenes of Summer, Part 4: Visits with Family

We had two big visits with Lance's family over the summer.  For the first, we had a full house at Walnut Grove, with Lance's mother (Lynne), sister (Kim), and three nieces (Olivia, Carstyn, and Rae) coming for a week-long stay.  The pet project was making dresses for the girls' American Girl dolls, under the guidance of master seamstress Lynne.  Uncle Lance, not fond of needle craft, though, swept the girls away for a trip to a local water park.  Luckily, no one came home with unwanted fungus.

For the second visit, Lance, Thomas, and I went to Cincinnati to visit Aunt Kim and Cousin Olivia.  We had good times at the zoo where Aunt Kim (who works there) arranged for behind-the-scenes soirees with elephants, kea birds, and penguins.  While in Ohio, we also visited Ripley, a small town about thirty miles down river from Cincinnati.  Ripley was a hotbed for Underground Railroad operations, led largely by Reverend John Rankin, whose house sits high on a hill above the river, and John Parker, an ex-slave who bought his freedom, came north, and started his own iron foundry.  Though Ripley is a sleepy little town now, you can still hear the clarion call of social justice when you visit there.

Lynne teaching Olivia how to cut fabric

Carstyn showing her fabric selection

Rae cutting fabric

Carstyn and Rae with dolls Molly and Kit and their new dresses

Olivia with doll Julie

The dolls show off their new dresses

Aunt Kim holds Cookie the penguin up for a petting

Thomas gives penguins Bob and Maggie a scratch

Heather, Olivia, and Thomas with Mai Thai the elephant

Heather and Thomas feeding a parakeet

The Rankin House

The family under a HUGE Osage Orange tree near the Rankin House

Aunt Kim and Thomas being silly with the view of the river behind them