Minnesota 2006

Note: This travelog was written in 2018, so many details have long been forgotten since we took the trip.

	Friday, December 22, 2006: We made our way up to Minnesota for Christmas, but we started with a quick stop in Oglesby, Illinois, where we got a photo of Orchy with a bust of Governor Richard J. Oglesby, senator and three-time governor of Indiana in the 1800s.
	Maersk!
	The Copa Cabana Resort in the Wisconsin Dells, normally seen only during the bi-annual Schilling Reunion in the fall, was looking especially festive. We stopped briefly overnight to see Debbie's aunts and uncle, staying at Carol's house.
	Saturday, December 23, 2006: In Baldwin, Wisconsin, we went slightly out of our way to drive past Skydive Twin Cities, where Debbie used to skydive back in 1986.
	Much is still the same, but there's now a whole village of RVs in the back. When we made it to the Twin Cities two hours later, we visited our friends John and Tina and their kids, but didn't take a single photo. We did stay long enough for Claire to find their gingerbread house and grab a piece for herself.
	Jill dozed later in the afternoon. Please don't tell her that this photo is on our website.
	By early evening, we finally made it all the way up to the Bemidji-area cabin where Debbie's dad and stepmother live during the summer and for one frigid week during the holidays.
	Sunday, December 24, 2006: The next day, we had beautiful sunny weather, just perfect for snowmobiling on a frozen lake. Jill took Tom for a spin, ...
	... then cousin Stewart.
	Tom joined Debbie's brother and sister-in-law, Doug and Susan, for a photo.
	Aw, how cute are these two?
	There's the cabin.
	The frozen lake made ominous cracking noises as we walked on it, but upon close inspection, we realized that it was extremely solid. Brrrr!
	Next, it was Stewart's turn to take Jill out on the lake.
	There they are!
	Then Tom jumped aboard, ...
	... then Susan got her turn.
	This hole in the ground is where water gets pumped to create the skating rink Debbie's dad was creating.
	It was already coming along nicely.
	No, Jill, don't do it! Your tongue will stick to the ice!
	Debbie looks stylish in her snow pants, purchased used from eBay for this very vacation.
	Jill took a run down the hill ...
	... and came to a very unglamorous end just before the shore of the lake.
	Tom and Bob conferred about something ice-related on the rink.
	Stewart tried the mini-snowmobile on the sidewalk.
	Later on, a cat stopped by to visit.
	Stewart was able to win him over ...
	... and they became good buddies.
	Back inside where it's warm, Claire had taken a liking to lefse, and kept a close eye on it whenever she spotted it out on the counter. She's a good Scandinavian girl at heart.
	In the late afternoon, the engineers (Tom, Doug, and Bob) were out working on the ice rink again. With sunset just a half hour away, the water would have all night to freeze.
	And there's the sunset!
	Jill and Tom were looking good once they were both inside.
	Claire wanted to open a present so badly, so we let her open one early.
	There's a happy girl!
	Monday, December 25, 2006: On Christmas morning, Becky made rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree, which Stewart is presenting in this photo.
	The Christmas tree was filled with presents.
	Finally, we started opening gifts around 10:30 AM. Here are Susan and Doug, ...
	... Becky and Bob, ...
	... and Jill.
	Tuesday, December 26, 2006: The next day, we were on our way, but not without stopping to see Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji.
	Our little mascot friend, Orchy, posed on the frozen shore of Lake Bemidji.
	We drove back south to the Twin Cities to meet Debbie's childhood friend Dave at Carbone's. He brought his wife (also named Debbie!) and his kids Brian and Jackie.
	Next, it was on to see Debbie's cousins at Melissa and Erik's, where we were joined by Laura and Shawn. Laura brought Aunt Mary's famous Oreo Cookie Dessert, made with mint chocolate chip ice cream.
	Wednesday, December 27, 2006: We spent the night at the Residence Inn in Roseville and had to wake the girls the next morning at 5:00 AM to get moving.
	We had a long day of driving to get back home. Maersk! ** THE END **