Vacation in Indiana

(Jeff's parents & the Parker Farm)





We had a great summer vacation in Canada and the US, but summing up several weeks in one write-up seems too daunting and unfair. So, we figure we will split up this vacation into 3 parts- Nova Scotia, Indiana and New Hampshire.


This post is for our time in Indiana, visiting Jeff's parents, a.k.a. Grammy & Grampy, at the Parkers' farm.

On the Saturday we were in Indiana, Jeff and family drove down to Indianapolis to meet up with some of Jeff's ol' college gang.   Some of these folks hadn't seen each other since the mid-90's, which made it extra great to catch up, let alone meet all the new kids.   Thanks Bill for making it all possible!!

Mattias looking rather cute in a sailor outfit from Auntie Erin & new Uncle Michael.

Grammy seemed to always be baking and cooking...and Ella often helped. Ella kept a stepstool nearby, in case Grammy needed any taste-testing. Judging by the pajamas, this is Ella testing blueberry cake well before lunch. (What can we say?)

Grammy and Grampy keep a golf-cart and a "Gator" handy to help get around the farm. We took both for rides every day.

On our first day, we took the 'Gator' for a tour of the property, past the rows of blueberry bushes, around the chickens, the pond, pole barn, fruit orchards and into the "back 40" before returning. Ella loved riding in the back. Mattias was 'safe' on mom's lap as Jeff opened the Gator up to see what it could do.

For weather, we couldn't have been more fortunate. Sunny and blue skies most every day. But on some days, the humidity made Ella long for a dip in her pool. In this picture, the pool takes a rest as Eric makes a sprinkler for Ella to run around (and away) in. This picture so reminds me of Chris Farley imitating the Flash Dance movie: "She's a maniac, ...maniac!" (what movie was that??).

A highlight for Ella was a day spent at the nearby Fair Oaks Dairy Farm. (Not a real cow pictured, in case you wondered!) We did a bus tour showing us where the cows lived and how they're milked. We also went to the "birthing barn" where we got to see (in stadium seating, no less) a mommy cow give birth to her new calf. (Video taken, not posted) But maybe Ella's best memory of the dairy farm is when we sampled ice cream, made on location from the fresh milk.

And Eric and Jeff would think this post isn't complete if we didn't mention how Ella got to meet Indiana's Governor Daniels at the diary farm. Ever the politician, Governor Daniels spent considerable time with Ella for the local news cameras. To his credit, we ran into him a half hour later and he remembered her name.

Again, we had quite the packed vacation - and this is only part of it - the Indiana part. We hope to post our Nova Scotia and NH parts soon. Till then -