In memory of Findus

This evening when I talked to my mom on the phone she told me that one of my cats passed away while Janne and I were in the U.S. Findus was 11 years old and a beautiful and very cuddly cat and we miss her very much.

Last day on this trip

Beautiful Chicago!


Janne on one of the brigdes across Chicago River.


Hancock Tower.

Chicago

This is our very nice hotel room at Best Western River North in Chicago. We were upgraded to a really big and nice room when we arrived. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to enjoy it since we wanted to spend the last hours out in the city.


We had one bedroom and one livingroom in our hotel room.


Chicago by night.


The new and different McDonalds outside our hotel.

Swedish heritage day

Anita's daugther Shyla.


A Swedish church we visited in Center City.


Coffee break in Taylor Falls.


David and Brent on the boat that tooks us down St. Croix River.


The boat we went on.


We are now at Gammelgården Museum in Scandia and this is an old Swedish church.


Inside the house where the priest used to live.


The house from the outside.


Gammelgården, a very interesting place to visit.


Here I am outside Nya Duvemåla. Unfortunately it wasn't open for the season yet.


Glader cemetery where many Swedish emigrants are buried.


One of many beautiful gravestones.


A nice sign tells us welcome to Lindström.


The pretty watertower in Lindström.


A statue of Vilhelm Moberg together with his bike.


The statue of Karl-Oskar and Kristina, the most famous Swedish emigrants.


After the sightseeing we all went to Mark and M.J. for coffee and delicious rhubarb pie.


Here I am together with M.J. who planned this Swedish heritage day for us.


Bud Forsberg.


Joan, Bud, me and Janne.


Anita and Brent.


M.J. and Mark with one of their twins.


And here they are with both twins.


Bud and Joan Forsberg.


Anita together with Brent, David and Jake on our last evening at their house.

Anita's graduation party

Joan and her daughter Lisa.


Joan, Anita, Lisa and Lisa's daughters (and a friend to one of them).

Anita's graduation

This is how happy Anita was after her graduation!


Anita together with the Winnie the Pooh we bought her in London.


Anita at home, after the graduation, together with David and Brent.


Anita and Mark.

Minneapolis

Mississippi river in Minneapolis.


Our hotel in downtown Minneapolis, Normandy Inn.


The American-Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, a place I have been dreaming about visiting for years, and finally I got to go there.


Downtown Minneapolis.

Driving to Minneapolis

We had to stop here and buy some honey and bee things for Kjell! :)


Driving into Wisconsin...

Shopping and family

Julie and Kurt's house where we stayed during our days in Chicago.


We spent Sunday shopping in Schaumburg in a really big shopping mall, and had a very good tasting lunch at Chevys.


Julie eating her lunch.


Janne and Julie at Chevys.


Julie and I are studying the old church records regarding Carl Ahlstrand and his family.


The entire family gathered at Vernon and Trudy's house to celebrate Mothers Day.


Trudy, Vernon and me.


Together with Julie and Kurt.


Janne and me outside Vernon's house.

Chicago and Andersonville

Downtown Chicago and Sears Tower covered in fog. We are on our way to the Swedish-American Museum in Andersonville.


Together with a dalahorse in Andersonville.


One of the rooms in the Swedish-American Museum.


Janne and Julie, waiting for our lunch at Ann Sather's, a Scandinavian restaurant in Andersonville.


The restaurant from the outside.


Another Swedish restaurant across the street.


The Swedish Bakery in Andersonville.


Some of all the Swedish cookies in the bakery. We bought two boxes of them!


Andersonville


Wikstrom's Gourmet Foods, a really nice store with all kinds of Swedish food and other things.


The owner of the store, Ingvar Wikstrom, invited us for coffee and we had a really nice chat with him.


A pretty flower pot outside the store.


In the evening we visited Virginia, my mothers second cousin, and had a very nice evening together with her.

Chicago

Julie is explaining something to us while we eat lunch at the Earwax cafe in Chicago during a break in our sightseeing. (Julie, Vernon and Rachael is in the picture)


Julie, Vernon and me at Skokie cemetery.


We went to my third cousin Joy, her husband Bart and their sons Adam and Anders. Joy's mother Marion was also there. All of us had a very nice evening together.


Joy and Marion.

In Chicago again!

Janne and I have just arrived to Chicago and here I am in front of my relatives marine.

April 30 & May 1

This is what our (my mothers and uncle's) forest looks like after the big storm we had in January. This is just a small part of it since I couldn't walk any further because of all the fallen trees.












When we had looked at the forest we visited this cute lamb in Ånabråna.


Some flowers in my dad's garden, here is a hyacinth.


A daffodil.


A narcissus.


A very small tulip.


My parents always has lots of wood anemones in their garden during the spring.


During the weekend we also visited my dad's uncle Harald in Falköping. Here he is together with my dad and mom.