While I may be midway through our New England-Canada vacation, I mustn’t forget to post about the Carpenter trip, which was a few weeks ago. I had written this recap on the plane at the time but never got around to posting it. So, for posterity’s sake, here it is. BTW—for anyone reading who thinks all we ever do is go on trips…. you’re right. But for most of them, I was still on the clock working! This Canada one, not at all. But SD, MN, etc… yes, working from somewhere other than my home. Anyway, on to the SD highlights.

The annual trip to Carpenter was highlighted this year by a direct flight from Austin to Sioux Falls! I’ve long wished for a direct flight to South Dakota, and by God, Allegiant delivered not long ago. Granted, the flight from Austin to Sioux Falls is shorter than the drive from Sioux Falls to Carpenter, so the flight is only half the battle, but it still beats any other possible route, especially given the low fares of like $150/person round-trip. As long as you go in knowing that Allegiant is a no-frills airline and you will have to pay for everything from a cup of water to a carry-on bag, you’re great! Of course, some passengers inevitably just can’t believe the audacity to charge for those things. 

Edie and I went on our own on a Thursday to get a head start. I’ve always felt like our stays have been too short in the past, and we had no reason not to. Edie can miss daycare and I can work from anywhere. Lauren and John, however, did have local commitments. Besides, John and Edie needed time apart from each other. There had been a lot of hitting going on lately. John and I have traveled together before, but never just me and Edie, so this made her feel extra special.

Upon arriving in Sioux Falls, Mom and Dad were there to greet us and drive us back to the farm. It was a late arrival, and Friday it was right to work for me. Edie, however, was able to spend the morning getting reacquainted with the cousins, Hadley, Adrienne and Auden. Edie was in heaven having all that attention directed her way as they played all day. 

On Saturday I decided to drive in to Huron with Edie, Adrienne and Auden just for fun. Huron is the nearest city of any significance to the farm, and for whatever reason, visiting it feels like getting back into a time machine to the 80s. I don’t get that same feeling visiting Carpenter or Willow Lake or anywhere else, only Huron somehow. As a youngster, Huron seemed like quite a majestic city. So going back there and seeing the sites that dazzled me as a 3-year-old, from the library to the post office to the remnants of the mall, and of course the Rocket Slide, it is sort of a fun trip down Memory Lane. Strange that I get that feeling about Huron but nowhere else. Regardless, we got McDonald’s and went to the Rocket Slide, then got some groceries, drove around the city streets, and grabbed a DQ treat on the way out. Later in the afternoon, aunt Patra and uncle Lee came over to visit.

On Sunday I figured I’d better make some attempt to earn my keep and headed out to the pasture to pull weeds in a new tree strip. I certainly got my workout for the day in, yanking very tough weeds for a couple hours. Later I had to drive down to Sioux Falls in the late afternoon to pick up Lauren and John. 

On Monday it was back to work for both me and Lauren. I set up shop in the yard for a brief while, delighting my coworkers on zoom meetings with corn fields and, uh, large black smoke clouds in the background as Dad had some sort of controlled burn going on. John joined in the cousin fun, and Grandma Marcie, now retired from the hospital, had an organized craft every day for the five grandkids. At night we attempted to assemble a new trampoline.

While I enjoyed a beverage or two just about every day of the trip, Tuesday things got a little silly when I treated the family to a big dinner in Willow Lake at the Rusty Nail. The drinks were a-flowin’, and as you may know, they like to pour ‘em stiff in the country. 

Wednesday was a fun day for the family as Alex treated our family to a night of fishing out on Dry Lake in his boat. Fishing is something I wish we did more of, but I just can’t figure out where to go in Texas. It was a pristine night on the lake—very few other boats out there, 72º, and calm. As a group we had pretty poor luck. I caught four total—a couple Northerns that needed to be thrown back, and a couple walleye that were worth keeping. Alex had a couple throwbacks too. Lauren nearly reeled in a nice walleye, but it escaped right at the last second. None of the kids had a single bite. The bugs got bad right at dusk, otherwise it was a great experience for the kids. Major thanks to Cap’n Alex for the nautical expertise!

Thursday night was the family bon fire over at the Alex-Ann house, and for me, it was unfortunately my promised night to sleep in the camper with John and Edie. At first Adrienne was going to join us, but no matter where she chose to sleep Edie demanded that spot until she got fed up and went inside and then Edie just slept with me. 

Friday was destined to be the biggest day of the visit, with Jordan and crew arriving on the farm for the weekend. We were finally able to meet baby twins Jack and Betty Lou! At night, Alex, Ann, Lauren and I rode into Huron for our annual karaoke night at The Sportsman’s, a seedy dive bar in Huron with the world’s absolute most god-awful sound system that’s nothing more than a megaphone. Alex again took one for the team and played the role of DD while the rest of us got to guzzle down as many drinks as they could pour. I sang eight songs, wowing the crowd with tunes from Sawyer Brown to Mark Chestnutt to Queen. 

Saturday was the last full day, and by that point I had almost run out of things to do. I had thumbed through every last drawer looking at old yearbooks and photo albums, rummaged through every building and garage, walked two miles down gravel roads in every direction, driven the Can-Am into Carpenter, and saw every last niece and nephew. A belated 4th of July celebration at night with John and Colton tossing firecrackers was sort of the grand finale. 

On Sunday, Alex and Ann drove us back to Sioux Falls. After a terrifying ride on the Scheel’s Ferris wheel, we were back to FSD and aboard our flight to AUS. 

All said, another memorable trip to the farm, and a great way to break up the summer. It’s not like the kids had been sitting around Austin for long; we had just gone to Minneapolis and done the very same thing weeks earlier with Lauren’s side of the family. Much thanks to Ma and Pa for all the hospitality and cooking!

I simply am not going to sit around baking in the 105º+ heat all summer, as long as I can help it, so these types of trips will continue as long as we’re in Austin. We’re in the midst of the hottest summer in recorded history with no end in sight, and I just won’t do it. I actually figured we came out ahead financially traveling up north, if you figure what it costs to send John to camps. Parents, ehh, they probably came out net-very-negative with all the feedings. But our presence is a wonderful present!

Next time we visit, I’d be surprised if it were in the summer, though. The kids haven’t been back in the winter for a while, and snow is still a big draw.