Brock is 8 months old today

And today is Lillian's birth day!

15th Annual Barn Again party, September 20 - 22

In addition to the Lakeland Barbershop Chorus, Barb's friend from New Richmond came to the party with a colorful wagon and a team of percherons. They took as many guests who wished to go for a hayride through the cornfield on a never-to-be-forgotten trip around the Tennessen farm.

Thank you to everyone.

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Field of Dreams?

are worth more than a thousand words. They capture highlights of this year's barn again party, especially highlights that show what changed this year. The Lakeland Barbershop Chorus (17 members entertained; thank you, Dennis Brayton - one of the 17 singers and the person who organized this unique entertainment.) The chorus sang a variety of oldies but goodies and many of the guests sang along. 

United Pride Dairy experts gathered these pans of chopped corn and measured the amount of liquid. If liquid amounts had been lower, they would have harvested the entire field. They decided to postpone doing the full harvest.

Barb, totally in style with her fancy boots

Betty Maris donated two cows on bicycle wind charms. One became a part of the permanent barn again collection. The other was a silent auction item.

Lilly Olson drives the John Deere H

Luke Olson brought along kites and waited for the wind. He did fly one successfully out in the cornfield.

Norb Gansen enjoyed a beer. He and Mary Therese drove up from Iowa. They stopped in Hastings to pick up Joe and JoAnn who flew in from Greeley for the party.

Taylor, and soon-to-be-born Lillian Taylor, worked with Lilly to cut flowers to make the pot luck tables beautiful.

Lou and Luke do some major engineering to make the kite fly higher and faster.

Peter and Taylor drove up from Chicago and worked to get things ready to go.

United Pride Dairy cut a swatch (one trip down the corn rows, chops nine rows of corn) through the cornfield to prepare a path for hayrides.

Taylor and Lilly with flowers from the garden. It froze the week before the barn party and many flowers bit the dust before the barn again party week-end.

Gerry and Dan Weyers drove from Howard City,Michigan to make it to this year's party. Gerry, an excellent cook, was put to work making cream cheese frosting for Norb's birthday cake (a carrot cake made by Barb).

Susan baked a froze a wild apple pie before she flew back to New York. The pie sold for $25 at the silent auction.

Lakeland Barbershop Chorus on stage

A close-up of the chorus

Dennis enjoys the choral entertainment

Photos of potato planting - first week-end in June 2013. Lou managed the potato planter that originally was pulled by a horse. Grandpa Vlach modified it to be pulled by a tractor when tractors replaced horses. This potato planter also digs potatoes. Some changes to the machinery help this machine do double duty.

Labor Day 2013 Susan, Auntie Barb, Lou, and me spent time at the farm

Susan baked two wild apple pies and a doo-dad pie. The Mexican sunflowers in our garden are as tall as trees and Barb wanted me to take photos with my i-Phone so that she can show her neighbor, Barb. If you look closely at one of the flower photos, you will see a hummingbird.

Barb carved and painted the wooden duck she and Susan are holding.

What we didn't get photos of are Barb, Lou, and Susan, scraping, priming, and painting the house.

Susan swam across Lake 10 and back on September 3, 2013.

Summer landscaping

Roses

Peter was born on this day

Just a note about Peter's birthday today, February 25, 1979. Around 11 a.m. an eclipse of the sun, makes his birthday memorable on many levels.

Milkenssen baby due dates and more

Alisa visited Walnut Creek the week-end of February 16, 2013.

These times, exciting and life-changing (especially for Kristin and Danny) Check Tennessen/Maris family e-mails for family input about when Kris and Danny's baby will be born. (Due date was one-day past - February  19). What sex will this baby enter the world as?  Name? Our family is never at a loss for opinions and suggestions.