Just after Kayla’s fourth birthday, we started reading the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Kayla quickly fell in love with Laura and her stories about pioneer life. In 2009 we visited the Little House homesite in Pepin, Wisconsin and learned about the annual Laura Days festival. Each September girls ages 8, 9, 10, and 11 can compete for the title of “Pepin Laura” based on their knowledge of the Little House books. Kayla learned of the festival when she was five and waited patiently for three years before entering the competition. On September 6, 2012, we began our journey to Pepin.
These are some photos from Ella’s Deli, a restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin that Aaron used to go to when he was growing up:
Swimming at the hotel in Madison:
At Laura Days: (Special thanks to Grandma Kerr for making the dresses!)
Though she didn’t win, Kayla was definitely our favorite Laura:
At the Mall of America in Minneapolis:
The beautiful lake we stayed on in St. Germaine, Wisconsin:
If you look closely, you’ll see Aaron getting ready to take the girls canoeing:
As we drove across the Mackinaw Bridge, we saw this rainbow. This a view from our hotel room:
We made a last-minute decision to take the ferry to Mackinaw Island. We’re so glad we did!
Oh thank you for sharing the pictures and the info. on the trip. I’ve wondered about the trip and I’m thrilled to be able to view the pictures and the story lines. It is always a thrill to see new pictures/stories on the Kerr website.
The family looked like they all had a wonderful time on vacation.
what an amazing trip! i love the juxtaposition of the pioneer days photo then the next one being the roller coaster!