May 19-22, 2011 Organized by Tammy

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2011 Olson Family Weekend. This year we are going to Barn on the Bluff. It is 214 miles southeast of Minneapolis, just outside of Elkader, IA.

Barn on the Bluff

Explore Elkader

Agenda

Thursday, May 19th

  • Arrive to Barn on the Bluff in Elkader, IA. Ponder the beautiful setting and all that is good in life. Settle in for a great weekend!
  • Dinner is served. We will have a taco bar where gluten and non-gluten eaters will be satisfied. Expect beef and turkey, flour and corn, cheese and cheese and the rest of the fixings.
  • Welcome to the after dinner fun. Michelle and Hector will lead game night. The Ticket to Ride and many other exciting options will excite even the least game friendly among us.
  • Go to bed you sleepy heads. See you in the morning.

Friday, May 20th

  • Our nice hosts bring us a lovely breakfast. We like our hosts.
  • The matriarch of the family, Kaye, takes a walk and whomever would like to join her is welcome. She’ll set out on an invigorating 2-4 mile jaunt through the countryside. It will be a good way to help digest all of that yummy breakfast we’ve just eaten.
  • Help yourself to some lunch. Lunch is a get it when you want it sort of affair. There will be sandwich fixings, snacks, fruit and plenty of drink choices.
  • Capture the Flag! Max and Angie will organize a game of Capture the Flag. What could be more fun than running around the countryside trying to get the other guy’s flag?
  • Let’s head into the charming town of Elkader and see what’s hopping. It’s a mere 7 minute drive from our barn to the official town. At the end of our town trip we’ll pick up some pizza from J-N-J Pizza and head back to the barn to dine.
  • Tournament Night. Our fine patriarch, Don, will have spent some of his day laboring away to produce a ping-pong tourney bracket. It will be a second chance for some and a challenge to hold on to glory for one. If it’s not your turn in ping-pong, play a game of darts, pool or watch some TV. The winner will be decided this very night!
  • Go to bed again all you sleepy heads and dream sweet dreams.

Saturday, May 21st

  • Our nice hosts bring us another breakfast. Ahhh, we love our hosts.
  • It’s a repeat of yesterday. Grandma Kaye will lead another walk through the countryside. It’s your chance to commune with nature. Say hi to a cow for me : ).
  • Back to lunch we go again. Same thing as yesterday.
  • Line Dancing! You read it right, it said Line Dancing! Corinne and Denny will show us some of their best moves and hopefully after an hour or so, we’ll all be turning and stepping in a line to some rockin’ country music.
  • Photo Shoot! Jamie will bring out the big guns - back drops and studio lighting - and fire away as many shots as you like. We’ll have to put together a group picture, but after that the sky’s the limit. Bring as many changes of clothing and as many props and poses as you’d like.
  • Our fabulous mother and father have agreed to hang back with the young set while the middle set hit the town. Dinner, dinner and a movie, dinner and some line dancing? We’ll have to wait and see what happens when all the middles are let loose on the sleepy Elkader township.
  • After the Lundeen’s and Thingelstad’s express their gratitude a final time for the night out without the kids, everyone puts their sleepy heads to bed for a final night.

Sunday, May 22nd

  • It’s our final breakfast together at the barn. Our hosts will once again bring us tasty treats. Savor it people!
  • It’s a wrap! The 8th annual Olson Family Weekend is officially over. See you next year.

Ping Pong Tournament

Max was victorious in a hard battled ping pong tournament defeating the Brainerd Lake House champion, Jamie.

location: 42.801129,-91.422398

See Olson Family Vacation collection.