Day Four

“Trojan Horses, Giants, and Spam”

We had a leisurely morning, trying to sleep in as long as we could after a late arrival (1:30 am central time), but we had to get to the hotel lounge before 9am to eat the free breakfast, we’re never willing to miss a free meal!

Breakfast was standard fare, eggs, waffles, bagels, OJ… After checking out around 11am, we decided to eat lunch at The Wisconsin Dells. This would be Danko’s first visit to The Dells, and my second after a twenty-two year hiatus, and then I only remember pizza, ice cream, and buying myself a pair of Minnetonka moccasins. So, we were lucky to find a very nice restaurant, which we do recommend to anyone who happens to find himself in The Dells. The place was The Cheese Factory Restaurant (NOT The Cheesecake Factory, this was not a chain). It is housed in the building that was a cheese factory, and now it is gourmet casual dining restaurant that specializes in vegetarian cooking (Take Note Katrusia!). Here’s something we rarely do, and this is pass along one of the restaurant’s recipes which is handed out for free:

Cheese Factory Candy Carrots
1 c. vinegar
½ c water
1 ½ c vegetable oil
1 ½ c sugar
2 Tbs. salt
1 ½ Tbs. orange extract
1 teas. Allspice
1 teas. Cinnamon
1 teas. Ground cloves
1 teas. Black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 ½ lb. carrots, cut into ¼ slices
Blend everything except carrots, in electric blender until emulsified. Add this marinade to the carrots and stir to immerse. Make 1 quart

The recipe did not indicate how long to marinate, if at all, but the end result is quite delicious, as were the entrees we ate: cornbread topped with salsa, corn, roasted vegetables, and three chesses along with a grilled banana; a spinach and cheese croissant sandwich (imagine spanakopita on a croissant, like a lazy person’s spanakopita); and Wisconsin cheese and Milwaukee’s finest beer soup—YUM! OH, and the restaurant houses a bakery, of course we partook of the goodies, it was Danko’s birthday, so we celebrated with cheesecake, mango sorbet, and Nina and Dmytro had cupcakes topped with gummi worms.

Okay, so The Dells was successful for lunch. We then tried to catch something to look at besides the obvious waterparks and tourist trap amusements. Unfortunately, the one place we tried to park and take a peek at “The Dells” without going on a boat looked deserted and had a huge sign after it invited us to park that read “Stay Away.” Okay, onto to Minnesota it is…

But before I describe that, here is our favorite visual of “The Dells.”


We crossed the mighty Mississippi into Minnesota and stopped at the travel center to take a look at the river. A few hundred yards later along I-90 we had a much more interesting view, but alas, there was no turn-off to park and look. We still got a pretty neat view of the wide river and it didn’t disappoint. At the travel center Danko asked if there was any point worth seeing on I-90 in southern Minnesota, on our way to Sioux Falls, SD. I kid you not about the following: he was advised to go see the Spam Museum in Austin, MN, and the Jolly Green Giant Statue (standing over 50 feet) in Blue Earth, MN. I thought Danko was pulling my leg when he came out with the brochures and I asked “No seriously, what did the lady recommend?” Uh…that was it. Then I noticed the cover of the Southern Minnesota travel guide we got, it declared: “Southern Minnesota, you’ll be surprised!” YUP, I’m surprised, there really is nothing to see, except cornfields…the Jolly Green Giant, and the Spam museum.

Suspense is killing you, isn’t it? Did we go? Which did we choose, if either? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words and at least several pages of a Darka post:



Things we’ve learned driving over 80 miles an hour in Southern Minnesota: ears of corn and cows don’t drink lattes. Boy, did we miss Starbucks ☹. Did manage to eat a simple meal at the chain restaurant County Kitchen, but the memories of The Cheese Factory haunted us. It has been interesting to see Southern Minnesota, but we are grateful we are looping to go back home, gee, let’s see how different Kansas and Nebraska are!

Nina, who has intentions on being a race car driver, ballerina teacher, and mommy when she grows up, has been telling Danko and me as we drive 80-plus miles/hour: GO FASTER! (Sidenote: yesterday she told her cousin Andrew over the phone who she plans to marry, and it is a boy who has intentions of being a race car driver as well…watch out Lida and Mike!)

We should arrive in Sioux Falls around 10pm central time. By the way, we finally saw a Starbucks, but I wasn’t thirsty.

How the kids are doing

After 1500 miles and eight states I'd like to report that the kids are doing great! They are reading, listening to their ipods (music and books on tape), playing with their Polly Pockets and Star Wars action figures, drawing, playing gameboys and leapsters and NO DVD player, no kidding. I'm impressed and tickled and little bit proud---and now I can remind my kids that they can live without television. Surprisingly no fights and only a little bit of whining from Nina, basically she's been repeating "My Yellowstone is far!" But, it's short lived and soon she's back to her happy self, and singing along with her ipod, her version of "Scooby-scooby Doo where are you?" is hilarious. Dmytro plays a lot of gameboy, but he's also read four chapters of a Flat Stanley chapter book, and Solomia has put a dent into Harry Potter 7.

Day 3- Middlefield to Portage (through Indiana, ugh)

Technically Day Three would start around 1:45 am, when Danko and I finally hit the sack after hanging around the campfire with good folks. That, and playing glow in the dark Bacci ball…google it and purchase it, it is definitely a blast.

(this is a photo of Indiana, Danko is still experimenting with putting in photos, it doesn't even match the text next to it, keep logging in, I hope we get the photo thing down soon)


We woke up around half past seven, showered, packed up our gear, and ate breakfast. We attended the camp’s Ukrainian Catholic Liturgy, which is celebrated at a small outdoor chapel (is that the correct description?). I love these Liturgies outside, although the distractions for the kids might be challenging at times, playing with sticks, ripping off tree leaves, and everyone's favorite pastime, digging holes, I enjoy outdoor Liturgies.

The plan was to attend Mass and head out, BUT, it was “Den’ Plastuna” which is to say a type of “Open House” at camp when the campers present little skits or performances for the parents and guests. We had to see at the very least the performances of our nieces Juliana and Lydia and nephews Michael, Andrew, and Paul (sidenote: our newest nephew, Johnnie, much too young to perform at seven months, but his smiles are quite entertaining); inevitably, we ended up staying to hear all five “sub” camps (pre-schoolers, elementary girls, elementary boys, secondary girls, secondary boys). NOTE: Major kudos to the head counselor of the elementary girls. For years I’ve been hearing the campers sing popular American melodies with Ukrainian words. Speaking as a trained ethnomusicologist, needless to say, it drove me bonkers. The melodies oft were not hum-able, nor lent well to the rhythms that the Ukrainian language demands. This year I was delighted to hear the elementary girls sing their camp song to a Ukrainian melody, making it easy for the words to fit the tune (lyrics were re-written to fit this specific camp’s theme) and it was literally music to my ears. One of the main missions of these Plast camps in the Ukrainian diaspora is to pass along to our next generations, Ukrainian language, culture, history, and a sense of heritage. So, it’s been a pet peeve of mine to hear too much English spoken at camp and too much non-Ukrainian culture represented in the programs. It is an understood problem and an academically intriguing issue that arises at these “culture” or “hyphenated American” camps, BUT as a parent I’d rather fight the inevitable and keep trying to make my kids as “Ukrainian-American” as my husband and I are: that is totally bilingual and reading and writing in two languages. It’s just a small part of what is needed to teach children a culture that is not dominate in society, but every little cog makes a clock a clock. So, congrats to the 2007 Pysani Kamin tabir novachok bulava for being a strong cog! (note to non-Ukrainians: that is the counselors of the elementary girls in Ohio)

Okay, after all that, you are assuming we left by noon….HA! A few goodbye hugs, see-ya soon’s, and “Email me!” and it’s well into lunchtime. Plan was to ride off and eat lunch on the way. One dear friend, or “prysvoyena,” which literally translates as “taken as one’s own,” as in family, asks where we are eating lunch and wants to eat with us. We are all for that, we miss her and love to spend time with her, and then our family joins the plans, even better, people we love, hate to leave, and I feel blessed that they all want to eat lunch with us. It’s as great as a day in high school when the “in-crowd” insists you sit with them in the cafeteria: very cool, and simultaneously warming.

Lunch turns into 21 people, we left Middlefield, Ohio, after 3pm, with 8.5 hours of road to Portage, WI, waiting us, but having that time with our family and friends is worth it: we’ll sleep when we are dead.

Now, we are driving, through the magic of cell phones, had another lovely offer to stop off earlier in Illinois (missed them at lunch, but also, greatly loved folks, good hearts), but Danko and I decide that we can make it to Wisconsin, now that Starbucks is open 24 hours, perhaps another time at the Chicago Lisowsky’s (thanks for the great offer).

PS I sympathize with all who travel from Chicago to Cleveland, talk about sorry rest stops in Indiana, the Fazzoli lasagna is still sitting like a rock in my stomach…ugh.

Day 2 - Parma to Middlefield

We had a leisurely day visiting with family in Parma, Ohio, suburb of Cleveland, but more importantly hometown of Drew Carey (I believe). Nevertheless, our niece Lydia had “dozvillia” from camp, she is attending a three-week stay-over Plast (Ukrainian scouts) camp in Middlefield (Amish country, third largest population of Amish in the world, according to a sign in town). Dozvillia is seven hours every Saturday of free-time for all campers, including counselors, when parents sign-out their children, do laundry, feed them pizza or some other fun food the kids are missing, and some take them to properly shower off the grime from a week of camping. It sounds a little absurd, parents “signing-out” their own children, but it makes sense in context. Some Plast camps only have one dozvillia Saturday (the second weekend of the three-weeks), but one reason we prefer to send our kids to the Ohio camp is that it has one every Saturday in the three-week period, we feel everyone needs a break after 24/7 of being with each other. My reasoning is: if I as a 39 year old mother can be completely drained after a full day with my kids, I can imagine how tired and in need of respite 16-20 year old counselors must feel after a week. So, I am a strong advocate of dozvillia. Plus, I miss my kids…

On to our trip: after dinner we drove the 45 minutes SE to the campground to visit with friends, some of whom we only see once a year. We missed not going to camp this year, but it is a welcomed break from the usual. I was delighted to receive hugs and love from dear old friends, many who expressed sympathies for the sudden loss of my father last fall. Just last year, my father and his wife and my half brother were camping with my family at the very same campground in Ohio at the “little birdie camp” (one week camp in the middle of the three-weeks for 3-6 year olds camping with their parents). I am grateful that we had that time with him, it was the first time I camped with my father in over twenty years, so I feel fulfilled with the Grace of God that I was able to spend my father’s last summer sitting with him by a campfire and singing all the songs he taught me in life. As he and I are both musicians, we shared a common passion and love: music and our Ukrainian heritage. I am blessed I got to sing with him one last time before losing him suddenly and unexpectedly three months later, almost to the day three months after sitting with him to the wee hours harmonizing and laughing much too loud at times.


We were told by many that this year’s camps were very peaceful and successful, good to hear, but I pray and hope that any angst from previous years were not coming from me venting too much. So, for any reading this blog that have suffered my many rants, raves, vents, and passionate harangues about all that is wrong with the world: TOUGH! No, SERIOUSLY, I kid and I will try to be less critical, however, you have to admit, my rants are always amusing (and bugging me about them gives many of you much entertainment, a service I’m happy to provide, or rather doomed to provide).

Day 1 - Drive to Parma, OH

We left Columbia, MD on Friday July 20th and headed Parma Ohio. Never fails to disappoint, the PA Turnpike did not make us feel alone in the world, and plenty of construction workers were on hand to bid us a safe trip. So, our hopeful six hours to Baba and Dido's (Grandma and Grandpa's) turned into a seven, no food stops, trip. We ALMOST broke down and had a McD's snack, but fortunately, there were simply TOO many people in line, discouraging us and deeming it not calorie worthy with only one hour to go. Promptly at half past eight, we pulled into a familiar driveway and within thirty minutes we were feasting on varenyky (pierogies), smoked meats, good European rye bread, and beer. Worth traveling the turnpike to reach such a banquet.

Rested well, on saturday we will visit with friends and family and stay at Pysani Kamin, a Plast, Ukrainian Scouts, campground.