Aunt Jennie and Uncle Superstar

We've been lucky to have Jacob's sister Jennie and her husband Adam visit for a few days. As I mentioned when he visited last autumn, Adam goes by Uncle Superstar. We're so glad they got to visit and are sad they're leaving tomorrow. :(

goofy Uncle Superstar

showing Aunt Jennie how he prays 

did I mention goofy Uncle Superstar?

lovin' Aunt Jennie

gelato

I can't accurately describe how hot it was on our trip to Croatia. It doesn't seem adequate to say it was 95F (36C) and 75% humidity with zero clouds in the sky to shield us from the penetrating sun. It may be sufficient to say that our (at least) daily dose of gelato kept us alive. Finding good gelato really was a matter of survival. And we ate LOTS of it, mostly in refreshing fruit flavors like lemon, blueberry, cherry, lime, strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, mango, green apple... you get the idea.  

This guy was a fan.

Isn't she gorgeous? 

This guy was also a fan.

He was being silly, so I was giving licking instructions.
He thought I was giving pointing instructions. 

Not sure if you can tell from this photo, but Gavin cleverly folded the cone down around itself
so he could get to the rest of the gelato. 

Dalmatian vacation--south (Dubrovnik and Korčula)

Dubrovnik is the city in Croatia we heard the most about before we went, and its beauty didn't disappoint. The old city, surrounded by 2 kilometres of wall, was like stepping back in time. 

a city of stairs (not so friendly with the kids)

We also spent a night in Korčula, which is a tiny town with adorable little streets. It's also one of the locations that claims to be the birthplace of Marco Polo.

in front of the Marco Polo house

adorable streets

Hvar

We spent 3 nights on the beautiful island of Hvar, Croatia. 

You can see the castle on the hill above the city.

 It was really hot, so we spent lots of time in the cool, clear water. (And eating gelato.) We rented a boat to visit some of the neighboring islands, and that was a fun day. 

The neighboring islands are beautiful. And their shape creates lots of coves for swimming.
(Obviously not my photo--source linked)

We anchored the boat wherever we wanted, then jumped off and swam, usually to the shore of an island (we floated the kids alongside while we swam).

This photo is an accurate summation of the experience of riding in a boat with Gavin.

Here's a photo of Jacob pulling Gavin to shore from the boat, which was anchored well away from shallow waters.

The rocking boat put one of the kids to sleep.
Too bad it wasn't mine...Isn't she precious?

There were no sandy beaches. People either swim from rocky beaches or from big (treacherous) rocks on the shore. Everyone definitely needed their water shoes! (Gavin's are pictured above on the boat.) Swimming in the Adriatic was a new body of water for us too.

Probably my favorite photo of the whole trip. 

Hvar harbor at night--a very beautiful place!

Plitvice Lakes

If two lakes of different elevations are connected by a waterfall, picture 16 lakes of different elevations. You basically get a zillion waterfalls, and that's what we found at Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. It was so beautiful!

The waterfalls weren't the only beautiful part of the park; the lakes themselves were crystal-clear and turquoise. The fish and everything else in the water were fascinating and pretty.

We also loved the paths that take you through the park and over the lakes and waterfalls.

Dalmatian vacation--north (Zadar and Split)

We just got back from spending 8 days in Croatia with our friends Becky, Mike and Michaela. It was a great trip, and we're in love with Croatia! Our first stop: Zadar.

 One interesting feature of Zadar is the sea organ (below) which positions its pipes where the incoming waves make music. The Wikipedia page describes it as "random but harmonic," which is an accurate description.

We also visited Split (above), which is one of those adorable towns with old, narrow streets. 

It's also the location of Diocletian's Palace.