HI-HO, THERE DERRY-O, ZOE IN THE DELLS

According to Duck driver Heather, Wisconsin Dells is named for the layered, sandstone rock formation she's pointing out. Now... according to the dictionary three inches to my left, a dell is a small, secluded wooded valley; and dells are the rapids of a river. What the duck? I'm more confused than ever.

So, while I'm still not convinced I know what a dell is and certainly have no idea why the farmer or the cheese (which, sadly, stands alone) would be in one... here's 4/23rds of the reason Zoe and her folks were in them last weekend:

Those are (from left) cousins Brianna, Rebecca, Danielle and Sarah chilling out with Zoe near the playground at Sunset Bay Resort. And, below, is most of that same group in a more candid moment in the Kiddie Pool:

I chose to start this blog entry with those photos for a reason. Once we got home and started downloading images, I discovered these were, somewhat embarassingly, two of the very few shots that included anyone besides Zoe. Please, fellow Dell-ites... email some good pics.

So, despite not having photographic evidence to back it up, we were all equally thrilled to spend a few days with the other 18/23rds (a Supa Busia and other busias and dziadzias and aunts and uncles and cousins and second cousins and a Jake!) of the group.

But, hey, this is the Zoe blog, after all. So here's a more standard chronological account:

We left Friday night, thinking Zoe would sleep for most of the trip. And she did... until we checked into our hotel in Madison, Wis., (at about 1:45 a.m. EST). Then it was party time! Mom and dad, on the other hand, weren't looking to party.

We eventually got the princess to sleep and started the next day off with a whirlpool bath while we waited for Busia and Dziadzia, who were itching for some serious "Zoe Time." And did they ever get a serious dose.

Once Busia and Dziadzia arrived, we headed to downtown Madison for lunch and a stroll around a farmer's market. Even in a chic college town like Madison, cows still roam the streets of Wisconsin. Like the people, they're friendly.

Then we were off to the Dells, which can only be compared to Las Vegas... if somebody dropped a huge water balloon on it. Here, "the strip" is filled with water park after bigger and better water park after outrageously radical water park. Throw in a couple roller coasters and a road-full of Ducks, to boot. It was a great site for a reunion (special thanks to our Chitown contingency).

Zoe loved the Kiddie Pool at our place:

It included this little house her and Dziadzia spent a lot of time in.

But the best part was the slide. Believe it or not, this is a scream of joy. She really loved that slide... particularly when cousins Brianna and Evan took turns taking her down on their laps.

Zoe was also pretty impressed by the trip on the Duck, which is a World War II vehicle that traverses land and water.

It included this view of our resort... (maybe, if you look real close, you can see a couple more family members sitting in front of Uncle Ted's "village"?)

... and ended with Zoe's very own Duck call, the sale of which will help our driver, Heather, finish her degree or, as my father predicted based on her field of study (major: art. minor: art history.), fund her life-long career as a Duck driver.

There was also some time spent on beach, although Zoe preferred her hands or feet not touch the sand, making castle building a challenge...

...and lots of good food. In this instance, one of Aunt Jeannine's awesome frosted brownies seems to have zapped Zoe into a chocolate-induced trance. (Hey, wait... there's more people! That's Aunt Jeannine, Uncle Dan and Jen in the background!)

There was some good conversation, too, unless you were the one holding Zoe when she was ready to go back in the pool.

We left Monday night, a day (or two) earlier than the others. A completely worn-out Zoe didn't wake up until we pulled into our driveway at 3:45 a.m. I think she's giving the trip a thumbs-up here:

Back in Wisconsin, I'll bet a certain Busia and Dziadzia slept pretty well, too.

Thanks to everybody for a GREAT time. Sign us up for next summer.

We heart you.