PTCPapa

Fall colors close to their peak, weather warm, So Steve and Pam took us on a self-guided pontoon-boat tour around the Eagle River area. We assembled a picnic lunch from the local grocery, and climbed onto the pontoon. Boathouse at water level, family living quarters above The boathouses were mostly built in the late 1930's, and now, fortunately many have been lovingly restored to their original condition by their owners. Nowdays owners are not allowed to build new structure at water's edge, but they can maintain originals, which most of them do. A boathouse neighbor to Jervises. Most likely built in 1930s when Chicagoans began to discover the beauty of the Wisconsin North Woods This is a summer residence, not a boathouse This Frank Lloyd Wright house is kind of jarring, but so reminiscent of the 1950s for me. Down-sized steamboats have gained a following recently. I spoke to one of the skippers who told me that fellow steamers get together for rallies, occasionally, and en...

I love the textures of the Wisconsin North Woods

Nana and I love going with very long-time friends Steve and Pam to their wonderful old Eagle River, Wisconsin cabin, about 250 miles from our MN home. The four of us generally drive up in one car. My assignment is to bring car snacks for everybody. Fall is great for apples and cheese, and some baked goodie, like cookie or brownie, plus nut-or-snack mix. The in-car visiting is non-stop. We decide when, where, or whether to do Friday night supper. Painted glass piece hanging in the cabin window overlooking loon-populated Bass Lake (Eagle River, WI) The fire, essential to a great northwoods cabin experience most months of the year. The boat and the dock at bottom of the cabin hill. The water level low due to the unusually dry summer in these parts. The driveway up to the main road. Bass Lake

We realized it was time to strengthen and straighten the low retaining wall and walkway along the side of our house, so we retained (get it?) a landscaper acquaintance to handle it for us. Brian, who happens also to be an excellent singer, and his employee, Ryan, did a wonderful job to extend the functionality of these yard features for probably 10 more years. Guess I'd be 75 by then. Next I asked Ron, our longtime friend and remodeler to install handrails on the deck steps to help me in my sometimes wobbly navigation. I had torn down the original view-obstructing railings years ago to improve our enjoyment of the shady back yard....but this year a Fall fall loomed as an unnecessary possibility absent something to grab. I was happy to learn that my long-term care insurance will most likely cover the cost of the new railings.