Big Fruit

Abundant rain, sun, and heat are the combination for a winning harvest!




This year's vegetable garden is -- hand's down -- the best since we moved here 10 years ago.

6th Grade!

It has never been easy to watch Summer come to a close. No sooner do we celebrate Arianna's birthday, than she's off to school.




I. Arianna is tired




II. Arianna reading the funny papers




III. Arianna out the day on on her way




IV. Arianna confronts the crush of opening day




V. Arianna finds a friend - Peyton J, who returns to St. Catherine this year




VI. A number of 6th graders wait to start the new year




VII. After school chaos




VIII. Lunch treat with a Grandpa's shenanigans

11 years old

In comparison to Wisconsin, the weather here remains seasonably uncomfortable. Oh, it's been much hotter, but the heat inspired Arianna to want to spend some time today in the water. And so we did. After a late lunch at Colonial Cafe, Sharon, Arianna, and I went to Elgin's Center, where there's an indoor pool

Arianna's new found excitement at being in water certainly underscores that today she is no longer the same person she was even a year ago.



I. Gifts await




II. A bit of silliness: Abbott & Costello




III. One of two cookbooks sent to Arianna form her Godfather




IV. One more way to fritter away the hours . . . Audio books




V. A simpler way to get into a tree



VI. A winning smile




VII. Happy 11th Birthday, Arianna!

Slowly getting back . . .

Even as today's rain washes the sand of our Undells cabin stay from the car, we're not yet undertaking routine activities. I suppose, had it not rained, I'd have mowed the lawn. Instead we lazed around, sorted laundry, and put away luggage.

Bruno is increasingly odd. His decision to not accompany us to Wisconsin is something he may have regretted, but given his increased inability to comprehend the world around him . . . it may have been for the best.

He was fiesty earlier today and insisted on taking Arianna out for lunch. Sharon wasn't especially happy with this idea. She'd have probably preferred to spend the lunch hour reviewing her email. But, since Bruno no longer drives, he couldn't very well take Arianna to lunch by himself.

Since I was around, I was invited too. When we got to the restaurant, he asked Sharon not merely to order for him, but to decide "what would be good for him."

We went to The Manor, a neighborhood diner Arianna likes. While there the sun came out and we decided to be practical and accomplish something: I took Arianna to buy her school supplies.

Our traditional jaunt to the local OfficeMax store wasn't as "fun" as in year's past. I think because I asked (told) Arianna to forgo some of the more expensive folders and notebooks. A plain blue notebook is just not as compelling as one with a cover that has a photograph on it, I guess.

Quiet evening. We watched a movie called Soul Surfer, which I thought was exceptional; Sharon liked, and to which Arianna feigned indifference.

Am anxious to review our trip photos.

Undells, V

Our vacation ended today. But, just because we had to vacate the cabin didn't mean that we went straight home. On the contrary. Rather than jump on the highway, we took a most circuitous route. So, we got up this morning, ate, stripped our beds, swept the kitchen, took out the trash, packed and loaded the car. Since Sharon was still intent on getting a carved sand hill crane, I reminded her about the Red Hen Antique store we'd seen in Necedah the other day. Chores done, we took a few family shots to remember the fun we had, locked up the place, and headed up the road to Necedah.



Antique shops aren't really all that interesting to me. But, truth be told, even I got into the spirit of the hunt. The owner of the shop was a kindly retiree from Kenosha, who was more than attentive to showing us around. As is often the case when in an antique shop, we note all the "old junk" we have at the house and wonder aloud whether it will be of interest to anybody after Bruno, Sharon, and I pass away.

Sadly, no sand hill cranes to be found. Indeed, a woman had recently bought four -- the last four in the shop -- just days earlier. Ah well, the hour or so we spent jawing and looking around wasn't a total loss. Arianna bought a souvenir for herself and Grandpa (a small wood carving of a bald eagle).

So, off we went down the county road. I'd taken a quick look at a map and identified a general route that would allow us to enter Illinois at Route 47. There were lots a towns on the way we could stop at for lunch, but I wanted to see Montello.

Why?

Because I'd seen an ad for a lake front property that was extraordinarily reasonable that I imagined we could look at.



I. Montello, WI

The drive to Montello was scenic and with few cars. Just what Sharon and I hoped for when we decided not to take the interstate home. We drove for a couple hours and hit town just past noon, so lunch was on all our minds. As we cruised the main street, we espied a contemporary deli being run out of a Victorian house. We ate outside under the shade of an antique crab apple tree, from which we picked and ate tart and delicious crab apples.

After lunch we took a leisurely stroll along main street, where we learned that in it's day Montello was famous for its red granite. It had been actively mined through the 1970's, when it became "uneconomical" to continue to do. In its day -- 19th century -- the granite was so highly esteemed, it was used for Ulysses S. Grant's tomb.




II. Site of Granite Mine

Today, the mine is a tourist attraction. The waterfall above, as well as the pool into which it spills is right downtown on the main street and is fronted by a small park.




III. Montello, WI

While in town we noted a couple antique shops, so once again, we looked for a carving of a sand hill crane. Although we found a metal sculpture of one, it was rusting and not at all what Sharon had in mind.

And the dream property? We never took the time to look into at. After all, we could never buy a cabin.

Next stop: Watertown, WI, onetime candidate for state capital, home of the the United States' first kindergarten, and the Octagon House!

The stop here was completely unplanned. Had it not been for a detour due to road construction, we would have pressed on. As it was, our tour of the Octagon House was the last of the day.

Very interesting, actually. Like our canoe trip on the Wisconsin River, here too was an opportunity to imagine life in a bygone era.

By the end of the tour, which was comprehensive, it was already 5 o'clock. We poked our head into the kindergarten. Walked through an historic, 19th century barn, that had been relocated to the property, and then acknowledged that Grandpa might be concerned if we arrived home too late.

So, into the car the climbed and headed south. Once underway, I couldn't help notice the change in landscape. It had probably occurred earlier, but now I noticed we were once again traveling on the flatlands, and flatlands no longer seeded with pines.

Upon arriving in Illinois, you immediately notice two things: first, the roads are atrocious; second, farming gives way to suburbia -- even as far north as Harvard.

And so ended the week. On the way home we grabbed a chicken dinner, so that we could all sit down together. Bruno seemed to be happy we were home; he enjoyed telling us stories about how he kept Pepper well fed. --Perhaps, better fed than himself; at least, that's how it appeared to Sharon when she went through the refrigerator.

Oh well.

Back to the routine, if not the office. I still have a few more days to be lazy; and Arianna's birthday is coming up.

Undells, IV

Today was a day without photos. Why? Because we spent it on the Wisconsin River. In a canoe.

Point Bluff Resort is a leisurely drive from the Undells cabin. It facilitates canoe, kayak, and tubing trips on the Wisconsin River. Essentially, you take a bus from Point Bluff Resort to a location up river, where you're given a life vest, a canoe, and instructions.

This morning, as we waited for the bus to arrive, it appeared we were the only folks interested in the trip down river. In fact, the bus filled up with family and friends from Minnesota, who planned to spend the day tubing.

The first thing you notice about canoeing is that it is susceptible to sudden movements. In Cotton, Sharon and I had fished from Bruno's boat numerous times. We rowed to other side of Bass Lake. I never felt as nervous as I did today. The slightest movement and . . . .

We, along with an elderly couple, we the only folks canoeing this morning. It was a beautiful day. The river was calm. No wind. Sun. Blue skies. The bus driver told us to be on the look out for eagles. But we never saw any wildlife.

As we pushed away from the river's edge, it became obvious that paddling a canoe was different that a row boat. Our compatriots -- the elderly couple -- had experience and didn't have any trouble heading a straight course. But, after a while, even Arianna got in to the act and learned how to paddle.

The Wisconsin River is a clear, sandy bottom river that fluctuates in depth. Like Castle Rock Lake, near the shore the water is shallow. Until we got into a rhythm and were able to pull into the middle of the river, our oars touched bottom. Once in the middle, I imagine the depth anywhere from 4-6 feet.

Once we got into a groove -- and Arianna got settled: when she said she wanted to turn around, my heart rate really picked up -- it became a pleasant time. We'd brought a lunch, sunflower seeds, other snacks. Despite Sharon's repeatedly asking me if I wanted anything, I continued to man the oars. (I was in front, Arianna in the middle, and Sharon the back.)

Although the trip from "Splash Point" back to Point Bluff is designed to take 90 minutes we were on the river at least two hours. At Castle Rock Resort, the approximate half way point of our trip, we decided to stop for lunch. Although the resort is closed during the week, we pulled the canoe onto the beach, grabbed our lunch, and found a picnic table overlooking the river.

Back on the river, we encountered a group of people fishing. Some other canoers, a young couple, pulled their canoe onto a sand bar and went swimming. No less a moment of anxiety than when Arianna decided she wanted to change the direction in which she was seated, the fisherman's passing us in their boat -- and wake that resulted -- brought visions of us clinging to a boat that had been turned over. As slow as he went, the outboard motor really generated a wake that made the canoe bob.

I noted directions. Given how much information we were trying to process, the bus driver's directions about when to cut to the left bank, how to navigate the islands, were completely lost on me. Arianna was able to share that information, but in my mind there was always some question as to whether we were in the desired location. This became especially comical when after clearing some islands and beginning to make our approach back to Point Bluff, Sharon interpreted the instructions in such a way that we'd have returned to where we started.

Our having righted the canoe, Sharon and Arianna wanted to explore a sand bar. This photo is very illustrative of what it looked like. Like the boats in the photo, I approached the bar thinking it would be easy to pull ashore. False assumption. For the river bed became so shallow, we actually ran aground before we got to the sand bar. What to do? Well, Sharon and Arianna got out of the canoe and took a tour of the sand bar. Because the boat rose when they got out, I was afraid that if I got out too, the canoe would float away.

The distance from the sandbar back to Point Bluff was not especially far. After Arianna and Sharon explored the sandbar and were back in the canoe, we had to contend with the problem of getting back into open water. So, I got out of the canoe and pushed us off the shallow bottom. This was a bit of an anxious moment for me since I had no idea how far I would have to wade before the sandbar dropped off. But, everything worked out just fine.

So, we're paddling toward Point Bluff and it occurs to us that we don't know how to land the canoe. That is to say, although we were told, when instructions were being shared with the group a couple hours earlier, we'd forgotten what we were supposed to do.

How hard could this be, though? Well, it wasn't hard, except it was wet. As we approached the shore perpendicularly, we encountered another sandbar, which ran parallel to shore. No problem, we thought; we'll just push the canoe onto the beach. As Arianna and Sharon were getting out of the canoe, the fellow who drove us to where we originally put in, saw us and noted that we were supposed to make a parallel approach to the shore. In other words, paddle up next to it. And, he pointed out a large read marker -- which we'd seen -- that we were supposed to aim for. Still, he said we could get to the beach the way we'd started -- except that the sandbar would drop off. So, essentially there was a channel of deeper water between the sandbar, on which the canoe was resting and the beach. "How deep is the water?" I asked. "Not too deep."

I got out of the water and walked with the canoe, while Arianna and Sharon stood and watched. As the water rose past my waist, Sharon decided to walked with Arianna down the sandbar to where the marker was and attempt to get to the beach. Since the deeper water was a short distance to the beach, I actually got ashore before them! But, once on shore, I realized I'd made a mistake too: I'd neglected to take my wallet out of my pocket and toss it into the canoe!

It was a comical landing, that a few campers took in with obvious curiosity. But, no damage done.

On our drive back to the cabin, we stopped at Wisconsin River Meats, a sausage maker that had advertised in the Juneau County Visitor Guide. So, with our wet money we bought some snacks and sausage to carry back to Sleepy Hollow.

Another grilled supper and then a fire over which we roasted marshmallows. A movie and then to bed. So ended a day filled with adventure.

Undells, III

Today we drove to Necedah to telephone Aunt Myra. Necedah, WI is very small but there is one cell tower in town. This allowed Sharon to checkup on Bruno.

After having a look at Necedah we decided to take an Amish Country driving tour. I was especially interested in getting out and seeing a bit of the countryside. The route in the 2011 Juneau County Visitors Guide wasn't all that far from Necedah.

Although the countryside was picturesque, the number of Amish farms that we actually saw was negligible. This may have been due to the fact that we cut the drive short to have a bite of lunch at Tomah.




Tomah was a nice sized town. As we drove in Sharon noted a number of folks selling produce at the park, so after lunch we headed on over to see what could be had at such a late hour of the day. To our surprise, we found some sweet corn that Sharon couldn't resist. There were also folks selling beans, cooking apples, squash, tomatoes, and so forth. Typical farm stand fare at reasonable prices. And we even saw a couple of Amish teens, buggy and all, selling for the family.

Since the farmer's market was at the park, Arianna had an opportunity to play a bit. While Sharon and I browsed the tables and admired the neighborhood surrounding the park, Arianna struck up an acquaintance with a friendly little girl on the play ground.

As we headed back to the car, we decided to stop in an antique shop. Sharon was interested in acquiring a carving of a sand hill crane, a bird that is in abundance in the area. She thought it would make an appropriate memento. Lots of Amish wares in Tomah: crafts, furniture, quilts. And even a wide variety of pictures for sale -- photographs and paintings, some of which Sharon entertained as an alternative, since no cranes were to be had.

Our excursion to Tomah done, we headed back up the county road and returned to the Castle Rock Lake area. At Mauston we stopped at a grocery store for something to go with the sweet corn we bought. I suspect, based on some of the ads on the Visitor's Guide, we may very well have seen a bit more Amish had we not taken a detour for lunch in Tomah. But, we all enjoyed lunch there and walking around town.

In contrast to yesterday, today was a kinda do nothing day. The drive was relaxing. And we got out of the car to stretch our legs and look around. This was true at Orange, where we ran into an abandoned school and mill.



I. Town of Orange





II. Abandoned school house




III. Well pump and "carousel"




IV. Sharon making it go round




V. A wreck of a building




VI. Sharon and Arianna investigate and discover a stream behind the building




VII. Building (mill) interior with pulleys

Back at the cabin we grilled, played with the horse shoes outside, and ended up playing a board game. Another wonderful day.




VIII. Arianna relaxin'

Undells, II

Beautiful day in Wisconsin. Sunny. Temperature: 82 degrees.

At break fast today I outfitted Sharon with a nervous energy snack beloved by the MLB: David Sunflower Seeds.

Today's itinerary: 1. Red Ridge Ranch, Mauston, Horse Back Riding; 2. Bite to eat; 3. Afternoon at the beach.

Arianna was especially excited at the prospect of doing some open water swimming. We've been to the Sleepy Hollow a lot this Summer and she's really embraced being in the water with enthusiasm. It was interesting to see her reaction to a sandy bottom lake.



When she was two, we bought Arianna a thirty minute pony ride at a local stable. She's always been comfortable on a horse. So when we discovered this activity online, we knew . . . .





Sharon too was pretty comfortable. Although later in the day it became apparent that the ride was less than cushy.





As for me . . . I'd never been on a horse. I guess that's why they gave me Dolly. This old and gentle plow horse.

The ride is more than an hour. A guide led a dozen or so folks along a trail that ended at bottom lands of the Lemonweir River. We rode at a slow pace until the return trip, at which point our leader taught us how to trot. --An invigorating jolt!

The "ranch" -- a 300 acre (+ / -) farm -- is situated on some nicely wooded terrain. Hickory, Oak, Pine, River Birch, Viburnum and many, many more species of tree and shrub could be enjoyed on the ride. And, on the way back, as we passed fields of corn, I even noted apple trees.

Not much in the way of wild life this morning. And very few bugs to contend with! A bit dusty now and then, but that's why we planned to swim after we 'hit the trail.'

Castle Rock Lake is Wisconsin's fourth largest lake in Wisconsin. It is situated at the Buckhorn State Park and has numerous opportunities to swim. Although the Undells cabin is not on the lake, it is a short drive (less than ten minutes) to the park and several semi-private swimming beaches.

Since it was a weekday, not too hot, and the end of Summer, I doubt the park beach would have been crowded. Nevertheless, we decided to use one of the smaller, semi-private beaches.



Naturally, the water was colder than the Sleepy Hollow community pool. This irked Arianna.



The lake was clear -- very little vegetation. And, the bottom was soft sand. Very comfortable.



On a wall at the cabin is a decorative relief map of Castle Rock Lake. At its deepest, it's 36 feet. We were no where near that part of the lake! When we studied the map and located where we swam, Sharon and I were surprised to learn that it's 5 feet deep for a considerable distance from the shore.



Here I'm maybe 50 feet from the shore. Not being able to swim, I slowly edged my way away from the beach, always expecting to suddenly be in over my head. Even had I found the drop-off, near the private beaches, the water doesn't exceed ten feet at two foot intervals. So, a slope to 6 feet would certainly have been obvious -- even to a landlubber like me.



Since the water was colder than Arianna preferred, she spent some time on the beach. As did Sharon, who -- I think -- nodded off in the portable beach chair we brought from home.



Sharon and I were really impressed. And, we continually brought up comparisons to Cotton, MN, where her Dad used to have 40 acres on Bass Lake. The rocky bottom, and sudden drop off the shore of Bass Lake never made it an enjoyable swimming lake. It was a great fishing lake, though. Too bad it was a 10 hour drive. Too bad Bruno sold the place five years ago.



Typically we spend two hours at the pool. We spent a little less time at the beach today.

Short drive back to the cabin, where we had a little supper and played some board games until the day caught up with us.

Undells, I

Today we left Grandpa and Pepper to mind the garden in Sleepy Hollow and made our way north to Necedah, WI / Castle Rock Lake and the Undells cabin. We got a late start -- noonish -- because we received delivery of two tons (!) of hard wood pellets for the basement fireplace insert. (Odd to be laying in for Winter on the day we start our vacation.)

The drive was easy and uneventful . . . I90 North through Madison to Mauston, from which we drove the remainder of the way on county roads. (Wisconsin has nice roads -- compared to Illinois.)

We stopped in Madison for lunch. Since it was an unplanned stop, we'd no clue where we were going or where to eat. But, we did drive past the capital building.

And, we did venture into the neighborhood of the University of Wisconsin campus. Although a college campus may be a good idea when in search of an inexpensive lunch, it is definitely to be avoided when parents are dropping off their kids for a new school year! --No wonder there were so many UHauls on the road.

Yippee!

I'm on vacation!

I cannot remember when I last took more than two days off during Summer. But, this year we're actually getting in the car and getting away from the house.

We're off to Necedah, Wisconsin on Monday for a four night night stay at a cabin near Castle Rock Lake.

Arianna is very excited. As am I. This will be our first "family vacation."