I’ve been so busy trying to keep up with life these last few weeks, my blog had been pushed to the wayside. However, I want to continue where I left off on our ski trip. To start with, I thought I’d share some amazing photos I took. I cannot say enough about fresh mountain air, several inches of freshly fallen snow, and our cozy condo complete with hand made stockings hung on the chimney with care.
More pictures and ski stories coming soon…
Sunset on the farm
Our cabin at Windrush
Down by the creek
A little cave exploration while climbing down the cliff
Gotch'ya!
It is hard to believe it’s been two weeks since our trip to Washington Island. Work has been so busy that I never did get to post my pictures of the lake. Here are some of my favorite snapshots of that Friday afternoon we took out my brother’s new boat, ate lunch on the lake, and stopped at Rock Island State Park.
Dave holding on for dear life!
Shore of Rock Island
Here is the Pottawatomie Lighthouse we went through that is 150 years old!
The Lighthouse
Parlor area in the lighthouse
Dining area of the lighthouse
It was a little intimidating walking up the narrow staircase to the top of the lighthouse. I can’t imagine how the lighthouse keepers were able to carry lanterns and other necessities they needed up to the top as I needed both hands to grip anything to maintain balance so I would not fall. Each room was modest and true to the times which made it simply fascinating to walk through.
I am already calculating how long it will take before I can go back to the Island for more.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I wanted to share more information about what we did while on Washington Island. By the time we took a plane, car, and ferry ride over to the island it was about six o’clock at night. Here is a picture of the ferry boat we were on, the Robert Noble.
The Robert Noble
Once we got settled in my cousin Chris’s cabin, we took a short walk through some of the old gravel stone roads and wandered in towards my cousin Peggy and Bob’s house.
Jenny, David and Dave walking
I haven’t seen my cousin Peggy since my wedding almost five years ago. And, I have never seen the new house they built right on the island. There are many things I learned that night about my family and their history, but one cool thing I had forgotton about was Bob’s collection of classic cars. Take this car for example that was made in 1913 (the one behind them was made in 1908). Bob told us stories about how he collected the cars…the one made in 1908 he bought from a guy in 1953 for only $35 (talking him down from $50)! I remember being a kid and driving around in the back of the wagon. It was just as cool to look at now as it was back in the 80′s.
And, because I’m nostalgic, we walked along the beach and came up the old property lines. The old cottage had been torn down by the new owners but they used the original logs to rebuild and had the other logs custom made to match and then shipped in.
The "new" cottage
We completed our first night by grilling out steaks and having a bon fire. Talk about a perfect end to a pretty great evening. Stay tuned tomorrow for more…
Today was back to the real world, the rustle and bustle of meetings, training new employees, answering emails and phone calls…however, that it is all worth the price of being on island time for the last several days. Emotions are still running high from the weekend as I was spending time with family and friends while laying my grandfather to rest. But, I cannot tell you how nice it was to take a break from my usually chaotic schedule and just relax. For the better part of the weekend, we were not on a time schedule and just did what we felt would be worthwhile. Along the way, I learned some interesting facts about my ancestors and current relatives I have either never seen or have not seen for many, many years.
Here are a few scenic pictures from the weekend; I’ll try to blog more about Washington Island later in the week.
In the boat on the way to Rock Island
View of lake from Rock Island
The open road
It is hard for me to believe that in a week from now, I’ll be on my way to Washington Island, WI. Due to a death in my family, we are going up to the island to say our last goodbyes and bury the remains in the same cemetery as our other ancestors. My family has a long standing history with the island – we had a cottage by the lake in our family for about 100 years. A little over 10 years ago, my grandmother and her sister, who had ownership of the cottage, decided to sell the property as it had become impossible to keep up with. Sadly, my last venture to the island was back in 1997.
I have so many fond memories of the island…every week during the fourth of July, our family would take the 3 1/2 hour drive and ferry ride to the cottage. I have memories of campfire stories, looking up at the star-filled skies, swimming in the lake, playing on the beach, picking strawberries in the field in back of the house, and shining for deer.
We just booked our bed and breakfast tonight at The Washington Hotel - and our plane tickets will be booked tomorrow so I can finally breathe a sigh of relief in finalizing the arrangements. The hotel has a 100 year plus history and was recently restored in 2001. Also a culinary school, it is said to have wonderful European style breakfasts and a great dinner menu with wine tasting.
I feel both saddened and excited about this trip at the same time. Sad because of the reason we are making the venture, but eager to spend time with relatives, learn more about my family history, and see a part of my childhood I haven’t laid on eyes on in a very long time.
Life has been a whirlwind lately, so it was only fitting we were in Wisconsin during the wildest weather I’ve seen in quite some time. Gusting winds, hail, terrential downpours and tornado sightings – if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought we were still in Texas. Weather aside, it was great to be back home. We went home for my husband’s sister’s wedding (which was outside, of course) and although it did rain on her parade, at least it was after the “I do’s”. As always, the trip was too short and time went too fast; here are some pictures of the farmland we were on which is absolutely beautiful, rain or shine. Enjoy!
This weekend I took a girl trip and headed for Austin with friends from work. In celebration of my friend Megan’s birthday, we ate lunch at Hula Hut by Lake Austin, caught some sun at the pool, went to dinner at Roux, and hit several bars including Qua. I am happy to report no one threw shoes at us and all had a great time. I even confronted two of my biggest fears: sharks and zombies. I danced on a glass floor with sharks swimming underneath me and waved to a bunch of zombies filming a flick in a back alley (at least, let’s hope that is what a dozen people holding crow bars and other objects while wearing bloody clothes and blue face-paint were doing.)
Happy Birthday Megan!!
Kristy and I went to Austin this weekend just to do something different. Little did we know at the time just how different this trip would be. We made it to the University of Texas Austin around 1pm, parked, and immediately searched for food. We wandered around quite aimlessly and without an agenda, just happy to be out of Dallas and spending quality time together. We visited the Co-Op, to my disappointment discovered the fountain was being repaired and explored the campus during an afternoon marked as “UT Remembers” – an opportunity to remember those who attended UT but perished during the last year. We also took a stroll by the main building to view the infamous tower, where on August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman killed 17 people, wounding 31 others from the observation deck. To read more see this NPR article: Univ of TX
After exploring campus, we went to see if we could catch a glimpse of Lake Austin but somehow managed to get lost driving through all the trees and winding roads. Eventually we gave up and went to explore 6th street. Within ten minutes of parking, we were confronted by what appeared to be a homeless girl high on some sort of hallucinogen. She had been curled up in a corner, hugging her knees, and was crying hysterically. From a glance, I could tell she had not bathed for days…maybe weeks? She was anorexic thin, had short hair, and was wearing a simple yet dirty white tank, shorts, and sandals. As we walked by, she looked up at us and asked if she could borrow a cell phone. When we didn’t stop, that is where the real fun began. She proceeded to throw one of her shoes towards us and started screaming “bitch!” and other pleasantries. She must have decided we were to blame for whatever predicament she was in and continued to follow us for another block or so, screaming the whole time. Honestly, from her irrational behavior, I thought surely she must have been talking to someone else…maybe she was arguing with someone we didn’t see and we just happened to be in the midst of it? There was no way she could be that pissed about us walking past her…right? Finally, when we turned to confront her, she said one or two more choice words and quickly ducked into the next building. I certainly hope this is not what the ”Keep Austin Weird” bumper sticker means. If so, I can do without Austin and its weirdness, thanks. Do I feel a little guilty we didn’t stop to help a person who was obviously in need of I don’t know…shelter, shower, and professional help? Perhaps, but my initial hesitation overrode any civil obligations I felt at the time and as it ends up, my feelings were completely justified.
Determined not to let psycho ruin our trip, we went to Sullivans to defuse and have a few cocktails. We also went to the Driskill hotel and learned how it is the most haunted hotel in Austin, possibly the U.S. We walked around the 4th floor where The Houston Bride is often seen walking up and down the hallway, still in her wedding dress. At dusk, we also took a stroll to the capitol building and took a peek inside.
There was never a dull moment on this trip. Oh - and on the way home, we almost got side-swiped by another car and had a brief run in with law enforcement. But that, my friends, is another story.
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