5th Year Vacation Part 4

After leaving the Dells satisfied and content, we headed south for some time with family and friends. We needed to make a stop just outside of Winona, Minnesota for some prairie seed, which was a birthday gift for Rachel's Dad. For once, I thought of something good for a gift... What was supposed to be a quick stop turned into significant backtracking and some winding roads but eventually we got the goods and headed south. The evening would find us at Megan and Ben's place near Charles City where they had recently acquired an acreage just out of town. A beautiful property with a house in great shape, tucked back over looking the creek bottom that Ben's family owns, and he has hunting for years. Despite a few glitches, it's a dream house to raise a family. We enjoyed an evening with their little man Eli, and overall had a wonderful visit. We do not get to see them that often so we made due with the time window we had available.

After a great evening, we headed Rachel's parents. I spent the better part of the next day helping Jerry with some errands, and I stayed back at the farm while Rachel and her parents headed down to Des Moines to see Jerry's mother. Luella was in a pretty bad car accident while we were on our trip but was doing OK. They went down just to spend some time with her. Shortly after they left, they moved her out of the ICU which was a huge plus.


While they were down in Des Moines, I worked on some tree work for Jerry. There were a fair amount of mulberries growing up within their spruce shelterbelt, and I had an itch to get something done, so I clean up as much as I could. This included treating stumps and dragging brush. By the end of the evening I was exhausted, but I felt accomplished! I ended the evening with Chinese food and a movie with Austin.


The next day would be my 28th birthday. I have never been one to go crazy for birthdays, I just like my freedom card for the day. Shortly after getting up, I collected my things and headed out to Coleman's for some much needed timber work. In a little under three hours I was able to clear cut and hinge cut just short of two acres. The way this place has changed since I started doing timber work years ago has made me want to work more and more often. It felt great to spend some time behind a chainsaw again, and I was able to more than accomplish the goal I had set out to complete for the day. Because I was out there alone, once I got tired I figured it was time to call it quits before my luck turned for the day.


Upon returning the house, I was able to go through all of the my shop things that are still in storage in Jerry's shed. I probably culled way more than I should have, but there will always be more lumber, more slabs, etc. We re-organized and cleaned up the back corner. This made us both feel better about things as Jerry has been gracious enough to store these things for us with no questions.


We ended our evening with a fantastic meal of slow-cooked pork tacos, and gifts for those with birthdays coming up shortly or recently passed. It was a great time hanging with the family. So there; I am 28 years old. You know what that means? That means I am not 27 anymore.
 

The last leg of our trip sent us to Denison, IA for a baby shower for some very good friends of ours. Emilee Lakner is expecting in early October so it is getting to be close to baby time. While the gals were doing their baby thing, we men did the beyond cliché thing and sat around drinking beer talking about tractors and tools. It was actually quite nice to have no agenda to adhere to or schedule to fulfill. A little visiting with the Nate and Em, Ned and Jacque, and we were off to Cherokee to have dinner with Nick and Lisa. Again, nothing hair bending, just visiting, some wood grilled steaks, and a fresh bottle of Glenfiddich 12 year courtesy of Nick and Lisa. Before calling it an evening we enjoyed Deadpool, which I had yet to see, while Nick's pup Hildie proceeded to vapor lock the room. That dog is dead on the inside.


The next morning Nick and I checked out some timber, attempted to check trail cams, and had a nice breakfast of breakfast pizza, and my favorite, DONUTS. It was great to stop in and hang with Nick and Lisa again. This whole living 5 hours away thing has got to change.


Despite all, it was time to get on the road and get back to our Deliverance shack in Clark. Rachel had some work to do Sunday evening that involved her using her new ultrasound toy, so we needed to get back in a reasonable time.




All I have to say is: WHAT A TRIP!!! We enjoyed spending every moment we could together, as well as getting away for awhile. Getting to see friends and family was a huge plus as well, and frankly, I don't think we could have planned this vacation any better. Maybe nine days away is too long, but it was worth every minute.


Now that fall really is around the corner, thing are just getting started; Doves, ducks, and deer.




Stay TUNED

5th Year Vacation Part 3

After a busy and fun filled day the day before, Rachel and I took the opportunity to sleep in and take this next day with ease. We perused around the outskirt town of Baraboo, floating through antique shops, book stores, and toy shops. Again, no real purpose to our wandering besides burn up some time before our couples massages. Now, I can easily say that I was not necessarily on board for this one, but rather, Rachel had to do some convincing that it would be a good idea. Once I gave in and let myself enjoy the time together, it was phenomenal. Until someone tries to break every knot in your body do you know the weird places you can hold tension. My hands and calves still feel funny.

After our massages were complete we wanted to pamper ourselves one last time, so across the street we went to the wine and cheese bar. Now, this place reminded me of the place Lisa took Rachel and I when we visited Ellicott City in the spring of 2014. Classy, quiet, good tunes playing, and an overall comfortable vibe about the place. We sat down at the bar and just let the rest fall into place.

Rachel a nice white, and I asked the nice lady to surprise me with whatever; I would drink anything. My red was so delicious we bought a bottle. 19 Crimes. The 19 crimes you could have committed to be sent to Australia. When you pop the cork, your crime is written on the cork. Plus the wine was unreasonably good. We got some local meats and cheeses, and chocolates to go with our wine. It was like something out of a magazine; seriously.

Normally, I would say the picture doesn't do it justice, but you really had to be there to know how fantastic it was. It was the most fitting and perfect follow-up to a massage. There was no better way to do it.


After floating our way out of the small town of Baraboo, it was decided that we should find a nice place to have dinner, and it was going to struggle to top the wine and cheese. The lovely ladies at the massage parlor suggested a place right on the strip called High Rack, and we went straight there. This again, fit with our hipster tendencies. Very eclectic menu, with no substitutions; eat what you are served. Rachel had some weird muddled martini, and I a coffee inspired bourbon.

Rachel had a pasta dish that was quite good, and was very well balanced, and I had the fish tacos. A dinner worthy of capping off our vacation in the Dells. We couldn't think of finishing the meal without dessert, so we waffled between a homemade kit-kat with ice cream, or pop-rocks cheesecake. Cheesecake won out and we were far from disappointed. Another culinary experience to say the least! The only fly in the ointment of the meal was the second experimental drink Rachel ordered. A jalapeño muddled coconut rum concoction that sounded amazing and looked even better. The first sip sent Rachel into a coughing fit, and one small taste from me sent me into the sweats. A little bit of heat was what they advertised....Rachel was able to drink about half before we white-flagged it and called it a night. Despite that, we didn't regret our dinner choice.


The nexy morning, again, we slept in, checked out of our hotel, and made one last loop on tourist lane. Our pottery was not going to ready until noon so we burned some time, and spent some time collecting odd and satisfying candy from one of the candy shops. At noon we promptly collected our pottery, and on the road we went.


This would conclude our trip to the Wisconsin Dells. I think about my childhood and how I wouldn't have wished the family to vacation here for a million souls. I think Dad's head would have exploded. BUT, what I have discovered, is that Rachel and I can find a way to have a great time regardless of where we end up, and this very tourist-trap like place was no exception. We got out of our comfort zones, and as usual it paid off. There really wasn't a part of this trip that had a major issue. Our expectations were high upon arrival, and not one of our scheduled activities disappointed.


Happy 5th Anniversary Mrs. Glad you put up with me for an entire week for a vacation!




Stay Tuned  

5th Year Vacation Part 2

Upon leaving the cities, we headed for the Dells. It was early afternoon when we arrived, giving us some time to check in to our hotel, and get settled for a bit before headed out on our dinner cruise for the evening.

The dinner cruise was on a old early 1900's freighter boat that provided us with a spectacular view of the Wisconsin River. Our captain was everything you would expect from a riverboat captain, handlebar mustache and all. For those that have seen The Blue Brothers, our entertainment for the night was something akin to Murph and the Magic Tones with only Murph. It was better than nothing, but Rachel and I probably spent way to much time laughing instead. It was wonderful to see my beautiful wife enjoying herself, and above all, actually relaxing.

At the far end of our stretch, we stopped for a break that included some borderline cave-ish tunnels through the hills. It was cool, dark, and awesome! I got to nerd out on the trees which were beyond words, and we were officially on vacation mode.

Our dinner was steak and lobster, and even for a river boat, was pretty darn good, but the sunset made the entire outing. It was nice to see my wife enjoying herself, and we had definitely started our trip off on a high note.


The next morning, we didn't exactly have time to sleep in as we were headed a little ways out of town to do some trail riding. I knew Rachel would enjoy getting on a horse again, and I was honestly looking forward to this part the most. I wouldn't say the people were brash, but they were a lot less worried about the tourist aspect and more down to home country folk. They were in no rush to get us started for the morning, but we were able to watch them go through their morning feed routine with their horses. With as many as they had, I was rather impressed by how good of shape their herd was in. These horses were well taken care of, and of course, we liked to see that. Before long we were under way, and we took off on Sarge and Shark, two geldings that were born on this ranch. Our guide was easy to talk to and enjoyed the easy of 'experienced' riders.

We heard horror stories of tourists gone wrong, so even at this stage I got the experienced label. It was a great ride, nothing too off the wall, but enough to keep us on our toes. We only had a couple of hiccups on the ride. One involved my horse starting to buck because of a B-52 bomber of a horsefly. One quick swat and I got to stay on the horse...The other was shortly after the fly incident and the horses were still a tad edgy. Rachel's horse missed his footing a bit and spooked, but thankfully Rachel knows her way around a jumpy horse. Again, nothing horrible but just enough to keep us on our toes. I didn't get many photos of this event as I spent more time soaking in the woods, and enjoying my time out with the Mrs. Our guide was enjoying our ride enough that our hour long ride was pushing two by the time we got back to the stables. Intended or not, we didn't complain at all! We handed out the rest of the bag of treats for our two horses, and people were pouring in for the next go, so we headed out for the morning.


Because we started so early, Rachel and I had plenty of time in the afternoon to do whatever we chose. We perused some of the shops on the tourist strip, and found something to occupy some time that we figured we could enjoy. We found a paint-your-own-pottery place that let us design and glaze something. I chose a giant pasta bowl, and Rachel picked out a rather sizeable serving platter. After getting the low-down we started our masterpieces.

When it was all said and down, we spent almost three hours working on our work. Rachel's of course looks like it was done by a professional, that knew exactly what they were doing, while mine looked like a 4th grader was finger painting. No matter, I liked it anyway.


We continued our loop through tourist town, finding nothing that really piqued our interests much. The only thing that I was interested in was an ice cream cone! Coffee chunk for me and.....cotton candy for the Mrs...gross.

We finished our loop and headed back to the hotel for a break and possibly a quick snooze before our outing to the drive-in movie theater.
I know these things have gone wayside to urban sprawl, but I hope that my hipster brethren will revive this concept. We got in on a double feature: Secret Life of Pets, and The Legend of Tarzan. We figured we would tap into the giant concession stand that was advertised and enjoy the movies from the comfort of our own car, with our own pillows! The concessions were an absolute let down, but Rachel was prepared with munchies for the trip so we weren't totally screwed for food. After the sun finally set and the movie started, we turned to the station for the movie and it was surround-sound movie!

After the 'Pets' movie concluded many family left for the evening, but the perk was, we didn't have to do so. As some families were packing up I heard the tell-tail clicking of dead battery....I knew someone's evening was going to be fun. I watched as another van pulled to the front and attempt to assist but I knew something wasn't working. So over I went to see what I could do. When I turned my phone light on I knew there was a problem. I almost burned my hand trying to pry the now welding hot prong off of the dead vehicle. They had managed to cross wires....No explosion, but it was not far away. I helped them along their way and back to the movie. I proceeded to start my vehicle to make sure our fate wasn't the same, but there was a twinge of anxiety the rest of the second movie. Once it was done, Rachel and I both breathed a sigh of relief when the car started without a hitch.


Nevertheless, we enjoyed the outing immensely, and we would like to find this avenue for motion pictures again near home if available.




Stay Tuned

5th Year Vacation Part 1

Rachel and I are closing in on our 5th year wedding anniversary, and we figured this was good as a time as any to take a much needed vacation. With the new clinic in transition, and my work being quite stable, we figured we should do it now before we get our puppy in September. We were going to make a trip from Clark, to the Twin Cities, to The Wisconsin Dells, back down to Rachel's parents, to Denison for a baby shower, up to Cherokee to hang with Poindexter and Lisa, and finally back to Clark. It seemed like a lot, but the spacing made it so we were never driving more than 4 or 5 hours in one hit, which REALLY helped to break up the drive.


We started our trip by driving to the Twin Cities to stay with Dave and Laura. This would save us some lodging costs, as well as give us the opportunity to see them while on vacation. We were treated to a night on the town, or more specifically, the city, where the four of us went brewery hopping in a rather hipstery district of Minneapolis. Rachel played along quite well for not being a beer lover, but were still able to find some thing she liked. One of the places I nursed something called a peanut butter porter. It tasted like PB in a glass; weird but good! We finished out evening out at a The Anchor Fish and Chips. It was another hipster joint with guys cooking up battered cod right in front of you. Again, we enjoyed beer, or cider, and some great pub food. Fish and chips that I shall return for!
This whole part of the vacation was not even planned, as our intention was to just hang out at the house, but it felt good to get out and do something again!!!
After returning home, the ladies went to bed, while Dave and I had an evening nightcap and cigar.
XXX

15 year old scotch and a spectacular Cuban cigar. What a way to finish an evening, and we hadn't even started our vacation yet!


Stay Tuned: much more to come

Weekend in Cherokee

Getting behind again....


Last weekend of July, Rachel and I took a trip to Cherokee to hang out with Nick and Lisa, as well as work on a project or two. We have not seen them in awhile and it was time to make the trip. Earlier in the week Nick had made a trip to my wood pile stash in the father-in-law's out building. He was able to salvage a sizeable amount of decent cedar, and we were looking to make a vanity sink to for his upstairs bathroom. Saturday morning I got right to work and used Nick's new chainsaw to rip-cut three chunks for the table. I spent the rest of the day sanding and working the table top.

Yes, we did take a break for guns and food, but the main goal of the trip was to get this table as close to done as possible. By Saturday late evening, I as able to get a coat of epoxy on the table top, and we left it in basement to cure as best as possible.

By Sunday morning it was still a little tacky, and rather large spider had fallen from the ceiling into the middle sometime during the night......We hauled it upstairs to cure better in the warm bathroom and see if I could get the flood coat on before we left. It was by the skin of our teeth, but I managed to get the last coat on before we left. From log to finished in a weekend is borderline insanity but we got it done, and it was immaculate!

No it was not perfect, but it was some of my more beautiful work. With the limited amount of tools and preparation, I was able to pull it off, and Nick and Lisa seem to like it, which is all that matters.

Stay Tuned: Vacation with the Mrs!