The Cabin

When you start to see the bluffs you know were getting close to the Cabin. We're here! Here's the driveway













and there's the cabin. The part on the left was built in the 70s with no running water or electricity and a big fireplace for heat. We used to have to put your booty on a cold outhouse seat first thing in the morning back then. When Grandma finally retired and they moved in permenantly, they built the part on the right, wired everything and now they have all the luxuries of modern eco-living, including hot water on demand which I love. (You know you're a grown-up when you get excited about a water heater)














Grandma and Grandpa will come out onto the porch in a minute and we'll have hugs all around. They always meet their guests on the porch.













And what'd I tell you - it's cocktail time. We'll go gather up around the island in the old kitchen (the older part of the cabin) and Grandma will put out a fabulous spinach dip made from scratch, starting with growing the spinach last year and ending in creamy goodness spread on a whole wheat cracker. Grandpa will make any drink you like, go ahead ask him for a Brandy Old Fashioned - he makes the best one's in all of Wisconsin.


















We'll have an hour or so to kill between cocktails and dinner (they always eat late) and there is no TV here so I'll take you out to see the orchard. That's where all these little seedlings started in the cabin will go live next.














This is the orchard; apples, grapes, raised veggie gardens and a small greenhouse live here as well as a wild flower garden and statue of St. Francis for my dear cousin who passed away.















There's a chicken house too but there hasn't been chicken for a couple of years - it messes up one's travel plans when you have to feed chickens every day and Grandma and Grandpa are fond of taking off for Ireland or New Zealand for weeks at a time.

Dinner is probably ready so we won't have time to walk a trail in the woods, maybe tomorrow if it's not raining. This is the new part of the cabin, the bathroom is to the right of the piano (or the outhouse is still out back down the little path if you feel adventurous) We'll be staying upstairs at this end. You will get the loft in the old part of the cabin that's were the spiral staircase leads and if anyone else comes they'll get the pull out in the living room and if anyone futher comes they better have brought a tent.















After dinner we will talk politics, tell jokes and hear stories about how Grandpa once threw a shot glass through a bar wall on a bet or what happened to them during the Korean war or how my uncle Joe once covered himself in mud in an attempt to join the circus as a monkey and when we can barely keep our eyes open any longer it'll be time for bed. You are welcome to play tea party with Ella and Grandma. And no, I don't know why Grandpa calls her "Granny Good Guts" nor do I think he remembers how she got that nickname, but it kinda fits doesn't it.

















Good night





















Church at 9am! We've got to be ready to get in the car it 8:30 so get up early. Grandpa's whistling is always more fun to wake up to than an alarm clock.















The priest was from Ghana, I guess the guy from India was transfered. I just love listening to his accent. Can you imagine moving from West Africa to Wisconsin? I was pretty surprised by all the politics that was discussed. If you noticed we didn't put anything into the collection it was because of that bigot from the KCs and his little speech about making sure everyone signs a letter to the Senator about all his Republican hooey. That's why Grandpa quit the KC after over 40 years as a member, I was a little surprised to hear that, but cripes they just wouldn't stop arguing with him about politics.



















I guess my Dad and my brother Andy are comming up today so Ella will have plenty to keep her busy, feel free to nap or walk in the woods, whatever you like. We'll start driving back in the afternoon and we'll stop at A&W in Madison for dinner.