Friends and family

Cabin visits from family... and friends (that seem like family to us)

Judy is our long time friend! She and John used to own a cabin just a few up from us. 

In fact her mom used to own our cabin when it was a resort (Hawkeye Haven)

John is with Jesus now but Judy comes back in the summer as I know John would have wanted her to.

 She comes during the brutal hot Arizona summer, and relaxes at a friend home on Long lake, not far from us. We get to see her from time to tome as she has lots of friends that want to be with her.

My sisters family always comes up the 1st week of August, we love having them! 

We are missing my nephew Sam who made it up last year for a few...hours, ha ha

My sis Jodi, and niece Jensen! 

An obligatory selfie during our trip to town.

Rock painting

The brothers often visit

My niece Megan came with her son Eli, it was their 1st cabin visit.

Puzzles

Boat ride

So glad you came MJ

Our dear friends

Ruth & Kerry come every year, the guys golf, Ruth and I talk....Ha ha

We had chilly weather this year while they were up, but we still made it on the lake once.

Love our boat rides

A forever friendship

Ruth and I visited across the lake at our friend Melinda's cabin. 

We have gone to church together for years.

Another visit with Judy and her sis-in-law Janice. 

 I love these ladies.

Sometimes we just visit from the boat.

Rick and Brad (brothers)

 

Closing weekend....

Us cabin owners call it, "Closing" It's a bitter-sweet time of year.

It's a time for preparing the cabin for the winter months.

This year has been a bit confusing, as the weather has not cooperated! 

Minnesota has basically gone from summer straight to winter. 

October has been cold and windy with limited sunshine.

A lot of the state had a surprise snowfall this last weekend, Sunday into Monday.

We woke up Monday morning to a dusting of snow on Chippewa Loop.

We chose this past weekend to close up before the ground freezes, our cabin is not winterized so the water lines have to be blown-out before the freeze. Low temperatures this last week have been running below freezing which puts us a little on edge.

We showed up on Friday and within the hour our friend John was already down

 to help get the tarp off the boat lift... 

then a little rest and "guy talk".

Our boys would join us Saturday to help get the dock and boat-lift up on dry land

Getting a head start

Guess who else came along, 

Someone had to keep Grandma company

She's a  joy!

The 3 of them had the task finished in about 2 1/2 hours

It was about 44 degrees at the warmest...

Good thing for insulated chest waders!

The evening was spent playing games and laughing.... A lot!!!

So thankful for these two and their willingness to help with the

 opening and closing of the cabin every year.

It was a short stay... just an overnight and off they went.

We are grateful~thankful~blessed!

Monday morning I went on a little drive

I love the rows and rows of pine trees up north, the snow covered road was a bonus

 The sun shining through the pines leaving shadows on the snow covered grass

I woke up this morning and watched the sun rise from my chair

 So good to see the sun after all the cloudy days in October.

 Last minute touches as we get ready to head back to Rochester

Good night Cabin, see you in the spring.

* This year we decided to let someone else blow-out the water lines and shut the power off.

 (A plumbing and Heating company in town). It kind of lets us have the freedom to leave when we want, we do our part and they do the rest after we go home.  

A very unique (and worth while) visit...

On our way to the cabin, about 15 minutes from our place, 

we pass by a sign that reads "Evergreen Cemetery" , well.... 

those of you that know me, KNOW that I am lured to cemeteries!

Any cemetery but ESPECIALLY the small country cemeteries.

On this particular trip to the cabin we FINALLY stopped to check it out,

 I'm glad we did because I have never seem a cemetery quite like this one.... 

First... the sign. 

Looks like someones family member put this together with old scraps of wood from the garage. 

 then the one-lane dirt path that seems to go to nowhere.

Then the plots.... very unique markers

(I blotted out the last names out of respect to those deceased)

 A steel hand made yellow cross, with names of family member, (perhaps children), 

hand-penned down the middle.

 Silk flowers adorn the grave markers,  

this cemetery so remote yet those who rest here still thought of.

 I thought this interesting, the grave site bordered by cement paver's.

Again a hand made cross, no big grave stone marker here.

This little gem caught my eye, a small angel attached to a nearby fence. 

 

So unique, cement boots sit atop this grave, marked with a hand made cross. 

There is a stone marker with name and dates at the foot of the grave.

Look closely at the cross....a belt

A little hard to see, but there sites are all outlined by small rocks 

No name, just a site bordered by wood pieces 

This little Digger toy looks to be deliberately left here in this small plastic circle, 

there doesn't appear to be a grave nearby so I'm not sure what to think of this??? 

A wooden marker, names and dates inscribed with a wood burning tool. 

Along side it another hand made cross.

This marker simply states "AT REST"

 I want to know more about this cemetery, it's just so unique, 

never seen anything quite like it.

BONUS PHOTO:

No, we are not in South Dakota

 

There is a Buffalo farm on the way to our cabin, this time we stopped for a photo op.

As I got closer I started hearing some crazy snorting so it was a brief visit.....those creatures are huge.

A very unique (and worth while) visit...

On our way to the cabin, about 15 minutes from our place, 

we pass by a sign that reads "Evergreen Cemetery" , well.... 

those of you that know me, KNOW that I am lured to cemeteries!

Any cemetery but ESPECIALLY the small country cemeteries.

On this particular trip to the cabin we FINALLY stopped to check it out,

 I'm glad we did because I have never seem a cemetery quite like this one.... 

First... the sign. 

Looks like someones family member put this together with old scraps of wood from the garage. 

 then the one-lane dirt path that seems to go to nowhere.

Then the plots.... very unique markers

(I blotted out the last names out of respect to those deceased)

 A steel hand made yellow cross, with names of family member, (perhaps children), 

hand-penned down the middle.

 Silk flowers adorn the grave markers,  

this cemetery so remote yet those who rest here still thought of.

 I thought this interesting, the grave site bordered by cement paver's.

Again a hand made cross, no big grave stone marker here.

This little gem caught my eye, a small angel attached to a nearby fence. 

So unique, cement boots sit atop this grave, marked with a hand made cross. 

There is a stone marker with name and dates at the foot of the grave.

Look closely at the cross....a belt

A little hard to see, but there sites are all outlined by small rocks 

No name, just a site bordered by wood pieces 

This little Digger toy looks to be deliberately left here in this small plastic circle, 

there doesn't appear to be a grave nearby so I'm not sure what to think of this??? 

A wooden marker, names and dates inscribed with a wood burning tool. 

Along side it another hand made cross.

This marker simply states "AT REST"

 I want to know more about this cemetery, it's just so unique, 

never seen anything quite like it.

BONUS PHOTO:

No, we are not in South Dakota

There is a Buffalo farm on the way to our cabin, this time we stopped for a photo op.

As I got closer I started hearing some crazy snorting so it was a brief visit.....those creatures are huge.