Our Northwoods ABCs - Part 4

Our Northwoods ABCs - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Our last installment of our Northwoods ABCs is here!

S is for Sun, Sand and Swimming

Notice I didn't say anything about warmth and that wasn't just because it didn't start with an S! I guess I could have used the sixties or seventies (low) since that is what the weather was most of the time. Certainly not my favorite weather for hanging out at the beach, but it didn't stop the kids! They still had fun playing in the sand, jumping in the water, and picnicking!

I know I look ridiculous with my hoodie and towels, but it was cold and very windy! I was so relieved at the end of the day when I got in the car and the air was still. You have to take what the Northwoods gives you. If you wait for the perfect weather, you'll miss out on opportunities.

T is for Target Practice

We had two bb guns and three pellet guns up at the cabin for a little target practice. We had a blast shooting soda cans and bottles off of the deck railing. Isaiah was the best...of course! Haha! I have only shot one time before at a ranch in Wyoming. I shot a cow pie. Let me tell you, shooting water bottles and soda cans is a LOT more fun! I had a blast and wasn't too bad at it. I was good enough to make Jason stop shooting while I was around since he wouldn't be as good. He likes to shoot big bodies of water not cans and bottles. I think some day I'd like to go to Buffalo Rock with them to shoot. We'll see.

I brought up some butcher paper and we made our own targets to shoot at too. Mine is the flower below.

U is for the Upper Peninsula

My mom and I drove up north one day to pick up this pumpkin guy for Kelli. She owes us big since the UP isn't necessarily our favorite place! First we ended up in a bunch of traffic for Loon Days in Mercer. The good part was that we got to see this loon. The bad part was that it took about 30 seconds longer than normal to go through town. We had a little trouble finding the workshop since it was  really just a big barn without any signage. Then there was the issue of finding an ATM. Aye! We're happy to say that the trip is over and Jack is safe and sound at home.

V is for Vienna Beef

One of our favorite stops for lunch is Hoggie Doggies. I think we ate there 3 times!

W is for Waverunners

We rented waverunners for a day from Wave Rentals. The waverunners were a lot of fun. Jason and I were property searching again! Clark and Kent both HATED the waverunners. I don't get it. They are nothing but fun!

X is for Xtra Strength Mosquito Protection

Dave is crazy about mosquitoes biting him. He bought this nice hat while at the tubing place in Eagle River. We could all just hear him mocking the mosquitoes, "haha, can't get me now!"

Y is for Young Waterskiers - aka the Min-Aqua Bats

The Min-Aqua Bats are one of the oldest amateur waterski show teams in the country. In a word - they were awesome! It was just a bunch of kids having fun and waterskiing. I swear some of them couldn't have been older than 13 or so!  The show is free but they do pass the bucket for donations. They had this amazing boat with two 250hp motors on the back. They would tilt the props up and then the boat would literally stand straight up in the water. Jason was pretty impressed with that. Then he was even more excited when he heard that they sell the boats at the end of each season. Haha...not going to fall for that again!

Some of our favorite tricks are pictured below: dog on skis, pyramids, human waterskis, and jumps!

Z is for the Zoo

We made a stop at the Wildwood Wildlife Park this year. I'm not sure why we've never been before. It was a really neat zoo. There were so many animal encounters to be had there. You could hold bunnies, hear wolves howl, feed deer, walk with tortoises and even feed giraffes.

One of Jason's favorite parts was to feed the bear. You buy bottles of "bear juice" which is really just soda and feed it to them through the fence. The fence is covered in bees which stopped me in my tracks, but the boys didn't mind at all. Then there was a cool goat feeder attached to this tall house. You put your cracker in the cup and then send the cup up with a pulley system. The goat takes it out and then demands more. We also went in and fed the parakeets. Clark and I are not crazy about this experience, but Kent doesn't mind. Even Kara seemed to be happy getting in on the action.

There were lots of other things at the zoo too. Alvinia and Kara had to take pictures with their fashion inspiration. They were both wearing zebra print. Clark loved feeding the goats. Kent loved sharing all of his problems with the goats. They were also able to pet anything in the children's zoo. They had a red fox, a skunk, chinchillas, a giant rabbit, the fattest pig I've ever seen and lots more!

Until next time...

The End.