Escape to the Cottage: Part Deux

We thought we would head up to the cottage one last time before winter. As usual we arrived late on Thursday night.

With that we could get out of the way for any showings and a Sunday open house. You should really buy our house. It's been great to us and is in tip-top shape.

The weather on Friday was perfect.

We did our usual run to town for weekend food.

So long Baker's. Hello Three Lakes Town Market. The new owner gets a lot of the items from Costco. Turns out he used to manage the Green Bay location.

My dad jokes it's becoming less of a grocery store since they keep selling non food items.

We then stopped at the new Dollar General to get glue and drawing paper for Meadow.

I guess this was inevitable to a rural Wisconsin town.

I dropped off Meadow and Brooke at the playground.

I went for a little walk to Jokin' Joe's for some worms. Meadow claimed she wanted to fish.

When I returned Meadow was riding the sad dinosaur and Brooke was down by the beach.

When we got back Meadow wanted to make a picture of a bike riding through a pile of leaves.

I fixed Brooke's bike tube and we went for a crisp fall bike ride.

I wouldn't call today crisp.

Most of the leaves had fallen since we'd last been in Three Lakes; definitely past peak already.

Meadow had to ride through all the leaf piles.

For some reason Meadow rides so much faster on Marina's old bike.

She popped her tire on her green bike and she's been riding a lot faster on the taller shark bike. I think it's just that she can peddle better with a higher seat.

She still takes a crash once in a while. She took a dive right as I took a picture of the ladies turning onto Drury Lane Loop.

She had to scratch an itch while riding with one hand.

Fall is second to Spring for good fishing. It was especially true this year. I caught a smaller Northern Pike off the dock using my Mepps Syclops I got in one of their grab bags. This thing has wicked action in the water.

Meadow and I did a few leaf more projects.

Turkeys!

For dinner we brought up tomatillos and jalapeños from the garden. I made pollo en salsa verde. Brooke's rents showed up right on time for dinner with a queso in tow per Brooke's request.

I had to get the fish out of the cage and I got to witness top ten Dog Lake sunset.

Then Mr. Mike showed me how to cut a pike for the umpteenth time. They have these weird bones in the front two-thirds that love to get stuck in your throat.

The next morning I made German Apple Pancake. I guess I should have made two.

Or doubled it.

Meadow had a cold the two days before we came up to the cottage. Late on Friday night I started feeling it. I slept forever, but still felt groggy and rundown on Saturday morning.

With only my parents here this weekend we finally got to go up without a million people.

Meadow decided not to fish after all. Instead she munched on seeds and peaked through holes in the dock.

I went for a brief kayak ride. The weather was nice when I left, but then the wind started to pick up and it looked like rain. So, I turned around.

Then I talked Meadow through making cake while the guys went fishing.

After a false start, Mike accidentally drained the boat's battery, the father-in-law and I went out for the last fishing expedition of the season.  

Right away I got another smaller northern pike on the Mepps Syclops. Mike kept on casting into trees. Wait, isn't that supposed to be the other way around?

We both weren't having much luck after that initial catch. Mike finally reeled in a largemouth on a good old Mepps #5. 

It was good to get back out on the Three Lakes Chain of Lakes despite being rundown from my cold and casting without much luck the rest of the day. I'm glad I got into fishing a few years back after shying away from it for the first six or seven years of coming up here.

While the guys fished, the girls went into to town. When we returned it was time for Meadow to glaze her cake.

With sprinkles of course.

Mr. Mike made fish fry with the last of this year's catch. We also had french fries and roasted veggies.

With my mom's birthday next week, Meadow's cake became a birthday cake.

Sixty-five and we still like hanging out with the old lady. Even if from time to time she says things like, "Scott, your going to die young with the bald head and bad hearing." 

You are aging quickly Scott.

The next morning my dad made omelets in the new omelet pan I got for him.

Nordic Ware makes strange contraptions.

Mr. Mike and I watched the Packers flounder without Aaron Rodgers. It's going to be long season in Green Bay.

I attempted dyeing Meadow's hair with kool-aid again.

It only worked marginally well.

It worked better when she had lighter hair.

Goodbye cottage. See you when there's snow on the ground.

Northwoods NYE can't come soon enough.