This summer we decided to go to the cottage any weekend we had nothing else going on. This week, due to fires in the Boundary Waters and Canada, the air quality was pretty terrible. We debated if we should still go, but it looked like it would clear up by Saturday. So we took the chance. And by terrible, we mean the worst air quality we'd ever seen. Along the way we decided to stop at John and Heidi's Happy Daze . We've passed this place probably 100 times. It was about time to stop by. I ordered the prime rib sandwich special.  Yummy. The sandwich that is. Everybody's food was really good, but Brooke's was the star of the show.  I want to get back here asap. Now if only this pesky smoke would go away.

A couple of weeks after we were last up at the cottage, you say? Not soon enough, we say. We assumed dinner would have already been done by the time we arrived so we stopped to eat at Culver's in Rhinelander. While we were eating, I got a text from my dad saying he was in Rhinelander with Chelsea at Urgent Care. I guess Viola had taken a hard fall. When we got to the cottage Daniel was just starting dinner.  We hadn't seen Viola since Christmas, she's a little girl now. She was super shy around us at first.  She did also just get back from the hospital. I'm not sure if I approve of fireworks the night we get there, but due to scheduling conflicts that's when Three Lakes got in their fireworks show. 2nd of July fireworks would do.

This summer we were making sure to get up to the cottage as often as we could. Even when I had a shoot out of state before Father's Day. While Scott was still in Illinois, the kids and I drove to the cottage on Thursday evening. Scott would be flying in to Rhinelander Friday morning and we'd pick him up there.  My dad suggested we go out for breakfast before picking him up. We dried out R&T's "not so" Dinky Diner. I wish I could have went to their old location but this was a nice restaurant. They had games and a play area for little kids.  I thought we'd just pick up Scott at the entrance when my dad said we should park and go in. I didn't think in 2026 that you could still meet people at the gate.  I flew into Rhinelander since I didn't want to miss Father's Day up at the cottage. To my surprise, Mr. Mike, Brooke and Theo met me in the tiny terminal. On the way back we checked out my new billboard for the Three Lakes Area visitors bureau. As ...

This year would be a small crowd for Memorial Weekend. My siblings all had other plans I guess.  I was a bit bummed even if I do love quiet weekends at the cottage. Since we couldn't leave until the kids were out of school, I had us pick up sandwiches to eat on the way. Mine wasn't too bad.  Trader Joe's is always a bit weird. Everything has to be unique. Like why did the kids ham and cheese sandwiches have a log of butter? When we arrived I gave my mom her remaining gifts from Japan as a Mother's day gift. Grandpa's pancakes are the best. Theo has been excited to see how far along the upstairs was done.  It's getting there. Cool and gloomy, just like you imagine Memorial Day Weekend to be, I guess. Rummage saleing this year was a whole family affair. I found a cute luggage rack and Meadow got a painting of plates with tea cups.  Oh, and she was really excited to find a dictionary in the free pile.  She's very serious about her new dictionary. I'm pretty...

Despite a super cold weekend and a lot going on back in Minneapolis we spent Scott's birthday weekend at the cottage. I immediately got to my project of untangling one of our kites.  I was super grateful that we got to get out of Minneapolis a few times during the worst of the ICE immigration crackdown. During the week I was watching Theo's school each day. His school is something like 60 or 70% immigrants. Up here we could pretend things were normal in the world. Yeah, I guess you could say it was cold out. I tried out the throwing boiling water in the air trick.  I wonder how often people get scalded doing this. I'm a bit of a worrier. You thought this was going to keep us indoors the whole weekend? No one was out. I have never heard it so quiet up here. I thought I was hearing branches snap but I guess it was sap freezing .

Christmas time is tricky for me because it's the busiest time for me at work. I took a half day on New Years Eve and then we headed straight up north. The kids and I should've just went up days earlier, but instead I played video games in the guest room all week. Was so happy to see this place even though I was not feeling great. Of course this little guy brought another bug home with him for winter break. Ah, the good place. There's nothing better than cottage in winter. The cottage was looking beautiful in the snow.

We happened to be driving through Manitowish Waters so figured this was finally my chance to go to Little Bohemia Lodge . Brooke's wanted to go here forever. So why not? Even if you arrive when the restaurant opens, expect to wait. Better yet, make a reservation if you plan on going. Rookie mistake on our part. But I guess it could be worse than hanging at their old school bar with some brewskis and Shirley Temples. There seemed to be a lot of open tables. Sounded like they were understaffed.  Most had went back to school for the season. I did not expect the famed bullet holes to be right next to the tables. There were holes everywhere.

4th of July, you say? Of course we were going up to Three Lakes and the cottage. I took a half day on Thursday and we headed to the cottage. Scott had to stop in Lindstrom which brought us to an old favorite for lunch in Taylor's Falls, The Drive In .