When I get in that travel mode I can't stop. This weekend brought us to my family's hunting land. We had plans to meet my parents around dinnertime. When in Wisconsin we have to get a fish fry. We picked up food from Silvercryst in nearby Wautoma.
We're still not dining in even nearly six months into Covid. Call ahead, get your fish fry and take it to your destination. Especially that the greater Fox Valley area is now the the nation's worst hotspot.
After dinner the kiddos tried some fishing. Great-grandpa did a good job of stocking this partially man-made pond.
Check out our private oasis.
The land has only been used for hunting the last 30 years so things have gotten overgrown, especially since my Grandpa passed. My dad had cleaned up the shoreline over the summer and so we burned up all the brush.
This place is so cool.
We stayed here a few years back with Mr. Mike, but now Brooke's parents inherited the land and cabin.
My grandpa also had a pile of rotting wood that we moved to burn.
My dad made a makeshift swing for Meadow with some rope and a board. Girl was loving life.
I had to try too.
Theo wanted a turn with mama.
Meadow would pretty much be on the swing the rest of the weekend.
Fishing is so easy here. Cast a line and the fish come biting.
What she's failing to mention is that she needed her dad's help getting the hook out of the fish. Too slimy, I guess.
I had no idea my dad had a four wheeler.
We were both like where did that come from? I guess this was also Grandpa Lungwitz's.
Theo was not impressed.
It might need a tune up.
We went for a walk with G.G. to find some flowers for a bouquet. We also found a few butterflies and bees.
Then it started to rain, so we all ran back to the cabin.
My dad has planted trees on the property. Christmas trees for all the grandkids in the future.
G.G. sure loves her games.
We peeled Meadow away from her swing (and G.G.'s tablet) to take a walk in the woods.
We told her there were tree houses in the woods.
A deer blind is sort of a tree house, right? Mike later told us this one needs some reinforcing. It's a bit wobbly and very high up.
There's also a spring fed creek that runs through the land.
Meadow and my dad searched the land to collect rocks for an actual fire pit.
We had just been burning wood in a random spot.
I think we need to come here as frequently as the cottage.
It is pretty cool and much quieter.
Time for archery practice.
Meadow looks like a natural.
While, me, not so much.
Swinging? Archery? Fishing? Best weekend ever Meadow?
While it wasn't raining I thought I'd try and find the deer blinds. This one is Mike's.
And this one used to be Brooke's cousin's.
Can you spot the penitentiary?
You know we couldn't go this year without having corn for dinner.
This is still the weirdest thing about the Romenesko clan. Corn is a side, not a dinner.
My dad also recently told us how as kids they could pick as many green beans as they'd want from the garden and my Grandma would cook them with butter for dinner.
The next morning Meadow wanted to practice archery again.
The kids are so much more helpful when there aren't any toys around.
They were never bored the entire weekend.
Theo got brave enough to try the swing.
Meadow was trying to make a torture (torch) in the fire. We made a real one with an old rag and lighter fluid. The kids were not impressed.
Meadow was excited at first, but got mad when I threw the rag from my first torch into the fire. She was mad.
Theo was really mad and cried.
More burning. This time the old outhouse.
We watched them burn the old shitter from the dry porch. It was drizzling all day long.
Grandpa made a makeshift target from the old outhouse seat.
We'll be back.
Here's some photos from a visit in the 80's with little Brooke.
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