The Cottage in Wisconsin

After our time in Indiana, we headed to the Great North Woods to spend a week at the Radue Cottage in St. Germain, Wisconsin. This was the first time that David's grandmother met Avonlea Jane and the first time that I had ever been to the Cottage. We had a blast spending time with Grandma, hiking, kayaking, and of course, playing games.

Avonlea Jane with Grandma by the lake

One of our first nights in Wisconsin we went into Minocqua to see the Min-Aqua Bats, one of the country's oldest ski shows. Having never seen a ski show, I was amazed, especially by the pyramids and barefoot skiing.

This boat eventually stood up completely vertically and then "walked" across the water.

Other ski formations

Avonlea Jane with Grandpa at the show

Sitting in a recreated eagle's nest

Showing off her two new (sharp, sharp) teeth

This is possibly the cutest picture ever taken by our baby. If it weren't for the leaves on the trees in the back of the photo, you would think this was fall. The weather was certainly on the chilly side. We needed to buy Avonlea Jane a sweatshirt, and we were grateful that we had this sweater with us that Grandma C made.

This is Avonlea Jane on the Horsey Tree at the Cottage, where it is a tradition for all of the kids to be photographed.

You can get a clearer idea of why it is called the Horsey Tree.

You can just make out the bald eagle sitting on a tree stump in this photo. While out on the lake we saw many eagles and eagles' nests. We were even treated to a grand sight: an eagle pooping. It was truly a spectacle of nature with an amazing straight horizontal range of over ten feet.

Liv and David on the lake. (Once we get more photos from Grandma we'll post those, because the photos of Avonlea Jane in a life vest in a kayak are a hoot.)

Liv claiming this land as her own

The family outside of the cottage: Liv, Avonlea Jane, Grandma, Great-Grandma, Grandpa, Cousin Rebecca, David, Uncle Bill

David pointing out Radue Circle. While in St. Germain, after using my credit card, I was asked about my last name. The woman at the store asked me, "Who's your folks?" (In a thick Wisconsin accent it sounds like "Hoosier folks?") I told her that my husband's parents were Roger and Anna and Roger's mother was Anne. She replied, "Oh, yeah, of 'Bob and Anne' and Radue Circle." I basically felt like a celebrity. We may petition Salem to rename our street Radue Street.

Here are a couple videos from the Cottage of David making Avonlea Jane giggle.