Rhinelander, WI
June 6-10, 2012
I try to make it home at least once a year. Catching up with the family and relaxing in the wilderness is a great escape from living in NYC. And since my sister lives in Alaska and we so rarely get to see each other, it’s important to plan our trips home accordingly.
So when my sister, who is a stay-at-home-mom to two rambunctious toddlers, announced she would be spending the month of June in the lower-48, I marked my calendar.
Now, it just so happened that my NYC dentist gave me the awesome news that I was in need of a very expensive crown. When he told me the cost of said crown, it took all I had to not openly weep in his office-- let’s just say it was four months rent and move on. How in the world could I afford that with the lame dental insurance I have?? I couldn’t. So I did what any child would do, and I called my mom.
She found out how much a crown would cost at my family dentist in my hometown. I couldn’t believe it, so I called the office myself. The woman I spoke with said I would need to come in for two visits approximately two weeks apart. Adding their estimate to the cost of two flights home, I realized that it was cheaper (yes, cheaper!) to fly home TWICE than to get the work done in NYC, and I would get the added bonus of visiting with my family and playing with my nephews for a good chunk of June.
Two trips home, if planned accordingly, also meant that I could attend my cousin’s graduation party and hang out with my mom’s family during the first visit and attend a cousin's wedding on my dad's side of the family, hanging out with that side of the family during the second visit. I was really excited! So I booked my flights (the first trip via New Orleans) and made my appointments.
After squeezing them both and greeting my sister and my dad, we were off to Sam’s Club. Of course. What would a trip home be without a visit to Sam’s Club where I could buy a giant block of Wisconsin cheddar cheese? |
| Goofing with my nephew, Jackson |
Then it was time to get home so I could play with my nephews properly and try to unwind from my morning of travel. (Might I take this moment to mention that stay-at-home-parents get a lot of kudos from me-- after spending quality time with those two boys, I was so exhausted and ready to hand them back to their mother.)
I went to bed early because my dentist appointment was right away at 8am the next morning-- I had the wild notion that I would want to get the appointment out of the way so that I would have the rest of the day for fun, forgetting that sleep is also important...and fun... Anyways, so I dropped my mom off at her office and made my way to the dentist. Half the office still remembered me and all wanted to know how life in the Big Apple was treating me. It was like one big happy reunion, and then it was time to get down to business. A little over an hour later I had a temporary crown and was off to pick my mom up (half day!).
Before going home I had to stop at my favorite little cheese curd place, Kids’ Korner Pizza, where every Thursday they get a fresh delivery of cheese curds. It just happened to be Thursday, so I was ready to stock up on some cheese!
Then it was time for my sister and me to go for a walk and enjoy the outdoors. She gets plenty of that, living in Alaska, but wilderness is not the easiest to come by in NYC, so off we went down our favorite path, a road right near our house that we used to travel a lot as kids, either running, walking, or riding our bikes.
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| Dear Photograph |
One of my goals whilst visiting the family home was to dig out old family photos and recreate them like the Dear Photograph blog. I was so enthralled with the idea presented in Dear Photograph that I had to try it myself, but rather than just bringing a photograph back to its original location, I wanted to recreate the images in modern times. I enlisted the help of my mom and my sister and put her youngest child to work, too. It was a lot of fun and was so great to look back at the old photographs.
That evening we invited any available family member to come on over to our place for a bonfire and s’mores. Any time you get my family around a campfire, you know that fun will ensue. A couple of my aunts stopped over, along with one of my cousins, and we stayed up until the moon was high in the sky, roasting marshmallows, telling stories, and laughing until we could barely contain ourselves. I love nights like those.
Friday morning proved to be dreary and rainy, but as soon as the weather started to clear, my sister and I hopped in the car with my grandparents and my Aunt Tina, and we made our way to Hoggie Doggie’s Snack Shack in Minocqua, a seasonal, outdoor eatery, home to delicious hot dogs (if you couldn’t guess), brats, burgers, and, of course, deep fried cheese curds. It’s one of my grandmother’s favorite places, and she couldn’t wait to take us there.
Knowing I would be having brats at a cookout over the weekend, I opted to try the “Chicago Style” Vienna dog, and I couldn’t turn down the chance at deep fried cheese curds. We were able to find a dry table in a gazebo, and enjoyed a delicious lunch and great conversation. Hanging out with grandparents is a luxury many of us take for granted, but when you live far away like I do, it’s such a treat.
Once back from Minocqua, the sun finally made its way out and we were able to take my oldest nephew, Jackson, to our favorite swimming hole, Black Lake. The water was freezing! Once we were in it, it wasn’t so bad, but it did take some getting used to-- the beginning of June is early for swimming in northern Wisconsin. Jackson wasn’t too fond of the idea of being wet, but he certainly enjoyed watching us throw ourselves into the water for his enjoyment.
The traditional thing to do in Wisconsin on a Friday night is the Friday Night Fish Fry. And, being Friday night, we weren’t going to pass up the opportunity. We debated which fish fry to hit up, and finally decided on the Al-Gen Dinner Club. I used to take part in the “all you can eat fried fish” option, with unlimited servings of potato salad, cole slaw, and french fries (green vegetables, anyone??), but I was trying to eat healthy so I opted for the one serving of broiled fish, which was delicious. However, when I asked for a side salad, they looked at me like I was crazy. “It comes with potato salad. Is that what you mean by salad?” Um, yeah...The potato salad and cole slaw were so creamy I couldn’t eat more than a forkful, so I had my deliciously prepared broiled fish and called it a night. I guess I’m no longer suited for Wisconsin dining-- I need some greens! |
| Jackson, Grandpa, and the carved bear at the Al-Gen |
After dinner I said goodbye to my family and headed over to a pub called Bugsy’s to grab drinks with a couple of my girlfriends. You know you’ve got great friends when it takes no time at all to catch up and it’s as if you haven’t been apart for months and months. There were a lot of bands playing in the area, so the bar we were at was dead, which was great for us. It was calm and quiet and we could actually have fun conversations over drinks without yelling. Loved it! As a result, I stayed out longer than anticipated and felt like I was in college again.
The next day was my cousin Hope’s high school graduation party/cookout. It was so much fun because almost everyone from my mom’s side of the family was there, so I was able to catch up with aunts, uncles, and cousins I haven’t seen in a really long time. It was the perfect sunny day, too, so we all soaked up the sun and played games in the yard. That’s something I certainly miss, living in New York. I have no yard and no grill, which means no cookouts. It’s always nice to go home during the summer just for those cookouts. Oh, and bonfires. Cookouts and bonfires. And family, of course. Quintessential country living.
Speaking of bonfires, it was my last night in Rhinelander, and not wanting to end the party so soon, we invited everyone over to my parents’ place for one more bonfire before I headed back to New York. We had a bigger turnout than our bonfire earlier in the week since so many people were in town for the graduation party, which meant a much more raucous night. Ah, the perfect way to end my trip.
The next day I spent the day with my family, playing with my nephews, and promising to see them in a few weeks.
Who would have thought that the trip from hell was looming...
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| Hodag Country, Rhinelander, Wisconsin |
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