Lac Du Flambeau

I have always known my Great Uncle and respected him, but until recently, I never quite knew him.  He is an amazing person who has done so much in life and accomplished so much.  He is a role model to many people, and to me also.  Uncle Dave, my Grandmother's younger brother and big brother to my Uncle Bill.  I knew him long ago when I would occasionally see him and his children: Dave Jr, Douggie, Dale, Donnie, and then there was Mike.  He and I were around the same age and looked somewhat similar.  I guess that was from the Christensen bloodline.  Early in the summer, my mother asked if my family wanted to stay the weekend at Uncle Dave's house.  We said yes but didn't quite know what to expect.  We know some things about him, but not much.  I hadn't seen him in a few years since attending a Torsk dinner (a Danish tradition).  This past weekend is a weekend I'll never forget thanks to his and Sharon's generosity and hospitality.

They live on White Sand Lake near Lac Du Flambeau.  He designed his house and finished it himself.  It's in (s he describes it) God's Country.  There were a lot of Eagles flying around, as common as Turkey Vultures are around my neck of the woods.  I've always been in awe of Eagles; their iconic white head and tail, their huge size, their stiff and bold stature... They are the perfect reason of why they are the patriotic symbol of this great country of ours.

Our trip started on Friday morning.  We packed up the Subaru and headed to our first stop before arriving at Uncle Dave's, the appropriately named Dave's Falls.

 Looking at the bridge

 One of the upper falls

Evelyn lost in the moment

After a few hours of hiking, climbing and shooting pictures, we were back on our way.  We said we'd be there around 3, but when we showed up at 3:15, Uncle Dave opened the door, said "Your late!" and closed the door on us!  That set the mood right away.  It's always been fun hanging out with them, their very witty!  We went out for a very tasty fish fry and kinda settled down for the evening.  Of course, Uncle Dave and I finished off the evening having a few drinks and shooting a few games of pool, which he won 2 out of 3.

We woke every morning early to take pictures of the sunrise overlooking the lake from their dock.  Here is the first morning's sunrise.

 We saw a lot of eagles every morning passing right over us and landing in trees across the lake from us.  This was also on the first morning, like he was welcoming us to this area.

 We got a chance to kayak on the lake

 Manda was very happy to kayak, she loves to paddle around without a care in the world

 Even Grace got to paddle a bit, although she did like the paddle board better

 In the afternoon, after a Badger football win, we toured the lake in the pontoon boat, captained by Uncle Dave.

 Funny Uncle Bill told stories, jokes, and shared memories of days past.  Apparently, he likes shopping at "nice" stores...

 Guess who got to drive the boat around for a little while?

 Even Granny was having a really good time, or was that the wine talking...?

 After a great beef tip dinner, we went outside to enjoy the cool night air around a warm fire.

Mom was the evening DJ, like she has done so many nights before, taking requests

 And I got out the camera... "How come there's more stars that show up on your camera than I can see?" asks Uncle Bill.  I said "The camera's younger and has better eyes!"

 Sunrise on Sunday morning.

There weren't many eagles, but an otter did make an appearance and talked to us a bit.

 A red squirrel that we saw while driving around town on Sunday.

 Later, we took a walk.  Look at the colors starting to turn!  It won't be long now before the rest of the state is glowing with fall colors!

 I cooked dinner later that evening before the Packer game (WIN).  We had grilled Salmon, grilled Italian chicken, Italian spiced red potatoes, and grilled green beans and asparagus.  We teamed that up with a red wine which I don't normally drink, but went well with the dinner.  SKOAL!!!

 Sunrise on Monday morning

And about 15 minutes later, the sky is really starting to glow!

I really loved staying here and would really like to thank Uncle Dave and Sharon for opening up their home to us and being such great hosts.  I hope to come back again, sometime maybe a little warmer to take full advantage of the water.