Wisconsin Part 2 — Lakes, Family and Wedding!

One of my best memories growing up is from my time at the Wiltrout Cabin on Moose Lake. This is where my Uncle David, Aunt Cheryl and cousin Chad had a great place. We spent a number of summers on the lake, enjoying the fishing, hiking, boating, swimming and family camaraderie available. Unfortunately, my Aunt passed away a couple years ago, but Uncle David has rebuilt the cabin to immense and very plush proportions. Anna had not visited this great location and I had not seen the new log-cabin Uncle David built. So, we took a few days and paid a visit. It certainly did not disappoint!

We spent time on the water, chatting with dear Uncle David about a host of topics and most importantly just enjoying time together.

The lake and cabin have so many fond memories, I was very happy to share them with Anna.

One great new addition is a pool table. This is great for all the guys who frequent the annual fall deer camp. Here is an image of Uncle David about ready to sink the 15 ball.

Anna too was quite the the shark.

On our way up to Hayward (the closest city … about 30 minutes from Moose Lake, where the cabin is), there is a town called Cadott. This town has the claim to fame as the mid-point between the equator and North Pole (AKA 45 degrees North).

The day before Julie and Michael’s wedding, Michael genorously took the entire wedding party out on Lake Michigan to fish for salmon. It was a stormy morning and made for tough conditions, but we managed to catch a few fish. This is Patrick working on the first catch of the day. He landed a nice salmon.

Here they are. These fish are much larger than the typical brown trout in the rivers of Colorado where Patrick normally fishes.

Clay was the big winner for the day and landed a couple beautiful salmon. Both were about 16 pounds and both took over a half an hour to get in the boat. We had visions of Santiago and the “Old Man and the Sea.” Fortunately, there were no sharks to spoil the booty and Clay successfully landed both fish.

I was fortunate to catch a couple medium sized salmon as well. Of course, that is only because my father was gracious and let us young guys catch all the fish (he has the opportunity to go out on Lake Michigan at least once a year).

Here is Clay playing Santiago again…

Me with my second catch of the day.

Here is the entire catch of the day. Although not the most prolific day on Lake Michigan, it was certainly rewarding. We really enjoyed our time on the lake.

You may be wondering what happened to the man of the day, Michael. He and several other guys were on the other boat. Although it pains me to admit it, they were slightly more successful than us on the lake and wound up with 8 fish between them. 🙂 Ok, so it doesn’t really pain me, but a little friendly competition was fun.
The next day was the whole reason Anna and I were home: Julie and Michael’s wedding. Here is an image of the male cousins: Chad, T, and me.

This is the groom, Michael and one of his two best men, Omar.

This is Michael and his other best man, Brandon, with Chad in the background.

The beautiful bride, my sister Julie, on her way to meet my future brother-in-law, Mike.

The happy couple.

Can you tell they are happy to see each other?

The ceremony was on the lake my parents live on, Nagawicka Lake. There was also a sailing regatta the day of the wedding.

Their official photographer was very creative with her images.

The happy couple again.

It was a great ceremony. Anna and I were proud to be a part of it. Julie and Mike make a great couple and we are certain they will enjoy their wedded bliss for the rest of their lives. We were fortunate that our schedule allowed us to partake in this auspicious occasion.
This was a fitting end to our trip to Wisconsin. A wedding and image of the symbol for the country I have sworn to defend. The next post will most likely be in my training for Afghanistan. In case I haven’t told you in person, I will be a part of one of the provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan for the next year. First though, we have language and cultural training at Indiana University. Then a few months of intense training in North Carolina. Finally, this fall, we will arrive in Afghanistan with the intention of aiding the Afghan people rebuild their country and infrastructure. It will be a long time and difficult mission, but I am excited to be in a place where history is being made with the opportunity to help positively influence the outcome.

So, until the next adventure…
–Jim