Memorial Day Weekend at the Cabin

On Saturday, May 23rd, I loaded up my 2 girls and tubs full of activities in the truck and headed for the cabin. The previous trip with both girls did not go well mostly because they just would not get along with each other, but I did everything I could to make sure this trip was better. Even though there was a lot of bad weather in the forecast, we lucked out and only dealt with a few small storms. 

I only had a couple of small jobs to get done so we kicked things off with planting some Egyptian wheat plot screen. I pushed the garden tiller while the girls carried the seed and spreader. The girls were a big help as Bridget learned how to work the spreader and Abigail actually spread the seed on the small field all by herself. We took a couple of point and shoot cameras along to keep the girls busy while there wasn't anything for them to help with and it worked like a charm. 

Abigail spread the seed on the small
field all by herself!

All ready to plant some plot screen

Bridget learning to work the spreader

The girls played in the cabin for awhile while I ran the drag over the freshly planted plot screen and checked on all of the food plots. With all of the recent rains, everything was growing well but I was most impressed by the soybean plot. The entire acre of soybeans was up and growing very well. All of the clover plots from last fall had exploded and were knee high as well. The oats were continuing to grow and the clover in the cabin food plot was up and growing very well too. I'm very excited that I have the extra time this year to take extra care of the food plots and look forward to reaping the rewards this fall. 

Clover in the cabin food plot

Fall planted clover on the small field is over knee high

Ridge food plot clover

Soybeans are up and growing!

The rest of the day included lots of ATV rides, pulling trail camera cards and cooking dinner and smores over the fire. It was a beautiful day out and all of us had a lot of fun! The girls even spent time playing catch nicely with each other while I enjoyed some time relaxing by the fire. 

ATV Rides

Pizza for dinner

Roasting marshmallows

Enjoying some smores before bedtime

After a good night of sleep, we awoke ready for another day of fun. It was already quite warm and humid outside when we woke up so I decided to get my work done while the girls ate breakfast and got ready for the day. I got out the power washer and power washed the entire outside of the cabin. The cabin has wood siding on it and I honestly have never done anything with it in the past 8 years and it is starting to look pretty rough. It looked very refreshed after a good washing and it ready for a coat of Thompson's Water Seal on a future trip.

After I was done, I loaded the girls into the truck and we headed about a mile down the road to the parking area of the DNR land. We then hiked between 1/4 - 1/2 mile down the hill to a 10 acre lake to do some fishing. We had some luck right off the bat and both girls caught some bluegills. We even kept 2 bigger ones to take home (because the girls really wanted to). Both girls did a great job fishing and we were able to stay for over an hour before making our way back up the muddy path to the truck. Back at the cabin we had some lunch and then spent the first part of the afternoon playing outside. 

Proud girls with their catch

Hiking back up to the truck

Result of power washing the cabin

After a few ATV rides, the girls headed inside to read while I mowed the lawn and drive. Part way through the sky started to get really dark and by the time I finished I could hear rumbling in the distance. We spent the remainder of the evening inside, safe from the storms, playing games and using the microwave to cook dinner instead of the fire. After dinner, we settled in to watch "The Greatest Showman" before washing up and getting ready for bed. 

I made sausage, eggs, and toast for breakfast in the morning and then packed and loaded the truck in the drizzling rain. Before we left, we took a couple of quick rides on the ATV to hold us over until the next trip down. A lot of memories were made and we all had a great time.

Enjoying some breakfast

Cooking some breakfast