Black’s Cliff Resort’s Birch Bark Blog

1st day of rain… you enjoy the quiet and take a nap

2nd day of rain.. the walls start to close in and you do errands to town and maybe lunch out

3rd day of rain….  start to worry here…. THE DESK GETS CLEANED…  is that a sign of insanity?

After the desk the cleaning cupboard gets organized and cleaned.   Definitly time to start worrying about the sanity of those in the Northwoods.   Tomorrow they are calling for clouds and 59…. I hear the attic needs to be orgainized.  I worry more for the sanity of the guests as they do not have desks and cleaning cupboards to keep them busy

I just had Red Pine cancel July 10 – 17th.  I will rent this for 1200/week for groups up to 5, 335/night with a 3 night minimum to groups up to 10.  If I rent out 3 nights at 335/night.  Weekly 1800/week groups up to 8.  this unit usually runs at 2100/week.

This sounds like fun and we may have to go and taste the little buggers, they have nibbled on my toes enough times

The North Lakeland Discovery Center presents:
Rusty Crayfish Boil-Invasive Species
Thursday, July 2nd from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Aquatic Invasive Species have never tasted so good!� If you have found yourself discouraged after learning about invasive species and the damage they can do to an ecosystem, it is time to learn how you can fight back…eat ‘em!� That’s right, first we’ll explore these invaders and then we will follow up the presentation with a Rusty Crayfish boil.� Take home creative recipes for helping our lakes and filling bellies.� $8 for members and $10 for non members.

With temps not making it out of the mid 60’s for the next 2 days, what has everyone been doing?  I hear from just about everyone that the sleeping has been awesome.  Even with the cooler temps there have been arguements about who gets the swinging beds and has even caused a few sibblings to settle the arguement by actually sharing.  I heard one report of someone who never sleeps past 6:30 sleeping til 8:30 for the first time in a long time

The 5 year roofing project has gotten under way.  Craig is replacing all the rolled roofing with shingles.  Whack Whack Whack goes the peaceful Mr Black.  Jake is learning ropes from Grandpa and can’t wait to find out the tradition that happens when a roof is completed.  4 generations have worked keeping roofs leak proof.

Craig is happy because putting on shingles gave him an excuse to go power tool shopping.  He also got a new compressor out of it.   Jake is just happy Grandpa has on his trifocals so he does not miss the shingle and nail his foot to the roof.

Would you just throw the stick already I am HOT.  The rough life of a resort dog

Yahhooooooo I love this job!

Stick saved from drowning…  Jump in and I will retreive you too (swim over the top of you, claw your back, half drown you and in the end grab a hold and pull you in half dead)

Rough life.  Poe reports the lake has warmed up and is awesome for swimming with temps in the mid 80’s this week

Who needs air conditioning…. nobody at Black’s Cliff…  Just grab a boat bailer fill it full of water, place on head….  Cone Heads Black’s Cliff Style

And pull it off….  best way to stay cool when temps soar to 90…  These guys would not trade air conditioning for juicing their heads as they called it

If being a cone head is not your style, run, grab your knees and head off the end of the dock

Most of the time it is the oldest child who likes sceduals and orgainizes the family.  This job in the Wilson family falls to the youngest Judy who takes it to a new level.  Secretly however, everyone else enjoys the fact that they do not have to wonder what is for dinner, who is keeping an eye on Grandpa or if anyone is skinny dipping

There is time for Free time, but Judy makes sure everyone knows where they are going each day

My favorite part of the grid is Grandpa Share.  Grandpa Wilson is 89 and everyone takes time to be with him and keep an eye on where Grandpa is headed to, the beach stairs are a worry this year

Activities and FREE TIME!  I hear the professional water ski instructor costs almost as much as the boat, and she does not get in the water.  She does gaurantee to get everyone up with instruction from shore.  We shall see if Sue’s idea of the instructor is a success or not at 75 dollars an hour.  I have volunteered my services for a deal at 70/hour…  Where are Bungar, Kevin and Paul when you need them?

Dinners can be an adventure with this family as well.  I have heard rumors about the Adults Only night at Jacobi’s in the past.

Rumor has it there is a fortune teller in Minocqua.  Thanks to Sue’s sluething they will be headed to the fortune teller.  Can you tell there is a lot of extrogen in this family.  I do not see fishing or golfing on the agenda

I have never seen schedualed and annouced Skinny Dipping.  We shall see what comes of this activity.  What are Sardines…. that is a Wilson Family Secret

What will come of the week and the schedual?  I do not know…  stay tuned….  I hear Judy is going into the vacation planning business and can bring order to anyone’s vacation that is needed.  I see a reality show in the making…  Judge Judy and the Wilson Sisters on Vacation

Why no posts the last few days…  sometimes the camera just does not make it out of the house….  I missed a pic of a huge snapping turtle laying eggs down by the cementary…  missed pic of a huge doe along side the road and many other things…  but it just did not come together for an entry…

Until….  Troy inspired me to talk about garbage.   Garbage and the general public is the topic of many conversations around the resort.  From the fishermen who do not double bag or trip bag their fish guts and temps sore to 80 plus degrees to well intended people who try to help bring their garbage over to the dumpster area and put it in the wrong container.

This would be the mail dumpster, the source of the fish smell in the resort at the moment.  All fishermen take note here, double bagging fish guts is very important, this stinky thing does not leave until Wednesday morning and temps on Tuesday will be 85.    There is a Sam’s Club bag of baking soda in it right now keeping the smell down, if it gets bad we will be wrapping the stink bomb in tarps until Tuesday night when it gets unwrapped for early morning pick up.  Also notice the special metal bucket next to the dumpster.  These buckets are where ashes go, cold ones, hot ones, and ones that look like they are out but if thrown in the dumpster could cause the fire department to arrive.

Notice the sign on the main dumpster.  We recycle and you can help us by not putting recycling items in the dumpster that we have to dive in and pull out.

Here is where things get interesting.  Notice the signs.  We no longer have the green bins on the side of the shed.  We now have a dumpster for recycling items (this does not include fish guts).  The little black one is for aluminum cans.

Please notice the sign says Plastic, Glass and cans (Troy ran out of letters it should say tin cans).  It does not say Cardboard.  Please feel free to burn cardboard in your firpit or throw it in the dumpster.  No regular garbage goes in this dumpster.  The sign says it all

Now the most important container.  This container will be sending the Gibson boys to college.  All aluminium cans you throw in this black container go to their college fund.  It you throw in crushed ones the boys owe you one, as they have to dump this container out and stamp the cans with their feet and rebag them to be sold this fall.  When the bees are around mid summer this can be a dangerous job not for the faint of heart

Helping keep these containers straight by reading and following the signs makes our lives much easier and less stinky, and no visits from the firedepartment for cabins burning down or dumpsters on fire.  We appreciate the help.

Tune back in tomorrow for the best way to orgainze your vacation in a spread sheet I have ever seen

How do you take 2 kids like this and keep them busy away from Nintendo DS’s, TV and Ipod’s.

Put a vacation hat like this on them, sunglasses and take them up north and see what happens

One firepit, 2 pokers and hours of fun with no technology involved.  This is what heading up Nort is all about