Black’s Cliff Resort’s Birch Bark Blog

The rain came cascading down the steps.  Not sure how many inches but it all flowed down the beach steps.

The delta at the top of the steps

Waterfall

Time to dash back to the house

The 4th of July week means one thing, time for the 15th annual Roy Tungett Horse Shoe Tournament.  10 of the 11 cabins at the resort headed down to Hilltop for Ting Soda, a few beers, pizza and horse shoes

Mr Tungett and the 2010 players.  This year there were 17 teams entered

Newly added this year is The Pony Plaque for those that have never gotten on the winners plaque.  Notice the top of the list is Terry Hixson who has put a lot of effort into winning by distracting other players but has remained a Non winner

Gloria Vs. Linda in a classic game of strategy and gamesmanship.  Each is praying the other wins so that they can sit the rest out and enjoy the tournament from the sidelines

Linda and her partnert came out on top and she is consoling Gloria or is it the other way around…..

The official referee Tom Hixson with his ruler making sure everything is legal

Kate from Ireland showing great form.  She will be going back to the big island a olympic swimmer and horseshoe champion

Rick Agnew getting the best dressed award for putting these color combinations together

In the end it came down to Sarah and her superior bounce technique.  Hit the ground before the pit and bounce the shoe in

Brigid and her sharp eyed marksmanship learned from the streets of South Chicago

Troy and his hometown advantage.  He sneaks down to Hilltop in the offseason and throws shoes when nobody is watching

Finally Tim who was our 2nd place winner last year.  Could he and Sarah pull out an upset over Brigid and Troy?

In the end the great horseshoe god “Oh No” was called upon to once again present the awards

Nobody messes with a Horseshoe god in a US Marine shirt in Chinese

Our 2nd place winners receiving their awards from Dawn who got 2nd place last year with Tim

Sarah will be using her prize to work out all year to get in shape for 2011 tornament

1st place winners Troy and Brigid with “Oh No” enjoying their moment of winning and getting on the plaque again

Congrats to the 2010 winners and a big thanks to Mr Tungett for organizing the festivities again

One last award to give out “The Pony Plaque” to Terry the longest running non winner.  Should we point out he is the only member of the Hixson family on the plaque

Afterward the real party started with Rick and his musical instrument.  Only this instrument would match that outfit

After the tournament at precisely 5:30 everyone shows up on the playground with a dish to pass and their meat cooked.  If you are late you may miss out on the great deserts

Everyone enjoying great friends and a great meal

Voted as the best dish was Dawn’s Ten Layer Jello  Don’t wiggle it too much or the tower falls over

Afterwards the kids favorite time came with Terry giving everyone and Alligator Ride they will not soon forget.  See everyone back in 2011 for the 16th annual Horseshoe Tournament only 51 weeks away and counting

Eight dove in the water for the “Big Swim” across the lake.  There were 5 first timers.  Most afternoons in the summer you will see heads bobbing across the lake for anyone brave enough to do the “Big Swim”

The trusty boat spotters staying close to the swimmers in case anyone needed to jump on and to keep other boats away

The Peanut gallery cheering everyone across the lake

Sarah a veteran of many a “Big Swim”, taking it a little slow with her bad knee and cheering on Kate from Ireland who was swimming farther than she ever had before.  Go Kate GO!

We made it!  Now who is swimming back?  4 did make the return trip swimming back and 4 jumped on the boat.  5 new lake swimmers can go home to brag they made it across the lake.  Kate was thrilled to make it but will not be swimming the English Channel when she gets home

The Eastern end of the Black Family arrived to enjoy a week in the Northwoods.  Dave and Bonnie spent the week introducing Ellanora to all sorts of new sights in the woods.  They took a trip to The St Germain Flea Market on Monday returning with some yard art that will be turning heads in Washington DC.  The St Germain Flea market is something that has be be experienced, from crafters, to local foods and antiques everything can be found at The Flea Market.  Question is how to ship the Peacock and everything else they bought to Washington DC, because this year with Ellanora they flew.

A little help from Uncle Craig and a hack saw the Peacock will now make it in a flat box.  Dave will have to find a welder on the other end to weld a pole back on

Only found at the St Germain Flea market and now to a suburb of Washington DC.

This is the only picture needed today to prove THE SUN IS FINALLY OUT!  I believe the gloom set in June 5th or so and it has taken this long for the sun to return.  Everyone will be soaking up some much needed vitamin D today

For the fishermen out there I had this pic sent to me from Brent and Annette Geilenfeldt.  Brent caught this muskie while up last week in the gloom and the rain.  It was the highlight of their week.  I am sure Annette has it already scraped in her online photo book.  Can’t wait to see what she comes up with for this trips photo book.  She can’t beat her squirrel pics or putting the driveway on fire this winter

Life been a little chaotic lately?  Enjoy these quiet pics taken on Lower Kaubashine this evening.  Beautiful calm night

A few days of Norway being open and it got 1/2 of its new roof on.  The rest will have to wait til fall.  Craig happily admiring his work.  While up on the roof he found an interesting message left from one of 3 characters under a few layers of old roofing… Bunger, Paul or Kevin…  Our bets are that it was Kevin

Birchwood getting a new coat of paint.  Somewhere I have a picture of Maynard 40 years ago doing this same job

Troy trying to figure out the easiest way to put a new roof on the pagoda at the top of the steps… quite a challenge

In other news I emptied our rain gage since Saturday and we have received about 7 inches of much needed rain.  Everything for once looks a little water logged and the boats are definitely in need of bailing so it is good the kids are in their last day of school today.  Over the weekend we are expecting more rain.  Our lake being spring fed is down a bit but nothing compared to 4 – 5 feet I hear many lakes are down.  A friend of mine is not even putting in their boat on Lake Seventeen due to not being able to dock it at their dock and fears of the rocks and other things that are sticking up in their lake.  The flowages are way down.  So this rain hopefully will help to right the lake levels again

Mike Rose shared these pictures of the fish he caught this weekend.  This is officially the world’s ungliest muskie.  I think it had been in a few fights and its face came out the looser.  It was 39.5 and thrown back into Lower Kaubashine to keep scaring everyone with its ugly face

Mike was thrilled to catch the biggest Walleye he has ever caught at 25.5 inches.  A much prettier fish than the Muskie and was also released back into the depths of Lower Kaubashine

Loon stopping in for fishing tips from Mike

Thanks to Lauren, Mike’s daughter for being woken up earlier than she wanted to take pics of dad’s fish.  Thanks to the Rose family for sharing these great pictures!

All cabins are cleaned up and ready for Memorial Day Weekend.  If Craig looks at this picture he is going to say something about painting the facia board on the front of Birchwood but time just ran out, next week

A few last touches.  Everyone’s favorite table on the blue dock needs a touch up paint job

This cool old glider rocker I found at Island City Antique Market is going to get a paint job and ready for summer.  Not sure where I am going to put it….  Needs just the right spot.  I was glad I found it, they had just put it out for an hour before I snagged it at Island City Antiques

Horseshoes also need a quick coat of paint.  Summer here we come!

I headed down by the road to catch these pics of Doug and Rob fishing on a beautiful night.  Calm lake, cool, but not too cool temps and fish biting

They had just gotten the crappies to start biting when I got down there

Life is good!