Rhinelander Visit (Fire?!) and Hurlburt Reunion

What a busy July-! I'll start with a picture of Jonathan, for those of you who haven't seen him much this summer... he was over last week for a cook out.

The kids and I are back from a 4-day visit to Rhinelander. My brother Don and his family are up visiting Mom and Dad, all the way from Arkansas. Since we don't get to leave the state very often, this was a rare chance to get together and let our kids get reacqainted (while running amok in somebody else's house).

Despite not seeing one another since Christmas, the kids jumped right back into play and their former relationships (with some adjustment made now that they're older and interests have evolved). Kenny and Michael must have played twelve games of chess together. And Beth and Emma were thick as thieves.

The upshot: Mom and Dad's playground equipment received a healthy workout.

Don's youngest boy, Stephen, is six months older than Leila. This was really the first time that Leila and Stephen have been old enough to interact. They seemed to enjoy one another, though once again it appears that my daughter will be the aggressor in interactions with my brother's son... Leila bit Stephen at least once and flailed her arms at him menacingly (while jutting out her chin) several times.

This couldn't help but remind Hope and me of Emma's initial reaction to Kenny. I guess the "big sister bully gene" carries through to cousins... sorry Don!

Of course I exaggerate. It really was delightful-- even magical-- watching the kids interact with one another. The first night there we had a bonfire. All the kids, even the babies, stayed up well past dusk and played together outside while we adults sat nearby and watched. Kenny caught fireflies in his hands. Emma and Beth found a couple of Grandpa's flashlights, and a game of hide and seek around the garden (with the boys) ensued.

Hope noted that typically her kids are more fearful and cautious about being outside after dark. But banded together with cousins and armed with flashlights, they were brave and courageous explorers who had to be dragged into the house when bedtime finally arrived.

Meanwhile, Leila and Stephen played in the their own way, quietly, with sand and buckets.

The second day of our visit was ambitious. We took the kids first to Pioneer Park and then to Buck Lake. Originally Mom and Dad planned to come along, but by the time we were ready to leave they were weary (of us?) and opted instead for the peace and quiet of home.

So we loaded up the vehicles and convoyed over to Pioneer Park. I hadn't been there since Michael was a toddler, so enjoyed seeing the new displays (along with everything old and familiar).

There's a logging museum and a one-room schoolhouse. I was impressed with the extensive miniature train display they have. For fifty cents the trains run for eight minutes, under tunnels and over bridges in a remarkably realistic wooded lumber town setting.

You can tell it was someone's labor of love.

This carousel ride (at right) was a highlight. Leila wept bitterly when we had to leave it.

After the park, we headed to Buck Lake. I hadn't been there since highschool, so had to follow Don to get there... there's no way I would have been able to find it on my own.

The beach is still quite nice. It gets deep quickly, but there is lots of nice sand so is relatively safe for soft little feet.

The kids built sand castles and "lake and river" systems. Emma was kind of intense and territorial about it, but overall everyone got along well and enjoyed a day in the sunshine.

While there we got a phone call from Mom. Apparently the neighbor's field-- directly adjacent to Mom and Dad's land and house-- was on fire. Mom had called 911 and a fire crew had quickly responded.

We gathered the kids together and made our way home. While still on Shepard Lake Road we passed a couple of fire trucks heading back to town, so thought we'd probably missed all the action, but several vehicles and a TV news crew were still there when we arrived.

It was pretty surreal to see so much activity around my parents' quiet house!

The neighbor who owns the field, George, had been over that morning cutting firewood but was no longer present when Mom saw the smoke and flames. He doesn't actually live on the property, but has a hunting cabin nearby and uses the field to store firewood (which he sells). Unfortunately, in recent years he has also started storing scrap metal and old appliances back there, as well.

They weren't sure of the cause of the fire, but George speculated that maybe his chainsaw set off sparks that kindled into fire after he left.

Less than an acre of field was burned, but by the time firefighters arrived several trees had started to catch fire. Since things are dry and the land is isolated and heavily forested, this could have quickly developed into a serious fire.

George's field is obstructed by a thick wall of trees that separate it from my parents' house. From their living room, they would not have been able to see the fire. Luckily Mom had walked out to the mailbox, and on the way back noticed smoke and investigated. Dad was busy working outside, but hadn't observed any signs of the fire yet.

Hopefully the result will be that George will be more cautious while running his chainsaw... and maybe start clearing away some of that junk, now that the authorities have had a good look at it.

It was odd to realize that if Mom and Dad had come along with us as originally planned, this fire would likely have spread to their land and endangered their house. As a child walking home from the school bus, I used to imagine how terrible it would be to come around the bend and see our house burnt to ashes.

This time it could really have happened. I'm sure Mom and Dad would say that their guardian angel was watching.

The only actual "tragedy" our family experienced this week was the demise of Chicken Jane. During one of the afternoons we were gone, Jon went golfing and didn't get back to the house until after dark. The chickens' coop door was left unlatched, and Chicken Jane went missing. A pile of dark feathers under the picnic table seemed to bode ominously for her.

Emma shed some tears, but it wasn't long before she began speculating about our replacement chicken. And we already have her-- the new chicken is named "Stripes" and is a black & white checked "Barred Rock" chicken (same kind as Ulga).

After getting home there wasn't much time to rest... we had a Hurlburt family reunion on Saturday.

This annual reunion, held in Cornell's Mill Yard Park, is in honor of the descendants of Jon's grandparents, Ruth and Harry Hurlburt. It's a fun chance for Jon to visit with cousins on his father's side of the family, and we weren't disappointed... even the cousins from Texas were there!

I enjoyed learning that several of Jon's cousins check my blog occasionally, having discovered it last year after I reported on the 2008 Hurlburt family reunion.

This year we had sunshine alternating with pouring rain, but the Mill Yard pavillion kept the food dry... so no harm done. As usual, the variety and sheer quantity of food at our potluck was amazing. The Hurlburts (and Martins! and Crakers!) know how to eat well.

At right: Malia, Leila, and Brook check out the auction items.

As in other years, Jon's oldest brother Brent ran the reunion's auction. Families donated items for the auction, and money raised (usually) goes to a charitable donation in Ruth and Harry's name.

This year some of the previous year's auction money was doled out ahead of time in a drawing, so that the grandchildren (and one lucky adult) could receive a little spending money ahead of time. Every child got something... $5 for most, but there was one $20 winner and maybe two $10 winners.

Mikey used his winnings to purchase these fine items. He won Grandma Jane's red hat in a bidding war with Emma. However, later that night Emma sauntered by... wearing the hat. I asked her how she came to have it, and she said that Michael had traded it to her. The trade? Her Mother Goose CD. Not because Mikey is a Mother Goose fan, but because that CD has been driving him nuts all summer-- she played it frequently.

But no more! How's that for entrepreneurship?

At right: Malia and Emma. Below: Leila and Jon's cousin Joel Craker's daughter, Laurel.

After Leila's dealings with Stephen, Hope won't be surprised to hear that Leila was a little on the aggressive side with Laurel. Sigh.

Still, it was good seeing everyone. We look forward to next year.

After all this busy fun in the sun, excuse me while I go relax and have some coffee!