Birchwood According to Keith

A week ago the population in Birchwood, WI spiked to 522. With the departure of the Van Drunen's it is down to 518 just like the sign says. My Nextel gets lousy service but "no service is a welcome sight when you are on vacation." Cher was helping Liz and Eric with adjustments to their water skiing techniques when they challenged their Mom to walk the walk or in this case ski the ski. So Cher booted up her Tommy Bartletts, popped out of the water, and showed two of her kids she is still one year away from old age. Noteable Quotes: Bucks Ace Hardware - "Need a penny, take one. Need two, get a job." B.P. Gas Station - "This is a pickup point for animal fur, call --------- for more information." On the radio - "Cumberlands is having a rutabaga festival, send in your favorite recipe and win $25 if yours is a winner." First of all what is a rutabaga? An Osprey came within 20' of our boat to pick up a fish off the surface of the water. Its wing span had to be six feet. That will be remembered. A Monarch butterfly came to rest on Liz's foot for 1/2 hour. I think she got 20 pictures of it. There are now two Kayaks at the cottage. We may post a documented deep water entry attempt on the blog. It was not pretty. My father-in-law relayed some advice he received early in his business years from a Jewish client of his. Always get pricing on items being purchased, don't leave an open contract. I neglected that advice when we ordered dessert at the Blue Hills Inn. The credit card charge was $981.00. Upon further review they apologized for the $900 overcharge and in all reality the meal was almost worth $981. Emily had to work this week and could not come with us. As the years march on I can remember playing pinochle with Grandpa and Grandma Voss like it was 3 years ago. Fish cleaning houses are special places. Capital punishment may not be severe enough for a guy who leaves a fish house in less than perfect condition. There are not many things in life that will hurt more than a fellow respected fisherman chiding you about your fish house etiquette. This is something that should be passed through the generations. If you have a chance, go to Murphy's Flowage to listen to quietness. The occasional call of the loon will break the silence. On the way back from the Blue Hills the sunset lit up the sky with a shade of orange that has not been produced by Crayola yet. As John Denver put it "I've seen it raining fire in the sky." If you are too young to know JD google him or something. How can Joe's Bait Shop let you serve yourself and leave the money on the counter? I left 50 cents more just because. We found homemade jams on a table near Tagalong. Put your money in a box. Would that work back home? I think it still would work 3/4 of the way back home in Cedar Grove. Spending some time in a town such as Birchwood puts things in perspective. Is it a better place to live than we are now? I don't know, but it can be a wonderful experience. I have learned the three seasons in WI are pre-season - Packer season - post-season - repeat.