Winding Down

September 1st is this coming Tuesday. In Wisconsin that means school is back in session. For the first time this summer, our park is only half full this weekend. A nice break for us!

We have had the busiest summer in our five years working at Derge Park. We have been basically full every weekend since mid May. Part of that is due to the storm that went through one of our sister parks in mid-July. They have been closed ever since, but will partially reopen next weekend. They really worked hard to be open for Labor Day as they were almost fully booked for that weekend at the time of the storm, and the other Dodge County campgrounds were also booked. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are almost always full at all four of the Dodge County campgrounds.

Our park only has 24 sites. Every site in the park is visible from our site. The sites are not small, but they are also not huge. We have a reputation as being a quiet and peaceful place to camp, and that’s how we like it. The park that was closed half of the summer due to the storm damage is a little different. They have 75 sites and some of them are in secluded areas with lots of trees and no hook-ups. Those sites tend to attract the campers who are out for a partying type of weekend.

Some of those people were relocated to our park this summer. We had a few run-ins with people regarding the amount of people on a site, dogs off leash, too many cars, noise and the types of problems you would associate with people whose main purpose is to party the weekend away. Our park is not the place for that type of behavior because it interferes with the enjoyment of the rest of the campers.

Across the street is a boat launch that is also part of the park. Kevin was out mowing and noticed the damage to a small tree in the parking area of the boat launch. I wonder what the car or boat looked like after taking off the bark of half of the small tree at the front of the picture. You can see how far off the pavement they were. I wonder if alcohol was a factor.

I had an interesting visitor to the bird feeder the other day. Maybe this was a juvenile cardinal. His coloring was very mottled; not the bright red I’m used to seeing. He also looked like he needed to brush his hair, although it was rather windy.

Last weekend we enjoyed golfing with friends Art and Dawn. Tomorrow my family and our son Eric are coming for a picnic. The weather was quite cold, windy and dreary this past week. I even had to turn on the heat pump a few nights when lows got into the high 40s. Starting tomorrow its going to warm up again. Highs next week are expected to reach near 90, just in time for the kids to be back in school.

The forecast for next weekend which is Labor Day is expected to be warm and sunny. We have four couples coming to camp at our campground that we’ve known for many years. Should be a fun weekend.

We won’t be leaving until mid-October, but I’m starting to get that hitch itch feeling. September in Wisconsin can be a very beautiful time of year, so I’ll enjoy that before we leave. Hopefully, the campground will be less busy after next weekend.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Fun Times

I can’t believe its been over two weeks since my last blog post. I guess time flies when you’re busy and having fun.

The campground continues to be very busy, and much of our time is taken up with our jobs and helping campers. Overall, it has been a good summer. Of course, there are always a few people that feel rules don’t apply to them. But, that’s part of the reason why we are here; to ensure everyone can enjoy their camping experience.

On August 1st our Quonset shelter was rented by the Wisconsin Falconers Association for their annual summer picnic meeting. I had never heard of this organization. It turns out there are national and international chapters. Their members enjoy owning, training and hunting with these raptors.

Some of the members brought birds with them and gave demonstrations. I didn’t realize hunting with these birds was such a big sport. These two are Harris’ hawks.

This one is a female red-tailed hawk. It was cool to see one of these birds up close. We’ve had a family of them living in the park the last two years, but they don’t let us get this close. What a beautiful bird.

This one is a Gyrfalcon. At one point the handler had some type of headdress on it that made it look just like the bird that used to be on the show Falcon Crest that was on in the 1980s. Too bad I didn’t get a picture of that. Another amazing looking bird. I really enjoyed having this group in the park. They were kind enough to let me take pictures and answer my questions.

On August 2nd, we went to a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game with a group of friends. We enjoyed tailgating before the game and then went in to watch the game. It was the hottest day of the year with temps around 90 degrees. I saw several people being treated by EMTs for heat related problems. Luckily, our seats were in the shade for the most part, and there was a nice strong breeze all day.

The team has not been doing well at all this year. In fact, they traded away quite a few players to begin the rebuilding process. They lost the game, but we still had a good time with friends.

On August 4th, we went to another Brewers game with our son Eric. BP gas stations have a promotion each summer where you can earn free tickets with gas purchases. So, we had free tickets for this game.

Before the game we went to a new attraction at the stadium called The Selig Experience. It’s a video presentation of the life of Bud Selig who brought baseball back to Milwaukee after the Braves left in the 1960s. He was instrumental in getting Miller Park built to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee, and he was the commissioner of baseball for many years. It was a great presentation.

Bob Uecker has been a Brewers broadcaster for many years, and still announces games. Years ago he did some Miller beer commercials in which he was escorted to his seat at the very top of the stadium. Miller Park has some Uecker seats available for $1 at every game.

We had a great time with Eric and our team even won.

We’ve played some golf, enjoyed some nice summer weather, and are working. That’s about all there is. Can’t complain!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!