Labor Day 2012

Finally, a weekend at Camp Chicken!

It has been too hot to even go to camp this summer so we have been golfing instead. But the forecast for Labor Day weekend looked good so we decided to go. R and I went up on Friday, after we stopped and played golf. Mary Sue and Tiny came up Saturday morning.

We have been working on removing a large rock from the camp area but unfortunately, the more we dug around it, the larger it became.

Mary took the sledge hammer to it and managed to break off a big chunk of it. The rest will have to wait on help from Ronnie and his tractor.

The big news is that Arlene bought a nice pop-up for use at camp as an extra place for company to sleep and for us to take to Brimley State Park to camp when it is hot.

 

It is really nice and even has heated mattresses. Judi and Anthony and Dallas came up to camp to stay for the first time in a very long time and were the first ones to stay overnight in the new camper.

Dallas is Anthony's new dog. They got him at the shelter and we think he must have been some kind of assistance dog as he is very attached to Anthony and very attentive to him.

Saturday morning while Mary hammered away at the rock, Arlene and I washed the trailer awning.  It is amazing how dirty it gets just rolled up on the trailer!

Then Mary and I set up the croquet area so that when everyone got there we could play.  After Chris, Judy and Ross came we had a few rousing games before dinner was ready.

Arlene grilled pork loin, venison tenderloins, baked potatoes for dinner and Chris, Judy, Ross, Cindy, Judi, Anthony, Mary Sue, Arlene and I all had dinner together.  Judy had brought a potato salad and we had sliced cucumbers and tomatoes also.  It was a feast!

After dinner everyone but Mary and I went for a walk to work off the huge dinner and Mary helped me with the dishes. 

The really big news is that my brother Chris got a faculty position at LSSU so he and his wife Judy and my nephew Ross are living here now.  They bought a dome house half-way between Pickford and the Soo.  We are all very happy that they are here!

After dinner we played more croquet and then sat around the fire all night until about 12:30 AM.  It was so beautiful with the full moon.  We haven't been able to have a fire for a long time due to the drought conditions in the area.  But with all the rain in recent weeks, the ground isn't so terribly dry.

Sunday was just as nice a day as Saturday had been.  We puttered around camp and then about 11:00 Arlene decided she wanted breakfast so I went to town for sausages and eggs.  Boy was that good.

After breakfast, we took turns playing cards and croquet and just relaxing.

Arlene had invited everyone for dinner again on Sunday.  We were having grilled polish sausages and hot dogs.  We all ate too much again.  Even Mom came up around dinner time just to have a real hot dog.  Dad only lets her have the turkey ones....Yuck!

After dinner we sat around the fire again.  We decided to have a game of "Attack Uno".  We haven't played that in forever.  We had to sit at the big picnic table to play.  I think we need a lantern for the table so that we can see the cards.

The evening was really perfect with nice temperatures and the full moon came up about 10:00 PM.  Anthony and Judi had to leave after dinner but enjoyed their stay very much.

Chris had brought up his big telescope, but the optics had been jarred somewhat in the move from Spokane and needed to be aligned.  He couldn't get it quite right, so we couldn't look at any far away galaxies but looking at the moon through it was really spectacular.

We stayed up well past midnight and slept like logs until 8:00 AM.  We wanted to get packed up and out of camp by noon so we could stop at Chris and Judy's house to pick up the washer and dryer that was in their house when they moved in.  They are a smaller set and we can get rid of our old set and use them.  Now we just have to get them down to the basement.

Why is it that weekends at camp just fly by?  All in all it was a great weekend and hopefully we will get nice weather this fall and can spend many more weekends at Camp Chicken.

Early Spring

We have had a really crazy winter here. The weather has been mostly mild until the first week of March and then we got a real old-fashioned U.P. Blizzard.

My brother Chris was in Marquette, MI for an interview and ended up stranded up there. We managed to get him a ride to the Soo to my house and then I took him out to Mom and Dad's in Pickford.

Overnight, Pickford got 15 inches of snow and a big-time blizzard. By Saturday morning, my Trailblazer was buried in Mom and Dad's driveway.



Thankfully, the next day, the weather cleared. I drove Chris back to the Soo as he had an interview at LSSU the next morning. Then Tuesday, I drove him back to Saginaw to catch his flight back to Spokane.

We were really worried about camp but couldn't get up there to check on it as the road up to camp was blocked with the snow that fell.

Finally, last Saturday, we were able to drive in. The road in was pretty rough but once we got to our own camp road, it was fine. There was only about 6 inches of snow left in the camp area and thankfully no damage to either the trailer or the storage shed.

What a relief.

The day started foggy but by noon it had cleared off and while Arlene checked the trailer for mice and other damage, I dug out the firepit and made a fire. All of the melting snow had the awning full of water so we put it down so that it could drain out.





We had fun walking around the camp area looking at all of the tracks. There were large deer tracks that were fresh enough to be from that morning. Hard to tell if it was a doe or a buck but it was pretty big.

There were also some rather small catlike tracks that Arlene thought was a fox. Other than that, there were no other tracks. I like being at camp when there is snow and you can see what kind of animals have been passing through.

We walked back and checked Arlene's deer shack and took a long walk over to where I had left one of our pop-up blinds. When we left last deer season, I didn't get time to take it down. Amazingly, it was still standing so we took it down and hauled it back to camp.

All in all, it was a nice relaxing day. Reluctantly, we decided that it was getting late, so we packed up and headed back out.

We stopped at Main Street Cafe in Pickford, for dinner and then headed home.

Now I am sitting in my chair, unable to do much as I had knee surgery on Thursday. It is doing okay but I am bored sitting around like this doing nothing. Hopefully, I will be up and about by next weekend and ready for another trip to Camp Chicken.

Deer Season Re-Cap

I was fortunate enough to take a nice 8-point buck on 11-11-11 at about 5:20 pm with my bow.





Unfortunately, in the excitement of the moment, I made a pretty poor shot. Arlene, Mary Sue and I ended up tracking my deer for about three hours. He took us down into the thickest part of Camp Chicken.

In our excitement, we forgot a compass and for about an hour we were totally lost back there. The buck kept looping back and making figure-eights and before long we didn't have a clue where we were. I mean, I had a general idea but when you're out in the woods in the dark, that isn't too good.

Finally, we came to a part of the woods we were familiar with. We had come out by the old spring just north of Arlene's shack. What a relief that was. I ran back to camp to get a couple more flashlights and the Blazer and told the girls to stay right there.

Of course, they didn't listen but kept tracking and found the buck just about 20 yards on the other side of our road. He was only about 200 yards from Arlene's deer shack.

We managed to drag him out of the dense thicket he was in and haul him to the car. The rest was fairly easy but it was close to midnight before we finally got him cleaned up and hung on our buckpole.

It was quite a thrill.

Trip to the Stirling Camp

Mary's brother George lives in North Carolina and every November he comes home to go deer hunting.

Mary's Dad's property is near Camp Chicken so we volunteered to take the 4-wheelers and load up some apples and sugar beets to take up to the Stirling hunting camp to put out for the deer. George doesn't get here until a day or two before the season starts so he doesn't get a chance to put out any bait for the deer.

We put the apples and beets in Arlene's little trailer and loaded up for our adventure.





When we take the 4-wheelers, Mary always had to hold Tiny, but Arlene came up with this idea for a "Tiny Carrier". She took an old camo back pack and turned it around so the backpack part was in the front. Then she took a bungee cord and attached it to the shoulder straps in the back to hold it in place. We put Tiny inside the bag so she was able to ride without Mary having to hold her.




Tiny actually really likes it. She is comfortable and warm and she can look around and see where we are going.

We headed out to make the trip to the Stirling camp. It is quite a ways away from Camp Chicken, probably at least two miles on two track roads. Part of the road goes through poplar swamp and it gets pretty muddy. The last mile is pretty rough. It was slow going with a fully loaded trailer and both Arlene and Mary on the 4-wheeler.

But we made it and didn't get lost once.



Mary spread out the apples and beets and we put the rest of the bags in the old horse barn for next weekend. Years ago, men would come up in this area and cut pulpwood. My grandfather, Elmer Rutledge, his brother Len, and his cousin, Hughie Leach and their families would live up in these woods and cut pulpwood for a penny a "stick". I think a "stick" was actually a poplar tree. They used horses to drag the "sticks" out of the woods and they kept them in small barns.




We spent some time looking around the hunting camp at the new deck and outhouse that had been added since our last trip up here.





I really liked this old thermometer that was hanging on the front of the cabin.



This sign hangs on the old horse barn welcoming guests to the Stirling camp.

Beautiful Weekend at Camp

Last weekend the forecast was for 75 degree temperatures and sunny weather so Arlene, Mary and I had a brainstorm. We would take off work at noon on Friday and go play golf and then go spend the weekend at camp.

It was quite a trick to get our clubs and everything else into the car but we managed it. We couldn't leave Tiny in the car as it was too hot so we took her golfing. Thank goodness Munoscong Golf Club is a very tolerant place and Tiny is a very good little dog.







We had a great time and then headed to camp.

Saturday was so beautiful and we were up early and went to town to get more corn for the deer and then back to camp to cut wood for Mom and Dad. There was a huge ironwood tree down near camp and since it makes great firewood we wanted to get it cut up.




It didn't really take too long to get the tree marked and cut up. Arlene marks the tree we are going to cut up so that the logs are uniform and stack easily and also so that they fit in Mom and Dad's stove.

We got the tree marked, cut up into lengths and loaded in the trailer. Then we took the big trailer down to Mom and Dad's and put the wood away in their woodshed.

After we got back, I took a few photos of the beautiful leaves around the camp clearing.




It was so nice out that we decided to take the 4-wheelers for a ride. When we got back to camp we had a nice surprise; Arlene's daughter Judi and grandson Anthony had come for a visit. We had a really nice dinner of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.

Afterward, we built a nice fire and had coffee while we visited. We had another nice surprise when Mom came up for a visit also. It was a really beautiful evening with a full moon rising right at sunset. I took these photos around the campfire but they didn't turn out so well for some reason.






It was a perfect weekend at Camp Chicken.

A Busy August.....

It has been a long time since I've written anything from the old Camp Chicken.

We have had a busy summer. Arlene is doing well with her knee replacement and my ribs have finally healed enough after four years to play golf again.

My brother Chris, his wife Judy and my nephew Ross were here for a visit in August for my parent's 60th Wedding Anniversary Party. Unfortunately, Chris had a flu bug for most of the time we were at camp. I didn't get a chance to even take any pictures.

Shortly after that, Arlene's grandson, Clifton, his wife Robin, and his children Savannah and Jack came for a visit and spent a couple of days at camp. Most of the rest of Arlene's family dropped in for the day also.



Chayse and his "GG" return from a walk.



Clif, Rob, Jack, Savannah and Madison enjoy breakfast at camp.



Jack, Madison, and Savannah eating S'mores around the campfire.



Little Courtney in her lawn chair.

Arlene had all of her great-grandchildren at camp at one time; Chayse, Madison, Courtney, Savannah and Jack.

Since that time, Arlene, Mary and I have been busy getting ready for deer season and cutting wood for Mom and Dad.

We put up the corn feeders at Arlene's hunting spot and at camp so that we can watch the deer. I wasn't gettin that much action at camp but they are eating Arlene out of "house and home" as my Gram used to say.

After a careful investigation of the deer cam photos, we finally figured out why.



If you look at the photo you can see that the deer have figured out how to turn their heads sideways and stick their noses in between the "varmint" cage and turn the spinner and dispense their own corn.

We laughed pretty hard when we saw these photos. No wonder she was going through 100 pounds of corn a week. The big ones knock the corn out of the feeder for themselves and the little ones.

I have been entertaining myself hunting those darn turkeys. I thought I was all set this year. Arlene's son-in-law, Dan lent me his turkey gun. He has it all tricked out with camo and a red dot sight. All I had to do, he said, was lay my cheek on the pad and put the red dot right on the turkey's head.

So, I am all ready when the turkeys come in. I put the red dot right on the big gobbler's head and pull the trigger...BANG and the turkey runs away. What the heck? Apparently, I either didn't know how to use the sight or something went wrong.

So I went and got the turkey target he gave me and tried to pattern the shotgun and I was way off. So I decided to go borrow a gun from my Dad. He has a nice 12-gauge, full choke. So I put a light load in it and shot at the turkey target and it patterned pretty nicely. Then I put in the 3-inch, turkey loads (#4) and pulled the trigger and almost blew my shoulder off. WOW!!! Did it kick.

Anyway, Sunday, I got another chance at those dastardly turkeys and somehow I missed again. I have no idea how or why. But, I'll keep trying.

I think this must be the turkey doing his "Victory Dance":

Happy Memorial Day!

Sorry that the Camp Chicken Chronicles has been silent of late. It has been a busy spring.

Arlene was doing really well with her new knee until the last week of her therapy and she began to experience a great deal of pain. Turns out she has a stress fracture of the small leg bone in her right leg, the same leg as the new knee. It was very disappointing to her and very frustrating. She is doing better but I don't think it has completely healed.

We were at camp last weekend just in time for the first black fly and mosquito hatch. Wow! I forgot what it was like to be swarmed by biting insects. Whew.

We had been at camp the first weekend in May and it had been great. We set up the croquet game and had some pretty intense matches. Tiny watches with great interest from the cozy comfort of her chair as the game progresses. I noticed that in this photo, you can see that she is getting old. I hate the thoughts of that. She is such a big part of camp now.






We had a very nice time that weekend. It was Mom's 81st birthday on Saturday, May 7th and we went out for brunch on Sunday for her birthday and Dad's. He was 84 on April 25th.

Last weekend, we got to camp about our usual time and tried to cut the grass but the insects swarmed us pretty bad. Mary managed to get the area around the firepit done and I did the long grass where the motor home used to be. The motor home is gone, thank goodness. We don't have to look at that old wreck anymore.

After getting things unloaded we toddled off to Hessel casino for the evening. We didn't have much luck and were tucked in our beds back at camp by 11:30 pm.

Saturday morning was really beautiful and sunny. We got up at 8:00 am and had our donuts and coffee and got to work. Mary and I loaded up all the junk that was piled up around camp. There was an old swing, two BBQ grills, and an old lawn mower. We threw it in the trailer and hauled it up to "Malfunction Junction", the local junk yard.

I just wanted to get rid of it, but as it turned out, the stuff was worth some cash! We headed back to camp to load up the rest of the old lumber from the deck we replaced last summer at home. I wanted to haul it up in the woods and put it on the brush pile on the "Short-cut Road".

Small problem, though, the new Chevy Trailblazer is wider than the old Blazer I used to have, so it barely fit in between some of the trees on the road. Don't think I will be trying that again. We did manage to get the wood unloaded and I had to turn that darn trailer around up in the woods because the rest of the road is blocked by some downed trees.

After a good deal of cussing, I managed to get turned around and get safely back to camp. Our last task of the camp cleanup, was to hook up Dad's old snowmobile trailer to Arlenes big 4-wheeler and haul it over to the other big clearing and out of our way.

We took a break and had some lunch and then headed to Mom and Dad's to load up Dad's riding lawn mower and take it out to Cindy's house so she could mow her back yard. Mary started up her push mower and mowed the front yard for her and we were done in no time.

Back to camp for a relaxing evening. Arlene was grilling T-bone steaks and potatoes for supper. Wow, were those steaks delicious. Cindy came up for dinner and afterward, we made a nice fire and had "Smore's". We were really having a great time, when the wind died down and the bugs got really bad. We had to give up and go inside and play cards for the rest of the evening.

Rain moved in overnight and it was still very wet and cool in the morning. We listened to the weather report over morning coffee and donuts. Severe weather was possible later in the day so we decided to pack it up and come home.

We probably won't spend Memorial Day at camp. Arlene's granddaughter, Sarah is graduating from Sault High on Sunday and her open house is Saturday. Looking forward to socializing with everyone and eating some really great food.

Depending on the weather, we might make a camp run on Monday. We'll see how tired we are from graduation. I have to haul the trailer back to camp anyway.

The city alley plow went by a couple of weeks ago and dug up this big piece of concrete out of our yard and flipped it up onto the lawn. We busted it up into pieces with the sledge hammer and I need to haul it up to camp and get rid of it.

Well, have a great weekend everyone and get outside!!