Dwight Peck's personal website

Scenes from the old country, summer 2018

More annual lakeside fun in the Northwoods



You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Welcome to the Wisconsin Northwoods

A blessedly uneventful flight from DC to Chicago and on to Green Bay, Wisconsin, one of the few times that it went without a missed connection or a cancellation (not that we wanted to go to Green Bay, that's just the closest airport we could get to). We're here on the family's point on the northern shoreline of the lake, 25 June 2018.

We're headed for the far end of the driveway.

That's the one, at the end of the point.

Family members down the row towards the communal dock

The boathouse at the end of the point, an 'historical landmark' no less

The lake is the highest it's been in memory, and the tag alder shoreline growth from the low-water years is dying back with each year of submersion. That's the 'point' of Mussent Point.

The neighbors across the little cove by the boathouse

The common family dock

The shoreline of the point and the retreating tag alders

The hydrobike station

They've been resting all winter and should be eager to leap into action.

Across the upper lake, and Cousin Rob's house behind the farthest trees

Speaking of Cousin Rob, we're going down the canal, impassable during earlier dry years, but no problems now.

Along the canal to the next, much bigger lake, and with propellers down

Mirror Lake halfway along the canal

Mirror Lake flooding its shoreline well back into the woods

Farther along, out of Mirror Lake and through the culvert under the only road in the area

Another tree down

The canal was dug in the late 19th century to float logs from the farther lake over to the sawmill on our lake, but it didn't work out so well. Our lake level turned out to be higher than the other one.

The spillway at the far end of the canal. There has been some debate among property owners this year about whether to open it up a bit and drop the lake from these high levels, or to leave it at its 'natural level'. Cousin Rob is trying to determine what that natural level really is.

And whether the ancient spillway can be opened further without falling apart.

Back under the road

A little creek that miraculously appeared in one of the little bays -- nearly invisible and barely suspected in low-water years, it can be seen on Google Maps, and here it is, just where it should be.

Harvesting chanterelle mushrooms on the neighbor's lot, with permission.

Back from the dock after a daily excursion on hydrobikes, hunting along the shorelines for mushrooms and for the noxious invasive weed, the purple loosestrife. (We eat the first and tear up the second for burning.)

We're gathered to see some special kind of moon appearing only tonight, 28 June 2018.

But it's after Melvin's bedtime.

Well, that's the moon all right.

And that's the highway bridge at the South Bay of the lake.

Kristin returning on her pedal-board from a visit with the neighbors across the lake

An informal referendum on Mr Trump

We're looking for a parking spot, eager to join the political demonstration against our President's 'zero-tolerance' (grimly amusing coming from our President) family separation policy. 30 June 2018.

Very non-confrontational, probably all for the best

All in good fun (not for the separated families, of course) -- this is the first demonstration I've ever participated in; though I had to act as a 'marshal' in a couple of the anti-Vietnam War university-closers at Ohio University, grad students deployed to 'calm' our undergrads along the police lines.

The poor young lady in red was acting for a local television station, grabbing some still photos and bits of audio.

A significant number of drivers passing over the bridge honked their horns and waved in support.

Not everyone was interested, of course. Perhaps they're some of the deplorables.

A pleasant smile and a trenchant handdrawn message

Back into town. Where there is an 'Agent on Duty', uh oh!

Not that anyone believes that Blackshirts like Trump or Sessions will read about us on Fox News and begin to tremble and stammer. They'll do what they want to do, the families and their lost children will suffer, and we'll hope there will be enough left to get the country going again after the dim-bulb grenade-throwers have left the scene.

Along the high street on a busy Saturday morning

Last rendezvous and social hour

We're protesting the appalling crimes of the American government under rows of celebratory American flags overhead.

Celebratory Flags must make up a significant portion of the town budget.

-- Hold this while I just replace the battery.

Well put

-- Can you give us your views on separating families, please, and kidnapping children?
-- Yes, it's terrible.

A clever pun, with his phone number appended

Back to the hacienda.


Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 23 August 2018.


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