Wisconsin With Kids {Free Fun in Stevens Point}

One highlight of January is Cranberry School.  It's basically a trade show highlighting cranberry products and services plus a number of seminars aimed at educating cranberry growers of all kind in the latest cranberry related research and practices.

It's been years since we tagged along, watching cable from a hotel bed, swimming, snacking endlessly while Warren learns all he can for the upcoming growing season.  It was mostly bliss until we had to check out 3.5 hours before Cranberry school let out.  What was I going to do with 4 kids in Stevens Point?  More specifically free things in Stevens Point.

Having gone to UW-SP I was familiar with their Natural History Museum located in the University Library.  It's been updated and is a really nice place to hang out with kids.  It's just big enough that you feel like you're at a real museum, but it's not so big that everyone's sick and tired of walking by the end.  Another bonus here - the kids can basically walk around the entire museum without supervision because it's small, not much chance of getting lost or stolen.  Because really, would a college student want to steal a pre-schooler who snacks every 10 minutes?  I don't think so.  

The museum starts out with this beautiful butterfly and other insect display.  Joe started counting 1, 2, skip a few 99, 100.  

Dinosaur artifacts - bones, teeth and more.

Looking at the temperate climate display.  There were scavenger hunt sheets available, which was fun and helped keep us their longer hunting for specific animals.  Remember we had 3.5 hours to burn.

Neat display of large cat skulls.  And a wall of cat puzzles, too.

3-D Wisconsin was interesting.  We looked for high points and flat lands and river valleys.  Joe said the glasses made him dizzy.

After visiting the wall of birds of prey where Peter took a blurry picture of every eagle, hawk, falcon and owl we sat down for a bit with the provided coloring pages and mazes.  There were also field guides and other books to peruse and the couch made a nice reading spot.

The museum is free, but if you wish, cash is accepted in a donation box.  Gift shop is available.

Next up was the Sculpture Park.  It's a loop off the Green Circle trail and completely new to me.  We weren't particularly dressed for the occasion - a winter hike, but we went with it anyway.  Wisconsin kids are tough kids.

Again, free, but donations are welcome.  This time in the duck bill.

Outhouse in the Sky #2 

I'll spare you the picture, but after all the potty talk that went with viewing this sculpture, I turned around to see Joe's pants around his ankles, doing his #1 business in the snow.

Wired

And this was my favorite of what we saw that day.  An Aldo Leopold bench - oversize edition.  Makes me want to read A Sand County Almanac again.

We didn't see every sculpture.  Wet and cold feet, numb fingers, much needed potty breaks (not for Joe, though) and a desire for ice cream had us running back to the van for heat.

Last stop was Culver's.  And because I'd saved Scoopie coupons, everyone got a free ice cream cone before picking up Dad from Cranberry School.

I'd love to see more suggestions for Free Fun in Stevens Point.  Leave a comment here or at Facebook.

Thanks for reading and have a great evening.  It's gray, snowing, and 16 degrees F.  It's also time to feed the natives.

April (snow) Showers......Are Wrong

Just popping in for a quick minute to share the April snow showers that are falling right now.  Every time I look up there's more snow on the ground.

Here's what it looked like on Wednesday.  All the snow had melted from our pre-Easter snow dump, the mud had dried up for the most part, and the only depressing weather left was the cold and clouds.  Now we're right back into winter again, with another mud season to follow.  yuck!

Look at that background.  Actually looks like spring could spring.

And this is the patio this morning.

The birds are quite active.  I enjoyed a few minutes watching the feeders this morning.

Juncos and Goldfinches

How's this for an April 2 landscape.

Blogging was nonexistent this week.  Getting back into the swing of school, preparing for Creative Arts Day, and a list of things to accomplish a mile long kept me away from the blog.  I have so many pictures to share from Easter, a sponsored giveaway coming up, and more on homeschooling.  We just have to make it through Creative Arts Day:  2 demonstration speeches, 2 violin solos, 1 club play, and 1 entry into the People's Choice Photo Contest.

If you're getting snow - good luck.  If you're getting sunshine - I'm a bit jealous.  Enjoy your day!

7 Quick Takes Friday

Take 1

Day in and Day out, life happens around here.  It seems - at a lightning pace.  Our 4th hunter education graduate gets a .22 rifle.  

Take 2

A little afternoon shooting.  This was taken before our March snowstorm.  Oh, how I love the look of dry ground.

Take 3

Even Amber pulled out her .22 and joined the guys, shooting at water bottles and an impact target.

Take 4

I asked Peter if he wanted to go outside and play or sit on the saddle with the ipod all afternoon.  His answer:  sit on the saddo with the ipod all afternoon.  The joy of having sisters with horses....(and ipods)

Take 5

And then it snowed.....in March.  It's not that we don't expect snow in March.  It's just not very welcome after all the previous snow has melted and an Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for the weekend.  The sun's been working overtime trying to melt it all, but that means mud. 

Take 6

Daughters who bake bread are awesome!

Take 7

This little cutie patootie thinks she's the boss.  Of everything.  Warren and I know we are the adults.  We know we're the parents.  We know we can't let her continue bossing everyone around, but man is it difficult putting a stop to it.  

For more quick takes

Log Cutting in the Winter....(and a birthday)

It's not often I get to publicly express my love and honor for this man.  I suppose if I looked back, I might find something in the March archives of years past.  Birthdays are a good time to really let someone know how much you care.

I don't think there's ever been a year without a baby or toddler helping blow out the candles.  Soon enough though, the littlest one grows up.  Warren always says, "Someone has to be the baby."  I just love these two pictures......the lopsided cake, only 12 birthday candles, frosting that doesn't quite cover.  It sums up our life - we might not look like we have it all together, but somehow it all works.

The little kids like to pick out some kind of candy for a gift.  Maria picked out gum and tic tacs.

And Peter picked out a chewy mix from Fleet Farm.

The older kids know how much Dad loves the story behind the Edmund Fitzgerald, so this book should be a good read for him.

 And now on to the log cutting.  I don't know who said winter is a slow time for cranberry growers.  I do know they don't know my husband.  Yes, the cranberry vines are locked in ice, but that doesn't mean hibernation for the farmers.  Along with flooding, sanding, building kitchen cabinet doors, nutrient management plan writing, yearly budget hashing, taxes, equipment upgrades/repairs......the list could go on, Warren did some selective log cutting on the property.  The pile is really impressive if you're into that sort of thing - log gazing.  Of course, I had to pull the camera out for a little documentation.

Of course he uses a STIHL, but not this one.

This monster is 3 feet in diameter.

A pile of mostly red oak.

And that's a wrap on Warren's whereabouts.

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Sanding Season on the Cranberry Marsh

I'm sure you're wondering, what in the world is sanding season?

In a quick sentence:  it's laying down a layer of sand over the cranberry vines to invigorate growth.

Isn't it winter?  Isn't everything covered in snow and ice?  Well, yes it is.  But on the cranberry marsh, late winter is a very busy time.

Here is the process of (what cranberry growers across WI call)sanding.

This is the sand pile.  

Basically, sand is scooped from the pile and then dumped onto the A-frame.  

Sand falls through the screen into the dump box and shale rock rolls off.

Here's a closer look.  You can see the large chunks of shale rock rolling off.

The sand inside the dump box, all clean and ready to be spread.

Interestingly, the top layer of sand is frozen, however, the frost only goes so deep.  Everything underneath the frost layer is loose; that's the sand used for sanding.

Once the sand is loaded into the dump truck, it's time to head to the cranberry bed to be sanded.

The sand spreader has been mounted onto the truck/tailgate.  It spins, allowing the sand to be spread in a uniform layer on the cranberry bed.

 Now you might be thinking, how in the world can a dump truck loaded with sand drive out on a frozen, snow-covered cranberry bed without causing damage to the perennial vines.  Earlier in the year when temperatures were falling below zero the marsh was flooded just as it was during cranberry harvest.  The goal is to make enough good ice to hold up a loaded dump truck.

This ice along the edge of the cranberry bed shifted, cleaved and allowed for a visual of the thickness.  It looked to be about 10 inches thick.

The sand is laid out in strips about 3/4 inch to 1 inch deep.

Getting into position.

Lifting the dump box, engaging the spreader and driving at an even speed - precision matters.

Backing up into position again.

You better be good at using those mirrors.

Taking it to the edge, but not quite.

In order to get all the sand out, a box vibrator is engaged.  It shakes the sand so it spreads freely.

There are a number of reasons for sanding cranberry beds.  As the ice melts and the sand sifts down through the vines, it creates a layer of drainage.  Cranberries grow best in well drained soil.  On newly planted beds the sand layer invigorates growth by supplying a rooting surface.  Cranberries grow on slightly woody vines which produce runners.  These runners help the new plantings to fill in nicely; a uniform mat of vines ensures the best possible growing conditions for the cranberry.  During harvest cranberry leaves fall, creating a nice wintering habitat for insect larva and eggs.  The sand helps to bury this layer of leaf trash and potential insect pests.

Temperatures are expected to reach 46 F on Saturday, which will most likely put an end to good sanding ice.  It's been a good year of sanding; more than planned for was accomplished.

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Cranberry Marsh Tour.....(in the comfort of your own home)

My 14th Annual Cranberry Harvest

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