A day of free food and free freeskiing is a win win.  Devils Head Resort in Portage, Wisc., will host an open rail jam on Saturday, Nov. 28.  Top three finishers will be rewarded with prizes.  Join the Facebook event, updates will be sent out if the weather continues to be uncooperative and there is no snow

Skiing at Devil’s Head in Wisconsin — near the Dells — North of Madison. I took this picture from one of the lifts… It looks sort of like I cloned and rotated the same person… I didn’t! No Photoshop involved. We had a nice time skiing here; it’s a beautiful area. The place was packed but lucky for us they have many slopes to choose from. I’d go back here a lot if it were a little closer to Chicago and it didn’t cost $45 to ski for a day.

© 2009 by Jenn Lassa, all rights reserved.

Setting sun over a rugged background

After more than 30 hours on the road, the family arrived safely in York late last night.  We spent a whirlwind 11 days in Sadalia Colorado with our friends Jeff and Patty. Our vacation included hiking Devil’s Head, fishing the South Platte River and listening to our guitar playing friends around the camp fire. My son even managed to get up-close and personal with a cactus while following me up a cliff I was climbing.

The South Platte River

Tony digs prickely pear cactus out of his fingers

Prickley Pear Cactus damage

A flag flies atop Devil's Head

The girls and I earned our Squirrel Cards by climbing to the fire overwatch on Devil's Head

1200 Crestview, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

This house is built to human scale. It is well thought out for ease of care. The dining room is a sensation! Company, usually 3 to 6 people, loved eating there. Not only was the food good but the house was so beautiful and welcoming. Brunches meant looking out over the forest and watching the birds feed on the feeders that we had set up to hang outside in the middle of the plate glass windows in the dining room. We had a table with two wooden rectangular posts and a large piece of glass. The chairs were as simple and as unobtrusive as possible as we didn’t want any if the furniture to get in the way of the view outside. We served 8 people easily. The dining room has a built in buffet; beautiful and very practical! We added a granite top to the buffet.

We had two metal umbrella tables on the patio of the house. One outside of the den door and one out side our bedroom door. We made several parties outside by putting the two of these tables together in front of the pond . It was like being in Italy! There is a huge porch off the kitchen and dining room (one of three around the house), where we had another, larger, metal outdoor table with umbrella. We ate there often. We would a bar-b-Que there. We also had a small hot tub on that porch which fit right into the corner . We also put in flower boxes. Oh, such a sweet place! I grew herbs in pots on this very sunny porch.

The house has another porch that is the second porch off of the master bedroom. We often used that for morning coffee and news. As you can now imagine , there are so many places to sit and sip or eat, it became our running joke,”where shall I meet you for our coffee (or our meal)?” What a joy!

Now, you ask, why we left this beauty and that is due to our children and our age. All of our children still live in the Chicago area. One has a home in a resort town closer to everyone, so, we’ve moved closer. Family is most important to us now and considering where they are and where we were, we needed to be closer. Albums of pictures in books and on our shelves remind us of our wonderful time living in this house. We feel a sense of privilege to have had our chance to live in this masterpiece which we never thought we would leave!

Where are you now, who will take our place and love this house as we have? I think you can be anywhere! So many people are working in their homes, choosing not to have large families or are retiring in good health and love outdoor activities. You are the ones we are looking for! Come look and see!!!!!