Month: December 2022

Buying Land on Squaw (Apple) Lake

We have a purchase agreement to buy a 1/2-acre lot on Squaw Lake (being renamed to Apple Lake). It is raw land that we will build a small 1,250 sq. ft. house on for the summers. It has 120 feet of frontage, and the building site sits 50 feet above the water level.

We are buying from a couple who bought it 30 years ago to build their dream home, but never got around to building. He is a local architect in Hudson and is designing us a custom home that will meet our needs perfectly. It will be single level living and have an RV pad and full hook-ups for our Airstream (or anyone who may visit).

Our intent is to live here in the summers and then continue to head south in the winters. Classic “Snowbirds”.

Visits: 122

Black Ice @ 62MPH

I was heading into the cities and hit black ice as I crossed the St. Croix River. It was -7F (-21C) as I entered the bridge. I never saw the black ice. Luckily, there were no vehicles next to me as the back end of the truck started to slide. I was able to correct and keep going, but wow.

Note to anyone driving an overpowered truck (7.3-liter V8) in winter, put it in “Slippery – Snowy” mode. Slippery mode lowers throttle response and optimizes shifting for slippery surfaces, according to Ford. I forgot about this mode, until I returned to Wisconsin. The drive back was easy and uneventful.

Visits: 51

In Wisconsin

A little over a week ago, we dropped our Airstream off at the dealership in Chandler, AZ for warranty repairs and headed back to Wisconsin for the Holidays.

We drove over 1,600 miles in 3 days / 2 nights. The first night, we stayed at the Motel Safari in Tucumcari, New Mexico. A great classic motel on Route 66. A bit expensive for a motel at $100, but we enjoyed it and will probably stay there again on our way back to Arizonia. Our second night we stayed at a simple roadside motel for $45. Nothing special, but clean.

Staying with Pam’s mom while in Wisconsin. It has been cold and snowy; we will definitely have a white Christmas this year.

Billy is enjoying the ability to roam and hide all over the house. Lots of birds and squirrels to watch. Reminder: Billy has his own page! In the menu, hover over photos and then click Billy.

While here, we are relaxing and enjoying the beautiful snowy landscapes. We walked the entire Mall of America and then met Kayla for dinner and walked around Rice Park in St. Paul.

Speaking of snow, Pam tried to open the moonroof shade in the truck, but accidently opened to moonroof. A ton of snow fell on Kelly while driving. Pam thought it was the funniest thing ever – Kelly, not so much. In hindsight is was a pretty funny accident (see photos).

We are also looking at vacant land in the area – more on that later if it all works out.

Kelly and his golf buddies snagged tickets to the Packers / Vikings game on New Year’s Day!! Not sure if the game will have any meaning for the Packers, but it is always fun at Lambeau Field!

We will then head back to Arizonia in early January.

Visits: 85

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