A Birthday Surprise

Dwight Peck's personal website

The USA in the year of Climate Change

More lakeside fun in the Northwoods

A birthday surprise

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.

Learning the Wisconsin customs: Kristin's out in the woods searching (unsuccessfully) for mushrooms.

Observed, it seems

Observation posts

Armored observation posts

Turns out, they're for hunters to hide in and pop off at movements in the underbrush without too much inconvenience.

Surprise party

We need a cover story: Eric is taking Bill and Pearl out on the lake to celebrate their anniversary. Wink.

We're summoned to the shore as we cruise past.

"Happy birthday!"
"You idiot, it's not their birthday, it's their anniversary."

"It's YOUR birthday."
(Not really, Eric's birthday is in mid-winter when no one's here, so Kristin et al decided to celebrate it now.)

Well-wishers emerge from the forest

And large crowds of well-wishers lurk in the woods, ready to leap.

The commemorative T-shirt

A celebrity welcome

Preparations are well in hand.

The grilling has begun and the salads are coming out.

Eric and siblings

Tucking in.

The younger generation rehearses funny Eric stories for an eager audience.

Very funny stories!

Very, very funny stories!

Not a single one of those funny stories is true.

-- There is no evidence left for any of it.

-- But they're still funny.

The cake

400 affectionate family members and 3,500 exuberant friends have come all this way to celebrate.

Kristin's driving home after the party,

Can't see a thing out here!

Getting the float boat out again in the morning . . .

. . . back to clean up the mess at the venue.

Watched over by a suspicious eagle.

Summer in Wisconsin, 2012

The USA

Wisconsin Northwoods,
June-Sep 2024

Wisconsin Northwoods,
June-Sep 2023

Wisconsin Northwoods,
June-Oct 2022

Wisconsin Northwoods,
June-Oct 2021

Wisconsin Northwoods,
June-Oct 2020

Wisconsin Northwoods,
June-Sept 2019

Virginia and Wisconsin, July-Sept 2018

Wisconsin on the lake, July-Sept 2017

Wisconsin on the lake, July-Sept 2016

Wisconsin on the lake, July-Sept 2015

Wisconsin & road trip, July-Sept 2014

Wisconsin & Virginia, July-Sept 2013

Wisconsin on the lake, July-Sept 2012

Wisconsin 'Northwoods', June-Aug. 2011

Wisconsin on the lake, July-August 2010

Wisconsin,
August 2009

Boston and Maine, 2007

Marlowe's wedding, 2006

Olympic National Park, 2004