My Weekend In Pictures: Backus, Mn

The Trail to the Meadow Clearing

Trail Cont'd

The pond near the Meadow Clearing looking NW.  There are swans in the distance!

The pond looking towards the SW.

The Meadow Clearing Staked with Pine Trees.

Mom and Dad working on Protecting Pine Trees from Deer.

Baby Pine Trees after!

Found some strangers in the woods..aka Aunt/Uncle.

Looking at Pond from Meadow.

Uncle Jerry took a brake and wondered at the BLUE CLEAR SKY!

Another Trail leading out of the Meadow onto Uncle/Aunt property.

The Dollhouse...aka the playhouse.

Uncle Jerry made it all using scrap lumber.  One of the season flower boxes...spring.

Lake Ponto's West side.

The end of Mary Drive that leads to our property.

I missed the fall colors but it was nice to get out of the city and into the woods this weekend.  Helped mom and dad tag over 200 pine trees they planted 2 years ago.  Most are over a foot tall now and the top sprigs have little buds on them.  We covered the buds (they looked like giant peanuts) by stapling over them with strips of plastic tablecloth.  This will prevent deer from eating the new growth and the tree from dying.  Dad hopes to grow the trees so that deer with find shelter and food, thus populate the woods for Deer Season.  Will take many years though before he reaps the reward.

The Dollhouse is my aunt/uncles.  It's made out of wood from my grandpa's old granary.  There's a board stamped with K.Kapsner.  He was the original owner of the wood.  Uncle Jerry thought that stamp was unique so he kept it on the front side for all to see.

The wagon wheel used to be Grandpa's too.  The Dollhouse sign was from my uncle's mother's house.  She collected DOLLS!  And there's a note box by the front door.  That was her's too.  She had that by her door so that people could leave her notes if she wasn't home. 

There are 4 window boxes, each with flowers from the four season.  I didn't get a picture of the back, but it's a two-story loft and the upstairs loft has "The Lover's Box"....roses.  The inside curtains have hand-prints of the kids and grand-kids...very clever.  It's tall enough that a 6 foot adult can stand comfortably.  And it included working electricity with miniature ceiling fan.  Who wants to "camp" when they can stay in this little B&B?