A Weekend in Wisconsin: Woods and Wood Knots (and other Tree-ts)

Last weekend I had the privilege of going on a road trip to the States because I was asked to do a workshop at a Ladies' Retreat in Chetek, Wisconsin. Ken couldn't get off work (peak harvest season in the orchards) to take me, and besides, what would he do for two days while I hung out at an all-ladies event? So my "sister-in-law" Chris agreed to be my companion for the adventure. 

Our van decided to mess up mechanically one Sunday morning two weeks prior to our departure date. I was so grateful that it happened before, and not during, the trip. Since we no longer wished to depend on our minivan to haul us out to Wisconsin, Chris ended up providing a vehicle, their smart-looking and smooth-riding SUV style Highlander, to do the job. She did a lot of the driving on the 14-hour expedition, as well as being my chief support person at the Retreat. What a gift!

Besides the above-mentioned blessings, there are so many other delights to recount from the weekend. I shall attempt to describe them here, some illustrated with photos, and others without:

The Mackinac Bridge, a 5-mile span linking the upper and lower Michigan peninsulas and connecting Lakes Huron and Michigan, was magnificent in the midday sunshine. Layers of bluest blues in the skies above met the depths of bluer waters below as we crossed "The Mighty Mac" enroute to Wisconsin.

The Northland Ladies' Retreat was held at Luther Park Bible Camp, a retreat center nestled among tall pines surrounding a small lake. This was a very nostalgic setting for me, having spent my childhood as I did among the Northland woods and waters of Wisconsin.

The Retreat planning committee thought of everything! I loved the diversity of expertise that each of the ladies offered to the event. Here they are singing "In Need" during the opening session. The theme of the weekend was Beholding His Glory, and it was amazing to sing the theme song "Behold Our God" with 200-plus women pulling out the stops on lines in the chorus Behold our King, nothing can compare, Come let us adore Him! 

The theme verse was one of my favorites - II Cor. 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." How fitting to receive a glass water bottle imprinted with this verse as part of my thank you gift for speaking at the Retreat. 

My sister-in-law Margie landed on the decorating team, right where she belongs. She and a few other committee members helped to transform the rather drab dining room into a gorgeous, inviting space in which to gather for feasting and fellowshipping. I thought the potted plants and greenery provided a beautiful, homey touch to the buffet and dining tables, but the fireplace mantel was the real show-stealer. 

                                           📷~ My SIL Danae

In my workshop at the Retreat, I was asked to speak on the topic of parenting. Attempting to narrow down the broad subject, I took a look back at my own parenting of young children, and spoke to the ladies about three Woulds - things I would repeat, and three Wouldn'ts - things that I regret doing as a young mom and would not advise repeating. The Woulds included Reading, Routines, and Relationships. The Wouldn'ts were Manipulate, Muffle, and Misplace. 

I liked throwing some puns into my talk, such as "It has become apparent to me that once you are a parent, you never stop being one" and "I can so easily allow the wouldn’ts to dominate the scene, to let the negative aspects tower over the positive until I can’t see the woulds for the wouldn’t trees." 

Later, when I was telling my dad about how the talk went, he said my wouldn'ts fit right into the tree pun, too. "You know, would nots - wood knots," he said. (Well, of cords!) 

My sister-in-law Danae's family was involved in the kitchen goings-on, and all I can say is that they did a phenomenal job with the planning and prep, the cooking, the presentation, and the flavor of the weekend meals and the tea party on Friday night.

Danae's brother Donovan recruited a group of his friends to help with the serving, so we ladies had a mannerly crew of young men to bring us our dinner on Friday night, and later, to serve us tea. The most handsome of the fellows were two of my nephews, one from each side of the family - Kenlyn, pictured above, and Aaron, whom I failed to photograph in that setting. 

                                                                  📷~ My SIL Danae

How sweet it was to have relatives with whom to experience the Retreat. My mom, six of my sisters-in-law, three of my nieces, one great-niece, numerous first cousins, and cousins farther back were among the crowd of ladies. I hung out with these two "Martin ladies" quite a bit, probably too much to be fair to all the other friends I could have been gabbing with, or the new friends I could've been making. I did have refreshing visits with others along the way, though, such the short-but-sweet chat with my former student and always friend Marj who claims that I've influenced her life since way back in time. In mostly positive ways, I hope. 

After the Retreat was over on Saturday afternoon, Mom traveled with Chris and me the 65 miles north to my parents' place in Hayward, Wisconsin. We stayed with them that evening, slept at their house overnight, went to their church the next morning, and shared lunch with them Sunday noon before leaving for our trip home. It was such a treat to be with Mom and Dad again, even though we had just been together the weekend before, when they spent some time in our area while visiting "Grandpa B", Mom's dad Ken. 

I noted again the blessing of parents who bring such encouragement and affirmation to my life. At the Retreat, Mom switched her workshop choice so she could support me in attending mine, and afterward told people that I did a good job. Dad embraced me in welcome, both literally and figuratively. 

Their hospitality was large enough to easily include Chris, too. I felt honored that they also invited some of my brothers to come for a visit after supper, the ones that we wouldn't be having lunch with the next day at Eric & Julia's. That's how it happened that I got hugs from my two oldest brothers, and heard stories about carpenter work, apple cider pressing, and the awkward, nonappealing jobs that firefighters sometimes find themselves in.

The only negative thing about this Hayward visit was Ken not being along to experience it with me. It was the first time in years and years that I "went back home" without him. I'm going to do my best to make sure that it doesn't happen again. 

I loved the autumn scenery in my old stomping grounds. The trees in Dad and Mom's yard and over at Eric and Julia's place were starting to lose their leaves, but were keeping their beauty in spite of it. I really wish I would've made a point of stopping at least once to capture photos of the brilliant trees Chris and I saw on our way to the Retreat. I don't know how many times we oohed and aahed over a stretch of stunning trees along the route in upper Michigan and northern Wisconsin, and said, "Look at that!", especially when the scene involved colorful trees at the edge of a lake or river. But we didn't stop to take pictures, so I will have to store all that beauty only in my mind. 

My brother Troy preached the message at Northwoods Church on Sunday morning, so I got to see him & Sharon and most of their family, too, even though they don't live in the Hayward area. After church, I had a brief chat with bro Tom, as well, so now I can say that I got to be with all five of my Schrock brothers and sisters-in-law last weekend. 

Dads, Troys, Chris, and I were invited to lunch at Eric and Julia's place. Julia had the table decorated prettily for Fall, and served the tastiest Fall dish - oven roasted carrots - among other goodies (like Wisconsin cheese!). Niece Annie wrote the names on napkins for our place cards, very reminiscent of Mom-Eva's custom when we had guests in our home as I was growing up. After enjoying the good food and typical banter, laughter, and pondering of deep questions that enter the conversation around a Schrock table, Chris and I pulled ourselves away to begin the trip home.

We talked nonstop for the first several hours, since we had so much to process and relive from our weekend experiences. We went as far as Escanaba, Michigan that evening, and stayed overnight in a motel there, leaving about nine more hours of the trip for the next day. 

Some impressions of our trip home on Monday:

~ the time it takes for the sun to wake up in northern Michigan could be called the mist-ery hour

~ God must have smiled when He tossed a handful of aster seed on a certain hill and thought about one of His daughters smiling when she saw the profuse white and purple flowery results

~ Chris is the perfect book-discusser to have along on a trip, judging by her contribution to our times of reflection after listening to the audio book "Hope is the First Dose" by Dr. Lee Warren (a neurosurgeon who is a Christian)

~ shopping at Hobby Lobby for an hour makes a wonderful travel break

~ it's nice to be able to view northern wildlife in action, not just in roadkill standstill; I saw deer, wild turkeys, an eagle on a branch in a dead tree and an eagle on the wing with a dead treat (a freshly-caught rodent dangling from its talons), and Chris and I are quite certain that the black creature we saw ripping across the road some distance ahead of us was a bear

~ coming home to loved ones after a long road trip is pretty amazing 

From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised, says the Psalmist, and I agree. From the leaving home on a trip to the coming home of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised, is my paraphrase. 

I'm over here thanking God for safety on the journey, for the beauty of His Creation, for the joy of Retreat-ing with His people, and for the moving of His Spirit in the lives of many ladies, including my own.