A Family on Five Acres: Winnie 2011

We're nearing the end of our annual week-long "vacation" at B*wen Lodge on Lake W*nnibigoshish in northern M*nnesota. I'm going to start calling it a get-away, because there isn't a whole lot relaxing about it, at least for Sarah and me. There's something about this trip that pushes every emotional button she has, resulting in the most controlling, difficult, downright belligerent, behavior she's capable of. I feel as though I've spent a week with an alcoholic, constantly bracing myself for the next angry eruption.

It's hard to say whether this year was better or worse than last year, although after she threw her plate across the table at lunch, my money's on 2011. I had conveniently forgotten how rough things were in 2010 until the trouble started this year. Upon reviewing my blog entry from last summer, it all came back to me -- Winnie and Sarah don't mix well. Our smooth trip to Tennessee last month had given me the impression Sarah is a seasoned and secure traveler now, but I was sadly mistaken.

That's not to say we haven't had some fun. I've got loads of photos that belie the volatile atmosphere. The highlight for Sarah has definitely been the resort shih-tzu, Fluffy Muffin. She fell in love with the little dog last summer and has talked about her ever since. Fluffy joins Sarah in the B*rley stroller for our morning walks, and we go up to say goodnight each evening. She even let Sarah walk her on a leash, which is quite out of character for the mild-mannered but independent pooch. Sarah takes it hard when she sees FM consorting with another child, and I'm afraid it's going to be hard to say goodbye this year.

We've had wonderful weather (upper 70s and sunny for the most part), which is a big improvement from last year. Sarah and I have spent a lot of time at the beach, and she likes to wade in the water to fill a watering can, but she doesn't want to actually get wet. She likes to watch other kids playing in the sand but refuses to join in when invited. There's a 3 1/2-year-old girl staying in the cabin next to ours who keeps making overtures but has mainly been rebuffed.

Sarah enjoys being out in the boat and is a patient angler, for her age. She caught her first fish this week -- a small perch. Her response was textbook: she panicked, shoved the pole into Don's hands, and ran to me for safety. After the fish escaped the hook and was safely (for its own sake and for Sarah's) back in the water, she proudly proclaimed, "I caught a fish!" over and over.

Don has had some luck this week, so we'll bring home five meals of fish, in addition to the yummy one we had here. He brought in a 34", 11-lb. northern pike, the biggest fish he's caught in about 15 years, but of course it was too big to keep. I caught a 19" walleye, which is notable only because I'm not known for my angling prowess, or even interest. We were all out on the water Sunday night as the sun set and the full moon rose, pelicans soared past, and loons called -- it was postcard-perfect Northwoods.

About 3:00 a.m. last night, a strong thunderstorm moved through, with 70 MPH winds. The lake was encircled by lightning, revealing large rolling waves. Thunder growled all around. Leaves and twigs pelted the cabin. I worried about the dead limbs on the oak tree beside our cabin. This morning, we discovered a larger oak was toppled across the road about 100 yards away. I'm glad we weren't camping at our old remote site.

Today we're packing up, and we'll head home first thing tomorrow morning. I wish I could say I'm sad to see our vacation end, but I'm not. I'm ready to return to our structured, secure routine and to have Sarah happy and relaxed again. The reality is that we have more fun together at home than we do anywhere else. I guess that's not such a bad thing, really.