So much going on up north lately!  Spring must be springing somewhere because the office has been incredibly busy, although we're still finding some time to have fun up north.  We're in the cabin fever stage of winter, still some snow falling and gray days to be had, but whenever there IS sun we find our way outside no ifs ands or buts.  As I write this the snow is coming down steadily, we've already picked up a few inches this morning and more is on the way according to the forecast.  For all of you snowmobilers, Northern Vilas County is the place to be if you want to squeak out a few more weekends. 
We had a great time at the pond hockey tournament on Minocqua Lake this past weekend, with a bonfire and concessions on the ice...last picture is Mabel enjoying her first hamburger patty - Mom forgot the dog food, sa-weet!  Also pictured below is Olivia Woolf with her catch of the day, this is what 2nd place looks like in the Manitowish Waters ice fishing tournament over the weekend. 

 
 
 

Just a few photos from my recent snowshoe excursion in the Catherine Wolter Nature Conservancy.  Presque Isle residents and visitors are so fortunate to have this 2189-acre nature preserve located right in our own backyard.  The preserve surrounds 15 lakes and ponds for a total of 36,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline...and walking/snowshoeing/cross-country ski paths are plentiful, as are the many beautiful views. The picture in the lower left hand corner is a view of Knife Lake, filtered through a virgin stand of hemlock - it was breathtaking! The preserve is open to the public from sunrise to sunset for low impact recreational activities.
   
 

French for "Almost an Island", the Presque Isle/Winchester area contains somewhere around 265 lakes and streams within the immediate area.  And we don't stop playing on them just because they're frozen!  Heck...when we need a shortcut we may even DRIVE on them.  Aidan talked me into taking the Presque Isle Lake ice road after hockey practice last week, although by then warm temps had started to take over and I had to PUNCH IT so as not to get stuck in the slush.  I don't think I'll be trying that again until we get a few straight weeks of real winter weather, not this wimpy 20-30 degrees above zero we've been expereincing.  But still, now that I'm on solid ground I can say that I'm glad I braved the ice road.  Wheel alignment, $50.  Car wash, $7.  My 12-year old son thinking his mom is super cool?  Priceless!
But the weather has been great for the ice-fishing, spending the day squinting at the sun reflecting off of the snow is our idea of a Carribbean vacation.  Throw in some Miller High Life and it's our idea of heaven!  
Pictured is Davis "Doobie" Schultz with his catch of the day, as well as the ice road on Presque Isle by day, photo courtesy of Barb Peck, check her out in our agent section. 
 

February is here!

In most parts, this month is a quick precursor to spring, over in a flash and you're on to greener grasses. Not so here in the northwoods, where at least in 2012 we're one of the few locations seeing a real winter.  Catch is, we may still be staring at the same winter come April, so when your in da nort'woods its best to consider February the halfway point and not the beginning of the end for snow season.  Which is GREAT news for Aidan, who just got his snowmobile safety card and is already trying to turn mom's hair from blonde to gray in just one season; that's Air Byrnes himself on the snowmobile.

All of the white stuff means the snowshoes are seeing a lot of action this season, we've been exploring the acreage around Crab, North Crab and Armour Lakes behind our house.  My desired future explorations include the Catherine Wolter Nature Conservancy and the Heritage Hemlocks near Van Vliet Lake, but to be honest I am so loving the ability to blaze my own trail that I've been shying away from the ones already established. 
Although I'll admit the picture of Horsehead Lake was taken by car on the way to get to the kids to the bus.  I felt a bit like a tourist jumping out of the car to snap a photo, but the result was worth it.  Even when you're in the northwoods life can move too fast if you let it - stopping to capture it is a must.

 
 

More pics from New Years weekend, ice fishing on North Crab Lake and snowshoeing the logging roads behind our house with our neighbors, Bill and Amy Moersbaecher.  That's also Bill's musky from this fall...caught on "Area Lake".  Cooper is showing Greta how to catch a "beeg one" as she puts it, and the guy in the Carhart jacket is Nick, who is dating Bill and Amy's daughter.  This was Nick's first time in the northwoods of Wisconsin, doesn't he look happy here?  Who wouldn't be!
Also some more recent pics from this afternoon's snow shoeing excursion, exploring the creek that runs between Oxbow Lake and North Crab (check out Mable baby at my feet, always one step ahead of me on the lookout for danger).  Beautiful day today, the warm temps continue for a couple of days but it will be colder soon according to the forecast...along with more of the white stuff.  Have a Happy Weekend!
  
 

What a great extended weekend we had, with the snow starting on New Years Even and not stopping until late yesterday We packed in ice fishing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing yesterday. Very cold temps today (10 below when I put the kids on the bus!) but the sun is glistening on the snow, and it's a beautiful day to be up north Pictured is North Crab Creek on Monday during a break in the snow, and this morning's view of the Little Horsehead dam.

Lots going on this weekend...I heard on the radio yesterday that far Northern Vilas County (that's us!) are the only ones with any measurable snow in Wisconsin, and it's fun to see everyone out and about.  Lots of friends are up at their cabins for the week, and our little town is busier than usual, Thoma's has had snowmobiles gassing up in a steady stream.  On my way past Presque Isle Lake today I saw a little guy out ice fishing with his dad, and several cross-country skiiers were venturing out onto the ice to take in the beautiful sunshine and great XC ski conditions.  My son and his buddy from Milwaukee passed their snowmobile safety course yesterday, and today they are out enjoying their newfound freedom as I write this.  More major snow is expected for our area (6-10 inches!) and we say bring it on.
Congratulations to Brian and Patti on the purchase of their pond acreage that closed today, and also to Jim and Elizabeth who closed on their Eel Lake cottage today.  Eel is a 60-acre lake just over the Michigan border, very deep and scenic and completely surrounded by the Ottawa National Forest.  Imagine over one million acres of adjacent national forest land as your neighbor!
Looking forward to New Year's Eve at Skyview, there will be live music and yummy specials, but best of all will be seeing all of our friends from near and far, up in the northwoods to enjoy all of the winter fun.  Many have stopped in over the past few days to say hello, and we love it.  Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2012!

Originally from the Chicago area, Sheri and her first husband found Headwaters Real Estate when their neighbor on South Turtle Lake made them an offer they couldn't refuse on their cottage.  After lots of looking for an upgrade to their summer cabin, they finally settled on a year round Lynx Lake home, eventually moving to Presque Isle full time.  The story takes an unusual twist when after her marriage ended, it was Sheri who longed to call the northwoods her forever home, and her ex-husband went back to the city.
Sheri did bookkeeping for Skyview Lodge in Presque Isle as well as working at Thoma's.  Close ties to the Johnson family kept her in the vicinity of a certain Rob Benson, also a longtime family friend, and let's just say the Carlin Club's Oktoberfest set the perfect scene for a love match.  Oom-pa-pa music can be very intoxicating!
Rob and Sheri married in 2008, and they live with their dogs Grace and Spaetzel in a charming home they built themselves near the border of the Ottawa National Forest.  Sheri's enthusiasm for the northwoods is contagious, and as a lifelong resident of the northwoods (a master woodsman, craftsman, hunter and fisherman) her husband Rob couldn't be happier with what is undoubtedly the best catch of his life.  Sheri has three children and one grandson and granddaughter, and she enjoys spending time with family, gardening, cooking and reading.  It's safe to say she has shed almost all of her city ways (hint: she sports green and gold, not blue and orange) although she does like to keep a keen eye on the wildlife via Rob's trailcam, the most interesting of which likes to pass right through her yard!  See below for pictures of wolves, coyotes, bear and...?  We're glad to have her as part of the team, she fits right in which means she loves it here as much as we do!