In your whole life, what job taught you the most?Mine was: at 16, when I was a waitress at a truck stop on the outskirts of a town with a pop. of 4000.A colleague who started the most established TED talk conference in the Midwest, asked me this question yesterday over breakfast. (We are planning something that is equal parts epic, scary & fun. And full of rational reasons why its not a good idea. #staytuned.) It was enlightening to talk with himabout where and how we learn our most valuable life lessons.The Motivating advice given to me over the years:.You are never getting out of this townYou cant get the SAT scores to get inYou wont get that jobArt directors cant writeHe isnt going to proposeYoure too old to have a babyYou arent gonna save that old shackYour book is not publishableYou shouldnt set your expectations too High..They will never let you do _________ (insert a million things here) If you do one thing today that can change your perspective on everything : watch the TED talk by Dr. Brene Brown – The power of vulnerabilityAbout:How to avoid regret.What happens when you dont listenWhy Cant. Never. Wont. No. are the most empowering words.#ListenToTheMustnts#makeNoSmallPlans @tedx_official Photo: @ms_shannypantsAnd much love to our forever-inspiration, Chicagoan Sheldon Allan “Shel” Silverstein #shelsilverstein
These ladies came with a mission.#goals—campfire beer Lodge coffee Trail hikeDog fetch therapy smorestreehouse dinner dock chillcrafts fixWell done, ladies @trillena #CampTracee congrats, @maceemarlee
.Wanna be neighbors?. .FORECLOSURE LAKEFRONT HOUSE..went to firesale auction, and now the Bank is unloading it..Stone fireplace 4 bedroom, 1.5 bath2 car garage Big yard 77 ft of lakefront w/dock baseNew-ish basement & mechanicals (09?)..Our friends already own homes on both sides, (see the shot of the green arrows- our Chicago friends who snap up the waterfromt houses that have come up on the market).Were not in real estate – we just want to get some great like-minded neighbors who are looking for lakehouse life in our growing creative community.Houses on the water here almost never come up for sale because Lake Wandawega has only about 25 houses that sit directly on their own private lakefront. The majority of the lakeshore is set aside as parkland, open lands and private beaches owned by the homeowners associations. . (Another third of the lakefront is natural wetlands on the edge of a multi-generational farming familys land.) ..The bank just popped up the for sale sign last week. The most recent owner bought it in 2005 for $240k The bank listed it on the MLS for $259k, and its also on auction.com. Were told the auction likely wont reach the reserve price, so hopefully it can be bought for much less via the listing. To be clear, this home needs work, but for the right new owner, it has serious potential..AUCTION OPENING BID: $97kTIP: word on street is that it may sell for whats owed on mortgage, so make a low-ball offer, nothing to lose.AUCTION SITE: https://tinyurl.com/yyr5wlb8REALTOR LISTING: https://tinyurl.com/y6za4scr
Two moms.One, a country girl who stayed rooted in her hometown to raise five wild kids, teaching each the importance of creativity, the strength of self reliance and the pride in a hard days work.Another, a city girl who was born in a refugee camp in Germany – (17 years later, at home in her new country, she would be named to Chicagos State Street Star Queens Court) and go on to bring up two Latvian+Mexican boys right – summers spent at a place called Vandavega. (Both moms with only one true love- the husbands they married when they were all teens). Much gratitude on this Mothers Day to a mom and mother in law who are a daily reminder of the sacrifices made so we could have a better life. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all mommas today
Happy (almost) Mothers Day to all the Mommas!Walked into a Barnes and noble this morning on a mommy-daughter pre-mothers day date.Picked up the latest issue of flea market style- was tofind one of my fav flea trips shot by @bobcoscarelli.That flea day was marked by 3Things: finding the sails that would become curtains – .the bouys that hang in our boathouse. .The 5 year old girl who couldnt wait to see what I brought home for her (vintage Barbie box crammed full of clothes from the 60s).This day today will be marked by an 8 year old who asked if we could buy two copies of this issue- one for her and one for grandma. ..Way too soon shell be 18 and likely never want to spend a morning at a bookstore with her mom, let alone care about these little surprises in pages that we find on the corner shelves… .These little surprises that remind us that every day with our littles are our best days- no matter how were spending our time.#dontBlink#hugThemTightFun surprise to also see our sweet friends @melmuoio and @paululowe of @sweetpaulmagazine in the same issue at the @phoeniciaflea First, last shots of charliegirl and the mag flea shots by @bobcoscarelli
Look closely .REWARD for anyone who can send us old photos, postcards, historical artifacts or ephemera from Camp Wandawega.-If you dig long enough, stalk ebay, etsy, and every antique store within 100 miles, eventually you’ll start to uncover bits of the history of any place you want. So is the story of these postcards and photos. Most of these are shots of camp & the lake back in the early days. The days of Model Ts, Coolidge & Hoover.-Wandawega Inn / Wandawega Hotel circa 1920s-1940s-Wandawega Lake Resort 1948-1961-Vandawega run by Latvian Marian Fathers 1961-2004-REWARD DEETS: Find us a photo of the madame Anna Beckford Peck (the madame of Wandawega Hotel who was convicted of running a bawdy house of Ill fame and sent to Taycheeda Womens prison in 1942).Or dig up a menu from the Wandawega restaurant, a lot of old photos (that we dont have) and get rewarded in a free stay at camp. (For all other finds, well hook you up in camp merch)For more Info, visit wandawegahistory.org
.FLEA MARKET COUNTDOWN.Get your wagon, belly bag of cash, mega gulp coffee and meet us at their gates at 7am.14 days!! Elkhorn flea market (AKA: the holy grail of all things old, cheap and must have) MAY 19. GATES OF HEAVEN OPEN UP AT 7AM . RAIN OR SHINE. 500 VENDORS both inside & out. David says I have an addiction to this particular market. It’s true; no cure in sight. (And thanks to magazines like Cottage Style, I can continue to post-rationalize the habit). These rooms can’t fill themselves. (Neither can our storage lockers, our prop room or trunks.) The Spring/Summer 2019 issue just hit the stands & now I’m blinded by the light of redecorating opportunities. #visitwalworthcounty #travelwisconsin #elkhornwisconsin #elkhornfleamarket #elkhornantiquefleamarket Maybe it’s time to spring clean to make room for more.#HoardersWithoutBorders#HappyCampersLast shot: @bobcoscarelli
WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? What makes an impact on you? What leaves an impression on you that lingers long after youve gone home?We are honored to be included in a new book about experience through travel. One of their focuses is how to Be Good in the world- volunteer opportunities around the globe.” Every once in a while we get a call to go visit a place & share a POV (thank you, @theamericanclub @PawsUp @smithhotels @bigcedarlodge ). Every so often we get an invitation to come talk about it at conferences & offices. (thank you, @Hyatt, @chicagoIdeas, @Fiverr, @gensler_design @cb2 )Sometimes they come to us – (looking forward to your visit, @AirBnB !) We talk about how to create immersive experiences that people feel. Remember. Return to. We immerse ourselves in the experiences theyve created, share inspiration & come back to home base with fresh perspectives.But its rare that we get the chance to be included in a book about it. This one just hit the stands.THE BOOK: FATHOM. Travel anywhere and avoid being a tourist covering everything from:eco travel to places to visit to help Mother Earth and beyond.THE WHY: “The travel editors at Fathom have spent years gathering a treasure trove of recommendations and stories from a network of interesting people who travel well (chefs, novelists, designers, innkeepers, musicians) in places both well-known and off the beaten path. A book that will inspire the traveler in you, NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE WHO: @FathomWaytoGo – we have been contributing to for some time. Stories on todays Profile line… #TravelwithFathom
// GIVEAWAY: CAMP VACA FOR 5, CANOE & MORE //Were teaming up with @merrimackcanoes to gift a free stay with us, a rad canoe & some other serious equipment.Share this with the friends you want to bring with & get the entry deets atmerrimackcanoes.com/pages/giveaway .Weve partnered with them and the brands we love (below) to gift all sorts of outdoor gear .Merrimack Canoes are still built the same way L.H. Beach made them when he started 60 years ago: Every one is crafted by hand, from the ground up- numbered & signed, finished with die-struck brass medallion embedded into the bow. .Additional gear (tents to backpacks to outdoor swag) from @stanley_brand @hvrnt @greatlakesco @elliscanvastents @sanborncanoe @modernhuntsman @chacofootwear @frostriverphotos Photos: @merrittogrenwith @brookeelisabethphoto and @erikengstrom44 .
CREATIVE-IN-RESIDENCE. .Now accepting nominations. .Move into one of our cabins. .Write.Paint. .Sculpt. .Film. .Build. .Plan. .Experiment. ..Why now?Last fall, we came to better appreciate the power of community when a group of people decided to give up their evenings and weekends to build something for strangers in another state: a rustic entrance sign for Camp Wandawega. My little brother Sam decided to clear his barn to make room to build us one. He opened his doors for volunteers to come help. Some harvested the cedar from the backwoods, others mitered lengths of it to form the letters. Others donated utility poles. Then he brought a few of the volunteers with him on a 272-mile road trip to install it. We couldnt get anyone to take our money. It was a labor of love gifted to camp by people that we love. Now, every time someone walks under this new entryway, theyre entering through the gates that were physically built out of the pure generosity of others. Those log letters say many things, the least of which is our name. .@lowresstudio, thank you for letting us share our story, and inspiring us to live more generously. ..>> their Full video on todays profile line
