It officially launched this week!SoooIve been working on a secret squirrel team for the last year… applying the branding side of my brain to helping cultivate a passion project with friends @skoogdunagan & Kelly @thejugglcreating something that personally Ive found to be a game changer (Speaking as a woman struggling to juggle career/ parenting/ running a business / just trying to put on a pair of actual pants in the morning)I needed help. And I didnt know where to begin to look.(Beyond Brene Brown)…. then I realized that what I really needed was to get help from other women who I look up to (who are trying to keep the same plates spinning).So I found it, and finally after a year of secrecy I get to tell folks about it.Its called theJUGGL Its a platform to support career women in all of our bazillion competing life priorities by bringing Mentors (with legit creds) to a space where members can learn from them, connect with them and go deeper with them through private mentorship.We already have 30+ expert Mentors on the platform that have their own Profiles- so you can get to know & speak with them directly. (Also, if youre like me and just like to get lost in the rabbit hole of other womens inspirational stories & advice… it has massive amounts of content to explore).This week were launching theJuggl Live Series, to talk about the hard stuff that were all dealing with (featuring live moderated sessions with our Mentors – with open community discussion).Excited to share this with yall. But honestly- Im even more excited that its now live so I actually use it (because I didnt know how much I needed it until I finally got honest with myself) … to get some help from some inspirational lady bosses.Im grateful to have been asked to a part of bringing this to life and humbled to serve on the advisory board for something that i find the most rewarding -Helping other women. TheJUGGL.comMuch love and props to these insanely talented design friends for lending their talents, time and vision :@steve_hahn_ @silashelm @erinsarofskyThanks, @warbyparker for visiting and for taking this little Portrait in my fav spot
YES 10 adventure lodges you can have to yourselfSo happy to be featured by @outsidemagazine – but were even more grateful for the introduction to a couple new spots that are now on our must visit bucket list:4th + 5th shots are are of @autocamp we are DYING to see. Our other favorites on the list :@treehousepoint #ScarpRidgeLodge @urbancowboypublichouse Happy travels, friends !PS: is it wrong to leave our string lights up long after the holidays??
We got a surprise visitor some years back a senior citizen showed up one day at camp with a photo album- she explained that her family ran this place when it was the Wandawega Resort from late 40s to 1961. She gave us this photo of her parents standing in front of the entrance gates.We blew up the shot to discover the original sign that wed never seen before in any other photos (except for the cover of the old brochures found here in a trunk- shot 2).The sign has been long gone-But the post was still there.So we had a sign painter in Chicago recreate it for us- and now it hangs on our lodge – just off the corner of its original spot.Whenever we find old clues like this we get so excited – because it gets us one step closer to helping us piece together our history (that we document on wandawegahistory.org)Now we try to fill the old main lodge with all of the things that we imagine she would have remembered from her childhood here. Darts and games, pool and instruments. We are grateful for those surprise guests that show up at our door and in our lives.Photos : @sdamiani @bobcoscarelli
The library in the snow globe.This time of year is the most quiet in the treehouse – but it my most favorite place to be when its snowing like this – it feels like a snow globe.Some people dont know that our treehouse is actually a memorial to my dad. (It would have been his birthday last week.) Miss him terribly, but feel closer to him when surrounded by books – he was a big reader and the inspiration for the library loft we have up here.When youre up there next digging through the stacks- you may run across a couple ratty old Louis LAmour Western paperbacks.They may seem out of place (around all the leather bound books on nature).But of all the books on those shelves – they are the ones that are the most perfectly placed – they were Dads.@sdamianic
Canteen stocking time!What should we carry?Spending these weeks (while buried in a snow drift) researching – trying to source snacks,drinks & candies made by old school brands.What should we stock in here?Anything you remember from childhood that youd want?In our tech & trend obsessed reality, we found a little life hack: looking back to artifacts of a simpler time reminds us that their are things that get better with age. Nostalgia reminds us of longevity.Could be thats why were seeing brands from PBR to Wheaties go back to their roots. But what were really obsessed with is finding those who never changed at all, who embraced who they were from the beginning, didnt feel the need to improve over the years by reinventing their face on the shelves. They stuck with their OG labels, riding out waves of trends (there is a quiet dignity in it).So FOR ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO NERDS OUT ON THIS STUFF, we want your help here. Zoom in and shop our shelves & let us know what were missing. Any obscure brands who havent improved themselves over the decades?Were still building out shelves for the other side of the room, so we have space to fill. The century old marble, oak and curved glass display case was a gift from @finney____finney. (The brass trim pastry case on top is as old as the camp, too – FB Marketplace steal for $100).Plus, we also just love the hunt.And shopping.Also, if youre obsessed with old labels like we are – check out @purveyors_of_packaging – and be prepared to lose hours today down a nostalgia rabbit hole. Its our favorite way to get lost. By spring, we want to have the new Wandawega Canteen full of things that transport our guests – one Turkish Taffy at a time. Photos by @bobcoscarelli & @ambermiller9
We just added 3 more (socially distanced) nearby cabin rentals to our must book list.@milwaukeemag just announced what may be our favorite round-up: Adorable cabins within 90 miles drive of MilwaukeeEXCERPT:Too often you see a cute Wisconsin cabin on Airbnb or Instagram and then, after noting the location, realize its a few hundred miles from Milwaukee. Thankfully there are adorable cabins decked out with design-driven decor and tucked into a woodsy or waterfront setting that are only an hour-and-a-half away. Its easy to practice social distancing when theres, um, nobody else around and not have to worry about being seated too close to another table at a restaurant or being elbowed in a hotel”Cont…Chicagoan Tereasa Surratts Wisconsin vacation retreat (where the designer hunkers down with her daughter and husband) is also a spot where major brands like Crate & Barrel and Anthropologie not to mention actress Reese Witherspoon have hosted photo shoots, drawn to the campy decor with a vintage vibe. When you bunk in the side-by-side historic cabins (Cedar Cabins exterior is forest-green and Log Cabins white perfect for a group traveling together) you also get access to the lakes private beach and Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit. Also on the property are a treehouse, tee-pees, sports courts, boats and canoes. Although there arent kitchens, you can go old school by grilling outside and using an outdoor washing sink, storing food in an indoor mini-fridge.UPDATE:Although the 2 little side by side cabins are currently buried in a snowdrift (so we wont have them back open again for another couple of months). We have other winter cabins & options open for rentals.*the last 3 pics here (Cascade Wisconsin designed by @maaike_interiors ) is my FAV – we just booked our stay this morning *first two shots here : camps little log cabin Photos: @BobCoscarelli (image 2) & @svetlanadamiani (image 1) Thanks, @kristineahansen for the inclusion
WHO REMEMBERS?Before Instagram was a thing, hosts would put crappy disposable cameras on tables at weddings & partiesSo that after everybody left, you’d get to open the surprise envelope at the photo developer& get to see the same event/vacation spot/party you were at through other peoples eyes.It was a way to relive it.Of course, risk was that you never knew whose hands it would end up in, or what they would shoot.(The little kid who would burn the whole roll on photos of things only at his height,or the inevitable drunk friend flashing shots.)But you would get some keepers, too.And it was always worth it.’cause doing this helped us all appreciate our collective experience more.And then extend the feeling of being connected by a place even when were not in the actual picture.Its a trigger.( I was just there! I remember doing a shot/ski at that exact same spot at the tipi – that’s the place we rolled the canoe)Now, we all have that feeling on tap, when we look up photos that weve been tagged in.Or the feed of a place, space or time of year.We just tried it this morning, and It gave us all the feels.The 10 shots here are little moments we found we’ve been tagged in recently taken by winter guests (except the chef’s TB).And now that were all so physically disconnected,this is a little life hack that’s helped us cope with being cooped up.It helps us tap into connection through shared experience, at a shared place.We want to see more of what you see – so were starting a little series of pulling together fave posts that folks have tagged us in.Normally, youd find us most weekends belly up at the BYOB airstream bar with visiting campers.We look forward to that day again.In the meantime, tagging each other is one way that helps everyone feel a little less socially distant,and a lot more connected.Thankfully, we now have better camera resolution First up in our shared series:@sarahkcottrell ( cheers & metro)@dodgerie_ (Kitchen)@ambermiller9 (treehouse)@thepickledprince (chef)@_lifeinfocus (treehouse)@ahutchgram. (Pickup)@books.places.bookstores. ( treehouse)@youngisthenewblack
The new canteen, our latest guest amenity, is opening this spring!Question:Does anybody else find zen in working on the tiniest details? Fonts from the 30s.Sourcing paper handle coffee cups from the 60s.Finding, then rubber-stamping half peck apple bags, making custom sugar cube packaging, napkins, stirrers, vintage newspaper retail displays, creating guest room custom menu postcards. Im finding that sometimes focusing on the detail and process of design is better than meditation.Or maybe Im just going crazy.But if its the latter – Im ok with it.Cause the tiniest little grocery store at camp might be my new favorite spot.Cant wait to open its little screen door to the outside tiny patio when this snow drift melts (that is currently 4 up blocking the door).Also – this first shot of Charlie…How is she ten already. Where did my baby go??Photos @bobcoscarelli @_lifeinfocuss (last shot)
When we read this single sentence, we knew wed just found our purpose.Excerpt, Register of Historic Places:WANDAWEGA SHOWS THE INCREASING APPRECIATION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION & THE AESTHETIC, ROMANTIC, HISTORIC & EMOTIONAL POWER OF A PLACETHAT HAS STOOD AGAINST OUR SEEMINGLY RELENTLESS NEED FOR CONSTANT UPDATING AND CHANGECont…It is a microcosm of the broader history of Wisconsin resorts. In a single property, you can see many aspects of the historical evolution of Wisconsin resorts in the 20th century. The land speculation that gave rise to its initial development was indicative of a resort fever that swept the state in the 1920s as leisure time increased & the rapid spread of automobiles increased mobility & allowed people to leave urban centers to experience natural areas. Its subsequent ties to bootlegging and prostitution are evocative of the unexpected societal impacts of our failed Prohibition experiment & the penetration of the lawlessness into the most remote areas of the state due to its proximity to Chicago. The subsequent ownership of the property by the Catholic Church was a phenomenon found throughout Wisconsins resorting areas as resorts became church properties & functioned as religious retreats because improved transportation infrastructure allowed more to travel to more far-flung locations. Its transformation into a summer camp was in line with a blossoming of camps in the mid 20th century as urban dwellers sent their children to camp as a means to inculcate the values of rural life that they had experienced in their own childhood before seeking the economic opportunities found in larger cities.Many resorts show one or two phases of this evolution, but what makes Wandawega special is that you see all of these aspects in a single site. Its extraordinary state of preservation allows each of the stories to be clearly seen in the physical fabric of the place, creating a powerful slice of time and place that transcends any of these single stories.-Historic Preservation Officer Jim Draeger AMERICAN GETAWAY100 YEARS OF SAINTS & SINNERSThe very strange, very true story of Camp Wandawega(In shop) @austinsailsbury
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this guy David is spending his birthday as he has wanted to for the last 20 fixing things, shoveling snow and in some way or another, making everyones life around him better.If theres a more patient / kind / hard working human, weve never met them.He never wants a party. Hates having a fuss made. Hes impossible to buy for. (He still prefers our daily driver 16 year old Jeep to birthday shopping for an upgrade)He says that all the gifts he wants today is to sleep in late with Frankie (our mutt) for Charlie to make him a card, and maybe get a gluten free bagel.Today hes getting his list, a couple more little surprises…& all of our gratitude for being the GOAT dad + partner in crime.He will not be happy that I posted another picture of him. (Sorry not sorry, cause its one of my favorites, he asked me where his glasses were right after our friend took this). Now we both do that almost everyday to each other and will until were 101. (There is nobody else I wanna turn into a raisin with.)Sending everybody for the happiest of Valentines Day (and double if it also happens to be your birthday, too).Love,Tereasa, Charlie, & Frankie
