365 of 365 of What it is Like to Run a Resort

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 - my last blog entry. I said I would do this for 365 days and here is the last day. It was so fun to hear your comments and positive feedback.

I love to write, even if some of my blogs did not show it. Sometimes I was so busy that I couldn't even blog for days. Some days I was too tired to even lift a finger. But whatever the case, I enjoyed it thoroughly overall. I hope you did too.

Wednesday was a fun day. A group went out kayaking and we helped them strap on the kayaks. John mostly helped. I was sitting at the campfire cooking polish sausage for lunch. After lunch I made pudgie pies of apple pie filling and raisin bread. They were very good, especially when cooked over the fire.

Our niece, Jaeden, went out fishing with her new friend, Gabbi. Gabbi and her dad are our customers and they took Jaeden out fishing because the girls are very close in age and have been hanging out together. They caught 10 fish each and then stopped and came back. They were all caught within a hour and a half. They had a lot of fun.

Some customers came into the lodge and played the piano a bit. That was beautiful. We have an old upright piano in the lodge. John and I don't know how to play it but love it when customers do.

Orla, our puppy, has been really tired every evening. She has been playing with everyone and has sometimes even taken a walk with customers on our many woodland trails. She is a wonderful addition to the resort and is well loved. She will love it here and we hope she lives a very long time because she is loved much.

I baked some chocolate chip cookies and then mopped the entire lodge, lodge bathrooms, and my kitchen. I think the smell of the cookies must have floated around the resort. Because I had to turn away at least a handful of customers while the floor was drying. It was a little humid so it took over an hour for the floor to dry. By then the smell of the cookies had dissipated. I think its funny. I love to give cookies to people, so when the floor was done I was a little disappointed that no one asked about a cookie. So I started handing them out myself.

John and I watched the women's soccer match for awhile. Then we relaxed with the kids, our niece and nephew, and sat around talking and laughing. John eventually took a big group out on the pontoon for a sunset cruise. The sunset was beautiful with dark purple and pink stripes in the sky.

There was a campfire and John and Orla sat at it for awhile talking with customers. I was in the lodge with a couple customers while Jaeden played foosball. It was a good day and a good year.

Its hard to believe that a year ago we had a trouble bear here and it was captured on the eve of the beginning of my blog. So it seems strange to end the blog with nothing exciting going on. We are very happy there are no bears, and even the raccoons have left the premises. Oh well. I guess I have to end on a boring blog entry.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you enjoyed it. Maybe I will think of something else to write about. But for now, do something fun every day. Life is short. - - Cheri Stratte, Mercer, Wisconsin, Pine Forest Lodge.