"Collect things you love, that are authentic to you,

and your house becomes your story"

~THE CABIN~

The lake itself and our history with it is one story. Nohner's Resort and the Dubuque Jahns finding each other is another story. Mary from Omaha and Kevin from Melrose is a story. And finding a cabin "down the shoreline" from Grandma and Grandpa Nohner is this story.

June 1996 found us fishing down the shore from Grandma Bernice's place and trolling along I wondered aloud "like what would that little place cost?" and I pointed to the For Sale sign on shore in what is known as Paradise Bay. The shore is easier than others on the lake that have 80 steps and the water in the bay is calm almost anytime of day. Having lunch with family we repeated our question and were told it was "$240,000.00". What a reality check for us! Now I knew I'd never get a cabin! However, we called Grandpa's brother Pete, a local contractor with a handy realtor's license, and set out down the road to see it. Turns out Bernice thought we meant a full two story home farther down the shore and this little place was much much less!

I opened the door to a 1940's paneled cabin with a warren of bedrooms (4!) for the kids. SOLD!

Having recently lost my father, who took us on vacations to Big Birch and let us run free while he sat down next to a grocery bag full of novels and a beer, I promptly put my inheritance to good use with a down payment on a dream. (I also sold the Jaguar XKE* that Kevin rashly but sweetly purchased for my 40th birthday-but thats a story for another time)

1996
New Dock Old Cabin

Inaugural August vacation with Burkes

Our birch tree

Beloved (useless) fireplace :D

Last look September 2015

Memories abound!

The paneling becomes beds this year

The cedar bed will come with us but not much else!

The "doors should be headboards Kevin!"--but they become footboards

My Chief Joseph blanket inspires the next dream

Joe made the lake painting with accurate water depths in high school

My brother Steve (who has shared the good and the bad times at the cabin-aka campfires and fishing vs mice and storms) put in a labor of love helping Kevin salvage the wood boards

Pencil to paper

We met with Kevin's cousin Chuck, a contractor, and the ideas started to flow. We started the County variance procedure and were set for the October meeting to approve our tear down and rebuild of a slightly larger cabin. We were successful that October night and the winter was full of planning!