(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Street Prophets Friday: Devil's Lake [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-08-30 Hello, you saucy little dumplings. How's the world treating you? Better than you deserve, I hope. That's been my case for a number of years now. Oh, but I should really not wander off the path too much today. I came here to spread out another fuzzy little open thread for y’all. And no, I don't y’all, I'm not a y’all-y kind of person. Yowly, even jowly, but not y’all-y. Not really part of a Wisconsin upbringing. And speaking of Wisconsin, this week's Marko post is another short return to that land of my youth and a state park that has become a must during any visit to Wisconsin with my family. Devil's Lake Founded in 1911, Devil's Lake is the third of Wisconsin's State Parks and a spot my father loved taking his grandkids to back in the early 2000s. This summer, we stopped by on July 4th to visit with my step-sister's husband who had recently moved to Baraboo and frequently goes hiking in the park. We met up with him just after the park had opened— and yes, on July 4th, the park was packed with visitors. For only the second time in all of my visits to Devil's Lake, I went for a hike up onto the bluffs overlooking the beautiful, clear, 360 acre lake. The archaeological history of the area dates back 10,000 years. There are a number of Indian burial mounds along the south shore. But you don't need the presence of burial mounds to let you know that you're in a very special place. A rather fetching millipede #1 Son striking a majestic pose. Down to the water's edge The park is known for them in areas like this, but I still haven't seen a Wisconsin rattlesnake. Mrs the Werelynx included for scale. Lest you think I was lying about the park being packed— there were not that many people out on the trails, but the picnic areas were shoulder to shoulder, grill to grill. It was glorious to see the ethnic diversity! So many tortillas on those grills! We may have been the only family speaking Czech, but there were hundreds of families speaking Spanish, dozens speaking a variety of Asian languages, from Hindi to Vietnamese, and yes, some American English in there as well. Well, don’t tell the Republicans, but English was definitely the minority language that day. That special day, Independence Day! Yes, the picnic areas by the beach were packed with people. We stepped across the road and set up our own little picnic on a nice, grassy slope and watched the masses celebrate. Everyone seemed to have their own music playing a bit too loud. Somehow, from a distance, it was joyous to watch all these happy families out enjoying a picnic. #1 Son popped down to the water for a little swim before lunch and was gone two and a half hours. We got rather nervous and #2 Son set off on a trail for the far shore, figuring his brother had swum the length of the lake (it's a full mile in length) and was resting. Turns out he did rest on the far shore for about 10 minutes before starting back. Couldn't believe it. He said that people in sailboats, kayaks and paddle boats kept asking him the whole way there and back if he needed help. When I finally spotted him in the distance and swam out to meet him about 200 yards from shore, he also told me— “I'm fine, I’m fine!” Of course, his swim became our favorite story for the rest of our trip. And the stories from my life just keep stacking up while I relate all of our little adventures. Created another beer label for my brewery client, my English tutoring sessions have started up again and I've been spending a lot of time out in the country. Keeping the garden watered during this hot, dry week. Actually looking a bit stormy out there— no rain yet, but it's dark and a bit windy from time to time. Here's hoping! Thanks for stopping by. This is an open thread. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/30/2266748/-Street-Prophets-Friday-Devil-s-Lake?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/