It's been snowing!

Winter snowfall is off to a good start so far...October saw around 30", and this past Sunday's 12" brings the total past 40". And to think, the entire 2002 winter saw only about 48" of snow...yes, that was a dry year! Average for the park for an entire winter is around 115", so here we go. The pond was trying to put on its winter ice several weeks ago, but a warm early November kept the ice at bay. The cold temps that followed the last storm just may have the pond "officially" frozen for the year...I'll keep watching. Here's what the pond looked like this morning, plus a yucca in the snow.

Horseshoe Lodge hosts first overnight retreat!

After months and months of so many details and so much work creating MPEC's new Retreat Center at Horseshoe Lodge, we got to do a hands-on test of the new facility. I am so pleased to say that it went really well...comments from 13 women who travelled from many places, including North Carolina, Florida, California, British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario were very positive and confirmed what we already believed...MPEC has built a beautiful facility that has taken the 1930s work of the New Deal Era workers who built the Lodge and made it into a lovely facility that will be a lovely place to retreat to Nature for many many years.

Upon returning home to Wisconsin, Lee Miller put at her blog, "What did I experience? No hub-bub. Beauty everywhere. Clean air. Brilliant stars at night. Pine trees that tower high into the sky. Animal tracks. Hiking trails. Ponds and bubbling brooks. Beautiful snow. Sunshine. And the lodge - full of cozy comfort. It was majestic, just majestic."

Jo Hatcher said, "Wow. What an honor to be the first person to sleep in the beautiful Hideaway Room. The bear decor in the room kept me company and I felt peaceful and relaxed. Seeing the snow right outside the windows was like magic, an elixir that I needed for my tired and weary self. It was simply a treasure to be in this cozy room. Knowing that it had been decorated by loving hands from a special community of people was sacred to me."