#summer camp Wisconsin

[k12academics]

**Why Swift Nature Camp is the Perfect Choice for Your Child**

Sending your child to overnight camp is a big decision, and at Swift Nature Camp (SNC), we understand that. For over 30 years, our directors have dedicated their lives to creating a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for kids who are curious, compassionate, and eager to explore the world around them.

Here's why parents trust SNC:

Designed for First-Time Campers We know that attending camp for the first time can feel daunting. That's why we've developed a special **First-Time Camper Program** to help your child adjust comfortably. From small cabin groups to highly trained staff, every aspect of our program is tailored to ensure a smooth transition into camp life. Your child will feel supported, encouraged, and ready to embrace the adventure.

A Focus on Nature, Science, and Curiosity Unlike traditional camps, SNC is uniquely dedicated to children who love exploring nature and science. With hands-on environmental education and activities like animal care, eco-discovery, and science experiments, we inspire kids to learn about the natural world while having a blast. These experiences ignite curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

A Safe, Warm, and Supportive Community Our 80-acre site in northern Wisconsin offers a pristine natural setting with a private lake, lush forests, and cozy cabins. SNC fosters a culture of kindness, respect, and friendship. Campers often describe their time here as life-changing, gaining confidence, independence, and lifelong friendships.

Experienced and Caring Leadership With decades of experience, our directors know what it takes to create a magical camp experience. They are present on-site every day, ensuring the highest standards of safety, fun, and learning.

Activities to Inspire Every Camper From canoeing and archery to LEGO building and drama, there's something for every child at SNC. Whether your child is an adventurer, a budding scientist, or a creative spirit, they'll find their niche in our small family.

Phone Free At Swift Nature Camp, we embrace the joy of being unplugged--no phones means more time for friendships, adventure, and connecting with nature!

We're Here to Help Still have questions? We'd love to talk with you about how SNC can be the right fit for your child. When the time comes, we'll be here to welcome your family into ours.

Let your child discover, grow, and thrive at Swift Nature Camp--where nature, friendship, and fun come together in unforgettable ways.

[patiiences]

[midwestaesthetics]

Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo Wisconsin

[erinwantstowrite]

(this is slightly based on something i find that i do often!!)

i imagine peter having a slightly thicker than his usual new york accent when he first wakes up and is a bit groggy

like the barely discernible & stereotypical italian-new yorker type of accent (unless you grew up around it, then it sounds completely normal lol)

like i’m talking the old man type ny accent

old man phrases and all

peter (just woken up): “d’aw, come ahn… oim tryn ta get some shut-eye fowah few, hah??”

dick: *typically has heard much different (yet still fairly thick) jersey accents since he was around nine* ..??

(fun fact: i’m from northern wisconsin and when i went to southern wi for summer camp i was deeply humbled by my accent and common phrases i use, especially when i first woke up 😭 i live so far up north that it’s practically a canadian accent and my roommate did a double take every time i spoke in the mornings)

THIS IS SO FUNNY 😭 I've been planning to have a moment like this at some point but i didn't know where exactly it would fit the best- i decided on when he was angry or excited about something, but perhaps another time like this would be cute too 💖 ugh that's adorable im gonna be sick

i have a pretty thick southern accent (i live in Louisiana) and while most of the time i make a conscious effort to hide it (for a majority of reasons), it always always alwayssss comes out when i'm angry, excited, or too tired to think about it. apparently there are a lot of sayings/phrases/pronunciations down here that have my friends going "what???????????"

[ominousvibez]

Okay I'm still thinking about the Amity Park in Ohio thing so here's my proposal for this idea:

Reasons That Amity Park Should Be in Ohio (By Someone Who's Lived In Ohio For 2+ Years)

#1 It's Definitely A Great Lake State

Amity Park has never been stated to be officially in one specific state, just vaguely central United States, possibly somewhere around the Great Lakes area. That specific area is often referenced by other characters in the show. Urban Jungle shows Undergrowth's roots stretching out from this general area, and the Lake Eerie mentioned in the show might just literally be Lake Erie.

Of course it's kinda cartoony and I honestly have no idea if those mountains in the bottom right corner are meant to be the Appalachia area or not but it vaugely looks like the Great Lakes area

Because of this screenshot, I think most of the fandom headcanons Amity Park to be somewhere in Illinois, possibly close to Chicago, but we can basically point at any Great Lakes state and say "yeah that fits".

For my non-American friends, it's this general area of America (specifically Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio)

But I'd also like to say that cartoons do have a tendency to fudge some details about geography (or completely change the states a la Steven Universe) so the map might not be 100% accurate. But with the map, it could technically be any Great Lakes State, so why not OHIO?

Which btw I'm going to be counting as a Midwest state for this analysis. Some people can argue it isn't, but from my experience living here in Ohio there are a lot of Midwestern tendencies. It's more like Ohio is the border state between the Eastern states and the Midwest, so it gets a mix of both.

B*tch H*rtman (as much as we don't like to talk about him) was also born in Michigan, which is a state in the Midwest, so some of Amity Park could be based (consciously or not) on the towns he grew up in there. But because of him I'm ruling out Michigan the state as a whole and Wisconsin for states Amity Park could be in.

#2 It Takes Four Days To Get To Wisconsin, Apparently?

In Season 1, Episode 7, when they travel to Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin, Jazz says it will take "four days" to get from Amity Park to Vlad's Mansion (Somewhere in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, basically). The geography is a little off for every midwestern/Great Lakes state except maybe New York if you're gonna count that but Amity Park does not feel like it'd be in New York state.

Ohio is the furthest Midwest Great Lakes state from Wisconsin. Case closed there. Of course, it doesn't take four days to get from Ohio to Wisconsin. It can roughly vary from 10 to 15 hours, depending on route options (such as avoiding highways and stuff), but still.

It's a road trip, so it makes more sense that they'd take longer to get there-- plus realistically people don't tend to drive 10 hours on a road trip, they probably stopped through the trip and spent the night in their RV.

#3 They Got Beaches?

Amity Park does exist near a body of water. It isn't clear if it's a lake, river, or ocean in the show. It could be a lake. There's also the area in Frightmare, where Nocturne literally takes up space in some sort of port building/factory that gives the audience the assumption that it's on a pier/port. So they're really next to a body of water.

There is also the summer camp that Danny and his friends attend in Claw of the Wild which is said to be on Lake "Eerie". Which could easily just be Lake Erie, the lake that Ohio is on.

Also Camp Skull and Crossbones?? What an iconic camp name. You could say the name is pretty,,,,,, camp (ba dum tss).

#4 Ohio's Just Like... Very Haunted

Ohio has kinda become a meme recently. Not just one specific part of Ohio, but the entire state. The memes are mostly good fun-- like how the state is mostly just corn -- but I think some of the ~vibes~ of Ohio just fit right.

Like, there's no definite way to say which U.S. State is the most haunted (I think either the New England area or maybe Louisiana could take the #1 spot) but Ohio is definitely something else. Of course, we have the baby bridges and the haunted penitentiaries like Ohio State Penitentiary, but there are some interesting places that could be played with, too.

For one, there's an entire abandoned town called Helltown, Ohio, where rumors are cultists perform Satantic rituals, mutant creatures roaming the city created by an oil spill, and even a giant snake? There's also a place literally called the Gateway to Hell, too, which is right behind a Tim Horton's (oddly fitting).

Bobby Mackey's is also in Ohio! If you've ever seen Buzzfeed Unsolved, you know what I'm talking about.

There are also less hell-related spooky things in Ohio. Like, Lake Erie has its own Monster! We call her Bessie. Danny could definitely befriend Bessie!!!

#5 It'd Be Funny

It'd be funny for Amity Park to be in Ohio. The Most Haunted Place in America to be in Ohio is just kinda funny. With how "cursed" of a reputation Ohio seems to have in a larger cultural context, doesn't it kinda just fit?

TLDR:

Ohio is a very cursed state, has a lot of supernatural lore to it, and I think Amity Park would fit in both thematically and almost geographically. Of course, other Midwestern States like Illinois do fit the bill, too, in this argument. But I am a firm "Amity Park is in Ohio" supporter.

[towards-toramunda]

Ashton Greymoore is from Crown Heights and works in a neighborhood deli and he makes the best chopped cheese New York City has ever seen and gets paid $18 an hour so you better fucking tip

Orym is from a small town in northern Vermont that voted 97% Bernie Sanders and he is rarely seen without the green thick flannel that he got from his stepdad before he passed. He helps run a martial training summer camp, but works at a grocery store most of the time.

Laudna is big in the Portland goth scene because she works at a taxidermy shop where people bring her their beloved dearly departed pets and she brings them back to life as statues.

Imogen lives in Tennessee and works at a horse ranch that rents out for kids birthday parties. She has a therapist that she goes to twice a week and she takes at least five different medications for her mental health.

Chetney is from northern Wisconsin where he lives in a cabin by himself and crafts the most gorgeous wooden furniture and statues. He thinks its funny when people complain about deep snow during the winter. He goes ice fishing and wears T-shirts with wolves howling at the moon.

FCG is from Huntsville Alabama where they used to work at the Space and Rocket center, but he recently discovered Christ and he’s really into it. They’ve never touched a bible but really likes the concept of being Christian so he figures its good.

Fearne was born and raised in Los Angeles to a wealthy and famous celebrity couple who left her with their housekeeper most of the time. She likes to garden and has a weird fascination with fire. She’s a nepo baby so shes never worked a day in her life and doesn’t know what “clopening” means.

[antiquitea]

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: john egan x gale cleven.

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: the last place that john egan wants to be the summer before he graduates high school is the egan family cottage, a place where time and everyone else seems to have forgotten. having been intent on finding a summer job, spending time with his friends, going to parties, and making out with pretty girls, john is irked that the egan family matriarch has other ideas and wants the family to spend "one last" summer together.

john's sour mood shifts just a little when he meets local, but also not-so-local, gale cleven, a boy his age who works at the small town's one pizza joint. through teenage angst and a desire to break free of the awkward position of not being children anymore but not yet men, the two form a bond that makes their summer a little more bearable. a bond that comes to shock the both of them.

but what happens when more than the summer comes to an end?

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: teen, though later chapters might have a slightly higher rating.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4.2k

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: YEAH FIRST MASTERS OF THE AIR FIC. thank you to everyone who reblogged the mood board and expressed interest in the story. special thanks to @wildbornsiren for being my ride or die and @swifty-fox for letting me share snippets and bouncing ideas off of you.

likes / comments / reblogs are very much appreciated! thank you for reading! 💚

» mood board. » read on ao3.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈.

Summer 1986 Somewhere in Wisconsin

“Johnny!”

Evidently, John Egan had ignored the shouts from his mother to come inside for the last time. Her voice turned into something shrill that he could hear even down by the lake, where he could normally escape all manner of ruckus that came from the cottage. It wasn’t that noisy, he supposed. But it was difficult to get a moment of peace and quiet when his whole family - his ma and dad, his sister, and himself - were all crammed into the small two bedroom space.

When they were kids, John and his sister, Billie, would bunk together in one room, at first sharing the one bed, John then eventually sleeping on the floor when he “got too long,” as his dad put it. But when one is suddenly seventeen, and the other is fourteen, bunking together isn’t on the table anymore, no matter what Ma said. John would just as soon take the couch, which he was too long to fit on comfortably anymore, in the living room, or grab a tent and camp out under the stars if the weather was nice enough.

“Johnny Egan!”

The last name had been included, it was getting serious.

John pushed himself up with a soft grunt, hands instinctively wiping grass and dirt from the ass of his shorts. He reached over to pick up the battered copy of ‘Salem’s Lot and the empty bottle of Coke that he’d brought down to the edge of the lake with him, cramming the book in his back pocket, and holding the empty bottle between his long fingers.

He didn’t know what all the fuss was about, having dinner at the same time every night. It was summer, no one else seemed to be on a set schedule. Kids, teens, and adults ran wild in cottage country. At least that had been the way. Once upon a time, he and Billie had been allowed to miss dinners and stay out past their bedtimes. Yet somehow, as they got older, Ma and Dad were trying to tighten the reins. Ma had tearfully mentioned that it might be the last time they all got down to the lake together for the summer, as if one of them were fuckin’ dying or something.

John tramped through the brush and tall grass to get to the path that would lead him back to the small cluster of cottages on the the top of the hill. There had been four that had always been there, as long as he could remember, situated around the lake. They went back generations, passed down through handshakes and wills, little more than a handful of rooms for families to sleep, eat, and unwind after a day in the sun.

But over the past few years things further up the road were beginning to be developed, real proper like, and it was only a matter of time before it reached the older cottages down by the lake. John had ridden his bike past them shortly after they’d arrived a week ago; they looked almost as nice as the house that they lived in ten months out of the year back in Manitowoc. John had heard the stories about how the Egan Family Cottage had come to be, put together by his grandfather and a few friends over the course of the summer in 1945, a product of coming home from the war, too much time on their hands, and a lot of packs of cigarettes and beer.

“Jo -”

“I’m comin’ Ma!”

When he was a kid it seemed like a much greater distance between the cottage and the lake, and now he realized that they were within spitting distance of one another. He’d taken up less space then. 

John crested over the small hill at the top of the path, the cottages in full or partial view now. Theirs was on the far right, and despite its location amongst the small cluster, had been the center of his universe, and the universe of all the other kids, summer friends, that spent summers there, for as long as he could remember. But the Miller kids were both off to college the last couple of years, and Amos Cook had passed away early that spring, and his widow couldn’t bear to come down and bring their grandkids with her.

Suddenly, at seventeen years of age, John felt too young and too old all at once.

—

“Lucia’s dad said he would drive us to the mall the next town over tonight. If that’s okay? Ma? It closes at eight.”

John pushed the remnants of dinner around his plate with the prongs of his fork, desperately wanting to be set free from the small dinner table shoved into a corner of an equally small kitchen, to go and find somewhere to finish his book. He only had a couple of chapters left before he was finished, and he really wanted an excuse to take his bike (or the truck if Dad was in a good mood) into town the next day, go to the library, maybe spend some time at the pizza place that had Galaga and Time Pilot arcade cabinets, see a pretty girl. Any girl, really. He was beginning to think his summer would’ve been better spent in Manitowoc. At least then maybe he stood a chance of feeling up something pretty in the back seat at the drive-in.

“Who’s Lucia?” John Egan the Elder asked, reaching over and opening the fridge door. The perks of the small kitchen and its small dinner table meant that the fridge was often within reach. Egan Senior pulled out a beer and held it up, looking at John with raised eyebrows. John nodded, and his dad pulled another one out. He popped the caps off of both and then handed one to his son.

“A new friend,” Billie replied after a sip of water. “Her parents have one of the cottages up the road. I met her today. She’s really nice. Ma, you’d like her.”

“Oh, Billie. Why would you want to go to the mall on a night like this?” Ma Egan asked, dabbing her lips with a napkin.

Dinner had been steaks and vegetables that Dad had cooked on the barbeque. It dawned on John that in the summer that his dad did most of the cooking on the grill, which meant Ma got a break from cooking. Perhaps that was why she had been so eager to come down to the cottage every year. 

“Oh let her go, Ma,” John Sr. said, then taking a sip from his bottle of beer. “She’s met a new friend and wants to go to the mall. Ain’t no danger in it. So long as she doesn’t spend her entire allowance.”

John swore his Ma still believed that they were children who needed coddling and protection from the world. He had his own feelings about his sister getting older - for one thing, she was infinitely more annoying than he had ever remembered her being - but Billie didn’t need Ma looming over her shoulder at all times.

“Well, who will John spend time with if she’s gone?” Ma asked John Sr., as if neither Billie or John will be present.

“He’s seventeen, he doesn’t want to spend summer nights with his kid sister.” Again, they may as well have not been there. “Am I right, John?”

John inhaled, waiting for a moment of quiet in which he could reply in, before Ma was filling the void. “Oh, all right. Is Lucia’s dad going to pick you up from the mall?”

Billie brightened. “Yes. Eight o’clock on the dot, he said.”

“Then I suppose it’s all right. But I want you home no later than eight thirty.”

“May I be excused?” John asked, looking between his parents.

“Of course,” Ma replied, before immediately turning back to Billie to go over the five new rules she’d just concocted for going to the mall with Lucia.

John cleared his plate, grabbed his beer, his book from off the table by the back door, and made his way back down to his spot at the lake. He still had a couple of hours of daylight left, and even after he finished his book (he was a fast reader) there would be plenty of time for him to just lay by the lake, sipping the remnants of his beer, and enjoying the sounds of the crickets and the lake.

—

Back in Manitowoc, the library had a couple of girls John’s age who worked there part time. While he did enjoy going there to check out something new, he also enjoyed leaning over the counter, smiling with all of his teeth, and asking what their favourite books were. He also enjoyed watching them duck their heads and giggle, and on occasion following them to the very back stacks where their favourite books were not at all located and putting his hands under their skirts while they tried to stifle their moans against his shoulder.

In the town library down at the cottage it was small enough to be staffed by one woman, and that woman was old enough to be his grandmother. John wasn’t opposed necessarily … she just wasn’t his type.

His solitary errand completed for the day (he picked a couple more Stephen King books), John glanced at his watch. It was only ten in the morning.

Letting out a huff, he leaned against the brick exterior of the library and looked up and down the one street the town possessed. So many shops weren’t even opened yet, their proprietors moving as lazily as the out of towners who took over in the summer. John didn’t know much about business or economics (despite Dad’s best efforts), but thought that opening earlier would be more profitable.

Or maybe it wouldn’t. He was just bored out of his skull.

They had six more weeks there.

Books placed in the milk crate at the back, John mounted his bike and began lazily cycling down the street back toward the direction of the cottage, passing by the pizza place. It was open, and John spotted a couple of kids Billie’s age playing Galaga. It felt far too early for a slice, but John wasn’t quite ready to go back to the cottage and get through another book in a day.

Parking his bike outside, John then opened the door to Rush Hour Pizza. What passed for rush hour in this place he would very much like to see. The boys were playing Galaga, one shouting very unhelpful directions at the other, but aside from that the shop was empty, save for the thin blond working behind the counter, her back turned to the entrance. He leaned over the counter, one hand pressed against the linoleum and set his voice to purr.

“Hey pretty thing.”

The blond turned around, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline, blue eyes wide.

Fuck.

“Um.”

“Yeah,” the boy around John’s age supplied, tucking a piece of his long blond hair behind his ear. “My dad’s been saying I should get a haircut.”

He was slender, but not so slender that John should’ve been mistaking him for a girl. John was scarlett with shame, but tried not to let it show, instead just clearing his throat and looking down at the counter for a moment to get his bearings.

“What can I get for ya?” the boy asked.

“Uh,” John replied, finally glancing up. Okay, so he may have been a boy but he was still extremely pretty in a masculine sense. Was that a thing that men were? John had never thought a boy was pretty before. He’d looked at men with curiosity, but never -

“You okay, man?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” John replied. “Can I, uh, get a slice?”

“This early?”

John looked at the boy across the counter incredulously. “It’s … a pizza place. You sell pizza. You’re open.”

“Yeah, but … it’s ten in the morning.”

“Then what …” John trailed off, gesturing to the boys playing Galaga.

The blond boy leaned over the counter, looking at the two younger boys shoving quarters into the arcade cabinet, and then looking back at John. “They’re playing Galaga.”

“I see that they’re playing Galaga. But isn’t this the sort of place where you, I dunno, have to buy something in order to use … the facilities?”

The boy chuckled and John kind of hated him. He stole a glance at the nametag pinned to the boy’s apron - GALE - and then lifted his gaze to his face once more.

“When my dad is here, probably. But I dunno, it’s summer and this place is boring. I don’t care. If they wanna feed quarters into the machines they can go for it. We get their money regardless. At least, that’s what my dad would say. They bought some Cokes about an hour ago,” Gale said. “Pizza’s not even ready yet.”

John blinked. “Then why are you open?”

“Galaga,” Gale replied, pointing at the boys and the arcade cabinet once more. “I was here making the pizzas anyway.”

“So when you asked what you could get me, it was limited to beverages,” John said, letting out a sigh.

“There’s a menu,” Gale said, pointing to the large board above his head. “I can make you a sandwich. Or a sub.”

For the first time, John picks up on Gale’s accent, and cocks his head. “Not from around here, are you?”

“No sir,” Gale replied, leaning against the counter. “Born in South Dakota, grew up in Wyoming.”

“Then what the hell are you doing here?” John asked. Gale opened his mouth to speak and John interrupted him. “If you say ‘Galaga’ one more time -”

Gale laughed, something big and bright, showing all of his perfect fuckin’ teeth. It stretched up to the corners of his eyes and made his nose scrunch up, and John’s face felt strangely warm again. “Change of scenery. Dad got tired of Wyoming.” He tilted his head at John. “You’re not from here either.”

“Well, I’m from Manitowoc. My family summers here.”

“Summers. Fancy,” Gale said a little teasingly, straightening back up. It was far from fancy, but John didn’t correct him. “Can I make you a sandwich or what?”

John reached into his pockets and pulled out his wallet, rifling through his cash. “Yeah. Yeah, sure. Cold cut sub sounds great. Not gonna get on my ass about it being too early for lunch?”

“I would never,” Gale replied with a slow smile.

—

“You were gone long,” Ma said the moment that John walked in through the back door of the cottage, a stack of books under his arm.

John rolled his eyes and placed the books down on one of the side tables next to the couch, which had been serving at his nightstand. “Ma, please.”

“Well, I’m just sayin’ is all,” Ma Egan said defensively, looking up from washing dishes in the kitchen. “Said you were going to the library. Figured you’d be there and back in half an hour or so.”

With an exasperated sigh, John flopped down onto the couch. He wasn’t certain if he could bear even just another day of his mother being overbearing. “Ma, we’re on vacation. I’m almost an adult -” Ma snorted, and John ignored her. “- can you stop hasslin’ me about being a bit longer in town? It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”

“Now John Egan, I’ve had just about enough of your complaining,” Ma said with a sigh, tossing her washcloth into the sink.

John sat up a little straighter, hands stretched out in front of him, eyebrows raised in confusion. “I haven’t complained once since we got here.”

“Oh yes you have,” Ma Egan said. “Maybe not in so many words, but you’ve been throwing yourself around like a rag doll since you set foot inside this place. Mopin’ about, spendin’ all of your time down at the lake.”

“There’s nothing for me to do here,” John said, and he sounded much whinier than he had meant to. Definitely not an adult.

“Like hell there ain’t,” Ma Egan said, hands on her hips. “Your sister has been makin’ friends up the road, and don’t tell her I ever said it, but you’re far more personable than she is.”

“Ma,” John began, his voice firm and level. “Billie is a kid. There are other kids around. I, your son who is a completely different person, am not a kid. There’s no one my age around here. They’re probably all working jobs. Which is what I wanted to do this summer back home, but you and dad insisted that we all come here. So forgive me for feeling a little bit put out that I’m spending my summer vacation with nothing to do, when I wanted to get a job, make some money for school, and spend time with my friends.”

“And get up to no good,” Ma Egan said quickly.

“Ma -”

“Those boys you pal around with aren’t exactly model citizens.”

“Neither am I,” John muttered, really wishing he had thought to buy a pack of cigarettes while he was in town. He hadn’t thought he would need to take the edge off there, but it was becoming apparent that he would.

“Not if you keep aligning yourself with that lot,” Ma Egan said, stepping into the small living room, cluttered with John’s belongings. “Look, the reason why your father and I insisted that we all come here this summer is that it’ll probably be the last time we all get the chance to.”

“Ain’t no one dyin’, Ma!”

Sighing, Ma sat down next to John on the couch. “John, it ain’t about that. You and your sister are getting older, you’re not going to want to come down here anymore with the whole family. Hell, you already didn’t want to. But next summer you’ll be off to college, or getting a job somewhere, and you won’t be able to make it down. And your father and I aren’t gettin’ any younger.” She paused and reached over, taking one of John’s hands. “Our lives are all going to change one way or another in the coming years, and ain’t nothin’ guaranteed. But we could have this one last time. Some time together. I’m sorry that we dragged you here. But I ain’t sorry that you’re here. You understand me?”

John glanced over at his mother, letting out a small sigh of his own. He loved his family, he did. But he was filled with that sort of unbridled rage that all teenagers feel when they’re on the cusp of adulthood. Even if he couldn’t identify it, quantify it, it was there. He did an excellent job of keeping it to himself for the most part, unless his mother drew it out of him, like she was doing then and there.

He didn’t quite understand her insistence that they all be together at the cottage when they could’ve been together back home. But, agreeing with her in the past had sometimes been a better option than arguing with her, and John couldn’t bear to break her heart with his own teenage angst anymore.

“Yeah, Ma. I understand.”

—

That afternoon, John had found his father, who was working on a truck for one of the newer neighbours up the road. Turns out it had been Billie’s new friend’s father. Billie and Lucia were inside, enjoying some air conditioning and listening to New Kids on the Block, while their two dads stood over the open front hood of the blue Dodge Ram, each holding a beer in their hand. John the Younger managed to lend a hand, which seemed to please his father, who really wanted his son to one day take up the mantle of the family business back home.

John was still undecided if he wanted to be a mechanic or not. In fact, he was still undecided on what he wanted to be at all.

As a thank you, Lucia’s dad suggested they get pizza. John was about to take his leave when Lucia insisted that he stay. John didn’t miss the way that Lucia looked at him, and couldn’t find it in himself to break the girl’s heart, so he agreed. Billie looked equal parts shocked and disgusted, and he later heard her say, “My brother? Seriously? Ew.”

“He’s got a moustache, Billie.”

“Not a good one.”

John was glad he was out of sight, if not out of earshot, rubbing at the hair above his lip absentmindedly. The moustache was a work in progress. He thought it looked just fine. And Deborah Jensen back home in Manitowoc had seemed to be quite fond of it as well.

Lucia’s dad gave him the keys to the newly fixed truck to go pick up the pizzas, and John Sr. reminded him to be on his best behaviour with a truck that wasn’t theirs. John fought the urge to roll his eyes, wanting to be a good guest, and after taking his time to ensure that the mirrors were properly adjusted, hands at ten and two (he knew his dad was watching), John drove ten under the speed limit until he was out of sight.

—

John pulled up to Rush Hour Pizza with a groan, not really in the mood for Gale. He didn’t know why, they’d gotten on well enough that morning. Gale was clearly bored to tears waiting for the pizzas to come out of the oven, so he’d chatted with John from across the restaurant while he ate his sub (it had been really fuckin’ good).

When the bell above the door chimed, Gale popped up seemingly out of nowhere, looking a little bewildered to see John again. “Couldn’t get enough of me?” he asked.

“Very funny,” John said, looking around. The arcade cabinets were abandoned. He supposed it was dinner time, all the neighbourhood kids were probably at home. “I’m just here to pick up a couple of pizzas. My dad’s friend ordered them.”

“Oh yeah. Of course,” Gale said, hands braced against the counter. He paused. “What’s the name?”

John blinked at Gale. “I don’t fuckin’ know.”

“You don’t know your dad’s friend’s name?”

“... Lucia’s Dad?”

Gale chuckled, shaking his head. “Can’t say I recall taking that order, man.”

John sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay. Well. Are there any orders here?”

“Yeah, a few.” A beat of silence passed between them. “Do you know what he ordered?”

“Pizzas.”

Gale smiled, cocking an eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. “How in the hell do y’all get by in Manitowoc?”

“I’m beginning to wonder that myself.”

Still smiling, Gale pulled some receipts from a small pile to his right. “Here. We’ll go through them both together. You tell me if any of the names or orders ring any bells.”

“Doesn’t this violate pizza-client privilege or something?” John asked, leaning over the counter slightly to look at the order slips with Gale.

“That’s not a thing.”

Apparently, all twelve people in town had ordered pizzas for pick up that evening. As Gale rattled off names and orders, John realized that the pizza boy didn’t even know his name. It seemed very unfair that he knew Gale’s.

“I’m John,” he said, interrupting Gale mid-sentence.

Gale glanced up at John, blinking slowly. “Well, all right. Hello John. I’m Gale.”

“I know. You have a nametag.”

Gale glanced down at his chest and smiled. “So I do. Forgot I had that on. Okay, where were we? Carlos -”

“That’s it! What’s his last name?” John interrupted excitedly.

“I was gonna get to that, y’know,” Gale said, looking up at John and smiling. “Navarro.”

“That’s the one!” John said, taking the slip from Gale and looking at the order. “One pepperoni, one meat lovers, and one vegetarian.”

“Coming right up,” Gale said, heading toward the back as John pulled cash out of his wallet.

While John waited for Gale to come back with the pizzas, he craned his neck to look into the kitchen. “Do you work here alone?” he called out.

He heard Gale laugh. “Why? Comin’ back to kill me tomorrow night?” he replied, still hidden in the back.

“Not my style,” John replied. “Just … you’re the only pizza place in town it seems, and it’s just you here. Seems like a lot of work.”

Gale returns to the counter with three boxes of pizzas, setting them down and then taking the cash from John. “I like to keep busy. My dad comes in during the rushes, but once the pizzas are actually in the oven the rest is just … transactions. Making sandwiches and stuff like that.”

“Right,” John said, watching Gale as he rang up his order and handed John back the change. John tossed some into the tip jar. He picked up the pizzas and nodded a thanks to Gale, who nodded one back and tucked a piece of his hair behind his ear. John was halfway to the door, before he stopped and turned around. “Gale, what the fuck do people like you and me do around here for fun?”

…

[thedeviltohisangel]

“Are you actually blushing?” “No! Shut up.” & “awww did I flustered you?” For Cass/Bucky please

BLUSHING PROMPT ERA

when you all aren't requesting pow camp angst, you all want more of cass and the egan family. my gift to my few fluff lovers.

Penelope's wails had quieted to tired little whimpers as John paced around the backyard of his childhood home. Her and her brother had been perfectly well behaved on the flight from Virginia to Wisconsin but while Gale had fallen asleep during his bedtime bottle, Penny had decided to test the capacity of her lungs in the midwestern air.

"It's okay, my sweet girl. I know you've had a long day. You must be so tired," John cooed to his baby daughter as he bounced her gently. Her teary eyes were looking up at the stars as he pressed gentle kisses to the side of her head. He hoped Cass had fallen asleep. They both had been running on empty since they became parents three months ago.

"Coming out here always use to work when you were as little as her." John turned to see his mother standing in the doorway to the back of the house, watching her son and granddaughter with a smile on her face.

"Did she wake you? I'm sorry, ma, I tried to get her out here as quick as I could." His mother shook her head and reached for her granddaughter, John passing her off and collapsing into a lawn chair as she took over the calming, rocking movements he had been trying for what felt like hours.

Penelope looked at her grandmother with curiosity and slowly went silent as she grew comfortable in her arms. "How come you and my wife can just look at them and they stop crying but they make me work for it all night?"

"Maternal instinct, Johnny. Cassandra seems to be adjusting to motherhood quite well." John nodded as he took the sleeping baby back from his mother and held her against his chest.

"She's a natural. Barely blinked when the doctors said there was another one right behind Penny." John had been in the hallway raging at the medical staff that was trying to keep him from seeing his wife. His mother didn't need to know that part.

"And you? I remember that one summer you helped with a baseball team, you were so good with them."

"I think I'm getting the hang of it. The half of them they get from me is causing us the most problems but that is to be expected." His mother laughed and he let it wrap around him like a hug. "I never thought about a future that looked like this until I fell in love with her." John kissed the top of his daughter's head and pressed his finger into her little palm that was resting against his chest, her fingers curling around his and his heart skipping a beat.

"I'm glad. I was worried after the last time you were here." His mother hadn't mentioned their time in Wisconsin when she had come with his sisters to South Carolina for the wedding but that doesn't mean she hadn't thought about it.

"That was...we were in a dark place. I didn't mean for it to boil over here but I saw that photo and got that letter and..." He hugged his daughter tighter. He had stormed out of his parents house that night without his wedding band. With the intent of helping Cass book a one way trip to South Carolina to be rid of him and their marriage and the mess he was causing in her life. Had said a million things he regretted and had drank himself to oblivion at the local bar over the idea that he had finally fucked up enough to lose her.

"But now you've got these little blessings. And that absolutely wonderful little dog, John, he really is so handsome." Butter was probably on his half of the bed upstairs as they spoke, sleeping like a rock in Cass' arms. John hadn't even tried to fight bringing him on the trip and hadn't looked at the final cost of bringing a dog on the airplane. His wife assured him it was pennies for the joy it would bring her and the kids to have him tag along.

"Butter? He's trying to replace me."

"Well, I'm sure Cassandra appreciates that he doesn't talk back." John looked up at the sky and prayed for strength. Why did all the women in his life have to be against him?

-

"Oh, Cass, he's such a handsome little devil just look at him!" Gale giggled as one of his aunt's kissed his cheeks and tickled at his sides. "How on earth did he come from someone like my brother?"

"Your brother is plenty handsome," Cass offered with a smile as she adjusted Penny in her lap, the little girl chewing on the foot of one of the stuffed animals she had just been gifted.

"Don't tell me he makes you do all the work during the making part."

"Yeah, John, your wife deserves to be lavished more often than you do!" his other sister chimed in. He poked his head out from where he was preparing bottles in the kitchen.

"You have no clue how often I lavish my wife!"

"She could always use more." Butter barked in agreement.

"Are you actually blushing?" John asked with a smirk as he offered Cass one bottle and his sister the other.

"No! Shut up." It wasn't that Cass was some kind of prude when it came to talking about her sex life with John. She just didn't want his mother overhearing any conversations of baby making and lavishing.

"Did I fluster you, baby?" John nuzzled his nose into her neck to make her laugh as she lovingly looked on at Penelope eating her second breakfast.

"Just got me thinking about lavishing now is all."

"Yeah? You in need of some?" John said, his voice dropping an octave. She bit her bottom lip and nodded, leaning in to nip at his lips. "Fuck. Yeah, I think you need some real bad, baby."

He was never happier to have his sisters around to baby sit than he was on his knees in the backseat of his old car, his wife's legs over his shoulders and his face buried under her skirt.

[frances-baby-houseman]

Why is it so cold at camp (c)haverim? Is this summer camp? Is it a weekend convention? Is this actually bbyo?

What season is this

Are they in Wisconsin

This whole thing frankly would make more sense in Chicago

It’s cold at Beber in the summer

[kasperl-ruprecht]

Last month I lost my sister to cancer. Mel never had it easy being born with Nauger’s Syndrome, a series of skeletal and cranio-facial anomalies developed during birth. She was literally 1 in 26,000,000 if the odds my brother calculated were correct. When she was a kid she had her lower jaw broken every other year between ages 7 to 17 in order to stretch it out to get a better seal. She had to deal with me as her brother, not to mention the eight other siblings in the “yours, mine, and ours” situation that was our family. In 2013 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it then but would have to get a double mastectomy to excise it. I miss her.

Where some would let that make them bitter and withdrawn, that never occurred to my sister. She was the kindest soul I ever knew. She saw her time was short off the bat and wasted no time with getting preoccupied with “how things should be” and instead making things happen. She spent her life doing volunteer work with Riley’s Children Hospital’s Camp About Face, a summer camp for other children with cranio-facial anomalies. First as a camper, then as a counselor, and then staff. All the while finishing High School in three years, getting a degree in Journalism, and then getting a degree on Social Work; not to mention all the people she would meet up with going from Illinois, to Indiana, back to Illinois, to Wisconsin, to Washington, back to Wisconsin, to Minnesota, to California, back to Minnesota and everywhere in between. Heck, she even learned to knit without proper thumbs, the joints were fused except at the base of the thumb. Kind of like an Iguanadon. She was due to start working as a Social Worker at Riley’s on May 1rst; probably the closest thing to a dream job she had. Keep in mind she was living in Minnesota and interviewing for a job in Indiana all the while packing and testing to qualify as Social Worker in both states. My father and I helped her move out on the weekend of April 15th, the week of her 40th birthday.

That is unfortunately when things went south. The weekend of May 1rst she was admitted to the ER in Madison Wisconsin after having trouble breathing and palpitations. They drained about 1.75 liters of fluid from her lungs. The fluid tested positive for cancer. On Thursday May 18th she was on her way to the UW Hospital for testing and she couldn’t keep conscious on the drive up and had my brother drive her the rest of the way. The performed a CT scan and gave us devastating news. The breast cancer had gone metastatic and had migrated from her chest into her skull and was swirling around in the blood brain barrier in her skull. The diagnosis was terminal. It was non-operable. It would be like going to a beach and trying to sift out every black grain of sand.

I was and still am furious about this. She had done NOTHING to deserve this. NOTHING. Yet even with being told that death was immanent she kept up a brave face and kept planning like things were going to be okay. Listing and planning how to inform all the family and friends what was going on, especially her friends over at Camp about Face who she was devastated she would not get to see again.

To try to keep here mind off things I offered to make her a Battlemech, I recommended the Hammerhead. It’s initial release was used to drum up fundraising for Melissa Noe of Iron Winds Metals who had been diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. She liked the idea and selected the colors. Metallic purple, green, silver, and black. She was able to pick out the specific silver before she left, Turbo Dork’s Sparkle Motion. I was able to show her the miniature assembled, textured, and primed on the afternoon of May 23rd. She loved it. She was a little groggy that day as they had elected to give her radio-logical chemo to try to keep the cancer at bay for a little while longer. You wouldn’t exactly be the most balanced when your brain is simultaneously strangled by cancer and irradiated by chemo. Yet there she was, meeting me at a combination yarn store and coffee shop like nothing was wrong.

Unfortunately this was the last time I would see her in anything approaching “normal”. That night after her second round of chemo she fell on her way back to the hotel. Thankfully my father was there to catch her before she hit the pavement. They immediately went to the ER. That was the beginning of the end.

I got a test at 1:30pm on May 24th telling me I needed to get to the ER as my sister was not likely going to make it through the night. I made it to the ER by 2pm and saw my sister in intense pain but still keeping up a brave front. Her mind was still there but she had difficulty keeping up conversation as between the pain and pain killers she had difficulty focusing. The pressure from the cancer had also made it impossible to see beyond about three feet. We talked a little and did whatever I could to comfort her. At 4:30pm the doctors increased her pain killers and she was able to finally get some rest.

At 5:47pm May 24th 2023 my Father had realized she had passed on.

To try to work through my sorrow I worked on the Hammerhead I promised her. I think she would have loved the name of the purple I used to edge highlight the base metallic purple, “Purl Grey” by Turbo Dork. She really enjoyed Star Trek, we all did, so I think she would have loved the pun.

I was and still am devastated. Her funeral was this past Saturday, June 10th. Life will never quite be the same again. So many people were there. Her fellow campers from Bradford Woods and Camp about Face, the California Cousins, to her deep and wonderful crew from Minnesota. Those wonderful maniacs had paid to have us lodged up in Minneapolis for a “Melebration” the week before.

 There will forever be a void in myself but with a little luck I may grow around it. At the very least I can do no less than to push forward and power on like my sister. “Deal with it” is probably what she would tell me. She was the textbook example of the person who has it worse than you. I could never really ever complain over much as she always had it worse than me.

Yet she always persevered. Never daunted, never tiring, always moving forward to her goals irregardless of her struggles. She had little time and knew that she had to use what little time she had to get shit done. When she was born it was not known if she would live to 30 with her condition according to medical science of the time. She beat that by 10 years and it took apocalyptic cancer to take her down. I cannot and will not dwell on her loss, it is not what she would have wanted. I guess this is the ecstasy and terror of life. She would want me, us, to push forward. Be glad she was here, remember her in life, and push forward like a freight train going full tilt toward a better future.

Forgive me for the long winded and excessively personal post but I needed to articulate this to work my way through things.

[patiiences]

[theworldoffostering]

Went out for Friday fish fry with my mom last night (such a Wisconsin thing), sat outside, and enjoyed the weather and company.

This morning, we went for a bike ride/walk with the four youngest kids. It was so nice and the first time we’ve managed to make it happen all summer.

Ms. 6 is going to her college campus for the first time next week and I’m excited and nervous for her. Today I am packing all of the kids for their week away at summer camp (one going to grandma’s), running errands, and cleaning.

The most stressful detail regarding leaving town so far, has been finding a place for Pumpkin to go. I hate boarding her, but don’t know what our other options are. We don’t have friends who will take her. We don’t have a lot of friends in general. Sad, but true. I wish we had more capacity to make friends, but it is what it is at this life stage. Maybe next year?

DH saw his classroom this week for the first time and it made it all feel more real to him. He will have his own classroom and students in just a short eight weeks. He continues to be incredibly depressed, and we have no idea what else to do to manage it. I’m sad about it—for me, for him, for our kids. I’d like to do some reading about depression in adults to gain a better understanding. Do you have any book recommendations?

[mercurygray]

Hiii Merc, for sleepover Saturday can I please ask about modern AU headcanons for the babes Fred & Brady? (Any kind of modern AU, or a more general one) I just love them so much:') — @shoshiwrites

The babes! (They are the only couple I can use that word with. I don't know why.)

They are the couple who are always holding hands. It is their thing. (They are also the couple who have regular Saturday morning coffee dates to the farmer's market.)

Fred steals a lot of Brady's sweaters and sweatshirts. She's also a big fan of messy ponytails.

Their song is 'Let's Misbehave.' Brady learned to play it on the piano for Fred even though that's not his instrument.

In at least one version of the universe, Brady is a professional musician (clarinet) and Fred works as a florist and photographer. She's on Insta a lot, but not in an obnoxious way.

In another version of the universe, he teaches high school band and she teaches kindergarten. They are the pair of teachers that everyone ships once they figure out they're a couple. In the summer Fred brings snacks to band camp and all the little band freshmen love her and everyone mumbles about how Mr. Brady's girlfriend is super cute and super nice.

In every version of the universe, they have a really big music collection and at least two musical instruments in the house at all times and have a lot of really creative, vibrant energy.

They really want kids. Probably two or three. They might have a dog.

In the AU where they met at college, Brady and Egan were roommates for at least a year and it was the hardest year of John's life. He's pretty neat and Bucky is…not. (They're still friends, but man alive, John is so glad he's not living with Bucky any more.)

In the summers they go up to Wisconsin to Fred's family lake house in the north woods. She loves counting his freckles.

{sleepover sunday! Send me things!}

[equallyshaw]

rut x rosie timeline + thoughts | rut x rose hughes au ⚘ thoughts. ⚘ au masterlist. ⚘ t/w at the end, mentions miscarriage

⚘ met on June 5th, 2023 ⚘ did not see each other until early august, as luke wanted one last weekend with the boys before the season started started ⚘ exchanged phone numbers before she left for madison, wisconsin ⚘ friends from august 2023 until march 2024 ⚘ oblivious friends to lovers trope lol ⚘ everybody around them could tell that they liked each other more than friends but had always thought the other didn't see them in that way ⚘ during world jrs, rose was a steadfast supporter of rut during his time as captain, despite rooting for team canada publicly ⚘ rose went to visit ann arbor, before heading to the frozen four in new hampshire with wisonsin right before it started ⚘ her and rut went to a diner at 3 am after watching the second episode of star wars - they considered it their first date (3/11/24) ⚘ when she was in new hampshire, rut took a quick trip to the last day of the tournament and watched her win player of the game & the title with wisconsin

⚘ became official on march 25th, 2024 ⚘ decided to keep it on the down low for two months ⚘ told her brothers in the june when she went home for the summer ⚘ posted each other on their instagrams in july ⚘ rose posted rutger on her tiktok, asking questions about each other and dunking each other's face in a bowl of water if they got the question wrong - it went viral ⚘ in august, before she went back to madison and him to michigan, she posted a summer recap of everything she'd done the summer. a lot of it included rutger - went pretty viral ⚘ they celebrate one year on march 25th, 2025 with a weekend trip to chicago, meeting each other at the halfway mark ⚘ her brothers invite rut to stay during the summer with them, if his training and schedule allows ⚘ rut and rose spend the summer together in michigan, taking trips up and down the state as well as visiting southern california and british columbia to visit connor, kent, and the rest of the bc crew ⚘ shortly before rose goes back to madison for her fifth and final year, her and rutger break up. rose is worried about the distance while he is in winnipeg and she is stateside.

thoughts: ⚘ their breakup is not amicable, and rutger carries some varying level of resentment towards the girl and shuts down anybody that asks about her. ⚘ definitely said a few choice words the last time they saw eachother ⚘ literally, blindside everybody in their friend groups and family ⚘ they archive their photos and tiktoks, and in media - they shy away or completely ignore any subtle questions about their relationship. something they had not done before ⚘ her brothers find out a few weeks after training camp ends for the NHL, after rutger goes viral on tiktok for not answering two questions about the hughes. one, he intends to play with the hughes at the olympics. second, if rose wants to represent the us at the olympics alongside the four of them. ⚘ despite them being broken up, she does watch his first official game in the NHL and she even texts him congratulations to which he leaves on read ⚘ in september, she ends up meeting a girl in one of her astrology courses and the two end up going out starting after christmas ⚘ rutger finds out from dylan duke - after she came to visit connor to watch dylan play at the UC from a late night ice cream insta story post with the two of them in the background holding hands ⚘ she ended up bringing the girl because connor wanted to meet her in person, and he falls in love with her. thinks they're a perfect match. (a perfect rebound match that is)

⚘ her and connor get in a fight the morning she leaves because he tells her what he thinks ⚘ rutger is hurt that she moved on but he knows she has every right to since she initiated the breakup & how poorly he treated her ⚘ her and her gf fizzle out in feburary after the girl realizes that rose isn't over rut ⚘ she ends up taking a week a week off and visits quinn to get some clarity and have a break from the semester and season ⚘ quinn tells her straight up that she isn't over rut and hasn't been since they broke up, even if she had said so ⚘ arranges for her to get on the next flight to Winnipeg, as he connects with a childhood friend he has out there to house her with him and his wife, until she can see rutger in person ⚘ literally shows up on rutgers doorstep and his ex girlfriend opens the door ⚘ rutger literally sprints down the stairs to the parking garage where quinn's friend's wife waits for her as she takes the elevator ⚘ rutger is there before the elevator opens and rose is in disbelief that he's standing in front of her because his ex - now - girlfriend is upstairs ⚘ rose left without saying anything ⚘ in December 2025, she gets offered placement for her country to represent them at the olympics ⚘ leans on her family heavily during that time because she doesn't know which offer to take in regards to the event ⚘ ultimately she makes the best decision and the team/country keeps it on the down low because they don't need any backlash ⚘ which prompts her to just show up to the training center and then to italy without it being outed

timeline: ⚘ the next time that they see each other are at the olympics (a year later), while rutger plays alongside her brothers and she plays for her country ⚘ jesse compher- her wing partner back at u of wisconsin, sets the two up to meet and convinces them to talk ⚘ they 'bump' into one another and head back to the village to have a serious discussion ⚘ get back together the night before her gold medal game and pick up where they left off ⚘ official rekindle: feburary 18th, 2026 ⚘ rose retires from hockey in march 2026 ⚘ red carpet debut at espys awards ⚘ august, 2026 they move in together in winnipeg ⚘ july 14th, 2027 - they get engaged ⚘ rutger is traded the next day to the new jersey devils- signs long term deal ⚘ august 2027, they buy a small townhouse in chicago for the off season ⚘ june 2028, they adopt a daschund beagle mix from the shelter ⚘ august 2nd, 2029 they get married ⚘ adopt a cat October 2029 ⚘ miscarried in 2031 ⚘ have twins in 2032, a year and a half after the miscarriage. decides that the twins are it for them. ⚘ twins are born: august 7th at 5:32 pm & 5:45 pm in chicago ⚘ twins: addison monroe & arthur grant mcgroarty

aaaaand that's all for rn, other things will come out over time!

[tacky-jack-with-a-hat]

could i ask for some of your minnesota (or midwest in general) headcannons? the fluff, the angst, the silly, whatever you’ve got :)

I don't have any angst but I can do silly and a bit of fluff.

Silly

•He's known for being passive aggressive but sometimes he's trying to be genuine but it comes off wrong.

• He has a fancy black suit with white polka dots and stripes inspired by his state bird, the Common loon. I couldn't find the exact suit I was thinking of but the closest thing was this Pinterest board

(Click for full image)

• Also inspired by the Loon, he loves giving piggy backs to the states smaller than him- which is probably why he has chronic back problems and can barely move sometimes.

•Rock collection. Like an entire wall dedicated to rocks.

•In "Minnesota joins the table" he tried to imply Florida was dumb by calling him pretty. I hc Florida took it the wrong way and now Florida believes Mini has a crush on him, he doesn't reciprocate but he loves the attention.

•He doesn't have taste buds and he eats lutefisk for the texture

•The states all have different nicknames for Minnesota depending on the context:

Causally used by the midwest- "Min"

Trying to annoy him- "Mini soda"

Trying to confuse him- "micro soda"

Florida after misreading the name of his state flower ONCE- "lady slapper"

Fluff

•Although his happiness is as indirect as his passive aggressiveness, he does genuinely enjoy talking and hanging out with the other states and organises a summer river cruise for the midwest, with each year they go to a different lake. They mostly get drunk and fish- except for Utah who just enjoys the friendly conversation and brings his kids along.

•Minnesota and Wisconsin have a sibling rivalry, usually turning every small chore into a competition. But they still love each other and will go camping together.

•He loves cloud gazing and wandering through the wilderness. Sometimes he imagines walking the same paths with his future grandchildren: explaining the rock formations, teaching them how to fish and put up a tent, reminding them to bring marshmallows for the campfire. He might be too old for it by then but he would love to pass on his stories.

[bigfootbeat]

The Wild Man Scare of Old Pinery Days

Best attempt to decipher the text:

STEVENS POINT DAILY JOURNAL STEVENS POINT, WISCONSIN, SATURDAY, JULY 17, 1926

The Wild-Man Scare of old Piney Days (Wausau Pilot)

In the Piney days of the north, some among the boys on all the river drives used to have their fun to keep from dying for want of variety.

In 1865 Bill Kennedy was loading on Prairie river when among the men whose camps were among the willows there, 'up sky' while Dr. Fellows and others were in the trade, there appeared more than what seemed just an average 'half breed' Indian who gave his full share warily in appearance. Around the local boys enjoyed a good deal of the summers were to the time that he 'got wise' to it.

His make up, the men let out, chiefly worth a real. Indeed they complained to men in his camp that something was wrong with their minds and too much work, of doubt.

He was wild and proved to the cook. Time all encouraged boys had got at Joe Hill Kennedy - the case was to dispose - until he would appear before Mr. Kennedy himself as a friend.

Kennedy was an early timberman in the pioneer part of that region and he says that after getting tired of it - all the matter - he was laid away finally even with it - a land matter. He was high, strong and strange. Being arrive invited to set in his berth.

[There appears to be some additional text referring to woods and trees, and mentions of someone named Kennedy making observations, but the print becomes unclear and portions are cut off. The article seems to be about a "wild man" scare story from the logging days, possibly involving someone pretending to be wild to frighten others, though the somewhat fragmented text makes the complete narrative difficult to follow precisely.]

…in the woods and that it seemed to be part man and part animal. For several days there was nothing particular to notice except that Kennedy says somebody was chopping down a large tree near the camp the following loading shift men appeared to be.

"You see that half breed Indian, who came to work here," said Kennedy, "you can't frighten me, get out of my way." The man looked like a homeless wanderer, but he looked like an Indian all right.

The story tells him about two feet tall, and very heavy smelling when he came to camp. He must have dropped it up and down for ten days around this camp, then the clearly the "wild man" ran into the barn and ran out of his clearly plays and appeared up and down. A sort of defense and that night the shifty of the terrible wild man which he had own. A few days later the boys set down with a stick 'game,' which he was "not fooled" about the whole affair for a few more, but finally was done homewards with it to this point ever made since. His friends probably where Merrill or Tomahawk are now pushing ahead into forty mile-strips at a time until even or heard of before. This wild man continued to make the hair of men in other camps stand on end for many days afterward and northern Wisconsin was stirred up fully as much as if the Indians at that time might go on the war path. Many old residents who are now too gray to tell an original tale-telling upon the slope, the pioneer Shawano Republican's account of the wild man, a long article, very interestingly telling of the "Wild inhabitants of Wisconsin." The article was published in the Stevens Point Diary and other papers and created quite a sensation.