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With so many threads over the years about bad neighbors, I thought I'd share a story about good ones. As I've mentioned previously on this forum, I've been hanging out at our family cabin in northern Wisconsin since the pandemic hit the U.S. back in March. I basically ran up here because of my compromised immune system, my chances in Los Angeles weren't looking good at the start of this thing. I figured that I'd be bored but safe.

I never spent much time here over the years since I live in CA. It was my mom and stepdad's summer home and they built it 30 years ago, both have passed away in the last 2 years and now it belongs to my brother but sits empty most of the time. He will not get here at all this year due to travel restrictions, (he's overseas).

Anyhow...the boredom thing hasn't really worked out. In fact, I have not been bored for one minute since I've been here. There are plenty of small maintenance jobs to do plus I towed my Airstream trailer here and bought an Airstream RV since I got here, both need a little attention. I also dragged one motorcycle with me and bought another since I got here...have to stay busy, you know. ;)

None of these rolling stock items are close to new, so all need attention. Today, I finally got around to changing the steering gearbox on my '99 Ford F-250, (tow vehicle and all-around workhorse). I've had it for years and it sat unused for months at a time in L.A., now it's my cross-country DD. I'd been putting it off because it's a slight bear of a job and I did not want to run into any snags and be car-less up here, it's pretty remote.

We have only one close neighbor, my mom built a similar log cabin next door for some friends and they sold it to the current owners, the Wongs. They are dream neighbors, a young couple w two cute kids who have also been living here full time since the pandemic hit. They have a pontoon and a fishing boat and are on the lake all the time. Very chill, very nice people. It's all about the peace and quiet up here, so bad neighbors would really suck. At first, I kept to myself in my cabin, totally socially isolating. When the weather turned nice, I met them down on the dock and now we hang out all the time, sitting in our boats on the lake talking, etc.

I've had the new gearbox sitting in my trailer for a month and today I dug into it. The job was actually going smoothly and looking like it would be done in one day when my phone rang. My neighbors had gone out picking wild berries about 20 miles away and their car would not start. Mom/dad/2 kids and the dog, stranded and I cannot even begin to tell you how remote of a place they were. It's crazy beautiful and wild up here, there is a bald eagle nest across the lake on land my brother owns, a loon family on the lake, bears and deer everywhere, raccoons, every type of bird in North America, etc.

Did I mention that my truck was in pieces on the ground? Any other day of the year and this little rescue would be a turn-key operation. So I called our next closest neighbor and other best friend up here, Eric. He lives a 5 minute walk away, if I take the shortcut through the woods. Eric is the Police Chief of the nearest small town and was my elderly parents' best friend, he really stepped-up and helped them a lot in the final years. His teenaged sons put our dock in and take it out every year, watch over the place like a hawk when it's empty, (most of the time except this year), that sort of thing. Eric is also a car guy and has many vehicles and always down to help in all situations. I call him and he's driving somewhere but I explain the situation, asked if he had a vehicle I could borrow to go help the other neighbors, (we are all friends). He says of course, walk over and grab my F-150, the keys are in it.

I get his truck and my jumper cables and head towards the pin on the map the stranded friends sent me. It's really far but a cool area I hadn't explored yet so an adventure. All state or county land, just soft dirt roads through pristine forest. Where they broke down, there was a stream w trout in it. A fishing hole like you've never seen, unless you live somewhere like this. Thousands of acres that anyone can use, hunt and fish on, even chop wood w a permit, apparently.

These friends have a nicer/newer car in Minneapolis but their cabin car is a 10 year-old Jeep Cherokee w high miles and a 5.7 hemi. We could not get it to run w a jump, (it just started and died), so we left it there until tomorrow and I got them home. We packed 3 adults, 2 small boys in car seats and their large, 3-legged dog into the older F-150 that is only an extended cab. It was cozy, lol. :D

Once I got them home, I went to return Eric's truck but he told me to just keep it until we get things sorted-out and he gave me a huge tow strap and advised me that we could totally get away w towing it home since it's all dirt roads and one county road. Tomorrow we will go back w my scanner and the tow strap and get it home one way or another, then figure out if I can fix it or tow it to a shop in one of the neighboring towns.

So now I have my F-250 on jack stands, an F-150 and two Airstreams plus a MC in my driveway here. I'm starting to look like a local, lol. I'll get some pictures tomorrow and turn this into a repair thread. :)

Ok, that was a long post.

On Friday, I'm out on the lake, chilling in my recently acquired fishing boat, (like I said, almost a local), talking to the same neighbors when we see a group of people on a pontoon boat that has lost power. A man is paddling it from the front platform. I offer to tow them back home and they accept.

Boat looks familiar. I ask, "is that John and Debbie's boat?" It is. "I'm Debbie's cousin"

"Are you Denis?"

"I am."

These were my cousin's house guests using their cabin and boat for the weekend. Turns out that my cousin gave them my number in case they needed anything up here. I wound up getting their boat started for them and they were grateful. These were kind of fancy people from NY, a major art museum director and family but they could not have been nicer or more friendly. It's just the way it is up here, the "vibe" if you will. It's also a really small world up here, if you hadn't already got that.

Share your good neighbor/community stories if you've got them. :)

Fantastic!

My neighbors are the best. We have soup parties - bring a bowl and a side dish. Mostly hosted by the non-drinking neighbors. And we have happy hours. Hosted by the drinkers.

My family has vacationed with at least three neighbors and invited more.

I really don't care for my house. Been here 15 years and thought about moving often. But, the neighbors??? Wow. They are the best.

A completely different world, and thought process than SoCal L.A. ! Much slower pace of life.

That is so cool Denis! After reading your posts all these years about living in LA, I figured you'd be a fish out of water in a rural paradise. And it sounds awesome :)...

Good on yeh, Denis!
That's the way it works in a rural community. Neighbour needs help: you help, knowing if the shoe was on the other foot, they would do whatever was needed.
Of course there are exceptions.

Best
Les

Sounds like you are living my version of heaven Denis, enjoy! Try any Spotted Cow yet?

We are avid boaters, and often go stay at VRBOs at large regional lakes in the Ozarks. I notice the same thing there, not only the slower pace of life but how friendly and helpful people are. I think most people are fundamentally good, but many are in miserable situations that make them into miserable people. It’s hard to be miserable when you’re in a beautiful place enjoying the outdoors. All of your cares just drift away....

Denis, those were nice stories - thanks for sharing them. I really love that sense of community.

Denis,

It is a very different place than SoCal. We visited our extended family last spring. Portage County and Milwaukee. The village my Dad grew up in, Amherst is a great place. It is Tomorrow River Country.

I agree. Good stuff.

Pretty much the same here. We have one clinker on the farm across the "Neck" as my little peninsula is called. Pretty good batting average:cool:

Not a big deal but my back-up generator has been having issues, older diesel I bought used for powering tools, stays on one of my small trailers in the barn.

With Isaias coming, I started doing preps yesterday and the d gen is struggling. Since I have a basement and I expect a lot of rain and loss of power for a day or two, I went out and bought a new gas powered gen to back up the Honda powered gen I own. One plugs into the house and powers the sumps, etc., but I like auxiliary sumps directly powered from the 2nd gen when it really rains.

I really like redundancy. For big storms I also have a PTO powered gen. I know, but a week without power is a lot.

So I called my closest neighbors son to have him help me unload the new gen. He was here in about two minutes and it took just a second to accomplish the task.

I asked him if he knew anyone that wanted the old d gen, explained that it wasn't running well.

He called a friend of his who wanted it and knows how to work on diesels - VOTEC kid, bright young man.

"How much?"

Put it in your truck, it's his.

So off it went 15 minutes ago. Ten years of use and I paid $250 for it. This happens all the time. Once you get inside the community circle of trust all is well.

Denis;
Where in N. WI are you?
I have a place near Minong and it is very much like you describe in terms of wildlife and also neighbors. I certainly appreciate the offered or requested help when needed and am always willing to help my neighbors. A far different world that suburban Chicago that reminds me of my childhood when everybody knew everybody on the block and the facing blocks.
Only downside for me is the freaking ticks. Just finished treatment for Lyme, again:) Summer has lots of pests in the northwoods - ticks, skeeters, gnats, biting flies but that's why we have DEET and permethrin.
Glad you are enjoying the tranquility.

Mike, I'm 7 miles from Minong. The neighbor who lent me the truck is CoP in Minong! Please reach out if you're up here. And yes, the bugs are for real up here. All part of the amazing nature, though! :)

It's Leinenkugel country!

Good stuff, Denis.....my folks always preached The Golden Rule and then in my generation we call it Karma.

All boils down to the same thing.

Thanks for the posts and thread! Good luck with the repairs. I'm working on my Silverado's brake lines again today. This time the back ones. It never ends.... ;)

Denis,
Probably not back there until mid September due to injury to the wife and being needed here. How long are you staying?
What lake are you on? Lots of great lakes in Washburn County to fish and always a float down the Namekagon River to enjoy some total wilderness.

Denis, great post! Your tale is one of pure American values, and the best of human nature. We have a couple of cabins on a compound in the PNW. In 54 days, I start my retirement leave, and we are headed there to isolate as well. I have motorcycles, Porsche, Jeep, good well water, plenty of food. We lack the beautiful lake setting however; can’t have it all, ha! The following attached recent article has us thinking that we’ll be hunkered down for a while. But it’ll be a happy while. https://apple.news/A2QTjtgbBS0iwzGiQXQSdPw

I’ll send you a PM w more specifics and my phone#. I may still be here in September, just taking it one month at a time right now. This is god’s country up here for sure...my mom bought and sold a lot of land in Washburn County. :)

I dare ya to spend the whole winter up there and still call it "god's country" :).

Envy expressed. Grew up in MKE and we took a family trip to Spooner back in the 70's-- fishing and so on. We did not have much money so such a trip was a big deal.

We had converted from bamboo poles with string to rods and reels not too long before (Zebco 202 to Mitchell 300 was the progression).

Leinenkugel... oh yeah. I was too young to enjoy that in my only trip up there in the 70's, but of course that later became a special treat when back in WI for summers during college and grad school.

Never liked the bugs... but the fishing and the air and the quiet and the scenery...

Envy expressed.

Have done 21 in a row so far. It's not Canada cold but it's close enough.

You might be used to it.... but I'm thinkin' Denis hasn't been acclimated yet.

I know I would freeze... even if it was a "dry cold" .... no thanks ;)

:D:D

Yea, that minus 40 temp makes one step fast.

Great story Dennis.

I came home one day back when I still commuted. A duck was standing in my driveway just quacking. Not something I had seen before. As I getting the mail I walked over to that area, and I could hear lots of "Cheep Cheep" from the storm drain. Evidently mama duck was walking along and hopped up over the curb, but the ducklings all just dropped down into the storm drain. So I put my mail in the kitchen and started investigating.

About that time a lady in our neighborhood that walks her dogs a lot said she had heard the ducklings and called the city, but they said they don't bother with that. About that time one of the other couples from the neighborhood came over to see what was going on. That was too much for mama duck and she flew off.

I got my pickaxe out of the storage shed, and lifted the man hole off the storm drain. Since we have a koi pond we have a fish net that worked great for netting the ducklings. One of the other men went down armed with my flashlight and net and my 5 gallon bucket. He caught all the babies and handed up the bucket of ducklings. I put the lid back on the storm drain about the time my wife got home.

OK, now what to we do with a bucket of ducklings and no mama duck. I remembered a contact and former client of mine that had gotten out of corporate world, and started a wildlife rescue. One of the other couples from the neighborhood volunteered to keep the ducklings until the next day and then drive them the 35 miles to the wildlife rescue facility. They later said the had almost all the other couples and friends bring over children to see the baby ducks in their bathtub.

They took them to the wildlife rescue facility and they have several adult ducks there and about a 100 baby ducklings from all over central Oklahoma that people had brought it. The adult ducks seem to "adopt" all the ducklings and teach them to be ducks, and eventually they all fly away and go back to nature.

We had several households of people that mostly wave to each other at most come together and rescue some wildlife in need.

https://www.wildcareoklahoma.org/

Awesome story! Thanks for taking the time to tell it to us.

I wanna go up there to fish for walleye and Muskie. Sucks my job keeps getting in the way.

Thanks Dennis. Great stories, coming from someone who came from SoCal, it's a great endorsement of the midwest way of life.

I actually came from 120 miles away from here, I moved to CA. when I was 23. And yes, the winters are brutal but it gets even quieter up here and it’s crazy beautiful. Everyone who lives up here has an RV and goes down to Florida or AZ in the winter anyway. :)

I was thinking about it after posting this thread and reading the replies, it is amazing up here but I have awesome friends in Los Angeles who would give you the shirt off their back as well. I have friends doing all kinds of favors for me back there as we speak. Same w the few NYC friends I have.

Of course the pace of life is different and people can’t always drop everything to help but I try my best. In LA, I’m sort of the “car guy” among my friends and get calls when people are broken down all the time. Sometimes they just need advice on where to send the injured car, sometimes need a jump, etc. People who aren’t good friends and don’t help their friends get figured out pretty fast wherever you are.

I was just relating how tight neighbors are up here. It’s very special. :)

I can't take the heat & humidity like when I was 23... don't even try it! Methinks you'll live dual lives from now on. Why not :)?

Meh, that’s about as common as Coors these days. I like the New Glarus brewing stuff, only sold in WI!

Beer is a generational thing here. Leinies has greater than a hundred year head start on New Glarus and Pabst has even more. Taste barely factors into it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1596586697.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1596586697.jpg

Had spotted cow for the first time last summer. I was skeptical because of all the hype but its legit. Nothing out of this world but a solid solid brew.

Good peeps are good peeps, and exist everywhere. In urban America you might need a better radar, but yeah, they're there. But places without a safety net are special, everyone learns to help each other out.

Part of it is the “only in WI” novelty factor. Sort of how Yuengling is a special treat for me, but anybody east of the Mississippi thinks it’s nothing special.

I'm also a fan of NG beers, and Spotted Cow is hands-down my favorite inexpensive Basic Beer.

A trip to New Glarus with a stop to visit my friends in Madison for dinner on the way home also makes for a nice day trip in the 911.

Was at the brewery not long after it opened. Beautiful space.
Had a couple of Totally Naked taps. Bottles are good but the draft was excellent.

I remember living in Wisconsin and visiting our Grandparents in Amherst Junction. Driving on the old County Roads, as there were no real state highways then. You knew where you were by the many barns and silos, and of course the barn advertisements; especially Carling's Black Label.

County Road Q was the last highway before Main Street in Amherst Junction (we turned right from Q onto Main Street by the County Yard). There was this really cool dip in Q about a mile from our destination.

Dad would always find the perfect speed to go through that dip and tickle our bellies. We loved it. My sisters and my brother and I would stand up in the back seat and lean against the back of our Mom and Dad. We all giggled like heck that last mile to Grand Ma and Grand Pa's!

Many years later we would visit them from California. The dip in Q was long gone and we came from the West on Highway 10 East out of Steven's Point instead of North on County Road Q. There is a brewery there, Point Brewery. In those days beer in Portage County was Heileman's Old Style or Point Special. The signs above the many village taverns throughout the area would declare as such.

In this one instance, Point Brewery put up what I consider the Greatest Beer Billboard EVER. It was on 10 east, just before you left Steven's Point, just east of the Hill Top Pub. Remember, this was when Schlitz Beer, claimed that "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer!". Well, not to be outdone and in keeping with the sharp wit of Central Wisconsinites, that Point Brewery Billboard Proudly declared, "When You're Out of Point, You're Out of Town".