ME, MARGIE AND OUR GIRLS STAYED AT A RETREAT NEAR SEBEKA, MN IN NOVEMBER.2016  10 BEDS, FULL HOUSE AMENTIES, DOUBLE GARAGE WAS MADE INTO A CRAFT ROOM, SEWING MACHINES, LIGHTS, IRON, FELT WALL TO PLACE YOUR QUILT SQUARES, CUTTING TABLES, SCISSORS, GLUE, ANYTHING FOR CRAFTS AND SEWING.  WE STAYED 3 NIGHTS, REALLY ENJOYED OURSELVES DOING OUR CRAFTS, ETC., EATING, LAUGHING, ETC.

DAUGHTER LEAH CAME FROM DULUTH, WAS DOING WORK PROJECTS

MARGIE ALSO DOING WORK (ON MY BOOK)
CARRIE IN BACK, CROCHETING ON AN AFGHAN

JULIA WORKING ON HER JEANS QUILT

JOYCE WORKING ON SWEATER MITTENS

ANDREA WORKING ON HER QUILT

ANDREA PLACING HER QUILT PIECES  ON THE FELT WALL...I WAS IMPRESSED BY THIS, YOU CAN SHUFFLE YOUR PIECES WITHOUT PINNING, TO SEE WHERE THEY LOOK BEST

ME, PAINTING ROCKS....FOR THE FLOWERBEDS

LEAH, ME, CARRIE, MARGIE
FIRST TIME ALL TOGETHER FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS....SO HAPPY!!

JULIA WITH A THREAD MUSTACH....WE DID SO MUCH LAUGHING, SO GOOD FOR THE BOD

HAVING A SCRUMPTIOUS MEAL......WE JUST STAYED THERE, DIDN'T LEAVE TILL WE HAD TO......

ANDREA PUT A PILE OF CLOTH SCRAPS ON ONE TABLE, ANNOUNCED THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A FASHION SHOW TONIGHT.  WE HAVE TO MAKE SOMETHING USING THIS MATERIAL.  SO WE WORKED ON OUR "OUTFITS", IF YOU CAN CALL THEM THAT, ALL DAY IN SECRET.  SOMEONE SEWED RED MATERIAL TOGETHER TO MAKE THE RED CARPET FOR OUR GRAND ENTRANCE.  WE INVITED LOCAL LADIES TO COME, BUT THEY HAD TO BE DRESSED FOR THE FASHION SHOW, TOO, OR THEY WOULDN'T GET IN THE DOOR.  BK ROW...JULIA, CARRIE, ME (A CHICKEN OUTFIT), MARGIE, JOYCE
FRONT:  ANDREA, LEAH

THE MENAHGA VISITORS IN THEIR OUTFITS...I CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE THE NAMES WENT..THERE'S KUMP, MADIGAN, SKOOG, KERANEN, ISAACSON'S

LEAH WAS "MISS DULUTH", WITH HER GARDEN STUFF THAT SHE FOUND IN THE HOUSE
(SEE RED CARPET)

I AM HENNY PENNY, WITH MY RED HEAD, YELLOW BEAK, AND BIG TAIL (THAT I KEPT BUMPING INTO THE GIRLS ON MY WALK)  I HAD JUST LAID TWO EGGS. (MY ROCKS THAT I DIDN'T PAINT YET!)

MEG MADIGAN, WHO IS THE "BAG LADY" ON THE RED CARPET

JULIA DOING HER MODELING THING

DIANE SKOOG SLIDING IN ON THE CARPET

ANDREA MAKING HER GRAND ENTRANCE WITH TWO DIFF. COLORED LEGS
(ASK ANDREA HOW TO RENT THIS RETREAT)

OUR CURIOUS NEIGHBORS AT THE RETREAT

CONTINUING ELLEN AND PETE'S GINGERBREAD CUSTOM IN ALASKA
HELMINEN'S AND ASIALA'S 2016

TOP OF THE MTS, ALASKA KIDS AGAIN

SONG SERVICES AT SLEEMAN'S IN ARIZONA....NORTHERN GIRLS DOWN FOR THE WINTER
AND MORE ARE THERE SINCE! 2016

BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY IN THE KEWEENAW...MONK'S TRAIL
I WAS WITH MARGIE AND BRIAN HELMINEN, LEO AND SARAH, BRIELLE  AND MARI, AND A BUNCH OF 7TH AND 8TH GRADERS WHO HANG OUT TOGETHER.  BEAUTIFUL DAY, AND GREAT WALK IN THE WOODS, AND HAD A WARM FEELING WHEN I SAW THE KYDS ENJOYING BEING TOGETHER, IN ONE LOVE AND ONE FAITH!

AND THERE THEY ARE, UP IN THE TOWER AT THE ROADSIDE PARK
TOO MANY STEPS FOR THIS OLD LADY TO CLIMB

THE BRIDGE AT THE POND, BEAUTIFUL PLACE

MARGIE, MARI AND SARAH ON THE TRAIL

ANOTHER SHOT, FURTHER BACK...GREAT REFLECTIONS

MARI REFLECTED

MARGIE AND I....

RESTING ON THE TRAIL...MARI, SARAH AND BRIELLE, BRIAN, MARGIE, LEO

ROASTING HOTDOGS AND BRATS AFTER OUR HIKE....THE KIDS WENT 10 TIMES FURTHER THAN WE DID....THAT'S YOUTH FOR YOU

I HAD BRIAN LEAD THIS GAME CALLED "DANIEL BOONE SHOT A BEAR"
ASK ME OR THE KIDS HOW TO PLAY IT.....IT'S GREAT FUN

 

SURPRISE AT THE END OF THE GAME!!  A GREAT DAY WAS HAD BY ALL

ME AND MY FABULOUS CAKE....MADE BY JAMIE HONKALA...ALL EATABLE...
DEPICTING TRAVEL, MUSIC, PAINTING, COFFEE, WRITING....EVEN THE CUP AND PENCILS ARE EATABLE.  HEY, I'M AN OLD LADY, BUT I'M VERTICLE, AIN'T I? (party at Helminen's)

NOT EVEN  HALF ARE MY GRANDKIDS, BUT I TOLD THEM ALL TO BE MY GR/KID FOR THE EVENING
WHAT A FUN TIME WE HAD AT MY 79TH BD PARTY

AN OLDIE...AARON KANGAS (LANA'S), DAVID TOROLA, MITCH HELMINEN., JAAKO H HELPPI. AND DOUG TOROLA....GOOD BUDDIES FROM LONG AGO.  I LOVED TO SEE THESE GUYS TOGETHER.

KIANA H. TELLING ME THAT SHE IS THREE

ELEANOR H.....SHE WOULDNT LOOK AT ME

ANOTHER OLDIE...FRONT, RUTHANN MORRIS, .,? PETERSON, CHERYL JARYL,
BK: MARGIE, MARSHA FRANTTI., CARRIE, AND DEB PARKS

OLDIE AGAIN:  4 GENERATIONS...MARTHA STORM, IRENE FRANTTI, JOANNE MOYRYLA AND MELISSA WERNHOLM

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH, WE GOT SNOWED IN!

BROTHER JERRY, JULIE KANGAS 

LEAH'S GENTLE GIANT  GREAT DANE..."KLAUS"
LYING ON HIS THRONE

JUST TO SHOW YOU THE SIZE OF OUR SNOWBANKS BY MY FOUR...WHEELED....DRIVE.
WE HAVE SNOWMOBILE RIDERS BY THE HUNDREDS FROM ALL OVER...TO RIDE OUR GROOMED TRAILS, MOTELS ARE LOADED, GAS STNS AND RESTAURANTS  ARE BUSY, SKIING, BOARDING, HOCKEY, AND SKATING ARE IN FULL SWING!  AIN'T WE GOT FUN?

YES, I GOT ROCKS IN MY HEAD!  AFTER I GET THRU PAINTING ON A PICTURE, I HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA TO PAINT ROCKS, TO STICK IN MY FLOWERBEDS, THE SMALLER ONES IN A CLUSTER, THE BIGGER ONES BY THEMSELVES.  SO THEY ARE HANGING OUT IN MY APT. TILL SPRING WHEN I WILL USE SOME, AND GIVE SOME TO THE FAMILY.

THE HUT EXECUTIVES WHERE THEY GET  WEEKLY VIP TREATMENT:
BOB TOROLA, RICK ESKOLA, DON DAAV, BOB HELTUNEN, AARON STORM, JIM RANDELL, RAY HALONEN

THE LASANEN GIRLS XMAS GET TOGETHER
AMY SEEGER, LORETTA LASANEN, TRISHA KLINE, MELISSA ANDERSON, JANEL JURMU, SARAH ANDERSON, CAROL JURMU, CHERIE LASANEN

OH, OH, AND HA HA!  I GOT THE RE-GIFTED ANGEL FROM MARGIE....WE HAVE BEEN REGIFTING THIS ANGEL BETWEEN US FOR SEVERAL YEARS, AND WE MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE GET IT, IT IS CLEVERLY DISGUISED.   THE WINGS FINALLY FELL OFF, SO NOW SHE IS A MERE MORTAL, SAYS MARGIE.

WE HAD THANKSGIVING IN MENAHGA, BY CRASHING THE HAVERINEN'S DINNER
I MAY HAVE NAMES IN THE WRONG PLACES...FRONT:
CHERYL, JOAN HOLDING SOPHIA, HEIDI, STEPHANIE HOLDING LINDY AND LEVI, CARRIE HYRKAS
PHILIP, LAYLA, AREN, VANESSA (STANDING), MARIANNE, DEVON HOLDING GAGE, ANDREA, JOYCE, ME,  MARGIE AND JULIA

A MIRACLE HAPPENED:  THE HAVERINEN  MEN POSED FOR A PICTURE!
FRONT: (i think there's a mix`up in the names, cuz loren is second from right in bk)
PHILIP, TREVOR, GRANT, JOE, ISAK, EDRIC (BOY) IAN, WES
BK: KEITH JOSEPHSON, LOREN WAYNE, DALE, KEVIN

WHOOPS!  CAROLYN K. ASKED ME TO POST THIS ON MY BLOG, BUT I GOT ONE OF THOSE THINGS CALLED A "ROUNDTOIT"....SORRY I'M A LITTLE LATE, BUT THERE'S STILL TIME TO SEND A BIRTHDAY CARD TO MY "KUMMI TYTTO", FOR HER 40TH BIRTHDAY ON THE 21ST, OF JAN., NEXT SATURDAY.....SHE IS KRISTINA KOVALA
                                                               30 South 4thAVE.,
                                                                WINNECONNE, WI  54986
                      SEND HER A BD CARD, LET'S GET 40 FOR HER 40TH!

HAPPY 2017 FROM THE PARK AVENUE BEAUTIES, CALUMET
ARE WE HAPPY, ER WA?

MADE GINGERBREAD HOUSES W HELMINEN KIDS....

I SURE HAVE A BUNCH OF MENAHGA, MINN. PICTURES....I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH MORE TO PUT ON, BUT FOR NOW, THIS IS THE SUNDAYSCHOOL PRACTICING FOR THEIR PROGRAM...coourtesy, andrea haverinen

WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO NO. DAKOTA FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT THE WEATHER WOULDN'T LET US, SO WE STAYED IN MENAHGA FOR THAT TIME.  THIS IS OUR OFFICIAL 2016 PIC WITH THE HELMINEN CREW...LEO AND SARAH FROM ISHPEMING, ALSO...TAKEN AT ANDREA AND LOREN'S HOUSE. 

ME AND MY GOOD FRIEND, LEMPI ROIKO

THIS IS A BATHROOM STORY:  THESE WEDDING PICTURES ARE AT THE COTTAGE HOUSE CAFE IN MENAHGA, ALL WEDDING PHOTOS OF MANY COUPLES WE KNOW...SEE TOILET PAPER ON THE WALL ALSO.  SO YOU CAN SIT AND "DO YOUR THING" AND STUDY THE PICTURES AT THE SAME TIME. 

NOT ONLY THE PICS ARE HANGING, BUT THIS WEDDING DRESS IS HANGING RIGHT  IN BACK OF THE TOILET.  YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL YOU DON'T WIPE YOUR HANDS ON IT, IT ISN'T MEANT FOR PAPER TOWEL.

AND THERE IS THE THRONE IN ALL IT'S GLORY, SURROUNDED BY ALL OF THE HAPPY MEMORIES.  IT'S WORTH GOING POTTY AT THE COTTAGE HOUSE EVEN IF YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO "GO"...AND TO TASTE THEIR GOOD FOOD AND HOMEMADE PIE!

THIS IS THE MEN'S JOHN AT THE COTTAGE HOUSE....TONS OF HATS DONATED BY MANY CRAPPERS. brian helminen took this pic.

THERE'S MORE TO THE MENAHGA STORY....AS WE GOT "STRANDED IN MENAHGA", WE HAD NO PLACE TO STAY; HOUSES WERE FULL....SO WE GOT A WONDERFUL INVITE FROM ANDREA'S NEIGHBOR, RANDY AND CHRISTINE (HENDRICKSON) LAKE, TO BUNK OUT AT THEIR HOUSE, WITH THEIR FAMILY OF NINE KIDS and six of us....A BIG HOUSE, AND BIG HOSPITALITY.  WE SO ENJOYED BEING THERE, AND GOT TO KNOW THEM.  THIS PIC IS ONLY PART OF THE FAMILY.  THE "LITTLES", AS CHRISTINE CALLS THEM, JUST GOT THRU SHOWING US THEIR BEARS.
CHRISTMAS DAY, WE CRASHED THE HAVERINEN CHRISTMAS PARTY AT MARIANNE HAVERINEN'S....A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL.  (more Menahga later)

HELMINEN BOYS AND LAKE GIRLS...PLAYED PINGPONG BY THE HOUR!