If you build it, they will come

Here's Dave grilling brats at Hixton KOA. Grilled and served over 200 in one hour. It was a cooperative promotion sponsored by Johnsonville Sausage and KOA. Many of our guests this weekend were here for the barefoot waterskiing event at The Blue Moo. Read on.

Remember the Kevin Costner film, "Field of Dreams"? The voice kept telling him, "if you build it, they will come." The phrase can certainly apply to this facility located in west central Wisconsin, surrounded by corn fields, and little else. It's the BLUE MOO, and it's the site of championship barefoot waterskiing contests. Maybe you have to see it to believe it, but trust me, it's real, and it's working to attract members of the sub-culture of barefoot water skiing.

Imagine this - you dig a trench in a corn field roughly 100 feet wide and about 3/4 mile long. Berm the edges to make for wind shelter and then fill it with water. Invite barefoot waterskiers to come and use the facility.

Many of the skiers stay at the KOA campground where we are working. It's within walking distance. Who knew!?

Not championship form - this is more of an "oops"

Coming off the ramp, just before the "oops"

Skiers are moving at about 40 mph

You can see the full width of the trench and the cornfield beyond

Entrance to The Blue Moo

Our KOA is located on Silver Mound and attracts many hunters of Indian arrowheads and artifacts

That's all for today. Check back often. See ya.

Dave & Pat

More from Wisconsin

It's summer in Wisconsin and we are still at the Hixton/Alma Center KOA, working. It's really quite beautiful here, green, quiet, and comfortable. In spite of it being the second coldest July on record, it's been enjoyable. So our furnace runs most nights - we're ok.
I've mentioned previously that there is considerable wildlife here, and just Wednesday this week there was a black bear who paid a window-peeking visit to one of the other Workampers. She screamed, her dog barked, and the bear high-tailed it out of the park, as black bears usually do.

Sumac in bloom. Lots of that here.

Granddaughter Sabrina Morrison with her pail of loot from the Hixton July 4th parade.

One of the many trails through the woods at our KOA. The campground is located on the east end of Silver Mound, a designated historical site. Lots of Indian arrow and spear heads here.

The new bath house that Dave has been working on. It's now all finished and in use and the flowers in the boxes are doing well and adding a lot to the appearance.

Pat in the pool being held by granddaughter Meghan Taylor. Daughter Melanie, right, is expecting her fourth in September.

Each Saturday, right after the ice cream social, there is a wagon ride through the woods. Dave usually drives the tractor for the 20-minute trip. Some weeks it requires 4 or 5 trips to handle the waiting crowd.

And here is some of that crowd stocking up on ice cream and stuff. Granddaughter Sabrina helped by putting cherries on the sundaes.

More of the crowd. Pat organizes this event. Sometimes Dave helps dip ice cream, as in this shot. That's Jim Rankin, one of the owners, collecting money at the door.

Life on a campground, fulltime, is quite pleasant. It might not be a lifestyle for everyone, but it suits us quite well. If there are problems in America, or economic concerns, we're kind of shielded from them by being here.

Next week Dave goes to the VA clinic in Tomah for a physical. Finally able to cash in on some of those military benefits that were earned so many years ago. Could not get into the VA system while living in Washington state because, according to the VA in Spokane, "we made too much money." That's not the case any more, so I have been accepted and will be able to use VA facilities wherever we are in the future. No problems at this time, but Dave is due for a regular check-up.

If you can't leave a comment on the blog you can email us directly at dwink@supersat2.net.

Check back often. See ya. Dave & Pat