Cute Sign of Spring!

Springtime Newborn

I took these photos on Friday, May 25th. The kids and I were coming back from checking in a family at the Chalet, and this little guy (or gal) was standing along side Meredith Grade Road. When it saw the car coming, she/he laid down in this funny position.

She/he almost looks like Bambi on ice (without the ice).

This baby instinctively laid down to hide from us. However, to road didn't provide much cover. I got out of my car with my camera and took these photos. Shortly after I took the first two photos, I let the kids walk up to see, but I didn't let them get too close or even attempt to touch it. We just looked at him.

Soon another car drove up and we pointed out the baby along side the road. Of course, out came the camera phones. Then when one of the guys got out of their car to take a picture, the little fawn got up and did a clumsy trot for the woods. When he came to the edge of the woods, he tripped and fell. The fawn laid there as still as it could and we took the next photo below.

Shortly after I took this picture, I grabbed a small tree branch that was laying in the ground and coaxed him to move away from the edge of the road. The little guy got up and wobbled away, baaing like a little sheep. I'm sure that it's mother was flipping out. I know she was nearby, because we could here her in the woods across the road.

After the baby was at a safe distance away from the road, we let it be. We got in our car and drove away. I'm sure that mom would be showing up soon to lead the awkward little baby away to better cover.

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Gladwin County Photo Slide Show

I thought this would be fun to share during this cold winter months. I put together a slide show of some of my favorite photos taken in Gladwin County. I took most of the photos accept for three. The deer and the geese photos were taken by Bill Rivert of Sugar Springs and the photo of the people in the canoe, was taken by one of our guests at one of our vacation rentals. The rest of them, I took. Click on the photo below to visit the slide show.

ENJOY!

Snow at the Retreat in the Woods

The snow is here at the Retreat. These photos were taken before the last snowfall, so we have even more now!
Look at all the snow on the picnic tables!

Hot tub in winter. It's beautiful spending time away in the winter, at the Retreat in the Woods.

Winter at the Retreat in the Woods

Retreat in the Woods in Mid January

These were taken before yesterday's storm. I'm sure there is a lot more snow out there now. I'll take some updated photos soon.

Snow Surfing

I thought you might enjoy a little winter fun. This little mini video was taken from our back yard yesterday during the snow storm.
(Not at one of the cottages).

We have SNOW!

Well, Winter is finally here in full force. These photos were taken at my home a few minutes ago. It's still coming down pretty hard.

Here is our Snow Level as of a few minutes ago. I guess you could say it's our table snow meter.

Here is a picture of our kids sleding down our back hill at our home.
When I get a chance to go out to the cottages, I'll try to get more winter photos. I'm sure it's really pretty out there today.

Is Winter Back? We'll See!

Well... we have a "Little" snow. It's pretty sticking to all of the trees. It's not enough to go sledding or snowmobiling, though...

It's supposed to stay cooler this week. Maybe closer to "real" winter temperatures.

The lakes around here are still free of ice. This is the first winter since we moved up north in 1992, that I've seen the lakes with NO ICE on them this far into the winter season. A few days ago, I saw an active frog jump into the lake an hide. He wasn't slow or sluggish... I think he thought it was spring!

I'll get some photos posted when I take some new ones.

Merry Christmas!

Some Photos from one of our Guests...

Retreat in the Woods!

One of our guests just sent us a bunch of photos of their visit, last summer. This was their second visit to the Retreat in the Woods. They were here in 2005 & 2006 and coming back next year!

Awe! Isn't he cute!

These puppies sure like to fish! Of course, these fish don't look very scared. They're swimming right up to the dogs. I think the fish have just as much fun teasing the dogs.

More Fishing.....

and MORE and MORE fishing!
I wonder if these dogs ever caught anything?
This tired puppy needed a long nap after a hard days play!
Thanks for the great pictures Rudolph Family!

Book Your Christmas or New Years Holiday Today!

Enjoy the Up North Lakefront Chalet or the Retreat in the Woods during your Christmas or New Years Holiday. Both homes will have a tree set up from Mid December to January 2nd.

Enjoy the holidays in an Up North setting. It doesn't get any better than this!

Pet Friendly Vacations!!!

Why leave your dog at home or in a kennel, when you can take him on vacation with you? Check out our "Pet Friendly" page: http://petfriendly.gladwinvacationrentals.com/

Also, we just changed the way we charge for pet fees. We used to just charge a flat fee of $25, no matter how many days you decide to stay. To make it more fair, we are now charging $5 per night (for up to two dogs). So now if you stay for a weekend, the pet fee will only be $10. If you stay for a week, the fee will be $35. We hope that this new change will benefit our renters and their 4 legged friends!

Fall at the Retreat

Fall is here and it's time to enjoy the color and smells of the season.
It was such a pretty day to enjoy the sights.
The yard is full of colorful leaves.

Comment - Retreat in the Woods - Sept 29-Oct1st, 06

We were looking for a great plcae to relax and unwind from the daily stress and grind of a big city. Although one of the days was rainy,the place was perfect. Even with the rain we enjoyed ouselves immensly. It lacked for nothing. Very comfortable,very relaxing and simply put just an absolutly fantatsic experience. Thank you for having us.

Rick Duken, Dayton, OH

Regarding the Rentals Below

I know that the two rentals below have nothing to do with our two Gladwin Michigan Vacation rentals, but we decided that we wanted to offer a couple of our weeks at these two resorts, up for rent. We simply don't have time to use all the vacation weeks that we currenly own at these two resorts.

Right now, we have one week at each place available for the rest of 2006. We also one week at each place available for 2007. That will still leave use one week to use in Virginia for next year.

We just got back from our Virginia trip a few days ago and absolutely LOVED it out there! We plan to go back some time next summer. The water park was a BLAST!!!

As for the Orlando rental at Vacation Village at Parkway... it's just about 10 minutes away from Disney. There is a ton of fun things to do in that part of Florida.

Please feel free to call or email us about any of our rentals.

Other "Out of State" Vacation Options!!!

Introducing the Eagle Trace Condos in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia!
We own two deeded weeks of vacation condo per year at the lovely Eagle Trace Vacation Condos in Massanutten Resort! We are looking to rent one of our weeks each year and use one week for ourselves. We'd love to get away for two weeks ourselves, but simply can't take that much vacation. First come, first serve! You pick the week you want and we'll make arrangements for you. Click here to take a VIRTUAL TOUR of this beautiful double unit condo!
Enjoy 4 Seasons of Fun at the Massanutten Resort! The resort offers Virginia's largest Indoor Waterpark, 2 golf courses, down hill skiing and tubing, swimming pools, hot tubs, spas, steam rooms, fitness room, playgrounds, hiking, skate boarding park, tennis courts and so much more! We have one double unit with lockouts. Rent the entire unit or rent either the upper or lower units for a lesser price. * The upper unit sleeps 4 and has 2 double beds, a large kitchenette, living room with fireplace, dining area & an awesome view!* The lower unit also sleeps 4 with a queen sized bed and a queen size sofa sleeper, full kitchen, living room, dining area & a great view!
Both units have access to a shared laundry area only accessable between those two units. Rent the entire unit (sleeping max of 8) for $1000 per week. Rent either the upper or lower lockouts (sleeping max of 4 each) for $600 per week. EMAIL US TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS RENTAL

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Looking for an Orland Florida Vacation??? Here is Vacation Village at Parkway!

We also have one week every year that we'd like to rent out at Vacation Village.Located in the heart of Orlando, Florida’s entertainment area, Vacation Village at Parkway provides luxurious accommodations and amenities just minutes from the area’s world renowned attractions. Each two bedroom suite features1500 square feet of fully furnished living space for your comfort and relaxation. Swimming pools and recreational areas await your family’s enjoyment. Vacation Village at Parkway is located at the intersection of I-4 and U.S. 192, the crossroads of Orlando’s entertainment area. Five minutes from your door you’ll find the Walt Disney World® Resort where your family can enjoy the fun and magic of the Disney-MGM Studios, The Magic Kingdom ®, Epcot ®, Disney’s Animal Kingdom ® Theme Park, and more. Other nearby attractions include Discovery Cove, Sea World Orlando and Universal Orlando.

This unit is also a double unit with lockouts. Unit #1 sleeps up to 4 people and has a full kitchen and Jacuzzi tub.Unit #2 sleeps up to 2 people and has a partial kitchen (kitchenette). It's set up much like the units in Virginia, accept they are both on one level.Rent the entire double unit for just $1000 per week or rent Unit #1 for $600 per week or Unit #2 for $500 per week.

Click HERE to find out more about Vacation Parkway and the local attractions. EMAIL US TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS RENTAL

Guest Comment - Retreat in the Woods - Aug.6-11,2006

Guest Comment posted to the Guestbook:

This was our 2nd time at the Retreat. Our expectations were exceeded even more than last year with the addition of the new hot tub, new grill, and new bench swing. Jim and Ivie are always looking to raise the bar when it comes to customer satisfaction. Fantastic hosts!

It was really great weather the whole week. The full moon and clear skies at night made for excellent stargazing. Kathy saw two shooting stars one night. There's nothing like soaking in the hot tub in the midnight hour and experiencing the sights and sounds of the surrounding wilderness.

The fishing was unbelievable this year. We caught so many small-mouth bass that we lost count after a couple days. On the last morning, Jim caught a huge bass in the canoe with only a fishing net and NO bait. Amazing!

Our daughter Ashley had lots of fun. She especially loved having Dad take her on canoe trips around the pond. Other activities included swimming in the pond, picking up frogs off the beach, and laying in the hammock. She definitely liked it when Heather and Ryan came to visit. Good kids!

Our dog Daisy loves coming here. She loves playing fetch in the open field and swimming in the pond. Keeping the raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks away from the house was on her favorites list as well.

If you have never been here, you are missing out. We're already planning our trip to the Retreat for next year. It's that good!Thanks for everything Jim and Ivie!We look forward to seeing you soon.

Best Regards, Jim and Kathy, Warren MI

Retreat in the Woods - Hot Tub

Wow! This is great! Time to relax in the new hot tub at the Retreat in the Woods!

More fun times are the Retreat in the Woods!

What a beautiful day for a boat ride!
And a refreshing dip in the pond!
Great time to relax and talk with friends.
And a great day for BLUE SMILES???

The BEAR Visit at the Retreat! 8/6/06

There was a visitor at the Retreat in the Woods last night. A Raccoon? A Deer? Maybe a opossum? Hmmmmm.....
Or maybe a hungry Bear?

I came over to the Retreat to check in our guests this afternoon and this is how we found the bird feeder. It looks like our bear came by for a late night snack and bent the feeder pole right over. This is only the third visit we've had for the year. It's been since early July since the last visit.

Guest photos from the Retreat in the Woods!

Wow! Look at my fish!
Taking the crew out for a spin on the canoe...
Let's burn some yummy marshmellows! They're the best! YUMMMMMM!

Photos are compliments of the Van Buskirk Family. Thanks for the fun photos!