Eliz and I believe our stumbling upon what is now Sugar Maple at Hansen Lake is something a little more than just accidental.
After a rough year that saw the passing of both of our mothers, we decided that our “some day” goal of having a proverbial “place up north” needed to be accelerated.
A five-minute Zillow search identified a couple of possible places worth looking at, so that’s exactly what we decided to do: take a weekend trip northward “just to look.”
The house I found on Zillow was a complete bust. So close to Minocqua that you could hear the trucks backing up at the nearby Walmart superstore, that disappointing place had me fleeing just as quickly as Elizabeth would let me. (She: “We don’t want to be rude.” Me: “Actually…”)
Since we came north just to level set what our nonofficial budget could buy, that was fine. Level set. But we felt there had to be something better than that. A couple more places, and we began to despair. Then we drove onto what is now Sugar Maple at Hansen Lake.
Was it divine providence that guided us there? No, I think it was Lucy.
Elizabeth’s mom loved family more than anything, and this property sings “We Are Family.” We drove up, got out of the car, and saw a whitetail doe just hanging out munching on grass about 20 yards away. That was Lucy.
Months later after buying the place, as I was walking up to the front door of the main house we call “The Homestead” what do I see right next to the ♻️ recycling can? A columbine. That’s Lucy too.
A longtime resident of Colorado, it’s just so perfect that she sent the official flower of The Centennial State to say “I’m here too.”
So thanks Lucy, and Mary too, for making this place possible. We literally couldn’t have done it without you. —David