Up North

Wisconsin Lexicon Entry #1

up north (noun): any recreational destination outside of Milwaukee and Madison. The Strombowskis went up north for the weekend.

When we first moved to Wisconsin, we heard coworkers and neighbors refer to going "up north," a mystical vacation spot where people stay in cabins, spend time fishing and boating, and consume beer.

I would ask where this "up north" was and it turns out that there are many rural, wooded locations throughout the state that can be considered "up north." This website suggests that only certain counties should be included in the "up north" category, but I have heard it used in a broader sense.

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Since their infancy, our children were cared for by Busia (boo-sha), which is Polish for grandma. Busia ran a daycare in her home and soon became a close friend of our family. She had a cabin "up north" and eventually closed the daycare last summer and moved there permanently.

I found myself explaining to others that "Busia had retired up north." This phrase reminded me of how parents sometimes explain death to young children:

"Scruffy is now living happily on a farm for old dogs."

"Grandma is in a better place."

"Mr. Miller moved to Florida."

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Our next door neighbors have a place "up north." After several conversations about how they spent their weekends, I couldn't imagine why anyone would even want a second home on a lake. They spend their weekends working! They are mowing the lawn, remodeling, winterizing the cabin, pulling weeds, cooking, cleaning, and doing basic home repairs. These are things I do every weekend at my own house...and I don't have to drive three hours to get there! I can barely stay on top of the upkeep of my own house and yard, I can't imagine have two homes to maintain.

We managed to get invited to our neighbors cabin in the summer of 2007. We joined five other families on our block for a weekend of drinking, eating, and swapping stories around a bonfire. Again, I wondered, "Why can't we do this in the neighborhood?"

Despite a horseshoe injury that nearly landed me in the ER, we did have a great weekend. I was introduced to the secret of "up north" culture -- the supper club. We could walk from the cabin to a supper club less than a block away. The other moms and I spent Saturday night sampling the draft brew at the supper club and walked, err, stumbled back to the cabin with tiny flashlights. The highlight of the evening was the underage drinkers who decided this group of moms were worthy of flirting. Out of respect for my neighbors, I will not post pictures of them dancing on the tables.

This same group of moms and I are venturing back "up north" to the cabin at the end of March for a girls' weekend away. I am hoping to find more cultural nuggets on that trip!