
From Friday, February 29th to Sunday, March 2nd Daniel and I attended a couple's retreat with our church,
Lake Park Luterhan at
St. Joseph Retreat Center in Bailey's Bay, Wisconsin in Door County. There were 26 participants (13 couples)
that attended the event, from the soon-to-be-married to the married-for-several-decades. It was a nice relaxing weekend away from the
busy-ness of daily life and in the great (although cold) outdoors of northeastern Wisconsin. |

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A beautiful winter sunset driving up north along I-43.

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Pastor David stokes the fire to welcome retreatants

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A warm fire helps make a trip up north in late February/early March seem less crazy

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Yes...a Lutheran retreat in a Catholic retreat center...

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The most famous feature of the retreat center is the Silo of Prayer (built in the 1970's when I think the whole
nuclear missile silo of war thing was on people's minds more often)

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A nice space for contemplation, but moreso in the summer since it isn't heated in the winter

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There were many more heated spaces with nice lake or nature views around the facility. The retreat center
was created from a gift of land of the O'Brien's (Mr. O'Brien was president of the Chicago Board of Trade I think in the 1940s)

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Erica, Dave, and Jennifer help clean dishes after lunch (a group helped with each meal's cleanup)

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Plenty of quiet spaces and vistas for contemplation

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The brave took walks...the even more brave took walks on the frozen lake (ok...it was really frozen so probably safe, but still
they were more brave if only by a small amount)

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A statue of St. Francis stands next to Jessie as she ponders with her sparkle-stick (poor St. Francis only had some rocks)

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The fire from the night before has burned down

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The seal I assume of the Priests of the Sacred
Heart who manage the retreat center

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Pastor David at morning worship in the main chapel which was fairly new and a very open space with wonderful
timbers

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Laurie, Jordan, Heather, Todd, Jessica, and George listen intently at morning worship

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A fancy electric organ in the main chapel

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Jeniifer tells the story of how she and Pastor David met

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A gargoyle guards the silo of prayer...even in winter

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Nice windows at the top of the tabernacle area of the main chapel

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Although I'm sure it was two-legged, I imagine the turkey that made the prints on the left hopping on one foot...

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Eric brandishes an icicle at Erica...work out those issues!

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This would be a nice place to sit if it wasn't so cold!

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You can see the breath of all the cross-country skiers

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Walking the long lonely path on the lake...

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While passing an area of the lake with a small wall of snow we placed some messages in the sheltered snow field on the lake

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Good to have shelter from the snowmobiles that go zooming by

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What a fitting symbol for the weekend...both that it was a couples retreat and at the Priests of the Sacred Heart retreat center

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Jessica walks by some of her creations

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Erica goads the group forward to our goal of "THE ISLAND" off to the right...we never made it, but we got pretty far

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Competing paths...

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Here come those cross-country skiers...they took a while to get started but made up for it in speed

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Eric decided to lay down on the lake in the snow...luckily none of the snowmobiles ran over him!

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So close to the island...but so far away

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Eric didn't get hit by skiers either

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Lisa and Andy plot their course

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Heather, Andy, and Todd

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A bunny house!

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Jessie and Dave embrace in the harsh winter sun

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A snowmobile whizzes by

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I don't know if the retreat center used it, but this old White Crown Gasoline pump was there by the garage of the
St. Joseph Retreat Center

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I wish I had one of these since it only goes up to $9.99

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