I don't want to extol the few and far-between virtues of living in Wisconsin, but it's a pretty state to drive through. The leaves are changing early this year and the glacier that cleaved it's way through the area during the ice age left some nice, hilly lands in it's wake. Jana drove the whole way there. We listened to blues by men named Mississippi something-or-other.

We arrived at our cabin on Lake Namakagon around 2 and unloaded.

When we told people we planned on getting engaged, almost everyone reacted with indignance. When we told people she was getting a ring and I was getting a Deering Goodtime Openback Special banjo, they got even more indignant. One thing I've learned is that people really give a shit when you handle things like your marriage differently than they think it should be handled.

I ordered the banjo at the end of July. It still hasn't come. folkofthewood.com are really nice guys, but their shipping sucks so much ass I can't even stand it.

On Saturday we walked down a trail and I gave her the ring. It's the first thing I think I've ever purchased in which the item is smaller than the physical stack of money I used to purchase it, but it's totally worth it. Another thing I've learned is that when you tell people you got engaged they automatically ask if you've set a date. It's like a fucking reflex. The answer is no.