An early rainy morning, we headed to the airport to fly into Green Bay. When we arrived, I was suprised to find that the Green Bay airport was smaller than the Reno-Tahoe one. We drove by Lambeau Field, and then headed 90 minutes to get to Iron Mountain.  Green Bay is just that, green farmland that extends for miles on end. Along the way, we saw farms with their harvest storage towers reaching towards the skies.

Over the next four days, here’s what happened:

Setting: Iron Mountain

  • Visiting here is humbling. It makes me think how my life would be completely different, if my mom had moved us here.  I was inches away from being raised in Iron Mountain when I was very young.
  • Life here is different than Reno. It’s rural, but modern
  • Smaller community where everyone knows everyone
  • Despite the beautiful summers and falls, the winters seem to take a toll.
  • An ex-mining town that still has life.  Everyone seems to have a dog, and many people hunt as a way of life.

Characters:

  • Grammy – the magnet. She pulls everything together. Naturally, people are attracted to her and to help wherever needed.
  • My mom’s sister – She keeps things everything together. She ensures things are running smoothly and her and her husband makes sure Grammy is happy.
    • Cousins – Entrepreneurial older son whose always on the go. His younger brother tells great stories, as he’s very animated. I’ll always remember in the 80s with a tank top. And her other son, which we didn’t see too much, but he’s had a rough past few months in his life.
  • Mom’s brother – A very caring and compassionate man. Addicted to adrenaline. A funny man who can also speaks with a few different levels of insight. Lives away in Indianapolis.
  • Mom’s younger brother – Much in his world that has fallen apart, and he’s left picking up the pieces. A cop who may be pessimistic, but soft, and protective.
  • Mom’s other brother – A kind person, but an outcast to the family. Dedicated and dependable. I only was able to meet him once while there.

10 Highlights

  1. My grammy is a witty, funny lady, and it’s interesting to hear her life and perspective even at the age of 86.
  2. My uncle Joe visited from Indianapolis. He works as an engineer/manager in the mine industry, which we got to learn a bit about. As well as his life on his ranch.
  3. I was able to see my Grandpa’s tombstone, as well as his memorial brick for his service as a pilot in World War II.
  4. It’s nice to see the closeness of this Papp family here. Much of the discussion is around my grandpa who passed over four years ago.
  5. Bridget and I got to take my Uncle Joe’s Porsche (< 20k miles) for a spin. We went up to the famous ski jump to see my grandpa’s memorial brick.
  6. Staples of Iron Mountain: T&T Steakhouse, Pasties, Moose Jackson for Coffee, and now eating at the hip Spiros for lunch. And tomorrow, we’re headed for cheese curds – the Wisconsin staple.
  7. Bridget and I ran around Lake Antoine two times. Neither day was easy, despite it being only five miles. My grandparents used to live on this lake.
  8. My mom and Grammy share a lot of similarities.
  9. My cousin, who hires his brothers and owns two other businesses, owns  a bio-cleanup company. They clean up the mess people leave after they pass away and melt into the floor. Along with my cop uncle, they have some interesting stories.
  10. I got to tour the house my other uncle lives in, which was the same spot my Grammy/Grandpa used to live.