ENERAL HAROLD KISSINGER AND HIS
wife Marilyn stayed in hunting lodges, called jaeger huttes, when they were stationed in Germany from 1949 to 1952.

"I vowed I would have my own log lodge when I retired," General Kissinger recalls. "Twenty years later we selected the perfect property for our retirement dream near Stone Lake, Wisc. 90 acres of forest on the Shores of Big Sissabagma, "The translation of the Indian name for the lake is "lake of many Beautiful Islands and Bays," and its truly a beautiful lake. Fishermen rate it an outstanding Class A Musky fishing lake, and the unspoiled woods are home to deer, fox, bear and coyote. The closest city is Hayward, 20 miles away, with a population of 2,000 and an airport. Hayward is a major recreational area with nightspots, restaurants and a casino. There are 200 lakes in Sawyer County but Hayward is the fastest growing resort area. The Kissingers found the best of all worlds, accessible but isolated, and they were ready to build their own German lodge, but they ran into a big problem.

"We couldn't find anyone to build a log home on the land. In 1970 the only log craftsman around was 80 years old and retired," General Kissinger says.

"We were forced to build a cedar home." They built a fine home, but General Kissinger wasn't satisfied--he didn't yet have that German log lodge. He contacted Greatwood Log Homes and arranged to build the log home he'd always imagined. Builders Gary Gibbish and Mark Curtis of Northland Recreational Homes of Hayward turned the log home vision into the reality of Balsam Lodge, 1,800 square feet of luxury and comfort. It's only a third of a mile from their cedar home, so General Kissinger was able to spend a lot of time at the new project helping in the nine months it took to complete. The couple modified Greatwood's Ellison design by reversing the original plan so that windows would face the moonrise view.

"Our house is on a hill overlooking the lake," General Kissinger explains. "From the great room windows you can watch the Moon come up and its reflection on the lake illuminates the sky and makes it look like daylight."

This three-bedroom, two full-bathroom home is now an executive retreat/rental lodge until they retire there themselves. "It's not exactly a hunting lodge but a luxury rental fishing recreation home now," General Kissinger says. "We provide boats and it's available for rentals."

"Marilyn was afraid a log home would look old-fashioned, dark and dingy," he recalls. "I had to convince her we could build a beautiful modern and cheery home. We used all cedar 10-inch logs. We didn't put any pigment in the stain on the inside wood. The outside has a transparent stain, just a clear sealer and on top a clear finishing coat that gives the home a natural cedar log look.

People come from all over to look at it, and women who thought as my wife once did comment constantly that it is bright and cheerful. We used sheet rock on the inside walls in the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen that we could then wallpaper, and there are windows everywhere."

The Kissingers agree that their favorite room is the great room, "because of the fireplace and the view of the lake. With the fireplace going you just enjoy the expanse of the room, the log beams, the log interior walls.... it feels like the German lodge of my dreams," General Kissinger says. "The fireplace is a combination of field-stone type (stone used in its natural smoothed surface form) and split-stone type (split and used with the split side facing outward). Marilyn selected the stones. The marriage of the two types of stone and the blending of the colors from rust to sandstone are spectacular. The mantle is a driftwood cedar log that the former president of Greatwood Log Homes hand-selected and sent to us for this particular home." The raised hearth projects 18 inches into the room and provides extra seating. Inside and out the chimney is ground-to-roof stone. Greatwood uses Hurd windows, which are made of tinted heat-mirrored glass, and diminish the glare from the lake. They also screen the Sun's ultraviolet rays and increase the insulation value. The great room's cathedral ceilings soar some 18 to 20 feet. The Kissingers chose Lenox high-efficiency-hot-air forced heating. "We have it set up for air conditioning but haven't had to start it up," the General says. "There are fans in the great room and the loft bedroom and that's all we've ever needed." The Kissingers placed a high value on maximum conservation of natural resources: They chose low-water usage lavatories and showers and a high efficiency water heater.

This was the first Greatwood Log Home in the area and the franchise holders, Tom and Theresa Downham, and the builders, Gibbish and Curtis, took great care that it would be a showcase home.

"They hand finished railings and banisters and handcrafted and designed the door and window timber frames," General Kissinger says. The General is appreciative of the skill and attention to detail that went into this home. "Throughout, they used logs that have been shaved outside, not planed. This gives a smooth, old-fashioned, hand-finished look," he says. "The ceilings are all a kind of wood paneling called car-siding." Eyes are drawn to the series of paneled windows above the large French doors that lead to the deck. The stair-stepped windows match the roof line and are a dramatic focal point inside and outside the lodge. Gibbish and Curtis and their craftsmen also handcrafted all the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry as well as the door and window trim in each room.

"We blended handcrafted wood door and window timber frames, along with Marilyn's carefully selected wallpaper borders and paint in the bedrooms to give the bedrooms a cheerful rustic style," General Kissinger says. "In addition to the two bedrooms and bath on the lower level, there is a master bedroom in the loft with a dressing room, vanity, shower and lavatory. There's a large walk-in closet complete with luggage storage area. The ceiling's border and the bed clothes match the wallpaper. Special circa 1949 pictures of our German hunting expedition parties decorate the lodge, as well as the antlers of a European stag that won a blue ribbon." The kitchen beats any German hunting lodge. "At the last moment we decided to have a large kitchen island," Kissinger says, "and we're very glad to have the extra serving area and drawer space. The kitchen's counter was custom-made with drip edges. If you spill while you cook or serve, the liquid won't run off.

"The dining room's focus is an 1850's hand carved table we had refinished," he continues. "Marilyn was able to find a perfect match in the oak chairs. The ancient oak comer table was my grandmother's." The lodge turned out just the way we thought it would," General Kissinger says, "because we both took a lot of personal interest in each stage of the building. Because of great personal involvement there were no surprises or mistakes, although we almost made one waiting until the last minute to put in the kitchen island." And they did lots of planning. Kissinger says, "We placed floor electrical outlets in the center of the great room in several spots. This allows us to change the furniture arrangements without trailing electrical cords down the middle of the room." If anyone has any doubts about surrounding themselves with wood, and building a log home, General Kissinger has some advice. "We invite and encourage people to come and rent this lodge to see for themselves what it's like to live in a log home...before we take it over ourselves." One week in this lakeside lodge will convince you to build your own jaeger hutte.