No one was more surprised than we were when we bought our cabin in the woods. It started with a cold and snowy walk in March 2013 while visiting friends at their new place at the golf and vacation community, Voyager Village near Danbury, Wis. My husband stopped at one point and said, "This spot is so beautiful!" There was a sweet cabin with a "for sale" sign in the yard. We stopped to meet the owner, looked around and made an offer a few days later. We love the community aspect. The lakeshore is owned in common, making the area a haven for wildlife. Already it's a place of great memories, such as when 14 family members sacked out in every corner for a post July 4th gathering this summer. The wood stove makes the winter days cozy, and snowshoeing on the tamarack bog out back is magical. We named the cabin "Kasemaja" — Estonian for "House in the Birches." It's our sane-asylum!

Jeff Sartain and Mark Sedio, St. Paul