Megan and Buddha

Throughout 16-year-old, Megan Bartlet’s life, she says her inspiration has always been her grandpa who goes by the name Buddha.

In Eagle River, Wisconsin, is where Buddha has his lakeside cabin. He spends summers, winters, falls, and springs are spent at the cabin, while Megan and her family spend weekends up there with Buddha.

One of the things Bartelt says she really looks forward to is going up North with Buddha at his cabin on the lake. Times are spent inside and outside doing activities like fishing, boating, hiking, learning to cook his specialty meals, and even helping him work in his family owned soap shop.

“I really like to go out and do things with him,” says Bartelt. “Some days we will go mini-golfing, but if the weather is nice, he’ll take me fishing or we will go on boat ride that day. It all really depends on the day.”

In town, Eagle River has shops that aren’t around the area of Pewaukee. Going downtown is around a 30 minute drive from the cabin, and that is often an activity that Buddha as planned for the family trip.

When Bartelt was younger, she says Buddah was always the man that she looked up to and went to for anything.

“He was my father figure to me. I look up to him in every single way. He would always be there cheering me on at all my sporting events and it made me really happy,” says Bartelt.

During the fall and winter seasons, Buddah runs a family owned soap shop.  They make products in the store like soap, shampoo, lotion, candles, smelly jelly, and many other soap products.

The soap shop that Buddha owns is also located in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

His website is cranberrylakesoapcompany.com and he also sells is products online.

“Making the smelly jelly is always my favorite thing do when I’m there,” says Bartelt.

“He always have so many different smells so I just create a new smell every single time I go up there.”

Each soap product is specially made inside that very store. The employers are himself and his wife, with the help of the family as they visit.

“I can’t wait to group up and hopefully take over the shop when I get older, and maybe even bring my kids there some day,” says Bartelt.