After Fall Comes Winter

We have just finished a perfect fall weekend. The maple trees are at their peak. Red and orange leaves are visible around every corner. The yellows of the poplar, birch, ash and tamarack are slowly coming. They will probably not peak for about ten days. I will enjoy every day of this colorful season. In fact I have trouble deciding if the color looks best on bright sunny days or dark overcast days.

Across the lake behind Cross River Lodge (formerly Borderland) a large stand of maples is making an appearance. Bruce and I assume that it is a bunch of trees growing up from the blowdown in 1999. They are now big enough for us to see.

Last weekend the partridge hunting season opened. Bruce and I have been very successful as we wander on the back roads looking for birds. Yesterday I even got two birds with one shot. The second bird was perfectly lined up with the first and I never even saw it. On Sunday we had our first partridge dinner with wild rice and acorn squash. Unfortunately, we either got a really tough old bird or my timing was off. The meat was tough! I was so disappointed. Maybe I have forgotten how to cook.

In the annual cycle of seasons, the coming of fall months mean that winter is not far away. I like winter but around the resort there are lots of projects that have to be finished before snow hits the ground.

My garden, pitiful as it was, got a last hit. The basil was cut and taken to the kitchen to be made into pesto and frozen for winter. The parsley was also cut and put in my dehydrator for the winter supply of dried parsley flakes in our house.

Up at the stable Mandy and Justin are washing all the saddle blankets. With a chance of frost, they leave the water running a bit so it won’t freeze overnight. Mandy also received a load of hay to carry us through next summer until a new crop is ready.

Jason and Lance have been busy winterizing everything. This week’s project was to pull all the pumps from the fire protection water system. They will be stored in a heated garage all winter. Then all the hoses are drained. I also noticed that the plow is now sitting in front of the workshop ready to be put on the truck as soon as needed.

Ronnie and Rick are working on the plants. All small trees and shrubs get wrapped in chicken wire or burlap. It doesn’t look very pretty but it saves the trees from deer until we get taller trees. Ronnie has also finished the plant order for next spring. Some of the neighbors will add to that order.

Firewood is the project of the dock staff. They have almost everything cut and split that we have on hand. Now it is time for the new loads of firewood to appear. It comes in 8’ lengths. Jason and Don cut it up and the dock staff splits it. The final step is to store it down behind the lodge and around each cabin.

Ski trails are getting their fall mowing. When you have to make two or three passes over every trail, it takes a bit of time. Jason has gone over the trails first to take out the windfalls that always occur.

Through all this the kitchen just keeps putting out more meals. The Red Paddle Bistro and Justine’s have been busier than ever. During slow times we are cleaning everywhere in the kitchen. Freezer supplies are going down to the lower levels of winter.

Up at the outfitters the last parties are coming in. All the food is being stored in mouse-proof containers. Sleeping bags are hung open for the winter. Air mattresses that are usually rolled up spend the winter lying flat. Soon all the equipment will be covered with plywood. The cross country ski equipment and snowshoes will hang against the plywood and be stacked on shelves..

As I write today a northwest wind is howling outside. My thoughts turn to Bonnie and Sheryl who are on their annual fall trip. This year the trip started at Beaverhouse Lake on the north side of the Quetico. They took with them a new fancy GPS that sends us a signal showing where they are. Our e-mail said they spent a couple of days on Quetico Lake. Yesterday they were on Snow Lake. Hopefully the wind will continue to be at their back.

September is Going Fast.

Labor Day and the main of the summer are now behind us. Leaves are turning and fall is definitely here. The maple tree across from the front door of the lodge has almost completely turned. Today we have a strong northwest wind that is blowing orange maple leaves all over. I just love it.

During the past couple weeks we have had several weddings at the lodge. Our favorite occurred last Friday (Sept. 10th). Mandy Kroeger (who runs the stable in the summer and waitresses in the winter) married Lance Huskey (who works on maintenance). Both of them are really outdoor lovers. Above is a picture of them from the wedding with Lance’s son, Jonathan, who was the ring bearer. We all wish them the very best.

Bruce is working on a project at the house for me. At our house there is a long cement porch facing the lake and under the roof line. Our plan was to put a slate floor on this and then a fire ring out further. Well, this fall the slate floor is going in. Lance and Jason have both been helping him at various times. By today, they will be almost 2/3’s finished. I told Bruce that now I will have to buy some outdoor furniture. I will be kind of working up to that purchase over the winter.

Thursday, I finally got another story out to Lee’s son, Grant. In June I wrote “Grandpa goes Minnow Trapping.” This one is “Grandma and Grandpa take a Canoe Trip.” Generally I take a bunch of pictures with my little camera and then write a story about the event. Each page has a picture and some text. This one was 20 pages long. For a three-year-old boy there doesn’t need to be a lot of plot or character development. He seems to enjoy them. I think my next book might be “Grandma and Grandpa live in the Northwoods.” Maybe he and I will grow up together into more developed stories.

Winter reservations are steadily coming in. I am amazed at how fast they are coming. Yesterday was Saturday night which is generally a dead telephone night. We took three new reservations!

Tonight is very quiet in the dining room. Bruce and I have decided to not go down to the lodge. Usually we are there for every dinner but today is a good day to take a break. If it gets really busy, the front desk will call us. Actually they do just about everything to avoid calling us which is nice. We’ll probably watch a football game before we fall asleep in front of the TV.