Another May

On Monday the construction for the canopy/zip tour started. We are all getting excited about it. One of the purchases made for the tour is pictured here. We needed two 6 passenger ATV’s to take people up to the start. Here is one of them. I was the first person to get certified to drive. So, I may be your chauffeur to the beginning of the tour.


I watched the arborist climb the big white pine in the back yard. Ever tree we use will be checked by him to make sure that it is sound. Just watching him climb up that tree with a rope was amazing. He has a sonar thing (I am really into technical terms) to make sure that the tree is sound without putting even one hole in it. Last I heard, all the trees we had picked were fine.

The back parking lot is now a construction zone for a couple of weeks. Steps and platforms are being built. Rolls of metal cable are sitting on pallets. Anchors are stacked. Beyond the pole building, Jordy Kirk is building the administration and equipment storage area. Things seem to be popping up all over.

We have just finished painting the outfitters new canoer cabins. Electrical fixtures go in this week. Picnic tables are ready to be placed around. Next week the shrubs, trees, and flowers arrive. The whole area had been transformed.

Bruce and I took a little time off on Saturday to fish a bit. I didn’t even get out fishing once last summer. Of course, no one on the staff (except Don) expected us to come in with anything. Within a mile of the lodge and an hour of when we left, Bruce had caught 2 four-pound lake trout. I was the official netter. Then we dragged some bait around for a bit longer with no luck. It didn’t make any difference. We had a dinner and then some. Don got a fillet for having faith in us. The second fish went in the freezer.

My garden is starting to come alive. I just counted and there are about 50 spears of asparagus popping up. The chives are overwhelming and will be appearing in the dining room all summer. Rhubarb is just about ready to pick for lodge desserts. Leaves are coming out on the raspberry bushes. They are a little slow since Bruce dug out all the grass around them. There will still be plenty for jam.

Next week the lodge flowers will arrive. Among them are broccoli, basil, parsley and tomatoes for my garden. The beds are ready for them and I can’t wait to get at it. Within a couple of weeks, these items will also appear in the dining room.

One of my neighbors has a wonderful greenhouse and often she shares her extra produce. So I now have 3 bell pepper plants and 4 tomato plants in huge pots outside. One of the tomato plants is almost four feet tall. Sue also gave me some fresh basil leaves. We had spaghetti with fresh pesto that night for dinner. Life is good!