Monday, July 23, 2012

Home at Last

I am home. Surgery was on the 10th and Bruce and I arrived home on the 21st. Except for some follow up visits, all is well. It will take 6-8 weeks to get my zip back but that’s fine. There are lots of people around here to yell at me if they think I am doing too much.


Meanwhile, things have been moving along here. We have now had about 500 people on the canopy/zip tour. They all seem to be enjoying it. The staff is amazed at how many people are calling and reserving for their ride. I understand that WCCO television will have a short story about the canopy tour on the 29th at about 10:00 a.m.

Like everywhere else, the temperatures have been high here. We don’t have quite the tolerance for heat – 85-90 degrees seems like we are dying. Yesterday a thunderstorm and wind hit during the night. Right now it is 75 degrees and feels wonderful. I just finished talking to Lee who is driving in South Dakota. His car thermometer was reading 110. Doesn’t sound like fun.

While we don’t have little kids up here, Lee and Eva’s dog Tucker is visiting. He is having the time of his life. Bruce takes him for a walk every morning. The lake is right here if Tucker needs a swim to cool off. Right now Bruce and Tucker are out picking blueberries. They will both be tired when then get back. A nice bag of blueberries will go in the freezer with winter pancakes.

I will write again soon with all the news and gossip from the lodge.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Zipping Through The Woods

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.

As of July 4th the canopy tour/zip line is open. What a response we have had. In these few days we have had over 200 people. They have ranged from those to just barely make the 70 pound minimum weight to one of our friends who will be 80 in September. Bruce was the first one down. They finished the course and Bruce went down twenty minutes later. He said it was a blast! In fact I have yet to hear anyone who hasn’t liked it. The best part is not the speed and the zips. It is the view either of the trees themselves or of the surrounding forest from that high up in the trees.


Family vacation time has hit Gunflint Lodge. We have families and children of all sizes round here. Except for a few rain storms, the weather has perfect. A nice breeze has cooled down the worst of the heat. Of course, children of all sizes have been in the lake swimming, canoeing and kayaking. There is nothing that feels better than a dip in the lake on a hot day.

Another thing that seems to go with summer is cookies. You know that cookies are small enough that they have no calories in them. Yesterday we set a new record for cookie consumption. Don baked off 28 dozen cookies – that is 336 of them. If it had been cold, we would have gone through an equally large quantity of hot chocolate. Those hollow legs have to be filled up with something. I must admit that it wasn’t just kids who were eating the cookies. There were a lot of adults in line.

Bruce and I ran away for a little blueberry picking this afternoon. The cool breeze blew the bugs away and the warm sun added a little more ripening to the berries. Our first stop was nothing the brag about for berries. It was the second stop that was filled with both people and berries. We now have enough that our pancakes this winter will continue to be filled with blueberries. But I still need more for jam and pies.

Raspberries are not started to turn color yet. I keep looking for those little specks of red. Recently I was so hungry for them on my cereal that I bought some in the grocery store. A box of 6 ounces (less than one cup) was $3.00 I keep saying that went we eat our first bowl of bush ripening berries, that is went we know we are rich.

I haven’t been writing too much this last month because I have been undergoing treatments in Rochester in preparation for some surgery. On Tuesday the surgeons are going to do a little fixer up for me. It is not serious but it will probably be another three weeks before you hear from me.