Merry Christmas

The lake froze over today. We have been waiting about a week for the last of the east end to freeze. Everyone holds their breath until the entire lake is frozen. Otherwise a wind from the correct direction can just take the ice out. Now we need some cold, clear nights to make ice.


Sheryl has gotten herself a new camera. As she is practicing with it, I have been the recipient of a bunch of pictures. It is a good time to share some of them with you.

One of the bucks that is hanging around has lost just one antler. The other one is still on his head. It has been this way for about 7-10 days. The other morning Sheryl caught his head perfectly framed so you can see it.

Yesterday Sheryl was out driving. The next picture is her view of Gunflint and Magnetic beyond it. The white is, of course, snow that is sticking to the lake. The darker color is clear blue ice with no snow on top.

Finally we had a wolf crossing in front of the lodge during managers’ lunch today. It was out a couple blocks from the shore moving from the east to the west. We could just barely see it and this was the best enlargement that Sheryl could get. There were some deer on the patio. Even with very little wind, their ears perked up and they looked directly at the wolf. They were all keeping close track of where this wolf was.

Our lives seem to revolve around the actions of nature in the woods around us. With the ice offering such a large area to see game, animals come into view much more than during the summer. Even though Bruce and I have lived here for a long time, we find ourselves enchanted by the animals more every year.

This Christmas season the Gunflint family comes together with your families to offer those who are suffering our support and love. It is a time when we truly know how blessed we are.