September is
here. After the busiest August ever, we
are all ready to catch our breath. Our
occupancy rate was 92% so there were not a lot of empty cabins during the
month. High room counts are both a
blessing and a curse. The housekeepers
always seemed to have lots of do.
Luckily everyone from dock boys to outfitters to gardeners helped
them. Head housekeeper Jesse did a great
job keeping them all organized. At the
end the money is nice but you wonder if you will live through it. Monday night was one of the first nights
during the month that Bruce and I did not go back to the lodge after dinner. We just sat.
As fall
comes everyone is seeing more animals on the trail. Many of them do not seem to be in their
normal habitat. Dave at the front desk
has seen a lynx as he drives to work for three mornings is a row. Wife Bonnie says take a picture but Dave says
it is too dark that early in the morning.
Down at the dock we have had a blue heron hanging around the past couple
of days. Neither Bruce nor I can recall
ever having one here. They are fun to
watch. Bruce and I also saw a wolf down
by the South Brule bridge as we drove to Duluth early one morning.
This is also
the time of year when we finish up some of the summer activities. As the kids go back to school, Joey’s fishing
fun will end. Next Sunday is the last barbeque
for the summer. As soon as it gets a
little cooler pizza Tuesdays will stop. In fact as it cools down, fewer and fewer
people will be eating on the patio.
Outside eating is a blessing for only a couple months of the year in
northern Minnesota. The standup paddle
boards and small kayaks will get put away as the lake gets colder. Berry picking is basically over. We did not have a lot of berries this
summer. I never figure out why but am
grateful for those that we do get to pick.
Speaking of
picking, my garden is exploding. Green
beans seem to be the big winners this year.
The trellises they are growing on are almost ten feet tall. Blue Lake seems to be the kind that grows
best for me. Also my onions and potatoes
are producing huge crops. I will be
giving stuff away just to use it all. It
takes a long time for two people to eat the potatoes from an 8 foot square bed
of them. Lettuce is also hanging
in. The lodge is using lots and lots of
my parsley. I made some pesto from the
basil crop. That will taste good during
the winter.
The other
thing that we are starting to see is the color change. Yellows are appearing in the shoulder
shrubs. The maples are starting to turn
red. That is not a big deal because we
don’t have a lot of them. Next week the
poplar and birch will start to turn.
Then everything brightens up.
