Last Projects and a Long Trip

This is going to be one of my quick blogs. The Vikings and Packers are playing soon. The odds are really against the Vikings but I still like to watch the game. While it is on, I am making applesauce. I have some Haraldson apples which will be good. Then I have two pair of pants to hem. Not my favorite job but that’s life.

The lodge is still running pretty full. Our meal business has slacked off because there are not a lot of people on the Trail. As much as I would like to be busier, we are all tired and ready to slow down a bit. Most of the guests are spending their time hiking and relaxing. It is cold and rainy today so the lake doesn’t look very appealing. The last week has been warm and lovely but we still don’t have a lot of people out on the lake. The horses leave tomorrow.

My rabbits are still turning color. They now have white feet, white ears and a white back. The stomach must turn white last. Bruce keeps telling me that we are going to have rabbit stew but I won’t cook it so that ends the talk.

Yesterday Bruce was out on the final harvest in the garden. He cut the last of the chives and parsley and took it down to the kitchen. The next job was to dig up the last of the carrots. I never expect as many as we get. It took me 45 minutes to just wash them all. Tonight I will oven roast them for dinner with a baked potato and grilled lamb chops.

On a cool damp day like today, our fireplace will be cranked up. It seems to add much more to the room than just heat. My job is to keep the wood box full. Bruce splits most of the wood by hand throughout the winter. He enjoys doing it. Then daughter Shawn brings up a nice load of hardwood for Father’s Day. We do pretty well with all of it.

One of my fall projects is placing the spring flower orders for us and many of the neighbors. Ronnie Smith, our gardener, does our order and I gather from the others. As I am typing this, it dawned on me that I forgot to order some new strawberry plants for our garden. Not getting those would be a tragedy. Not to mention that I would be in big trouble with Bruce.

You are not going to hear from me for several weeks. We leave tomorrow for the Minnesota Resort Association fall conference. Bruce is giving a talk on packaging. Then it is down to visit Lee and his family in the Twin Cities. Robert, Miranda, and Zach come next in Missouri. Then it is off to see some friends’ resort near Ponca, Arkansas. Then we visit another friend in Missouri. The next hop takes us out to Hendersonville, North Carolina, where my sister and brother-in-law live. Finally our last stop is the outfitters convention in Sandusky, Ohio. We will be home about November 11.

Needless to say, we will be glad to be home. My butt is going to be sore from sitting in the car.

RAIN!

It’s raining! About midnight last night we started to get some rain. It kind of drizzled and dribbled throughout the night. Then this morning we have received some heavy showers. Hopefully more will come during the day. One day like this will not be enough but it is a start. All the lake levels are low and we really need this rain.

The work on the Pagami Lake fire continues on. As of this morning the Forest Service says the fire is 87% contained. In some areas they are even beginning mop-up operations. Part of this is to haul back out all the unneeded equipment. At the end of big fires there is usually a huge pile of wet hose to be dried. It is all part of the process.

I worked at Chik-Wauk Museum yesterday. Around noon we had a very excited couple come in. They had just seen a huge bull moose by the Seagull Creek area. You can’t imagine how excited they were. The woman said she was still shaking. When I got home, Bruce told me he had heard that there was a bull moose courting a cow moose in that area. Of course, I saw nothing when I drove home. It all goes back to being in the right place at the right time.

Bruce and I drove home from the lodge the other night and saw a rabbit in the driveway. We often see rabbits around the house. This one, however, had white feet and white ears. It is just another sign that winter is coming. I think that the next part to change color on a rabbit is its belly. We will see.

The other night we went to dinner at Hungry Jack Lodge. It was for the 75th anniversary of the Gunflint Trail Association. About 70 people attended including owners, employees and past owners. During the evening we exchanged stories and memories of Trail years. Everyone also brought a poster with some information about their business. Lisa Wagner was there to video many of the stories to save for the 100th anniversary.

The GTA is the second oldest tourism organization in the State of Minnesota. We have had our differences but have also found that we can accomplish much more by working together than by fighting. In recent years we have worked to get ambulance service, a fire department, Fire Wise protection around homes, trees replanted, advertising to bring guests in. The list is endless. Most of it could never have been done by working alone. I wish Congress would learn that lesson.

I can still hear the rain outside. It is a really gray day but just what we need. This rain will take down the last of the leaves. The only fall color left is the needles on the tamarack trees. They will be gone soon. Then we will wait for the first snowfall.

Fall Days

My thanks go to Mark and Jeanne Scharf for today’s wolf picture. They checked into #27 early last week about 3:00 p.m. As they were about to walk down to dinner, Jeanne saw the wolf thru the window in the front door. Out came the cameras and the rest is history. I have since heard that a wolf has been hanging around the public landing on Gunflint. It could be the same one.

Two days after the Scharf’s arrived, more incoming guests saw a wolf as they were driving up the Trail. Up until the last few years, we never saw wolves. I am assuming that these and other sightings are the result of a larger wolf population.

The Pagami Lake fire is winding down. The Type I Incident Management Team has just been replaced by a Type II Team. This is a very typical event as containment of a fire increases. As of today the fire is 71% contained. We have not smelled any smoke for a couple of weeks now.

The Forest Service has completely lifted the ban on camp fires, but we still need rain. Those of you familiar with the beaver pond on the Round Lake Road will be surprised to learn that it is totally dry. Several days of a nice gentle rain would be wonderful.

This past week the ladies from Always An Adventure were with us for four nights. This group has been with us for about 14 years. They are here to get out and explore the area no matter what the weather. It was raining the day their boat trip to Bridal Falls was scheduled. Even so 20 people went on the trip. One day they canoed into Ham Lake. Another day a group of them went into Stairway Portage. There were also individual hikes they organized on their own. It is fun for us to host a group that wants to get out and enjoy the woods.

Speaking of enjoying the woods, Bruce and I did a little of that yesterday. It was a beautiful fall day so we decided to go partridge hunting in the afternoon. We spent 4 hours driving back roads until my insides were like jelly. We stopped at one of the neighbors to see the construction of their new house. During the drive we got three partridge. While it is nice to get the birds and we would have liked more, just being out and about is what we enjoy doing. It was certainly better than watching the Vikings lose their fourth game of the year.

Lunch was very busy today. Adrian, Don and I kept running for about 3 hours. Since the weather was cooperating, most people wanted to sit on the porch. We would have all enjoyed sitting on the porch too. It is the perfect place to be on these fall days. Winter is coming and the porch will soon be covered with snow.

September Events

We had three weddings at Gunflint in September. They were all quite different which made it fun for us. Here is a picture of one of them. Weddings are good business for Gunflint but we are all glad when the last one is over. Perhaps the biggest effort goes into moving furniture in and out of the main lodge. Yesterday as everything came back to normal, we all heaved a sigh of relief.

With no weddings Bruce is now freed to go back to his first love – tearing out old buildings to make room for new buildings. This year we are removing our oldest canoer cabins at the outfitters. They will be replaced by nine very small individual canoer cabins. Although the guests will still use the outfitters shower house, the cabins will have four beds, insulation, heat (for May and October), ceiling fans, refrigerators, gas grills and screened porch. It will be a nice upgrade for our canoeing guests.

So here is a picture of Bruce on his backhoe tearing out buildings. Today he is down working on the foundation pads for the cabins. We need nine and don’t want them to be in just a straight line. Ronnie Smith (our gardener) and I have been working on shrubs, trees and flowers to help with the landscaping next spring. It is always fun to have new projects.

The Pagami Lake fire in Ely continues to smolder. As of today the Forest Service has it 53% contained. Yesterday the planes worked hard to put out flaming hot spots. The tally is 267,000 gallons of water were dumped on hot spots just yesterday. Realistically, the fire will not be totally put out until the snow flies. There is nothing like a layer of snow to melt into those hot spots and finally put them out.

This last week fall color has hit the Gunflint Trail. We had rain (whoopee!) for several days and then the sun came out Saturday afternoon. I celebrated yesterday by working on my iris bed. Got everything dug up, the soil roto tilled, everything respaced and planted. Today I will work on planting some new irises I just got. Of course, last night I paid the price for crawling in the dirt. Out came the Advil bottle.

The fall color is only one of the changes around us. Although I still hear loons at night, there does not seem to be as much calling. Saturday I saw a flock of snow buntings on the road. They just migrate through our forest on their way south (or north). The partridge season is open but we have not gotten out nor have we seen any birds. There are lots of bunnies around the house but they have not yet started to turn white. They start with their feet so I will be looking carefully.

My garden is pretty much finished. I still have to dig up carrots. I will also cut all the parsley and dry it for winter use. Hopefully I will have time to pull out all the dead plants to clean things up for next summer. Pulling them makes me think of all the great fruits and vegetables we got from the garden.

October comes Saturday. Where did the summer go?

Fires and a Trip

The BWCAW has been making lots of news with the Pagami Fire. Having been through fires, I don’t envy anyone going through it now. Except for a little smoke several weeks ago, we have had no effects from the fire. According to today’s press release, the fire is now 19% contained. Yesterday we had overcast, drizzle, and rain all day. I am sure that this really helped with the containment. Today is clear so the planes can fly again. This will add more space to containment.

There was a small (7 ½ acre) fire up by Seagull Lake. The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department and the Forest Service jumped right on it. Without their great work, it could have become a big problem. The equipment that the GTVFD brings is these fires is partially paid for by receipts from the canoe races in case you are wondering why we do those races year after year. It took 2 ½ days to get the fire dead out. Remember this fire the next time canoe races come along.

I have missed most of the fire news because Bruce and I were out of town. We went with our friends Tom and Melissa to explore the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Five nights were spent in a rented house in Brevort which is just out of St. Ignace. Then we took two days driving back along the south shore of Lake Superior

The first day there we took the ferry out to Mackinac Island. After lunch we rented bikes for the 8 mile ride around the island. Don’t let the happy faces of Bruce and I on our tandem bike fool you. Our marriage would not survive another tandem bike ride. I can only see Bruce’s back, I can’t steer, and I can’t brake. Letting go of control is not something I do easily or graciously – Bruce calls it whining! After the bike ride, we visited all the fudge shops on the island.

Other days were spent exploring the area and hiking. We hiked 2-4 miles each day. The trails were easily but I still huffed and puffed my way along. Surprisingly we never met anyone else hiking on any of the trails. Even though most of the tourists were gray hairs or honeymooners, I would have expected there to be some hikers.

Driving home we stopped at several spots at the Picture Rocks National Shoreline of Lake Superior. My favorite spot was the Log Slide. The entire lake shore was made up of sand dunes that rose 300 feet above the lake. During the logging of white and red pines in this area, the huge logs were sent down sand chutes to the lake. It took a log 10 seconds to make the 500 foot trip! Needless to say, we did not climb down to the lake there.

I also learned a new bit of trivia – Mackinac Island is located in which of the Great Lakes? It’s Huron which I never would have guessed.

Weddings

Luckily our guests keep sending me the most amazing pictures. This one comes from Jane and Tom Fischer. They took this from their canoe as they paddled across Gunflint. As they said, there is almost a surreal quality about this picture.

I don’t have a lot of time to fix dinner tonight. Bruce is going to suffer with the last of the fresh broccoli and sliced tomatoes to accompany the lobster from Florida. I do feel pretty rich when we get to eat a meal like this. Of course, the garden produce won’t be with us much longer.

Last Sunday was a pie and ice cream social at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. They had 300 people go into the museum and went through 30 homemade pies. Five gallons of ice cream went on top of the pies. Even so about 30 people came after every piece of pie was gone. Who knows how many pies we will need next year. My staff was disappointed when I brought home empty pie tins. I will have to make them a blueberry pie one day soon.

Once again I am writing before the weekend because it is going to be really busy. Tomorrow we have a wedding for 150 people. Tonight is the groom’s dinner for 58 plus regular dinner being served in Justine’s and the bistro. Don organized everyone to move furniture out and banquet tables in. As the owner my job is to sweep the floor. Tomorrow I get upgraded to setting tables. Bartender Kacy has been folding “bishop’s hat” napkins for much of the afternoon. After breakfast on Sunday everything will be moved back to normal.

Our final wedding is on the 24th. It is only for 50 people so it should be much easier. That will end the weddings this year at Gunflint. We love to have them but they are a lot of work.

Once again Bruce and I are sneaking away for a few days. This time it is with our friends Tom and Melissa to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are renting a house on the north shore of Lake Michigan. There are lots of hiking trails and we also have a trip to Mackinac Island on our agenda. Sleep is another thing on my agenda.

I am going to stop now so dinner will be ready when Bruce gets here. We will be home on the 19th and I’ll write again then.

Animal Sightings

This coming weekend looks to be very busy for us so I thought I best write the blog early. Holiday weekends are always extra busy but this time we have a wedding for 125 people to keeps us going.

Jean Johnson from Carlton, Minnesota, sent me the above photo of a lynx. Jean and her family were visiting us during July. This is really an exceptional picture taken at the Narrows between Gunflint and Magnetic. You can see the international boundary marker on top of the large rock at the right. In all the years I have lived here, I have never seen a lynx. We hear more and more stories of people sighting them but this is far and away the best picture I have seen. It looks like a magnificent animal.

Bruce and I were driving to the lodge one night last week. Right by cabin #27 a wolf walked across the road in front of us. The animal was very tall and thin. His fur was short. We could not decide if he was shedding in preparation for a winter coat or not. There was not an ounce of fat on the animal. Naturally, I did not have a camera with me.

As fall approaches, we are starting to get the garden ready for its winter rest. Tomatoes are ripening and going down to the lodge. I also plan on just dicing and freezing some for winter use. Carrots are big enough to be used and are sweet and tasty. Parsley will soon be picked and dried for winter. Basil is not as pretty now so I will start to use it up too. There might be enough broccoli for one more meal but don’t hold your breath.

There will be plenty of room in the freezer since I am finally getting all the frozen raspberries out to be made into jam. Also 10 cups of blueberries are going into pies for the Chik-Wauk Museum’s Taste of the Gunflint Trail this Sunday. Don’t worry; we still have plenty of berries for winter pancakes, etc. I always have enough blueberries for the winter.

As of this weekend, our guest mix changes. Gone are all the children with school starting. We have lots of adults between honeymooners and senior citizens. The next two months are extremely full with reservations. In fact don’t plan on a weekend trip until well into November. Everyone seems to be coming up here which is great for us.

We are doing a little outside work on our house. On the lake side we are putting in a grassy, open area with a fire ring. I think that this will primarily be used for s’mores when grandkids are here. Somehow I can’t see either of us sun bathing in the afternoon.

Have a great holiday weekend.

It is almost fall!

Today I actually have TWO pictures for the blog. It is truly amazing for me.

One is of Jason Merrill who is in charge of our maintenance. He is taking a month’s vacation to go to Alaska with his brother. Bonnie took this picture of him before he left today. The two figures he is holding are Bonnie and Sheryl who will be going in spirit with him. We know it is going to be a great trip for the two guys. We just hope the lodge doesn’t fall apart without him. Luckily Lance is here to keep everything in running order.

The second picture is a loon nest. Really it is an artificial nest that one of our members donated to the Chik-Wauk museum. This fall the nest (made of recycled plastic pop bottles) with be anchored out in the Chik-Wauk bay. The live plants in it will continue to grow and it will be ready next spring to host a pair of nesting loons. We had an artificial nest out this spring and successfully had two chicks born. The advantage to this nest is that it will be able to be in the water year around. So in the spring we will all look for the pair of loons who will use it for their young.

It is easy to tell that September is almost here. The brush along the roadside is turning color. There is a fall feel to the air. Also the poplar firewood smells like fall to me. Much of our staff is going back to school. We have more coming but the ones who are leaving were so good.

I am ready for that first fall night when we put a fire in our fireplace. Bruce and I have a fire in the living room almost every night in the winter. At one point we considered putting in a gas fireplace. Luckily we came to our senses before doing it. Bruce likes to split the firewood by hand with his mall. We save any cedar trees and birch bark for kindling. In fact we even save the little branches from the trees for kindling. My job is to keep the wood box full. It is not a big job. For father’s day Bruce always gets a huge load of hardwood from Shawn and Bob. Combining that with our birch, poplar and cedar keeps us going all winter long.

September and October look to be exceptionally busy. Our weekends are virtually full. It is going to be sometime in November before things start to slow down. I can remember when any business we got after Labor Day was considered a bonus. Now we expect to be busy with fall color guests during all this time. It is almost like we just started to have fall color twenty years ago. Suddenly people seemed to realize that fall was a great time to be in the woods.

So catch your breath and get a second wind. Fall is about to hit us.

Lobster Hunting

Bruce and I are back from our Florida getaway. The waters around Cudjoe Key are minus a few lobster. Here is Bruce and Ron with one day’s catch.

On August 5th the lobster season opened in Florida. We got up for our usual early morning start – 10:00 a.m. In our defense, diving has an extra consideration down in the Keys – tides. So you look at the local paper to get the tide schedule for Key West. Then you have to adjust this for the tide schedule where you will be diving. Of course, this will all change the next day.

Off we went on our first day to an area called the “Coral Heads.” It is outside and on the open water which makes this not my favorite spot. I have terrible motion sickness but Saturday was calm. Bruce and Ron put their dive gear on and take off. Ron got 4-5 the first dive but Bruce was in the Dead Sea. The second dive was in a place called Lennie’s Hole or Shark Alley depending on who you are taking to. Bruce got a couple lobsters and Ron also got some. We ended up with 11 lobsters – not very good for the first day. We also ate four of them so not too many went into the freezer.

Our second day was much better. We brought in 22 lobsters. This was only two under our limit. However, we did so much running around that we ran out of gas. Luckily Ron gets help from Sea Tow and they brought us five gallons of gas. We left at 10:00 a.m. and got home at 7:00 p.m. Did I mention that I also get sunburn when out lots?

The best part about the second day was that we got in so late, we had to go out to dinner. Eating out is one of the great joys of a Keys visit. The variety and scope of restaurants is somewhat better than Grand Marais. The day we flew in our first stop was a late lunch at the Half Shell Raw Bar for Conch Chowder and Oysters Rockefeller. But this night we went to Mangrove Mamma’s. Bruce and I had a Mahi Mahi fish sandwich that was huge. We forced ourselves to finish it just to be polite. We had three other meals out.

Another thing that we do is look for new recipes for lobster. Steamed or grilled lobster is great but we get enough to try different things. On this trip we adapted a crab cake recipe to make lobster cakes. It was a great success. What really topped off the meal was Pat’s homemade Key Lime Pie. She makes the absolute best pie and we all look forward to it.

Friday came too early in our vacation. We flew home with a good supply of lobster tails. Many of them were given away to our kids and managers but a good supply found their way into our freezer. They make wonderful treats during the winter.

Life at the resort was busy while we were gone and it is still keeping us hopping. Both September and October are very heavily booked. Even November is starting to fill in. Meanwhile I will dream with lobsters dancing in my head.

August Already

Just a quick hello to my friend, Jean O., in Minneapolis. I hear you had a fall but are on the way to recovery. Bruce and I wish you a speedy road to good health.

It is family vacation time. Our guests include children of every age group and temperament. With the warm weather, these kids are drawn to the waterfront as if by a magnet. Kayaks and canoes propel them on the lake.

There is nothing more fun than watching a 6 or 7 or 8 year old child don their life vest and get into a kayak for the first time. After a few simple instructions, they are off. And then there is the moment when they realize that they can make this craft go anywhere they want. There is no stopping them now.

Picking wild berries is another enlightening experience for young children. Who would believe that those small blue or red balls on a bush can be eaten and Mom doesn’t even care. Add to that the joy of eating your first blueberry pie made from berries YOU picked. If you decide to make jam with those berries, next February these kids will remember where they picked every berry in the jar.

Speaking of jam, the Kerfoot pantry is building up its stock for the coming winter. To date we have 12 jars of wild blueberry, 8 jars of wild strawberry, 7 jars of strawberry rhubarb, and 9 jars of raspberry. The strawberries are finished but there are still lots of blueberries and raspberries to harvest. Bruce and I have also been feasting on huge helpings of blueberries and raspberries on our cold cereal each morning.

It is hard to believe that we are now into August. I know that May was just last week. The beginning of August is what I consider the midpoint of our summer season. At the end of August all the kids will be back in school. We will be filled with adults of all ages who generally come up for the fall color.

Fall is a time I particularly love. By then the pace seems to slow down a bit. I might even get to watch a couple of football games on television. The temperature also cools down. It quickly becomes time to close up the garden for the season. The yellows and reds of fall are just icing on the cake.

On Thursday Bruce and I are taking off for a week. The lobster season is opening in Florida. For over 30 years Bruce has matched wits with those tasty critters. Just as we put up jam, we also like to have some lobsters in the freezer for the winter. Of course while we are down in the Keys, there are a few restaurants to visit. Our plane arrives in Key West at 1:20 – just in time for a late lunch. So don’t expect to hear from me until the 14th or 15th.

July Rolls Along

It is hard to believe how hot and humid it was around here last Sunday and Wednesday. The hostess station at the lodge (where I was) left us all soaking wet with perspiration. Mandy had to cancel afternoon horseback rides. She also rigged up a sprinkler system to give the horses some relief. On Wednesday even being outside gave little relief. In the early morning hours we had several inches of rain. By afternoon the sun was out and the rain was steaming away.

Yesterday a cold front came in. I walked down to the lodge zipped up in a sweatshirt that felt wonderful. Today it is still cool. After early last week we are all thrilled with the cool weather. Even if the guests would rather have hot weather, we love the cooler temperatures.

Wednesday the canoe races were held here. I don’t know how many hundred people attended but it was BUSY. Everything went well. A few flashes of lightening to the north forced the cancellation of the last races. The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department received a nice check for $14,500. The success was due to the leadership of Tom Schank and Melissa Anderson along with their army of 110 volunteers.

I am in my usual mid-summer mess. Talking with guests in the lodge and dining room, I slowly learn to recognize their faces. Names and cabin numbers are beyond me. No sooner do I get that far than everyone checks out and I have to start all over. So today 14 cabins checked out and then fill up again. The worst of it is that I am continually explaining what I did to my wrist. Repeating that sad story is enough to humble anyone.

Guides Jon Schei and Adam Treeful had a wonderful day on the water yesterday. Adam and his guests caught over 40 walleyes. Jon was right behind him with 30 walleyes but Jon’s were bigger. This morning when their guests checked out, one party was going to have to stop in Grand Marais to buy a larger cooler. What a nice problem to have!

Now for the weekly garden report: broccoli, basil, chives and parsley are producing more than the kitchen can use. Green beans are covered with flowers. Carrot greens are tall but it is too early to harvest them. The tomatoes are starting to turn red. In fact I can almost taste them. My late lettuce is about ready for salads. Regarding the berries: strawberries are finished, blueberries are good enough to be picked and there are a few red raspberries on the bushes.

Tuesday we go to Duluth and I get to see my surgeon. Hopefully I will get a small cast that comes below my elbow. If it is changed, my plan is to ask someone to take some warm soapy water and wash the arm first. Meanwhile I have become able to do many more (but not all) things with one hand. Bruce and our staff are really coddling me.

The Joys of Summer

The summer heat has finally hit us. We had 92 degrees in the shade at our house yesterday afternoon. Our solution is to close the doors and windows during the day with all the ceiling fans on. At night we open all the windows to bring in the cool air. All the insulation that keeps the house warm in the winter also keeps the heat out in the summer. For the few really hot days we get, this works almost as well as A/C.

One result of this hot weather is that everyone is down at the beach and in the water. The kayaks and canoes are busy all day. After work all the staff jumps into the lake.

As you can see from the above picture, we have had a couple of births at Chik-Wauk. As soon as the ice was out this spring, Kath Lande and a crew put out an artificial loon nest. It was clearly visible from the lodge but not from the shore. Pretty soon a pair of loons took up residence. Eggs were laid and they started sitting. Then disaster struck! The neighborhood eagle was able to swoop down and steal the eggs.

More branches that stick up into the air were added. They make it difficult for eagles to swoop in. We all held our breath but the loons came back and laid two more eggs. Late last week one of the eggs hatched. The chick was named Peat. Two days later Repeat was born. Once again we will all hold our breaths hoping the eagle does not get them.

You know that we all love our guests dearly but sometimes you wonder where their minds are. So we had a couple come into the museum raving about the beautiful drive they had had from Duluth along the “river” (Lake Superior). We also had someone ask “How long does it take a deer to grow into a moose?”

We have been feasting on the broccoli coming out of the garden. Each week we can get enough for one dinner in Justine’s plus some for us. It is so much tastier than anything we get from the grocery store that even Bruce enjoys it. With a little luck it will continue to feed us through August. Basil has also done particularly well this summer. It goes down to the lodge for pesto. Carrots and green beans are filling out. The tomatoes plants have a few tomatoes that seem to be approaching turning red. My mouth is watering.

I just got word that the blueberries on the Magnetic Rock Trail are starting to ripen. Friends walked the trail with their grandchildren. There were enough berries for snacking along the way. There is no word on red raspberries yet but they will be along.

leaf season

Our life at gunflint often seems to be divided into two seasons. Right now we are in the middle of leaf season. It starts around the middle of may. One day we will have soft, gentle rain. Suddenly the trees will be covered with a green haze as young leaves peak out.

Next comes the period of lime green leaves. They are new and almost look fragile but the strong winds of a storm cannot shake them loose. The flowers are developing right along with the leaves. Soon these colorful flowers draw our attention away from the leaves.

Right now all our leaves have attained their robust mid-summer color. The forest is filled with these deep green leaves. They shade our homes and shelter the birds. It seems like they will always be with us.

But September is coming. After Labor Day the green is starting to fade on many leaves. By the middle of the month yellow is everywhere. That strong bond between leaf and branch is gone. The slightest whiff of wind will send them spiraling to the ground. It is time for bare branches again.

This is the time of year when we all fall in love with the patio. It was lee and Eva’s idea to replace a series of wood porches with a wide open patio overlooking the lake. Long summer days make it a perfect relaxing and dining spot. Parents can sit sipping something cool while kids can splash in the lake. Sunday barbeques seem to taste better while sitting on the patio. The only problem is that Bruce and I seem to work during meals. It is not often we get to enjoy sitting.

For those of you visiting the area, I want to remind you that the Chik-Wauk museum and nature center is open and waiting to welcome you. It tells the story of the people of the gunflint trail through pictures, displays and videos. On Sundays and Thursdays from now until late august there are guided hikes into the trail system around the museum. An indoor scavenger hunt is available for children. Picnic tables are great place for your pack lunch. In a short time the blueberries will be ripe and ready for picking. Plan to make this a stop on your way up the gunflint trail.

Speaking of ripe berries, now is the time to be out gathering wild strawberries. They are just tiny but bursting with favor. Raspberries and blueberries will be quickly available. I can already hear my children asking for their winter jam supply.

My finger is tired so that is all you get today.

a bump in the road

In case you are wondering like the poet e e cummings, I have decided to forego using capital letters. My reasoning is very practical. Two weeks ago I fell asleep driving to town and put my car in the ditch. The car is a mess but only my left wrist is broken and it will heal. Also my ego is badly bruised. As I look back on this, the computer is smarter than I am. It is automatically adding capital letters. There will still be plenty of mistakes that I can make hunting and pecking on the keyboard.

We have just finished one of our busiest junes ever. Luckily we have also been blessed with one of the best staffs ever. There is extra staff at the outfitters because advance reservations were strong. Bonnie and sheryl are keeping them all running. In their spare time the gals are keeping beds changed and cabins cleaned. Down at the lodge food is flying out the kitchen as guests are flying in the front door. It is all very exciting and fun.

Meanwhile guests are having fun exploring the northwoods. I talked with a couple from Indiana the other night in the dining room. They took their 2 year old daughter and 8 year old son on a canoe trip. The four of them and their dog fit nicely into our new 24 foot canoe. The only one who didn’t enjoy the woods was the dog. He was part lab and part coon dog with his nose coming from the coon genes. The dog just wanted to hide in the tent. We figured that all these strange smells (bear?) were just overwhelming the young dog. The little girl loved exploring the campsite and the boy told me all about the fish he caught. I am sure that this only the first of many family canoe trips.

Yesterday I walked down to the lodge as I am becoming more mobile. It is amazing how the wildflowers have burst out – lupines, hawkweed, buttercups, just everything. My favorite at this time of year are the daisys. Their clean lines of white and yellow look so refreshing.

Wild strawberries are ripening right now. Bruce has hit some of his favorite honey spots. He goes and picks a one cup margarine container each time. It goes into the freezer. When he gets 5, I make jam. He says that raspberries and blueberries look good too.

I understand that the cool, rainy weather we had last week was great for fishing. The guides and their guests had great days on the water. It all sounds like heaven from in front of my computer.

Running through Summer

Now that the summer is in full swing, I am having trouble finding time to write. This is turning into one of our busiest Junes ever. There are no complaints but it does keep us all running.

Last night the kitchen and the lodge staff hosted a wedding reception. So Saturday morning all the furniture in the lodge was replaced by banquet tables and chairs. That afternoon, Marilyn, Don, Kacy, and I spent three hours cleaning and setting the tables. Meanwhile the kitchen was busy preparing the appetizers and dinners. By 4:15 the guests were back from the wedding. The reception lasted until midnight. Most everything was prepped for breakfast on Sunday morning. Today the last of the wedding items were put away and the lodge furniture was returned.

Today is the busy day for the housekeeping staff. All the cabins checked out and they all check in again tonight. A few had to leave early which gave the housekeepers an early start. It usually seems that the last cabin to leave is the first cabin to arrive. We were lucky with this change over. The first cabin to leave (and get cleaned) was also the first cabin to arrive.

Of course, no matter how busy yesterday was, there is still a full slate of meals to serve today. Don, on very little sleep, is busy smoking meats for the barbeque tonight. Everyone is busy cleaning and rearranging the lodge. By tonight they will all be ready to get some sleep. It will be quiet in the staff housing.

Fishing has been good lately. The guides have helped their guests find a lot of large walleyes. Lake trout are slowly moving into a little deeper water. Smallmouth bass are moving of f the spawning beds and appear ready to eat again. Rick has started fishing fun for the children staying at the lodge. He always seems to find fish for them.

All of our staff have arrived for the summer. They seem to be a very pleasant group. It always helps that there are so many people here from the winter and previous summers. They help all the new people learn their way around. On Friday we had our first general staff meeting. At 6:00 a.m. on the patio, none of us were too wide awake but everyone was present. Each manager had a few words to say. Bruce had a few more words to say.

This coming week is busy. I believe that the cabins are almost totally rented. Guides are close to being fully booked. The outfitters has lots of groups going out. We see many of them in the bistro for their first hamburger at the end of a trip. This summer they are also buying lots of malts and shakes – a new addition to the menu.

In a couple of days we will have the longest day of the year. That means that each day will be several minutes shorter. I am always ready when it gets dark early.