It Is Only Unpacking Now

We are moved to Tucker Lake! At any rate almost everything was transferred from one house to the other by 4:00 Monday (18th). Unpacking is a little different story. Monday night was our first night in the new house. I got the bed made okay. Then it was time to work on dinner. I had planned on brats and mac and cheese. The brats were going to be cooked on the George Foreman grill. It was the mac and cheese that was the problem. I couldn’t find any sauce pans. So I ended up cooking the pasta in a frying pan. By then I was so tired that I really didn’t care. Bruce was just as tired as I so both of us tossed and turned together all night. One of the items missing in action was our alarm clock. Neither of us wanted to oversleep the next morning. The alarm clock didn’t surface until Thursday.


At this point it is a matter of unpacking boxes and remembering where everything got put. One of the more painful aspects of the move is that our old house was on one floor. This house has a basement and a second story. I have only fallen once on the steps. It was more embarrassing than painful. Lee and Eva and the kids are coming to visit next weekend. Most everything should at least be out of boxes by then.

In spite of how busy this move is, life around us seems to continue on. Bonnie has been seeing a lynx around the outfitters. Last weekend one of the guests was on the sliding hill with his son. The lynx ran past him chasing a snowshoe hare. What an exciting thing to see! I am afraid that all the snowshoe hares around us have fallen prey to the lynx.

Sheryl sent me this picture to remind me of what our ice was like last year at this time. Right now you can drive cars on the lake and the ice is about 30 inches thick. The picture was taken on March 12, 2012. She and Bonnie left from the Cross River bridge to canoe to Magnetic Lake which they thought had open water. When they got to the narrows, they saw that Magnetic was filled with rotten ice. You couldn’t walk on it and you couldn’t paddle though it.

Right now it looks like the ice could be off Gunflint sometime during the beginning of May. That is a bit of a guess on my part but nothing has even started to melt on the ice. The Gunflint Trail is bare and dry. Some side roads have most of their snow off while others still have a covering of snow and ice. We are getting melting on sunny days but there is still a lot of snow in the woods. All our cross country ski trails are in excellent shape.

My neighbor, Fred, tells me that we have received just over 65 inches of snow this winter. Combine that with our cold weather (down to minus 30 and more) and it was a much more normal winter for us.

The Move is Coming

Last night we got about 4 inches of new snow. Suddenly everything looks white and fresh. I usually don’t think that the first night of Daylight Saving Time will give us more snow but what can we do. After all the activity between the Trout Derby and the Mush for the Cure, this snowfall makes the entire lake look white and new. It will also make all the trails sparkle with new snow.


As Bruce mentioned on our homepage, he did get a close haircut. It looks pretty good and we were amazed at how much it has grown out even in a couple of days. He went to town yesterday for a talk at the ACA. It was funny how many people did not recognize him.

Of course, the races are the big thing for the Mush for the Cure. This year they had 16 mushers in the short course and 24 mushers in the long course. Teams came from New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Idaho just to name a few.

Bruce and I walked down to see the dogs take off. Occasionally, I have people mention to me how cruel it is for the dogs to have to pull the sleds. I wish everyone could see the dogs waiting to take off for the race. Every single dog was barking and straining to start going. No dog wanted to be left behind. They all just shot out when the race started.

Part of the deal is for the mushers to dress in pink. Here is a picture of our guide and musher Adam. He came in third in the race and won the ribbon for the best costume. He also raised over $900 in donations. We are all very proud of him. All the mushers devote a lot of time and work to participate in this event.

You may be wondering about our big move. It’s coming. On the 18th we will start to take stuff over to Tucker Lake. Meanwhile our house looks awful. I am not an immaculate housekeeper but we do like things picked up. Well, this house is filled with boxes – both empty and full. Bruce and I are wondering how we managed to accumulate so much stuff. The move is forcing us to get rid of a bunch of stuff either through the thrift store or the garbage. It is almost embarrassing how much stuff there is.

The only saving thought is that Tom and Melissa’s stuff in our new house is just as overpowering as ours is. They will be moving out on the 15th and going down near the Twin Cities. The pull of grandchildren was just too strong for them to ignore.

Living on Tucker Lake is going to be a new experience for us. We are going to have to commute to work. All these years you people have told us about the joys of commuting. Now we are going to experience. Of course, I can’t complain too much. Our commute is only five miles.

March Pops In

March has popped in on us and it feels just a tad bit warmer.  We can still get below zero but it warms up into the twenties almost every day.  Of course, the days are also getting longer.  It is the kind of weather where people are more interested in getting outside.

With that in mind, Sunday (the 3^rd) was the snowmobile club’s annual trout derby on Gunflint Lake.  It appeared to be one of the best attended in several years.  Bruce and I went over for just a moment.  It looked like at least 100 people were gathered around.  It is a great family even with all ages finding something to do.  The winning fish weighed about 6 ½ pounds.  It was a good enough for the $500 first prize.  That’s not a bad reward for a morning’s fishing.  Gunflint looks rather barren this morning with everyone cleared off.  I have a small picture for you.  The main lodge at Gunflint is just barely visible in the background.

Bonnie from the outfitters also felt the urge to get outside for a bit this past week.  She met Janice from the Quetico Park at the gate to the Chik-Wauk Museum.  The two of them were going to snowshoe up to the top of Blueberry Hill.  Starting at the gate it is about 1 ½ miles up to the top of the hill.  Once on top you get a wonderful view down the Saganaga Channel.  Bonnie figured the up and down took about 2 hours total time.  By the time they got to the top she was ready to die but it was worth it.  On the top is a beautiful bench that Bob Baker Sr. built.  He is assembled it, then disassembled it, and a group of guys carried the pieces up where Bob put it back together again.  It is a great spot from which to absorb the forest and lakes spreading out in front of you.

Our dog musher, Adam, has been very busy giving rides to everyone around.  The warm days (up here daytime temperatures in the twenties are considered warm) have tempted lots of people to take a ride.  Last Saturday Adam was giving rides on the lake as he usually does.  A couple was in the sled and they all took off as planned.  Suddenly Adams was distracted for just a minute.  At the same time the sled’s runners went over a runted area.  In just a flash, Adam was off the sled and in the snow.  He jumped up and ran after the dogs yelling for them to stop.  They slowed down a bit and he tried to get the guests to use their feet as brakes.  Finally all the dogs stopped and Adam caught up to them.  It is a good reminder that Adam is not just along for the ride.  He has to concentrate all the time to keep control over everything.

Reservations for the summer are really coming in.  Every day we are surprised at how many people are calling to reserve their favorite cabin.  If you are thinking about coming our way this summer, give us a call so that we can hold your special cabin.

Moving Along on the Lake

One of the nice parts about living in the woods is that there is always something happening. It is nothing earth-shattering but just little quirts in life.


Take our weather as an example. You would think the temperature would be pretty consistent from one spot to another. Guess again. The other day Bonnie was driving to work. At the top of the Gunflint hill she happened to look at her car thermometer. It said 7 degrees above. Then as she went down the hill and in the side road to the outfitters, the temperature dropped. By the time she stopped behind the outfitters, her thermometer read 25 below! That is quite a change for such a short distance.

Animals living here are also great fun to watch. The other day we saw a snowshoe hare on the lake. Because the hare is white, we only saw it because of the speed at which it was running around. None of us has ever seen a hare on the ice. I did see another one at my house the other day. Unfortunately, he is probably not going to be around much longer. Yesterday when Bruce was driving home at 4:00 p.m., there was a lynx sitting on top of one of the snow banks in our driveway. Snowshoe hares are one of the lynx’s favorite meals.

Of course, the best things to watch are usually the fixes that people manage to get themselves into. Our neighbor stopped by at lunch yesterday. He had a half story to tell. Some guests had taken their 4-wheel ATV down to the east end of the lake to fish. They had, with difficulty, gotten way past the furthest summer home to the east. The snow was deep and they constantly had to back up and take a run to move forward. Eventually the transmission on the ATV broke. Now they are truly stuck in the middle of nowhere.

They walk in and get the 4-wheel drive pickup. Again the deep snow forces them to continually back up and take a run for it. Finally they gave up. Taking the transmission out of an ATV is a lot different than taking the transmission out of a truck.

So Saturday (the next day), they bring down their buddies’ two snowmobiles to try to tow the machine out. Problem is that the two front wheels of the ATV keep bogging down in the snow. Next they try to use shovels to hold the front wheels up. Then they try two small sleds under the wheels. No luck. Now they are in town to buy a heavier sled.

The men got back from town with four sleds. One went under each wheel. This let them tow the ATV to land without getting the tires bogged down in the snow. I imagine it was quite a project. Glad all that I had to do was write about it.

Signs of the Season

Sheryl has been out walking around the woods. She saw this owl on a hike to the high cliffs. I especially liked the snow surrounding the owl.


You know, we never complain about too much snow round here. Over the weekend we got 5-8 inches of the fluffy white stuff. Our snow banks seem to be a mile high. In addition the ski trails and snowmobile trails are wonderful. We have a few white puffy clouds today but basically no snow in the forecast - 20% which is just a face saver for the weatherman in case something comes.

The lake is just as full of ice. I have heard up to 24” of good ice. Certainly people are going all over for fishing. My favorite story comes from our neighbor. Bob is now going out and cutting about a three foot by four foot hole in the ice with his chain saw. He puts in line at about 3 feet down and watches the fish come up to his bait. When the fish is hooked, he doesn’t have to put his arm in a tiny hole to get the fish out. Bob just takes his handy landing net and nets the fish. Watching the fish is almost as much fun as catching the fish.

I know the next question is what does Bob do with this huge slab of ice from the hole? He uses a pole to slide the slab under the adjoining ice. That way the slab is out of his way and he doesn’t have to try to lift it out of the water. Bob is a pretty tricky fellow.

In case you haven’t heard, Bruce has agreed to have his head shaved this year for the Mush for the Cure. All the money goes for research into breast cancer research. He has to raise $2500 for the privilege of getting his hair shaved. If you are interested there is a wonderful picture of Bruce soliciting your donations at www.active.com/donate/2013mushforacure/brucekerfoot. I was the photographer of Bruce not the owl.

Over the weekend word was received that Ralph Griffis of Chik-Wauk Lodge died. He and his wife (who is still living) were the last private owners of Chik-Wauk. My favorite story of Ralph goes back some years to when they owned the lodge and I was a new bride. We had been having lots of rain and the lake waters were really rising. Ralph called me one day and asked if the water in Gunflint Lake was still coming up. I said yes but was quite confused. Ralph patiently explained to me that Gunflint Lake flows into Saganaga Lake (his lake) via the Granite River. One week after Gunflint stops coming up, Saganaga stops coming up. It takes that week to drain from Gunflint to Sag. It is pretty obvious when you think about it.

When I look outside, it is like we are in the middle of winter. There is, however, one small sign that spring is on the way. Our days are getting longer. All the extra minutes each day are finally adding up and now we have a couple extra hours of day light than on December 21st. This reverses itself on June 21st when the days start getting shorter.

Moving

We are into our typical winter weather patterns. The temperature has been going down with clear skies, a waning moon, and no wind at night. This morning it was 30 below at our house. In a few days it is due to warm up to above zero. Then we will get some snow. Meanwhile the cold temperatures give us really good traction for driving. This variation of deep cold and no snow with warmer temperatures and snow will keep up for much of the winter.


Looking at the temperatures outside makes me look at the inside of our home. It is comfortably 70 degrees. That is a 100 degree temperature differential. When we have the fireplace going it is even a greater difference.

Daughter Shawn and her husband, Bob, give Bruce a big load of firewood each year for Father’s Day. We keep drying until just these cold days. There is nothing better than to come into a house with a cheery fire in the fireplace. We start it before dinner, throw an extra log on before going down to the lodge after dinner, and then put on a couple of logs when we come home. The smell, crackling and popping are all the music that we need in the house.

We have been seeing a pair of moose regularly just south of the North Brule River. I understand that there are also four moose hanging out around the upper end of the Trail. Neighbor Sally says she sees them every time she drives back and forth to down.

The ice on Gunflint is quite thick in many places. We are starting to see vehicles on the lake regularly. This does not mean that you can drive just anywhere. Always check with someone local before going out. On Gunflint, for example, it never freezes over at the Narrows leading to Magnetic no matter how cold it gets. In fact I have never been over close to the Narrows during the winter in all the years I have lived here.

I am slowly getting packed up for the big move to Tucker Lake. It will be a big change in our lives. Even though it is six weeks from now, both of us are getting excited for the move. The big question is how did we get so much stuff? I don’t know how people can move every few years. And getting boxes is another big deal. We are lucky to have all the food and liquor boxes that are delivered to the lodge regularly. Also I don’t have to do too much to pack our clothes. With only five miles to move, I will tie groups of hangers together and move them in the car. The short distance also allows me to pack things like towels in plastic bags. I think when I unpack there will be a lot more stuff leaving our house.

Just so you know that things are split, Bruce gets the garage to pack and move plus his office. Both are jam packed.

Animal Encounters

We have had a good week here at Gunflint. First of all about 8 inches of snow came down on Friday and Saturday. It looks beautiful! The trails are in great shape with a solid base and a good track on top of that. Even if they are just skiing on the lake, everyone is having a ball.


After the snow we got clear skies and a full moon. You know what that means. The temperature just dropped. We have had 25 below or less for the past two nights. It is beautiful but best seen by looking out the windows. We have noticed that everyone in camp comes to get a movie. They probably have the fireplace going and are just sitting back with the movies. Maybe there is a little popcorn to go with the movie.

People have been seeing lots of game. Earlier this summer you may remember me talking about seeing a lynx where Bruce parks his truck at our house. We think that the animal has been hanging round. All the snowshoe hares have disappeared. Last weekend, some guests were skiing near the junction of the Lonely Lake Trail and the Big Pine Trail. They spotted a lynx. The animal did not just run off but stood there looking at them for several minutes. This let them get a really good look at the lynx. It is a great thing to see.

Sheryl also had an exciting viewing one night. It was late and she was reading in bed. Suddenly she heard what sounded like bleating. She looked out her bedroom window into the parking area behind Cabin #7. There was a deer that had just been taken down by a single wolf. Sheryl was able to get some great picture but they are a little too graphic for me. After feeding for a bit, the wolf moved into the bushes and howled before coming back to feed some more. By morning there was nothing to see. Looking around, Sheryl saw where the remains of the animal had been dragged into the woods between Cabin #9 and the road.

The interesting thing was Sheryl’s reaction to this. She was watching it all from a nice, safe house. Even so, there was a shiver that passed through her. That shiver must go back thousands of years when mankind was not so safe from wolves.

I had that happen to me years ago. Bruce was at a sports show in Milwaukee and I was the only one home. Our dog, Itzy, was restless. She was up and about and around and just would not settle down. I turned the outside lights on but there was nothing to see. Finally I let the dog out and stepped out myself. I could hear the howling of a pack very close to the house. Even safe in the house, it was not comfortable. Bruce just laughed when I told him about it. The next morning I found the tracks of the wolf pack right behind the outfitters building.

If you are interested, now is the time to come up and experience our wonderful snow. A word of warning, most of the cabins are booked on weekends. Mid week there are still cabins available but even that is filling up quickly.

Ice Part III

Last week and the week before I wrote about lake ice. This is Part III of the ice store. In talking about the ice I added that you should always check the local conditions before going out onto the ice. We had a group into one of the large cabins who were going out for the opening of ice fishing on Saturday. Their means of transportation were going to be several ATV’s to the east end of the lake.


Along the south shore of Gunflint is a pressure ridge. One of the ATV’s went through the thinner ice associated with this pressure ridge. The machine went 2 ½ to 3 feet in the water. Since there were other machines, the men were able to pull the one ATV out of the hole. Everything worked out OK but it is always a scare to go through where you think there is solid ice. I am sure that there will be other events regarding the ice as the winter goes along.

The big question right now concerns our snow conditions. The answer is that we are skiing on a thin layer of snow with a hard base. Everyone would love some new snow to go on top of what we have. Our temperatures are in the low single digits but above zero.

There was one morning that the road ice was treacherous. Dave at the front desk has a five-minute drive to work. That morning it was 45 minutes. When Bruce walked out to his truck to drive down to the lodge, he dusted the ice with his butt. I stayed in the house and did not attempt to go anywhere until the temperature changed later in the day. Even then, no one was driving very quickly around here.

Bruce and I have been getting a few laughs watching the Los Angeles weather. (We don’t get local – Minneapolis – stations because we would have to cut down two white pines to see the satellite.) Out west they are complaining about the cold conditions when the temperatures are in the forties. That would be a real heat wave around here.

Slowly our house is looking quite bare. Don is saving grocery and liquor boxes for me. We are going to needs lots and lots of boxes to get everything over to Tucker Lake. In fact Bruce just came in with a few more boxes. Without having food delivered for a commercial kitchen, I don’t know how you would accumulate enough boxes to pack a household up. At any rate I am slowly getting the job finished. We are lucky to have a staff to help move everything. Moving a dozen boxes a day is one thing, but I don’t think that I am up to moving all the boxes at one time. Boxes of books are heavy. I have five boxes of cookbooks alone after I gave a bunch away to the library.

The best part of the moving project is the end result.

January Changes at Gunflint

Well, I have no ice testing pictures. Don went out last Thursday and forgot to call me. I can give you the results from the about 30 holes that he made. Out in the middle of Gunflint the ice ranged from 10-14 inches thick. Generally it was a solid blue ice. Surprisingly just in front of the dock the ice was only about 6 inches thick. That is a safe thickness for walking but we won’t be driving vehicles on the ice for a bit yet. I also wish to make the point that this in no way declares that the ice is safe all over Gunflint Lake. Ice changes all the time during the winter. Whenever you go on the ice, be sure to check the local conditions where you are going. Bruce fell through the ice once as a boy and he says it is not something you wish to experience.


As with everyone, our life has changed a bit in the past week. We bought a house on Tucker Lake which is about 5 miles from the lodge. One day we may not be running Gunflint (not anytime soon) and it would be nice to have a place to live. Our friends Tom and Melissa were selling their beautiful home and we could not resist. The two of them will continue to live on Tucker Lake until remodeling is done on their new home near the Cities. Then in March Bruce and I will make the big move. Many of you have lived all over the country but this is the first time (except for college and the military) that Bruce will not live on Gunflint Lake. For me, I have only lived here for 44 years so it is not as big a change for me.

The next question is what will happen to the house we are presently living in? It will become Cabin #12 or the Pow Wow Lodge. With 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a large living room with fireplace and a good size kitchen, we hope that many of you will enjoy a stay in it. The remodeled unit will be available starting Memorial Day. Since most of our large cabins are already booked for the summer, keep track of the progress on the Pow Wow Lodge at our regular website at www.gunflint.com. In fact, that website will give you all the current information about what is going on at Gunflint.

With more guests around this January, the deer are getting fed more regularly and their numbers have increased. This has just attracted more wolves. We see them on the lake most every day. You never know when they are going to appear.

This fall there have been several articles in the Minneapolis paper about how the DNR thinks the moose population is going down. We personally have not seen as many moose this past couple of years. Starting with the holidays, however, our guests are seeing lots more moose as they drive up. My guess is that 50% of our guests are seeing moose on the road either coming or going. Hopefully this means a real increase in the population.

The Saga of Ice

Just like your families, Christmas and New Year’s have now come and gone for our Gunflint family. We have had time to remember how much there is to be thankful for.  Let's hope we can remember this for more than a few days.


The cabins at the lodge have been filled to overflowing. I counted and for one week we have only four nights open in all the cabins. The dining room has been equally busy. After a huge breakfast buffet this morning, there was a family driving by looking for lunch at 11:15. A short bit of waiting with coffee and cookies and lunch was on their table.

The last few days have been clear and cold. It was -7 at our house this morning. While the lake is frozen, we have not tested it yet. To be cautious, we are asking everyone to stay off the lake. It is probably safe to walk right along the edge but that is as far as we go.

Don hopes to get out to test the ice in a couple of days. He puts on a dry suit. We tie a 50 foot rope around his waist kind of like a dog lease. Out he goes to drill holes every 50 to 100 feet. I follow holding on to the lease and with a radio in my other had. Of course, I don’t really need the radio because everyone is watching us from the lodge windows. Sheryl will take a picture for next week.

As I have been home this afternoon, the sky has clouded over. The weather forecast is for 70% chance of snow. Everyone is ready for it. A foot would be perfect but even 6 inches would work. The clouds have also warmed things up. We already have 10 degrees above zero. That may not sound like much in your part of the country but it is almost a heat wave up here. It also brings snow. Keep your fingers crossed!

One of the interesting things about winter is to watch the changes in the ice. As you know, the colder it gets, the more the ice expands. The shoreline keeps it from going out too far. Eventually the pressure builds up so much that a pressure ridge explodes across the ice. It can sound like rumbling or like a shot. Right now we have a pressure ridge that is horseshoe shaped from our side of the lake to the west and then going down the northern shoreline of the lake. It is clearly visible from the lodge.

All of this will disappear if we get snow. A new development will occur. That light, fluffy snow will push down on the lake so hard that fine cracks will appear in the ice beneath the snow. Water from the lake will flood the snow creating slush. There will still be dry snow on top to keep the slush from freezing. Eventually the unwary skier, snowshoer or snowmobiler will venture into this covered slush and get wet all the way up the leg. The insulating snow is disturbed and the slush will quickly freeze. If this happens with a snowmobile, you have mere hours to get it out before the machine freezes in.

So we will look tomorrow to see what happens. I’ll write next week more in the saga of ice.

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.

Newtown

Rarely do we comment on national events but this seems to express our feelings on Newtown.

The News from Gunflint

It is deer season again at Gunflint. Sheryl took this picture today of Mandy feeding the deer. Even now they are so tame that she gets them to eat out of her hand. It is fun to watch.


Don’t let the ice on the lake on the webcam fool you. Half of Gunflint is still open water. We need a cold night with clear skies and no wind. Today will not be the day. It is overcast and 34 degrees. We are supposed to get snow but the temperature will have to drop a bit first.

We are taking carry of Lee and Eva’s dog, Tucker, while they go to her folks for Christmas. It is a joy to have a dog in the house again but we are still not ready to get one. Tucker is really good for me. We just finished a mile walk. Of course, Tucker is now taking a nap while I am at the computer. What is wrong with this picture?

On the ride home Thursday night we saw a moose and a wolf. It almost looked like the wolf was harassing the moose. All these things go by so fast that it is hard to tell what is really happening. We were glad to see the moose. Now all I need is to see one in the daylight when I have my camera available so I can take a picture and send it to Mae and Grant. The stars will really have to be lined up for that to happen.

The lodge is dressed (as the English say) for Christmas and it is beautiful. Somehow Bruce managed to slip in some more Santas and outside Christmas trees. On one of our trips the wish list contained thirty strings of 150 lights each. It is a good thing that these are all LED lights. There is only one problem with all this. When you take the decorations down, the lodge looks horribly dull. Then we have to wait for spring flowers to come.

My daughter-in-law, Eva, had a terrible problem last week. I let them run out of homemade jam and she had to buy some in the grocery store. Luckily a new case of jam came down from Gunflint quickly. This summer I will be almost out of jam and will need to work hard at putting up a stock pile. Robert and Lee knew they were abused children if we ran out of homemade jam in April.

This year I made up for some of the jam lapse by bringing them Christmas cookies. There are about nine cookies that I only make at Christmas. They all have to be made with butter and real vanilla. Because they only come at Christmas, you can eat all you want and not get fat.

Another Christmas favorite that I occasionally make is fruit cake. I see most of you making a face but this recipe is exceptional. Bruce got it when he was in school at Cornell. The students made it in the labs for the dean of the school to send to CEO’s of hotels.

My final Christmas favorite is Robert’s. Years ago my mother gave me a recipe for a frozen cranberry salad. It has cranberries, apples, crushed pineapple, walnuts and miniature marshmallows. All of it is held together by whipped cream. You just take is out of the freezer a bit before dinner to soften it up. We refreeze leftovers for future use until there is not a mouthful left.

Frozen Cranberry Salad

4 cups cranberries (1 package)

6 medium apples

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 12-oz can crushed pineapple

1 – 10 ½ oz package miniature marshmallows

½ cup chopped nuts

2 cups whipping

Grind apples and cranberries. Combine with sugar, undrained pineapple and marshmallows. Let stand for 15 minutes. Add chopped nuts. Whip cream until stiff and combine with fruit mixture. Put into molds and freeze. Before serving unmold and thaw slightly.

Lots of Fall Travel

Greetings from Gunflint! I have neglected you all the past two months. Bruce and I have made three trips and have two more to go before Christmas. The few days I have been home my computer and internet connection have been broken. Finally yesterday the repairman from Grand Rapids solved my problems. I feel connected to the world again. Of course, I am still going through 900 plus e-mails, most of which are junk, but on to our trips.


We flew from Minneapolis to Venice, Italy the beginning of October. Bruce had rented an apartment in the city for three nights. Venice is about the size of Central Park in New York. I know we walked every foot of the city. It was wonderful! Next we got on the Holland America’s Nuew Amsterdam for a 24-day cruise in the north Mediterranean. First we went east to Turkey and Greece. Then it was west to Croatia and Italy. We have never been catered to as much as on that trip. The trip ended in Barcelona where there was another apartment waiting for us for three nights. Between the subway and walking we saw a fair amount of the city before flying home.

On November 8th we left again for a meeting of the Adventure Gateway group. These are about 12 of the biggest water sports companies in the country. It is always great to get together and hear what their summers were like. The drawback was that the meeting was in Hawaii. Maui is a great place to visit. In addition to meetings we did all the tourist things: sunset cruise, outrigger canoe trip, the Road to Hana, luau, etc. I don’t know how regular people like us can afford to live there. Our breakfast at the hotel (luckily included) was $25 per person and their big Sunday breakfast buffet was $50 per person. We did not eat it. It was a warm and nice trip.

After being home for two days, we drove down to Robert, Miranda and Zach’s in Missouri for Thanksgiving. We had a great long weekend and lots of wonderful food. I felt good that I only gained a half pound. As always we hope that you and your family had a great Thanksgiving. It truly is a time to remember how lucky we all are.

Monday we arrived home with a foot of snow on the ground. Above is a picture of what greeted us outside our kitchen windows. The flowers have been replaced by sparkling snow. It was 10 degrees this morning. Everyone here is getting ready to decorate for Christmas. We brought home 30 more strings of white lights to go on outside Christmas trees.

Just as I am getting settled into home, we have to leave for the two more trips. On Sunday we go to Daytona Beach for the annual meeting of American Outdoors. Bruce is about to join their national board so he has to be there. We also buy equipment there. If I see the beach from a window, that will be a miracle. We are home on the 8th and leave on the 10th for a Distinctive Lodges meeting which is in Minnesota. We are home on 13th and that is more than enough travelling for me. I am ready to sleep in my own bed for many nights!

On the fly I have been told that Christmas and New Year’s are heavily booked. If you are interested, call soon. The front desk will get you settled in with a reservation.

Unexpected Gifts

As our vacation approaches, we are having an unexpected number of guests arriving. The widow and daughter of Bruce’s first cousin, Jim Kerfoot, were with us this weekend. They brought a most unusual box for us.


Bruce’s Kerfoot grandmother’s maiden name was Share. At some point in time Jim Kerfoot received a box of Share family things. There were fans, a thread from wedding dresses, pictures, etc. The most interesting articles were some toys from Henry Share who died when he was 3 years old. The toys included a small (6 inches) hatchet and some marbles. From a family tree we found out that Henry died in 1812. It was very moving to hold in our hands toys from a member of the family who had died 200 years ago. Certainly none of us ever expected to do this. It makes you stop and think about family roots. Now I would like to spend some time researching the family tree to find out more about Henry.

I have just received a gift from one of the families who has had a summer home on Gunflint for many years. In the 1930’s Katie Burns went to Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota) as a freshman. She met another freshman named Ruth Merry. The next summer Katie vacationed at Gunflint Lodge with the Merry family. Father Ray Merry bought land on Gunflint and built a summer home. Katie managed to visit every summer until she also bought land on Gunflint Lake. Over the years Katie became a doctor and served in the Navy during World War II. She got married and raised two daughters. She never, however, lost touch with the Merry family or Gunflint Lake. Immediately after the war she built a cabin on Gunflint. This was to be her summer home for the rest of her life.

As part of my museum interviews, I spent hours talking and taping Katie. After all, except for a war years she had been on the lake since the 1930’s. In her living room was hung an interesting framed picture. It’s about 4’x4’ and shows two beavers building a dam with a background of beaver houses and a shoreline. It was done on linen with crayons. Katie told me that Ruth Merry did the picture in college and gave it to her. In the lower right corner it says “R.M. to C. B.”

From the first I loved the picture. Katie added to her will that the picture was to be given to me. It is something that I will always treasure.

We are in the peak of fall color. Last week was filled with days of sunshine and rain showers. It was a good thing because we needed the rain. Today is beautiful sunshine and a few puffy white clouds. Driving to town the yellows just jumped out at me. We also are getting a greater number of reds than in the past.

A week from today Bruce and I leave on vacation. We will be home on November 2nd. I am going to try to write one or two blogs during the trip. Keep your fingers crossed.