Touring the North Shore

     I want to clarify that this North Shore is on the north side of Lake Superior which is the pointy part of Minnesota when looking on a map.  A few weeks ago eleven women from my walking group took 3 days and 2 nights to stop and hike at almost all of the nine waterfalls and a few lighthouses.  It was spring run-off time from the melting snow.  The waterfalls were rushing, loud and exciting.  We would be hiking along and then begin to hear the roar in the distance.  The roar became louder the closer we hiked.  My favorite part is feeling the spray of the falls as the water bounces off the rocks.  And, of course, seeing a rainbow.  Most waterfalls seem to have them.  All were spectacular this time of year.  I thought Cascade Falls were the best.  There were seven cascades upstream on one side of the bridge over the river and three cascades that we could see downstream. 
     We enjoyed the camaraderie and not washing dishes for 3 days!  Retirement in the Northwoods (of Minnesota) is great! 

Having Too Much Fun

I see that my last post was 8 days ago.  We are having fun...Northwoods style.  There was a 3 day Birding and Nature Festival at Lake Superior that we attended.  With 100 workshops from which to choose, we had a difficult time deciding.  A few highlights:  seeing a flock of trumpeter swans (the big white ones) on the water and in flight.  Who would think those big things could fly? *  At 8 am one morning there was a very dense fog which got worse the closer to the Lake we got. Case and I found ourselves in a kayak on Lake Superior paddling away from shore into the mist.  No land in front.  No land behind.  Only fog.  The other participants in their kayaks didn't seem worried at all.  But here we all were - blindly following the lead kayak (literally).  After 100 yards or so a peninsula was in site. We beached and explored an estuary.  (Look it up.) We went birding and dragonfly hunting in other workshops. This is the type of thing that I want to do in retirement.  To be able to take 3 days from the usual routine and do something you want to do. 

Shopping in the Northwoods

This week I am shopping for propane gas.  The big silver tank things.  Gas is used for the hot water heater, clothes dryer, oven and stove stop.  Let me not forget: heat!  Because we are now full-time residents, we may pre-pay our propane for the year at a reduced rate.  I am letting my fingers do the walking.  It appears that $1.89 a gallon (500 gallon tank) is the best deal I can get.  Of course, it involves having the current company take their tank away (think big heavy equipment) and the new company bringing theirs in (think b.h.e. again).  Decision needs to be made before June 1 to lock in the pre-pay price.  That will be the dinner conversation this evening.

Green

The weather has finally turned the corner to spring.  The buds and leaves are emerging.  There are a few days - maybe a week - in the spring when the new leaves have this particular color of green...light, pale, translucent.  That color is at no other time. That time is here now, and I am soaking it in to the fullest. 

Fishing Season has Begun!

Today is the opening day of fishing season.  Wish us good luck!   There is a different feel to the area.  The town, roads, and stores are full of the weekenders and the summer season people who have returned for the opener.  Here is an example.  Case and I are in the garage prepping the boat to put into the water.  We hear gunshots very close behind the garage.  Perhaps a neighbor is shooting at a pesky squirrel.  He must be a bad shot because it continues sporadically for quite some time.  So I don my bright orange safety vest and go over to find out what is going on.  I come face to face with a man with glassy eyes, a beer in one hand and a gun in the other, asking me what I want.  (I want not to be shot - accidentally or intentionally.)  After a short discussion I found out that he was target shooting into a hill behind our garage.  The moonshine/maple syrup neighbor steps in to smooth things over and all is well. 

The sun is shining.  Time to go fishing.

I Saw a Bear!

As I was driving to a bar at 9:30 this morning, I saw a bear.  (Lions Club Committee meetings are held in a bar.)  The black bear was sitting at the side of the road just hanging out.  He/she lumbered into the woods, stood on its hind legs, and scratched its back on a big tree.  Returning to the side of the road, he/she was eating something in the grass or maybe the grass itself. Here was a real bear doing bear things. This is a great Northwoods activity from the safety of my car.

Remembering 9/11

The news from last night, of course, reminds me of what I was doing that day.  When I heard the news, I was preparing my classroom for 19 three-year-olds.  When my colleague came in with the initial report, I was confused and bewildered.  Whatever was going on I felt safe with my three-year-olds in a church classroom.  At home in the afternoon it became clearer what was happening.  I had anger and a dull feeling in my stomach.  Lucyna and Tad were freshmen at high school that had started a few weeks ago.  Case was at work as usual.  In the early evening as soon as Case returned home, we stood in a circle in the kitchen just holding one another without talking. 

For many years after 9/11 I divided time as before that date and after that date. Nine plus years later it seems to me that there is only an after that date time.


The immediate result was no flights in or out of O'Hare for many days.  It was so silent.  An eerie, uneasy  silence.  We never really heard the airplanes before 9/11.  They were merely background noise that we were used to. But no sound now.  They had stopped us...for awhile.  I am grateful to our military who have worked tirelessly on our behalf in their efforts against terrorism.  One part of that effort was accomplished yesterday. Thank you.   

The Answer to Prayer was No and Yes

It is snowing/ice pelleting this afternoon so my prayer on Palm Sunday about snow was a no.  However, the answer was yes to all the ice being off the lake before fishing season, which is May 7 this year.  This Saturday!  With the help of a neighbor we put the dock in the water yesterday.  When we purchased the house, this dock came with it.  Hadn't been used in over 5 years.  Of course, it wasn't one of those new, lightweight deals.  It is all steel and rust and, in a word, heavy.  Once it is in the water, it is solid and great to use.  The problem is getting it in the water.  The first thing we needed to do to the dock after we bought the house was to put new tires on it, because they were beyond busted.  Only needed two of them.  My junkyarding spouse drew a template of the placement of the lug nuts and off he went to find some wheels to match the dock wheels.  I am still laughing about what car matched...a Ford Crown Victoria!  The work crew remodeling the house laughed as well.  "You're the only one on the lake with Crown Vic wheels for your dock."  I am sure that is true.  They sure are shiny.  Glad they are in the water for this year.