Little Blake Lake

End of season signifiers

2011-10-16T10:53:00.001-05:00

It's mid-October. Anyone with a north country seasonal cabin knows what that means. If the pump's not turned off, the pipes drained, and the traps filled with antifreeze, you've been pressing your luck. If the refrigerator hasn't been defrosted and unplugged, the results in May won't be tolerable. If the place hasn't been cleaned, you won't be happy next spring.

We were at Sidetrack to take care of those things. (We also made contact with the contractor who we thought had been hired to so some repairs. It turns out, there had been a failure of communications. He's now ready to order materials and go to work.)

While there, I made the neighborhood rounds with my camera. Here are some signs of fall at the lake.

Things that float have to come out of the lake. Some are towed away for formal storage. Others are parked in yards for the season when the lake is not liquid.

Of course it's not just floating things that go into the water in spring. There are all those support structures, too. Some come out of the water simply. Others come out in sections that sit in family groups. Still others get stacked in artistic piles. And one of them has to be the last one out of the lake.

Things besides watercraft get covered up for the snowy season. Like this wood pile. I fear the casual covering won't survive the winds of winter.

Cooking grills are carefully covered, and these covers probably will survive the blizzards to come.

But the pink flamingos might get chilly.

I wonder if being tied to a chair will help this grill stay put.

Chairs get special attention when people close up their summer cabins. Once again, I'm reminded of art exhibits.

These chairs had their backs turned toward the lake, but had a pile of brush for protection from gusts off the lake.

I suspect these chairs will stay put even though they're not tied down.

Another set of chairy acrobats were hanging from another deck rail.

This chair and its attendant pumpkin by a fire pit seemed to be daring winter to come. How long will it stay put?

Other chairs are more elemental. I wouldn't expect these to be put away or tied down at any time.

Some summer toys turn into leaf collectors now. I do wonder how much snow will bounce off of them before they're smothered in the white stuff.

When you put a padlock on the outhouse door, you know the season is over.

The faded flag is not a political statement, it's just a result of solar power.

I'll bet this tool of summer will be rolled into a more protected place before long.

A few flowers still had the power of blooms.

But most of them looked long past their prime.

And this pair of garden frogs look like they know what's coming and that they won't be getting any shelter from the cold and icy season to come.

So long, Little Blake. See you in the spring.

One more weekend at the lake

2011-10-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

It's been crazy since I got back from Sidetrack. So, finally I have time to post some pictures and figure out how to use this new interface.

There were still some flowers blooming.

The leaves were beginning to change while we were there.

Will and Mark practiced their logging craft.

I took the decking off of the dock.

And the sun went down at the end of the day, as usual.

It was a great weekend and probably the last of the season. We road tripped to southern Indiana-Illinois for the Mosiman wedding and this weekend N is performing at the senior center. Clean up and close down next week.

Behind the times

2011-09-19T13:17:00.002-05:00

Okay, it's been nearly 2 weeks since I last reported here. We were at Sidetrack for a wonderful weekend a week ago, but I never got around to writing it up.

We worked and I did some reading. Maybe I'll get to the lake in a couple days. Next weekend will be near the end, since we'll be in Indiana the following weekend.

It was a quiet weekend in Polk County

2011-09-06T14:49:00.000-05:00

It was a quiet weekend at the cabin called Sidetrack. We were there from Thursday afternoon to Tuesday morning.

There was no lake association meeting and there was no decorated boat parade. Okay.

Neighbors to the north were no shows. Neighbors to the south had guests. We were pretty much on our own.

Sank hosted us for dinner Sunday over on the big lake and we had a great time.

I read two pretty good books, did a bit of gardening, canoed up the river, listened to the eagles, pileated woodpeckers, geese, loons, and other birds. The stars and the half moon were wonderfully bright.

The weather was great. Cafe Wren was hospitable, the wifi perfect, and the bagles and coffee were good.

I think I'll be ready to go back for more after doing some laundry and catching up on some work I should have done.

See you next week.

Small world in Luck, Wisconsin

2011-08-28T18:57:00.000-05:00

I went to Cafe Wren for breakfast and Internet access this morning. Typical Sunday morning.

I looked at e-mail and responded where appropriate. I read the Sunday comics. I read headlines and a few articles from the usual 18 sources. I did a blog post about Nigeria to the Teaching Comparative blog.

Then I posted some pictures from the beautiful day at the lake yesterday. As I was finishing up my coffee and online routines, the woman at the next table held out her smart phone, which displayed one of the photos I'd just posted (the one of the landscaping king of Little Blake Lake), and asked, "Is this you?"

Somehow, she'd been online with her phone and found the blog post mere minutes after I posted it.

She introduced herself and her husband who lived at the very north end of Little Blake Lake (on a point beyond the wild rice beds). She asked about where Sidetrack was and if the new fire pit was in the lot with all the fancy landscaping. She and her husband frequently paddle their canoe into the lake to catch fish. He recounted a story about catching a Muskie one spring and having to drag it onshore because he didn't have a net in the canoe. Then, since he was onshore, he helped Sidetrack's next door neighbor get his pump started for season.

We exchanged some more pleasantries and information (but not names).

I left, put the top down on the Miata, and drove back to Sidetrack with the wind in my hair and moderate amazement in my mind.

Came home to have dinner with our youngest son, who is in town for the evening.

We'll be back to Sidetrack next weekend.

Boredom is underrated

2011-08-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a quiet day. The weather was nearly perfect. I spent a lot of time doing little or nothing. Talked with neighbors a lot. I did some work, but my heart wasn't really in it. Here's what my boring day looked like.

Gardening tools sat unused

Lake surface near the shore looked like an aerial view of swamp land with a floating snail shell

Boats were unused

Unidentified flower

Rudbeckia with an imperfect petal

Salvia for the hummers

Landscape champion neighbor and his new fire pit

My cute chemosis

2011-08-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

The lake and Sidetrack are beautiful. Heard owls, eagles, loons, pileated woodpeckers, and lots of warblers yesterday.

My eye is better this morning, though it's still red and a little puffy around the iris.

I spent yesterday reading and napping. Finally went over to Larry's after supper and found him on the couch with his heating pad. He pulled a muscle while mowing his lawn. Spent the day on the couch.

Mark and the boys arrived about 7:30. Mark had to be stern in order to get the boys to take off their new school shoes and put on their cabin shoes before they ran from the car to the dock for fishing. I guess Susan gets the weekend to prepare for teaching.

Back to Sidetrack soon and work on the new teaching tools project.

Stay well and in touch.

It's August and I have acute chemosis

2011-08-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

It's also been a month since any of us were at Sidetrack. Yikes! A trip to Rockford and a bunch of tropical weather are to blame.

As I toured the grounds this afternoon, I noticed that I missed all but the first few tiger lilies this year. I guess I'll have to come back in early August next year.

The rudbeckia are blooming big time and a few coneflowers.

The winner in the flowering category though are these bright red beauties.

I can't remember what they are. I think they're some kind of flox. I guess I'll have to look them up and plant more of them.

Then I went to work weeding the terrace garden and cutting down brush beside the garage.

Wore me out.

I came in and took a 15-minute nap. When I awoke, my right eye was very watery. I went and washed it out. Half an hour later I had to wash it out again. It was very red.

Washed it out a couple more times. No pain. No problem with vision. Just very red and very watery.

During dinner I noticed a shadow in the lower right periphery of my field of vision. When I looked in the mirror, I could see that I had a "blister" on my eyeball.

Okay, team, that's when I headed for the Amery hospital emergency room.

And, after vitals and an exam, the doc says I have acute chemosis, probably the result of some plant oil/chemical that got in my eye when I rubbed it with a finger full of plant oils or resins that I'm allergic to. No scratches, no foreign bodies in the eye, just some disagreeable chemical. And, yes, if it were on the skin, we'd call it a blister. Perhaps some antihistime eyedrops and keeping fingers out of eye are called for. Should be better by tomorrow.

Hope he's right.

I'd post a photo, but my eye is really not fun to look at. You'll just have to imagine it.

Sun's down. I started a good book this afternoon and I'm ready to get back to it.

Acute chemosis. Sounds important. Glad it's not disabling.

End of July at LBL

2011-07-28T13:57:00.005-05:00

One or two last bits from the end of July.

This is the time of year when we normally run away to the cool of the mountain west. It is, on average, the hottest fortnight of the year. This year we stayed home and hid in the air conditioning. (The AC is now my favorite bit of technology. It's replaced the snow blower. However, my opinion might change in 6 months.)

One of the joys of being here is that this is the time that the tiger lilies bloom. They've just begun. The style that I'm used to and this year some of the heritage plants I put in last fall.

And finally a picture of the shoreline north of Sidetrack. I've taken this picture at least half a dozen times in the last 30 years, but I still like the scene.

We'll be back after seeing the twins down in Illinois.

Beautiful day

2011-07-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

All looks copacetic at petit chez Sank on the big lake.

On the little lake, just beauty.

Note that the sun went down on July 25 in the gap in the tree line. Watch for sunsets farther south later in the year.

Late return to the lake

2011-07-25T09:36:00.006-05:00

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I've been at Sidetrack. The heat wave persuaded us to stay home in the air conditioning.

I came up because the weather let up for a couple days, so I hope to get some work done while looking at the lake.

I also came to check on the mouse traps I set when we left. At that time, we expected to be back a few days later. The great and wonderful Medora suggested that if my trap line had been successful, there would be some swollen, stinky mouse corpses in the cabin. Luckily, the mice have enough to eat outside and none came in to take the bait.

There'd been enough rain to fill the wheel barrow and creat a stinky compost mess in the courtyard. Watered the lawn and put the wheel barrow out in the sun.

The only big thing to report on is in the garden. The hostas and the day lilies are blooming wildly. There are some coneflowers blooming too.

Oh, and one of the wild residents stopped by. Usually it stays under the deck, but it's used to having the place to itself.

Wimping in

2011-07-17T21:09:00.003-05:00

We wimped in again this weekend. We stayed home in the cool. Ken couldn't even make it around one of his two-mile loops this morning because the tropical weather sapped his energy. (I'm pretty sure he would rather have been hiking up Mt Wasburn even though there's still snow on that trail.

It seems like the July equivalent of late January when it's below zero for a week at a time. It's 9pm and 80° in Northfield with a dew point of 74°. Not safe for man nor beast.

We'll get back to Sidetrack soon.

Tom Day's creation

2011-07-12T18:46:00.003-05:00

One thing about Little Blake Lake.

There's this BBQ grill next door that was built by Tom Day, the former owner.

After the place changed hands, one of Tom's grandsons left a note on the grill saying he'd like to have it.

The current owner is willing to give it to Tom's grandson, but the "kid" left no contact information.

Tom's grandson, if you find this message, get in touch. Offer some identification. We'll see what can be done.

Long weekend

2011-07-12T17:17:00.012-05:00

We made up for being AWOL last weekend by coming up on Wednesday and staying until tropical Sunday arrived.

The gay lilies were showing off. We often miss this display because this is the time of the summer we usually head for the mountains and cooler weather. We're here this year.

I got the canoe out right away.

I got out and toured the lake. It's still a beautiful place.

Wednesday evening everything was still. I paddled right up to a family of loons at dusk. I was quiet and they didn't seem upset. They just paddled away from me and I followed for awhile. It was too dark to take pictures.

I could even sit inside and watch the hummers of Blake Lake at work.

At another point in the long weekend a somewhat larger bird flew over. I think it's a juvenile bald eagle.

On Thursday, we wandered around the countryside and finally found the Barron County Historical Society (to donate some old glass plate negatives). While there we gave thanks for modern dentistry.

Sunday dawned hot and humid. We cleaned up and packed up and headed home early in the afternoon. No sense sweating in the tropics when we had a good four days to enjoy at the lake.

New arrivals

2011-07-04T18:56:00.004-05:00

We stayed home this weekend.

One of the reasons was the heat and the threatening weather. The AC at home was just too inviting. Plus we had things we wanted to do around the yard. And we didn't have to worry about where to take shelter if the weather was really threatening.

The other reason for staying home was to stay in touch with Jim and Angela about these two, who arrived on Saturday.

Leia and Lane Wedding. Each was born at a weight greater than cousin Haley when she was born. All's well. We're anxious to make a pilgrimage to see them.

Big times with little people

2011-06-27T13:37:00.000-05:00

While the California crew was in the area, we took them to Little Blake to introduce them to Sidetrack. So, they are now the 4th generation to enjoy the place.

Well, the little one did enjoy most things. Just not the picture taking.

It's a lake, so one of the diversions was a boat ride. The old battered boat not only has dents, it's sprung a leak in the stern. Luckily, the old guy could row fast enough for a ride before the boat filled up with water.

The place was brand new to the youngest, so exploring was on the agenda.

There is the plaster deer family in the yard next door. (They almost were crushed by a tree that fell after being hit by lightning.)

The yard next door also held the wonders of a tree house.

There was a "Big Wheel" (actually a "Medium Sized Wheel") in the tree house that was ridden on the neighbors' deck.

The Hammock was another place to explore.

Of course, for the youngest, everything is unknown territory to explore.

The biggest hit at the lake was making bubbles.

We started out small.

There was a fan of those little bubbles.

Then we went on to really BIG bubbles.

And there was a fan of the big bubbles, too.

It was so much fun, that we attracted the neighbors (who played well).

And, almost before we knew it, it was time to leave.

Here's my invitation to the 4th generation: COME BACK!

Lazy weekend

2011-06-01T13:56:00.005-05:00

It really was a lazy long weekend at Sidetrack. It rained off and on, but we really had no "to do" list either. We did have a great breakfast at Cafe Wren on Sunday, but otherwise we just looked at the wildlife.

The one accomplishment was feeding the hummingbirds. I'd seen some flying by, but there are hardly any flowers for them.

I filled the feeder with sucrose water fortified with calcium (for egg production). I'd like to say I splurged on that special food, but it was the only stuff available at the Ace Hardware store.

About 4 minutes later, the tiny birds were showing up to eat. I have no idea how they found the food so quickly.

From pre-dawn to post-sunset, even in the rain, they showed up to eat. Now, some of them were intent on mating as well. So often, a female would show up and then have to race off pursued by a male (I assume). But both of them had to eat sometimes. Constant entertainment all weekend. (Coloration of the females is different from the males. The males are more colorful, but when they fly by on their courting missions, it's not possible to notice the coloration.)

I hope I left enough food for the next couple weeks.

On my way

2011-05-27T13:40:00.001-05:00

Hey folks, don't despair. I'll be there this afternoon.

B

Another day this side of paradise

2011-05-25T08:42:00.005-05:00

Another day of cleaning at Sidetrack. Oh, and getting summer furniture out of the garage. And planting the rest of the new plants.

There are now salvia planted in three pots for the hummingbirds later this summer. I saw two of the little birds today already, so I might go looking for artificial hummingbird food (colored sugar water) tomorrow morning. There are some mums in the RedTom planter.

The contractor came by in response to a call from a neighbor, and I got him to come over and take measurements on the siding that's rotten, the roof damage, and the rain gutters we need to prevent further damage to the deck and the siding. Cost estimates to come.

While I was moving patio and deck furniture, I got my canoe out of the garage too.

That meant that after supper I was able to get out on the lake for the first time. As I checked out the neighbors' places from the lake side, I found that one of them is for sale. The owner died unexpectedly a year ago. It's a great looking two story house at the very end of the road. Hard to get to when it snows.

As I pulled the canoe back onto dry land, I looked up at the sunset and got to see a marvel of technology and pollution. Contrails.

A few more things to clean up and then I'll head home tomorrow afternoon. Take care of things there and head back up here at the weekend.

Cleaning

2011-05-24T08:21:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was mostly a cleaning day. The lake room, the bedroom, and the living room had been pretty well dealt with last fall. The kitchen had been neglected. Today was the day I moved things around, washed implements that sit out, washed the floor, and cleaned anything that didn't move.

Nothing exciting to take pictures of unless you're Martha Stewart — and I probably didn't do a job she'd approve of.

It was also a day of inventorying the garden and the planters. The jack-in-the-pulpits are up and opening.

The tiny violets are gorgeous in the garden and in the lawn. They are the same color as the creeping charlie blossoms, but creeping charley is creepy and is crowding out the grass all over the yard.

Even the pine seedlings that have volunteered in the garden and the courtyard are growing tall quickly. This one is adding a quarter of its old height to itself.

But the stars are mostly in the woods: the trillium (trill?). They're everywhere; alone and in bunches; almost all white, but occasionally with tinges of color.

A neighbor down the way has corralled a few in his garden.

And I stopped and bought 21 new plants this afternoon. Salvia for the hummingbirds; mums for the RedTom pot; and bleeding hearts for the terrace wall. Tomorrow I'll work on getting them in the ground.

We're back

2011-05-23T07:19:00.004-05:00

We came up to Little Blake for the first time this year. It's a month later than our earliest opening and a couple weeks later than our usual opening.

Saturday afternoon was pretty. It was even prettier to see that the dock had been put in the water and assembled for us.

The rest of the place looked pretty good. The deck had been attacked by another large branch in an early winter storm. Damage to bench and dents in the roof. We still need rain gutters and new siding.

Then there were the three blind mice. Last fall, I hung the electric blanket over the closet door to keep it out of reach of mice. Didn't work. When I hoisted it down, momma mouse flew out onto the floor and ran under the bed. When we took the blanket out on the deck, we could see where the mouse had chewed he blanket and some of the wiring. As I unfolded the blanket, three baby mice — blind mice — fell onto the deck. Nan took the little critters to the woods. I set a couple traps in the house.

The neighbor boys have been busy already this spring. They've been here several weekends already this year. When we arrived, they were busy catching dinner off the dock. Their dad was reluctantly volunteering to clean more fish and cook them.

The older of the two has been practicing with his hatchet on a stump in our yard. He'll be good in a couple years.

We had some rain Saturday night and a bit more on Sunday morning (interspersed with sunshine). Nan went home and I stayed to clean and plant flowers.

Even some storm and tornado warnings. No big storms here, but there was a tornado in Minneapolis. We lucked out this time.

About sunset, the weather cleared. I read and napped. Today I will do somethings constructive. I promise.

It's great to be back looking at the eagle trying to fish and hunt on the lake (one of the eagles was diving on a duck Monday morning) and seeing neighbors here again. Oh, and we had another great breakfast at Cafe Wren.

Really old pic

2010-11-03T20:47:00.003-05:00

While I was sorting through old slides, I found this of Kris and Shelly.

It was taken when Sidetrack was still varnished, before the front window was replaced, and before the deck was added.

The kids are still cute -- just older.

Even the dock's in

2010-10-23T21:49:00.002-05:00

Enough things were done, that it was time to prepare the toy car for storage. While I went off to fill up with gas and gas stabilizer, Nancy persuaded the crew who was bringing in Mark's dock to haul ours in as well.

As far I can tell, everything is now done for the season. I await updates on hard water fishing from others. I look forward to signs of spring in five or six months. In the meantime, I'll look for images of spring and summer from Perth and other spots down under.

Closing for the season

2010-10-23T10:23:00.008-05:00

It's beautiful, but it's definitely fall. When I arrived on Thursday, there was a strong wind blowing out of the north and the temp as about 45°F. I did a few things around the yard, but I mostly stayed inside and tried to stay warm.

The RedTom mums were blooming brightly, but their yellow cousins up on the deck had been frosted. The Red salvia were still bright red, but luckily the hummingbirds (and most of other migrating birds) are gone because those flowers have been frosted too.

The construction, well re-construction, season here is about done. The Sellmans and the Severences have new decks by Jeremiah. Even Will and Charlie's treehouse has a new deck.

Along the shore, some boats are gone to storage, some docks are in and others are waiting to be taken in. No boats on Little Blake.

On Friday morning, I got outdoor furniture moved to the garage. In the afternoon, I planted a bunch of heirloom tiger lily bulbs to join those I rescued from the ditch along Hunky Dory Road.

There was a small pine that was broken off by one of the falling big trunks in July's storm. I cut it down today. Here's the cross section. My rough estimate is that the tree was 22-25 years old.

Now, it's time to head back to Sidetrack and begin to pack up all the stuff that has to remain unfrozen for the winter.

Patience until spring...

Quiet and cool

2010-10-05T09:43:00.010-05:00

I did get back to Sidetrack last weekend (the first weekend in October). It was really cool. I mean, slightly cold!

I sat and talked with neighbor Larry for awhile on Saturday morning and got chilled. I spent most of the rest of the day trying to warm up.

Did some reading and some cleaning and took in the decking on the dock. Relaxing and enjoyable.

Scared a couple muskrats out of the weeds when I went out to work on the dock. One of them swam up the shore and hid. The other floated quietly next to a lily pad hoping I wouldn't notice it was there.

Sunrise on Sunday morning was bright and clear. And a joy.

Things are getting back to normal at Sidetrack.

2010-09-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

For fall. I've had the heat on since I arrived. The dawn chorus has ended. There's still a loon hanging around and a flock of geese landed on the lake just after sunset (7:30pm, mind you). I spent Saturday getting junk out of the garage and into the half-filled dumpster Skip had for the debris from his re-roofing. Good riddance to lots of stuff that has accumulated since before we came to Sidetrack.

I mentioned that the big repairs are done. Well, even the Henny Handrail has been reconstructed. It's beautiful.

Yesterday, I got to Luck before Cafe Wren opened, so I took a detour to West Denmark. West Denmark is just a few miles south of West Sweden. Do you suppose the 19th immigrants were nostalgic?

I'm certainly glad I made the detour. The West Denmark Lutheran Church is a gem of immigrant architecture. My great grandfather might even have gotten nostalgic for the home he left at age 16. Don't know, because I never met the guy.

Quick fixes

2010-09-04T07:44:00.002-05:00

Finally, after a busy week, I got back to Sidetrack. (The rest of the family came too.)

And the work is done on restoration. New railing on the south side deck. New supports and new benches on the front. New roofing on the lake side and a new skylight. We also went for skirting around the deck, and it looks pretty classy — especially since the ferns and day lilies were crushed by falling trees and trampled by carpenters.

The weather has changed from tropical to early fall in three days. The high temperature on this windy, rainy day was below 60°F (15°C). The heat is on in the cabin, and the low tonight will be around 45° (7°C). Ah, but Saturday is supposed to be warmer. We'll see.

Repairs and really old photos

2010-08-25T07:40:00.004-05:00

I finally made it back to Little Blake yesterday. It's been three weeks since we came up to do some clean up and meet with the insurance adjuster and the contractors.

Work at home and very uncomfortable tropical weather kept us in home's air conditioning.

The yard looks good now that all those downed trees are gone. Work is proceeding on the deck: the south side railing and the Henny Handrail are fixed. The foundations for the new deck posts have been set an the new posts can go in tomorrow. The roof panels should arrive Thursday or Friday. Everything should be done by the middle of next week. Wonderful, wonderful.

I took some photos, but I don't have the USB cable for the camera I used. They'll have to wait.

On another topic: following a tradition started by Jim Klingel, Kris, Jim, and I often got away for long weekends together in October. Teachers' unions and groups had meetings on the third Thursday and Friday. Jim Klingel went off with his sons for a long weekend, and I thought it was a good idea. Especially since the teachers' meetings were, to me, a big waste of time.

So, Kris, Jim, and I began going away for those October weekends. Several times, we "borrowed" Sidetrack for our escapes. In 1983, I took a couple photos of them at Sidetrack. In those ancient times, I had to have the film developed. When the slides came back from the processor, I sent the two below in for more processing and had 5x7 prints made. I'm sure I intended to have them framed and hung at home.

That did not happen for 27 years. Tuesday morning, I found the two prints, still in an envelope with a 1983 postmark. I brought them to Sidetrack yesterday afternoon. On the way here, I stopped at the Hudson, Wisconsin Wal-Mart and bought a couple frames.

About time.

They're now on the mantle here at Sidetrack.

About time.

Stormy....

2010-07-30T06:29:00.011-05:00

"Stormy," a song written by Perry "Buddy" C. Buien and James R. Cobb and recorded by the Classics IV, was one of the songs that got stuck in my head while driving across Montana and/or North Dakota. The satellite radio channel for the '60s was good, but a couple songs were infectious (another was an Everly Brothers hit from the '50s).

Well, on Wednesday morning (28 July), I got a call from Jill at Lake Services Unlimited. She asked if I'd heard about Tuesday night's storm and then told me several trees were down at the cabin. A window was broken and Jeff would patch it up if I wanted him to.

Well, yes, I want him to Thank you very much.

I called Larry and got a first-hand account of the storm, which was violent and short-lived. Quite a few trees were down along the east side of Little Blake and several cabins had been damaged.

On Thursday morning I headed for Polk County to see for myself. Things weren't pretty. Sidetrack's deck will need rebuilding; a kitchen window was broken; one pane of the skylight shattered and the frame was damaged; the sliding screen on the south side was damaged; a tree came down across the driveway and is leaning on the garage; and there are horizontal trees and debris everywhere. Arrrgh! (as Charlie Brown would say).

We were lucky. The cabin doesn't appear to be damaged (a couple others were). No one was hurt.

See:

Celebrating early

2010-07-04T21:28:00.005-05:00

Weather and schedules brought on early 4th of July fireworks.

First came the sacred lighting ceremony.

Then the lame photo of a launch by a photographer with a new camera.

Followed, of course, by the duel with punks.

Flowers as evidence

2010-07-04T21:22:00.002-05:00

How could I be a Russian spy? Look what I've done with the hydrangia.

Nature's drama

2010-07-03T08:30:00.002-05:00

I arrived yesterday about 3:00pm. Pleasant drive, although south of Baldwin I was falling asleep. Scared me enough to stop at the DQ for a a treat and some time out of the car.

I hardly got her and got settled a bit than one of nature's little tragedies struck. (No, not a bear. That would have been a big tragedy.)

I was quietly reading a violent, bloody novel on the deck when I heard two thumps. I looked up and saw that two little yellow birds (later identified as immature gold finches) had flown headlong into the glass of a window in the lake room.

One of them popped up and flew to the edge of flower pot a few feet away. The other lay twitching on the deck below the window. Oh, hell!

I sat with the book on my lap, looking sadly at the tiny birds. The one sitting on the edge of the pot full of salvia just sat. Eventually, the one on the deck stopped twitching. Oh, hell!

I went back to reading for a few minutes. When I looked up the bird on the flower pot was still silently sitting there. But the twitcher on the deck was sort of on its feet. It was crouched down and looking around.

A few minutes later, I looked up again and the little finch on the flower pot was gone. The twitcher was still crouching in the deck.

I went around back to get the camera. I came around to the front and took a couple pictures as the twitcher hopped about. Eventually, it hopped off the deck, hopped through some plants, and under the cabin. My guess is that it was unable to fly. Oh, hell!

Well, mother nature, it's your problem even if my window was to blame. Bring on the predator. Just don't let the raccoon or skunk or fox get trapped under the cabin.

Of course, the bird drama was more tragic than all the fictional deaths I was reading about. Talk about imaginary banality of evil.

BTW, the book was a good read and the sunset was beautiful.

Quiet weekend

2010-06-06T22:33:00.002-05:00

It was a quiet weekend at Sidetrack. I drove up there on Friday afternoon. After the nearly "full house" on East Little Blake Lane last weekend, there were only 4 places occupied Friday night.

I did a fair amount of work and started a really good new mystery by Thomas Perry, an author recommended by Dr. Loomis. I'll get Ken to write about it on the ReadingBlog.

I got to watch a blue heron hunting for breakfast early Saturday morning. It was under Skip's willow tree and then it waded along the shore toward our dock. Patient thing, that bird.

I distributed information about the road work that had been done along with requests that everybody kick in $20 to pay for it.

Around 10:30am on Saturday, it started raining and kept raining until dinner time. A muskrat provided some entertainment by playing in the lake and the rain by the dock during the afternoon.

More work and more reading kept me busy and out of the rain. Last night the rain returned, but I slept through most of it.

Breakfasts again at Cafe Wren. It's not so important when I'm only at Sidetrack for a couple days, but it's good to get out and get online for a bit. I just wish it was a little closer. Sank over on Big Blake has been online with his new Verizon phone, and I did some thinking about that while driving back and forth to Luck. Convenient online service; pretty expensive; too inviting?; not being out and about and talking to people in Luck? Still thinking...

Drove home this afternoon. Great sunny weather most of the way. Rain for the last 10 miles. What's up with that?

Next weekend? We'll see how much work I get done this week.

Road repairs

2010-06-02T20:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning, I sent Jeff Traynor at LSU an e-mail about going ahead on the pothole repairs. A couple hours later, he sent back a note saying that the job was on the schedule for Friday or Monday.

This morning, he wrote again saying that because of a "spot of rain," he'd sent the crew over to Little Blake with some gravel and had them fill potholes. Jill sent the bill shortly after that.

I prepared bills to hand out up at the lake. Now to collect.

A great long weekend

2010-06-01T18:31:00.008-05:00

We got here on Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

The weather was summery. Sidetrack was beautiful. We were busy with work. But work in a place as beautiful as this is easier to do. I also took breaks from preparing for the class I'll teach by reading three books.

Since nearly everyone was here, it was also the weekend to canvas the neighborhood to see if fixing the potholes on the road was a good idea. I talked to nearly everyone who thought it was. (Now, to order the work.)

Saturday was really warm and breezy. My early morning canoe trip around the lake took me to the underside of Polk County. Racist graffiti adorns the bridge over the channel between the little and the big lakes.

Sunday was cooler and more pleasant. The sunset was a most unusual yellow color. Perhaps the result of the incredible yellow pollen coming from the pine trees in the neighborhood?

Monday was a nearly perfect day. It was so gorgeous that I had trouble sticking to my work schedule. I kept wanting to go outside.

Loons, eagles, and an osprey entertained at least me. A dead 18-inch muskie washed up against the shore near the dock. I hope one of the big birds finds it soon.

I'm beginning to think that something died and started stinking under the lake room. It's not pleasant to walk in there. Near sunset I looked under the house from the front, but I didn't see anything. I think I'll leave some windows cracked open when I leave.

Hope we get back soon.

Lawn, docks, and

2010-05-19T08:21:00.005-05:00

The guys from LSU (Lake Services Unlimited) showed up yesterday to mow the lawn. One of the guys helped me roll the dock frame into the lake. Lacking any more excuses, I added the wood sections so it's now a real dock.

I also got some salvia plants for the pots on the deck (see pot on left edge of photo above). In a couple weeks, they'll be attracting the humming birds that are already haunting Larry's gardens.

Ah, and I saw a pileated woodpecker twice (or I saw two of them) yesterday. Both times they were flying away from me and looked like crows except for that bright read head and the way they landed on the trunks of trees.

In other bird news, I got the new flamingos situated. Ever since we dressed up a couple plastic flamingos in lace and bow tie for our wedding reception, we've been plagued with big pink birds. These came from Oregon (thanks, Carole) and are now welcoming symbols next to Sidetrack's front door.

Work and robins

2010-05-18T08:37:00.003-05:00

The weather was absolutely wonderful yesterday.

I got lots of work done while looking at the lake, the blue sky, and the green everything.

A pair of robins has built a nest in the supports under the northwest corner of the deck. Every time I walk by, I scare a bird off the nest. Sometimes when I come out on the deck from the lake room, I scare off a bird. They're probably keeping eggs warm.

Advice, anyone? Should I fence off the area and block the door? Will the poor birds stick around and feed the nestlings if they're interrupted a lot?

This isn't the Sidetrack nest, but a picture I found on the Internet. It's appropriate.

There be bears (and beavers)

2010-05-17T07:22:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, Gary (over on Big Blake) saw a black bear and two cubs just across the road from his place near the south end of the lake.

On Friday, I discovered that the suet feeder here had been pulled off the tree and pried open. The only non-human critter I can imagine that's tall and strong enough to do that is a bear. That goes with what I think was bear poop in the deck stairs last summer.

And neighbor Larry alerted me to the beaver who's haunting the eastern shore. Then last night I saw it three times as it swam back and forth. Exercise? Looking for food? Looking for a mate? Looking for a dam site?

I walked to Blake School and back this morning. Just 'cause I'm at the lake is no reason to avoid my morning constitutional. No bears on the walk. Thankfully.

It looks to be another beautiful day. Will that make proofreading more difficult? (I'm working on chapter 5 (out of 14) now.

What wonderful luxury.

Plumbing and Politics

2010-05-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

When I arrived yesterday, the water here hadn't been turned on for the season yet. It usually gets turned on by Mother's Day, so I was a bit disappointed. I had brought along our 21 litre container of water just in case, but I really didn't expect to need it.

Life at Sidetrack without running water is not fun for long. Yes, it's possible to heat water on the stove for doing dishes and washing hands and face. But after a couple days without a shower, I feel almost grungy enough to jump into the cold lake to wash up. And getting up and partially dressed to head for the outhouse in the middle of the 40-degree night is simply no fun.

So this morning I called plumber Larry who has taken care of the plumbing here since before we bought it. In fact, Larry started taking care of the plumbing here as his father's helper about 40 years ago.

Larry was great. He came out on Saturday afternoon and spent about an hour and half priming the pump, filling the water heater, tightening the openings that had allowed drainage last October, and flushing the rust and grit out of the water lines.

And there was time along the way for some political talk. We both knew that casual strangers should take care talking politics and we did. We talked about the ugly details of local politics where grudges and feuds get played out. We talked about the likelihood that Obama would be a one-term president. We talked about the economics of global trade and invisible evidence for economic recovery. And we talked about how Russia went from a Communist economy to an unfree market economy and whether the US was headed that direction too.

It was a good time on a beautiful day. Pileated woodpeckers have been making noises in the woods all around the lake. Pheasants, ducks, geese, and various song birds I don't recognize have been equally vocal. And there are a couple cows somewhere who are anxious to make themselves heard. And I got 2+ chapters proofread. What a great place to be to do this detailed, mind-numbing work.

Ta da, I'm back

2010-05-15T08:52:00.007-05:00

Nancy gave me her Friday afternoon to take me to Sidetrack. We unloaded the car and I revived the Miata. She drove home. The plan is for me to proofread the ms for the 4th edition of my book.

I'm not sure how long I'll last since the water isn't on yet. How long can I go without a shower? We'll see.

Sorry about nothing but flowers to report on. I'm not doing anything exciting and I wasn't here long enough yesterday to do anything that would get me in trouble.

Just before sunset I got out to walk the grounds and the neighborhood. For awhile I thought I'd missed the trillium. I didn't see any where I'd seen them last year. Then I looked up the hill where the powerline right of way used to be. Aha!

Then I looked around for other blooming things.

Well the mushrooms are sort of blooming.

And the wild strawberries are beginning to show up.

And the lilacs are just beginning to bloom. About two weeks later than home. What's not to like about that?

Maybe more tomorrow. [Thanks to Cafe Wren for the Internet, oatmeal, and good coffee.]

Day 3 2010

2010-04-21T16:36:00.002-05:00

Not much new to report on Sunday at the lake.

We were busy cleaning and reading.

I did see some early season anglers on the lake.

The weather was beautiful.

Day 2 of 2010

2010-04-18T08:55:00.011-05:00

The best image of the day was one I couldn't have photographed even if I'd had the camera in my hand.

We were talking to neighbor Larry in the back yard when we heard an excited eagle. We looked up and saw movement coming from the south above the trees.

First one and then a second eagle sped across the blue sky between the trees. Their white heads and tails meant we were seeing gorgeous bald eagles. Then, as the second one was overhead, we saw that it had a large fish in its talons and both birds continued to scream. It was not a good day for the fish, but it was a wonderful sight for those of us confined to the ground. Sorry, no pictures.

It was a day to notice what was blooming this early in the spring. (A couple years ago the lake was covered with 6" of ice in mid-April.)

The bloodroot flowers were ready this morning.

And by late morning, they'd opened in the sun.

There were other tiny blue flowers blooming in the front garden. I should look them up and find out what they are. ("should" not will)

This is the season when many of us have yet to get our docks into the lake.

While some people have hired help to get their docks in even if their water craft aren't ready for water yet.

Late in the day, the sun shown on Sidetrack, that's usually bathed in shade.

Earlier in the day, I did this self-portrait.

And here's to Cafe Wren for the good coffee and the Internet access. If you're ever in Luck (Luck, Wisconsin) and want either good coffee, good food, or fast access, check out this place on the north edge of town.

Opening 2010

2010-04-17T08:07:00.005-05:00

We finally got to the lake. The calendar is out of date and we didn't bring a new one. Oh well.

The place looks good. It just needs a good spring cleaning and some summer work on the painting. And a new heater and whatever goes along with getting that installed.

It was a beautiful drive up and we arrived and got things moved in as the light was fading.

I had to play with the new camera. I caught the horizon just after the sun went down.

Then I noticed the moon and one of the planets in the western sky. Can that be Venus that far above the horizon?

And I had to try out the super zoom on the moon.

Once inside I got the queen of the lake at her work station.

So close, so close...

2010-04-08T22:16:00.002-05:00

Oh, the demands of real life. I'm itching to be at the lake, but...

Between meetings, a concert, and possible rain, we probably won't be there for another week.

Boo!

2010-03-13T14:25:00.001-06:00

Blake Lake Fishery in the UK

2010-03-12T10:40:00.002-06:00

I found the Staffordshire Blake Lake on Google Earth

Blake Lake in Staffordshire

2010-03-11T20:43:00.005-06:00

As I was pining for the lake, I found Blake Lake in Britain. Well, the water is open in the pictures. But the fish don't sound very attractive. Carp, chub... Would you pay 6 pounds a day to fish at this Blake Lake.

======
The original lake at Blake Hall Fisheries, Blake Lake was extended to its present three acres in size and transformed from a former trout fishery at the end of 2003...

Blake Lake holds the biggest of the Blake Hall fish including common and mirror carp to 16lbs with a lot of fish around double figures; bream to 3lbs; plenty of skimmers and roach to about 1lb 8oz; perch to 3lbs; tench to 4lbs; barbel to 5lbs and a good head of chub to 3lbs...

The water has four central islands each situated about 20 metres from the bank...

Although Blake Lake tends to have an even bottom with a fairly regular depth of around five feet, it does shallow slightly to four feet at the end furthest from the clubhouse...

Cabin Fever

2010-02-06T15:23:00.003-06:00

Even if I have to scrape and paint the garage (which I do), I want to be at the lake.

Hummingbirds

2009-11-30T06:55:00.003-06:00

It might not be snowing and the temperatures are still moderate for the last day in November, but I still have winter longings to be at Sidetrack. When I saw this article, I thought even more about sitting on the deck and having tiny birds zooming around above my head.

It's a fascinating bit of trivia.

How Hummingbirds Get Their Nectar With Tiny ‘Straws’

It is harder to suck liquid through a thin straw than a wider one because of viscosity.

The answer is that the hummingbird is taking advantage of the forces of surface tension...

For the latest research, John W. M. Bush, a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his co-workers found that when a hummingbird stuck its tongue into a flower, the tongue, about three-quarters of an inch long, curled up into a cylinder just one twenty-fifth of an inch in diameter because of surface tension.

“The hummingbird’s tongue looks like a straw with a slot cut in it,” Dr. Bush said.

Also because of the surface tension, the slot in the cylindrical tongue zips closed, beginning from the tip. The nectar is drawn upward, and the cylinder fills.

The hummingbird then scrapes its tongue clean and swallows. Amazingly, it repeats this process 20 times a second as it feeds...

Closing up

2009-10-07T21:55:00.005-05:00

It was a long 12-hour day, but Sidetrack is closed up for summer '09.

I hit the road after breakfast this morning. I forgot my coffee! So I had to stop at Dunn Bros. in Hastings for coffee that was almost as good as what I usually make.

It was still pretty chilly when I arrived, so the first thing I did was turn on the heat. Then I packed the fridge contents in the cooler, set a fan to blow warm air into the fridge, and heated a couple pans of water to help warm up the freezer.

About that time I thought I should call our trusty plumber and let him know I was closing up and that he could come by and drain the pipes and pump. A few minutes later, plumber Larry drove into the yard. He'd had a call from a neighbor and decided to check with me when he saw my car. Yea!

I worked on moving deck furniture into the garage. After I boxed up the liquid stuff and mopped and vacuumed, I was just about done. Nan called to say she was on her way.

I took the car to Jonzy's, added some "Stay-bil" and filled up the tank. I came back, parked the car, disconnected the battery, pulled the cover over the car, and locked the garage.

I had time to read. Oh, and I had taken breaks to walk around the yard and visit neighbors. It's amazing how many people can show up on a Wednesday when the forecast is for 30° this weekend.

The colors were wonderful when the sun shone, and it did shine on and off.

Oh, and the old mushroom that's appeared here a couple times before.

And as I shut the curtains and closed things up, the place looked like it would be fine until April.

Be back in the spring unless there's a wonderfully mild weekend at Thanksgiving or New Year's Eve.

Almost October

2009-09-27T22:38:00.012-05:00

After the rain all day and evening on Friday, Saturday dawned cloudy and foggy. But it was a great day.

I was lazy and read a lot. Nancy spent almost all day in her office. She's editing another romance novel.

I went up the road past Hunky Dory to the culvert where the Straight River runs under the road. As you can see the Straight River isn't straight.

I spent some time clearing some brush from around a couple promising young birch trees,

and I found myself watching passing clouds, something I'd never do at home.

I also sat on the deck and watched the leaves changing color. Compare the picture below with the one from last week (see below).

At sunset, I was reminded of the Sidetrack calendar. There's a brick embedded in the patio for the first day of almost every month. The bricks are positioned where the shadow from the corner of the house falls on the patio at sunset.

It was nearly October 1, so the shadow on Saturday evening fell just short of the brick for the beginning of October.

I think we're missing bricks for February 1, March 1, and November 1. Over the last 13 years, we've been here and the sun's been shining at sunset at least once for all the other first days.

On Sunday, I stripped the dock of the decking that David and Nancy built back in '02. That removes about 400+ pounds of weight. While it's still not a one or two person job, hauling it out of the water will be easier.

While poking around the yard I found a some late flowers still blooming. It's a ground cover plant in one of the front hosta gardens.

Next week, we're closing things up. Watch for details.

Another Friday (with rain)

2009-09-26T07:35:00.005-05:00

We got away a little earlier than the past couple weeks. So we arrived, even after grocery shopping, when it was still light. I can't say the sun was up, because there was a complete overcast and a light rain.

After unloading the car, I was able to do a circuit around the yard. One late flower in the garden and a very curious mushroom in the lawn.

Good, simple dinner and then time to read and nap before calling it a day. Ah, the adventurous life.

Another day near paradise

2009-09-21T06:04:00.009-05:00

Saturday at the lake was mostly a work day. Well, as much as a casual, restful day at the lake can be a "work day."

I worked at digging up the foundation of Red Tom. I dug out more rocks and added them to the garden borders. I dug out more rubble and dumped it out back. I think I'm getting close to leveling out the spot where Red Tom once stood. Then I'll go to work on the old fire circle.

Nancy worked on the new sliding screen for the door on the south side. The old aluminum framed screen had gotten bent out of shape after years of use (and abuse). The new screen required a lot of planning and measurement, but it looks great. And we can have the door open for cross breezes.

We rewarded ourselves with dinner at Paradise Landing, near Balsam Lake. Really good food. Starting next week, it will only be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday mornings. Such is the life in a resort community when the summer people stop showing up every weekend.

Sunday morning dawned still and foggy with a dose of clouds. The sun was coming up as I bought a newspaper at Jonzy Market.

When the sun finally came up, it was clear that fall is here even though it doesn't officially begin for a couple days. It was one of those mornings when it was easier to see how many leaves had changed by looking at the lake than by looking at the trees.

I wrestled the hammock out of the lake room and enjoyed a good book and a brief nap in the open air. Of course, I ended up with a sunburn on my face for the crime of falling asleep.

Life is good for us. It's difficult to be thankful enough.

Friday night at the lake

2009-09-19T07:42:00.002-05:00

We got off in the late afternoon. Cooked dinner at Subway in Amery.

We arrived at sunset once again.

The treat was watching neighbor Will fishing off the dock as the light disappeared.

Restful and productive weekend

2009-09-14T15:50:00.011-05:00

We arrived at Sidetrack just after sunset on Friday.

After getting supplies and computers into the cabin, we sighed a bit, relaxed, and quietly enjoyed the evening. N played Scrabble on her new iPod Touch, I read a library book.

Saturday morning dawned gray and quiet. A flotilla of geese paddled north up the lake, disturbing the mirror-like surface with their wakes. The dawn chorus is gone, but I did hear a heron, some crows, an eagle or two, and a pileated woodpecker somewhere in the trees east of Sidetrack. Later in the day, N got a close and clear look at one the magic birds for the first time. Her comment was, "That's a BIG bird!"

I finished my book and got some breakfast and did some yard work. I cut down a bunch of nettles, brush, and saplings around a couple of good looking young birch trees out by the garage.

Then I hauled away most of the rest of rubbish from the Red Tom chimney.

[Clarification from neighbor Skip about Red Tom. Red and Tom were two guys. Tom was the Dr. Hoff whose wife painted the Shakespeare House. Red was his good buddy. The two of them were the builders of the chimney back in '53.]

Sunday started much like Saturday did. The surface of the lake was so still it would have been hard to tell which was lake and which was sky if I hadn't been so sure I was standing on the ground.

When looking at the photos from this morning, it's hard to tell sky from lake without some visual clues. Can you tell which picture is upside down?

Here are some pictures with clues. But it still doesn't look right. The kyaks and the canoe seem to be floating above the water somehow.

I did have a treat when an eagle began circling overhead. Even with my miserable "point, push the shutter, wait, and shoot" camera, I was able to get a little image of the big bird as it swooped down to pick up what was probably a dead fish.

Sunday afternoon, as N worked on editing a ms and making the retractable screen for the sliding door work, I worked on writing one. I finished just about everything I could do without being online. The sun and a tool left on the deck just looked attractive.

We picked up our stuff and headed home after making plans to come back next week.

Quiet days

2009-09-07T21:18:00.005-05:00

I finished a week at the lake and some of the work I needed to do. The sun went down again.

It was all wonderful.

A few days later we went back and had a fine weekend. Stopped in Amery for a couple library books. Sank came over on Saturday morning for coffee while Nan caught up on her sleep.

Even if the Labor Day boat parade [pictured below]was a bust. We got to talk to lake friends and plan to enter the neighbor's pontoon in next year's parade. I read a lot. Nan edited a lot. I got a little work done. I never did get to Cafe Wren.

The sun set again on the end of the day and the end of summer.

We'll be back.

We're coming...

2009-09-04T11:43:00.001-05:00

Off to Sidetrack in a couple hours if we get everything done at home.

Photo by J.D. Fisher

Quiet day at Sidetrack (I was gone a lot)

2009-08-28T08:09:00.004-05:00

It began with a great pre-dawn paddle around the lake (with no bird noises).

Then I spent a couple hours over coffee and bagel at Cafe Wren. On the way home, I stopped and met Sank, a blogger whose stories I admire, who has a place on Big Blake. It was a good conversation.

Then I came home for lunch, and headed for the library in Amery. I planned to finish the last of the current 5 chapters for the Instructors Manual and send them off to my editor. As luck would have it, Thursday is the day that the library closes at 2PM.

Oh, well, I worked on the things that required me to be online and brought the rest back to Sidetrack. I spent some time talking to neighbor Larry, and then I got to work. About 5:30, I finished chapter 15 (out of 19). There was only one litle detail I had to check online this morning. At 7:45AM, I submitted 11-15 and I'm still on schedule.

On one of my breaks from writing I tackled the new propane tank for the grill. I have to admit we don't do a lot of grilling. I think this is the first time I've had to change tanks since we got the new grill.

Last night, I intended to grill my chicken for dinner. Knowing the tank was empty, I removed it. I brought the full one down from the Shakespeare House and proceeded to wrestle it into position. No luck. I couldn't make the clamp that holds the tank it place fit. I decided the struggle wasn't worth the effort and nuked the chicken and poured barbeque sauce on it.

Today, I started fresh. And when I sat down and looked carefully, I realized that yesterday I'd inverted the bar on which the tank sits. I rotated it to the proper orientation, and the clamp worked like a charm. I tightened the connector, and the grill is ready for another cooking adventure.

On another break from writing, I went out and checked on the huge mushroom that survived mowing by Jeff's crew. It looks like it's melting.

While summer may be over in many ways, I did see some hummingbirds this afternoon. They were more interested in the last of the tiger lilies and the salvia than in the feeder. The feeder can come down soon.

After dinner, I decided to do the dishes. Entertainment was provided by a big blue heron. It was in the water just off the end of the dock when I first saw it. My hands were deep in the soapy water washing glasses.

The heron jumped up on the dock with a flopping fish in its beak. It moved its head up and down and around and pretty soon the fish was going down that long neck.

Then the big bird walked across the end of the dock and back down toward the shore. It walked cautiously (Do herons walk on tip toe?) across the grass and ended up standing under Skip's willow tree.

I looked away while I scrubbed at some chicken fat that had been nuked onto the surface of the Corningware, and when I looked up, old heron had been in water, caught a little fish, and was back on the grass working on his swallowing.

From there, my feathered diversion walked slowly into the water and crouched down in the tall grasses next to the shore. It is still there 45 minutes later.

I finally heard some bird noises besides the crows. This afternoon and early evening, a pileated woodpecker or two have been very vocal in the trees just north of Sidetrack. (Just heard one again.)

Oh, and today was cicada day. The first cicada noises are rumored to be 6-week early announcements of the first frost (that would be October 8). We'll just have to see, won't we.

The sun is going down, much less spectacularly than last night (and it's only 7:40PM). The lake is very calm except for some ripples of feeding fish. It's been another lovely day near Paradise. (Remember, Paradise is only a few miles from here. It was rebuilt after it burned down a few years ago.) (Ask, if that doesn't make sense to you.)

This morning it was raining steadily when I got up just before 6AM. No canoeing. I had to put the top up on the Miata to get here. It's cleared up now and I can put it down for the ride home.

I've got my work done, I get to enjoy leisure and work around Sidetrack this weekend.

Hope you have a good weekend too.

Silence

2009-08-27T07:28:00.004-05:00

I finally got back to Sidetrack. It's been 2 weeks. I'm supposed to be retired and have lots of time for sitting on the deck at the lake. What's up?

When I got here yesterday afternoon, all looked good. It was so still that the algae bloom was visible. The water is like pea soup.

It was beautiful even though the water isn't.

I sat and talked with Larry after supper. As I left, the sky turned red. What a sunset!

This morning I was up and paddling around the lake before the sun. I discovered it's not summer anymore.

First of all, the sun didn't show up until after 6AM. And, the dawn was silent. No cacophony of birds waking up ol' Sol. No loon. No warblers. No robins. No pileated woodpecker. Not ever any crows (until after sunrise). Silence.

I did see an eagle fishing on the other end of the lake. A heron flew overhead. Silence.

From out on the lake, the sunrise was almost as good looking as the sunset last night.

It's good to be back even though I have work to do and will have to spend time in the library in Amery.

Finally back again

2009-08-12T08:05:00.009-05:00

It's been nearly 3 weeks, but I arrived at Sidetrack about 1:30 yesterday. A pair of loons were floating in the lake a few meters beyond the dock. Everything looked ship shape.

Except for the salvia in the pots on the deck. The stems looked like sad sticks with a few red, sagging flowers at the top. No wonder the hummingbird feeder was nearly empty. Cleaning and refilling it was one of the first things I did.

A few of the salvia revived a bit after I watered them. There must have been rain here, but so light it didn't get through the pine branches to reach the salvia pots.

Here's why I know there's been some moisture: at least three different kinds of mushrooms growing in the yard. A couple of them are huge.

In the reference section of the Sidetrack library, we have identification books for birds, trees and shrubs, wildflowers, rocks, ferns, and pond life, but nothing for 'shrooms. If you know what any of these are, let me know. The largest ones are 6-8 inches across.

It's also time for the tiger lilies to bloom. I delight in those feathery blossoms because of my childhood memories of my great-grandfather's front garden. When I was about the same height as the tiger lilly stalks, there was a relatively huge patch of those red-orange plants on the southwest corner of his house.

The tiger lilies blooming at Sidetrack now are plants I liberated from a road ditch about half a mile from here. They were in the road crew's mowing zone, but one year I saw them blooming while on a walk. I went back in the fall (twice) and dug up pails-ful of the roots and brought them back here. Most of them survived. There are now about 20 stalks, but not all of them are mature enough to bloom yet.

And I get to revel in 60-year-old memories of the 90+-year-old guy who would pat my head and claim that his hair was once as red as mine and tell tall tales about his youthful adventures.

Here's great-grandpa Albert Rohl standing next to his hollyhocks. They grew in his back yard. I'd guess it was taken in the later '40s or early '50s and hand colored by my mother or one of her sisters.

Rainy reading day, rainbow, and critter mysteries

2009-07-27T07:48:00.008-05:00

We "knew" ahead of time that Saturday would be a mostly rainy day. That's why Nan brought work with ther and I brought a big book.

While there was time to talk to Larry and Dixie and to Mark and Susan and Will, we rather enjoyed our inability to do chores. And near sunset, we had a rainbow in our yard! (I don't know if I want to dig for a pot of gold there though. That's right above the septic tank.)

When the sun finally set, it poked out from behind the clouds and highlighted the hummingbird feeder.

Sunday morning dawned bright and quiet.

Photo by Nancy Ashmore

As I was finishing my book, a guest dropped in. Literally dropped in.

I heard this loud "PLOP" on the deck and when I looked up there was a 2-inch long green caterpillar. It didn't move for awhile. Perhaps it was stunned by its fall from the tree. Was the fall intentional? Had it missed a swinging vine? Did it have visions of flying as a butterfly?

After awhile, it began moving. Crawling toward the edge of the deck. I went out and took a close up of the front end.

There seems to be a mouth and eyes.

[Turns out its a Luna moth caterpillar. I learned this from Bill Hilton's Hilton Pond Center web site, which I found by searching for green caterpillar on Google. Coincidence? Serendipity? Bill Hilton, Jr. is a good friend of my good friend Jim Shuman who chairs the education department at St. Lawrence University in New York. Bill once left a dead bird in my freezer. (He borrowed my apartment for awhile when he was in Minneapolis and I was in Wisconsin being an archaeologist.)]

Besides the good book, the Luna moth caterpiller was as fun to see as the eagles, the loon, and the hummingbirds we saw. There were also these long-legged, long-beaked birds I saw in profile (the rising sun was behind them). I don't know what they were and I really don't know why they were perched in a tree. Shouldn't they have been wading along the shore?

Great weekend. I think we'll do it again in a couple weeks. Have to figure out what to do about the dead lawn mower at home.

Two weekends...

2009-07-12T08:42:00.007-05:00

Overwhelmed by the fireworks of July 3 and 4, I didn't quite get anything written about the end of last weekend.

Now, we've gotten to Sidetrack for a second weekend in a row!

Last weekend did involve two nights of fireworks. You'll have to take my word for it or look and Sank's blog. His camera was up to taking pictures of some of the fireworks. The biggest and showiest were on Big Blake Lake, just over the ridge. But we could see about 80% of the bursts.

David and his buddy did get outside and even on the lake. But we worried a bit about those two big guys exceeding the capacity of the old canoe.

On the fourth, the Nan decided it was time to do something about the mess in the Shakespeare House shed.

She and the guys emptied the place and cleaned out at least a dozen years of mouse nests. Then the useful things were put back inside. It's now possible to step in, look around, and find things in there. What a wonderful celebration of independence!

One of the things that did not go back into the shed was this bottle of gasoline (with oil in) from over 25 years ago. It'll go to the hazardous waste dump back in Rice County.

This Saturday was a wonderful day. Weather was cool and bright Just about perfect in my book. Old friends came up with their two white German Shepherds and spent the day. Great time and a great dinner, if I do say so myself.

Sunday morning's dawn caught the bridge at the south end of the Lakes Blake, but it really was an avian morning. (Again, you'll have to take my word for this.)

Just as I launched the canoe, an osprey dived into the lake, disappeared, and then splashed out into the air. We've seen ospreys here before, but not often.

No sooner had the bird headed north, but two bald eagles headed for the fisher bird. The eagles were considerably faster than the osprey, which headed for the trees on the northwest shore. It dipped and turned and flew near the tree tops, but the eagles were persistent. All three birds disappeared over the ridge. I don't know the ending to the drama, but one of the eagles later flew south along the west shore of the lake, circled at the south end and perched in one of the pine trees along the eastern shore.

All the time that chase was going on, a loon was providing a soundtrack. Pretty neat.

Then, as I paddled south to get a picture of the illuminated bridge, a shiny ball fell from a tree and splashed into the lake. A moment later, a kingfisher exploded from the water and zipped back toward the trees. We've been seeing a kingfisher on our dock and Mark's boat, but to see the bird fish was a real treat.

Before I got back to the dock, I saw a green heron (funny-shaped little bird) in the reeds, a gull sailing overhead, and a blue heron sailing down the western shore.

Got to wave at Larry, recuperating on his deck.

A wonderful morning. A wonderful weekend. A wonderful place. I think I'll be back.

Finally, sun

2009-07-03T07:59:00.007-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, something strange happened. Parts of the lawn got very bright and green. Other parts were dark and gray. And there was this bright light that came streaming into the windows facing the lake.

Then, about 9:00pm, all kinds of colors showed up in the sky. After a week's worth of clouds, it was an amazing event.

Amazing things continued this morning. The big bright light highlighted one of the houses on the west side of the lake.

And there were more colors. This time the colors were more visible in the water than the sky.

The places on the east side of the lake are filling up. I'm looking forward to the "crowds" and the noise of the weekend.

Eagle, hummingbirds, and otter

2009-07-02T09:12:00.003-05:00

The hummingbirds continue to flock around the feeder, but they're too small to photograph with the camera I have. You'll have to take my word for it.

The otter who swam around the dock last night at sunset was also too small, but it was good to see. It seemed to be interested in eating the weeds growing in the water out there.

The eagle just wouldn't stay put long enough to photograph. I saw one sitting in the hay field next to the Little Blake Lane entrance. Was it feasting on a little rodent?

I did a lot of work yesterday. Moved some of the concrete from dead Red Tom. Cleaned up half the patio. Weeded the front garden and counted at least 22 Tiger Lily plants (a population that has grown from half a dozen plants rescued from the roadside a few years ago.) Removed the pine needles and seeds (nearly soil) from the roof and dumped it out back. My legs, hips, and back were stiff by dinner time.

Sunset wasn't much to see, but I did get this impressionistic design in the cloudy twilight.

This morning I did get out on the lake. Wasn't much of a sunrise either.

I took a tour of the lake and noted that there are a lot of boats and pontoons that are not in the water this summer. Is that a sign of the economic times?

Still cloudy and cool at Little Blake and here in Luck. Maybe sun this afternoon, but that's what the weather prognosticators said yesterday.

Sunrise on July 2

Return after 3 weeks

2009-07-01T07:52:00.009-05:00

Finally! Back at Sidetrack. It was cool yesterday -- the bank thermometer near the Amery grocery store read 54° when I stopped to shop around noon. Turning on the heat was one of the first tasks after I got here.

And that was the exciting part of my day.

Everything looks good.

The maltese cross are blooming in the terrace and in the front garden.

The tickseed is blooming in the front garden, some little purple things have volunteered there, and a bunch of other things are getting ready to look good.

The salvia are bright and attracting humming birds. But, just minutes after I filled and hung the humming bird feeder on the deck, the little flyers were flocking to the jar of red liquid. (Pictures tomorrow, maybe.)

And, in the terrace, a hardy lupine has appeared in an unexpected area and is collecting water just as designed. These things die off and their descendants appear. Can't count on them. How did the Lupine Lady (Miss Rumphius) do it?

Sorry about all the flower pics, but if I took pictures of me reading books (about all there was to do in this cool weather), they'd be less exciting. I could take a picture while I'm here at Cafe Wren, but I didn't bring the camera. And it's just me and my coffee and the computer sitting by the window with Hwy 35 outside the window.

See Lupine Lady at Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Finally, we got back

2009-06-07T21:14:00.008-05:00

We finally made it back to LBL on Friday afternoon. It's lucky we went up early, because the clouds moved in just about sunset, and that was the last we saw of the sun. We did arrive just in time to see the lumberjack that Skip hired bring down a large part (one of four trunks) of a basswood tree (the trunk at the base was about 2' in diameter) that was leaning toward his place. Skip now has a project for the next couple weeks: cutting up and splitting the wood.

I got the salvia planted for the hummingbirds. (Thanks, Susan, they're great.)

The Jack-in-the-pulpit was blooming,

and a couple little trillia actually sprouted (but they haven't flowered, unlike all their big cousins in the woods). The wild gerania and the honeysuckle are blooming too.

On Saturday, the rain began. We all went to Cafe Wren for breakfast and to check e-mail.

Nance and I made a trip into Amery to get some groceries, a couple tools for N's project, and some red flowers for Red Tom. We spent most of the day reading and napping. N did try to determine which direction the blade on her circular saw rotated with her finger and found out that steel does cut skin. Luckily it was not cut too deeply -- just a frightening reminder. She said it had been awhile since she'd bled on a project. (And she's the one in the family experienced with power tools.)

I finished one book and read some of Snow Crash a cyber-punk novel that was on David's reading list. Really weird and interesting. "Second Life" is described there eleven years before it appeared online.

We got out a couple board games that evening: Upwords, which is a multi-level scrabble and "21st Century 20 Questions." The editor always has an advantage with word games, so David and I only played one. And then we discovered that the "21st Century" part of the 20 questions game was only an incorrect figure of speech. Anyone born after 1975 (like David) really doesn't have a chance. After one game, he read clues to N and me and we duked it out on trivia. Trivial pursuits would have been more fun for us, but probably not for the boy.

I had napped so much I was afraid I'd not get to sleep. However, at 10:10pm, I was tired and before 11:00 I was asleep, and I didn't wake up until after 7:00am. What's with that? Relax enough and sleep better?

While D and N slept in Sunday morning, I drove over to Luck to have my morning coffee and oatmeal with a bit of online news.

Later, between rain drops, I planted gerania in Red Tom and a couple other things in the terrace.

And Skip told us he remembers when the lakeside fireplace and chimney were built -- probably around 1953. And Red Tom referred to Tom Hoff, the chiropractor, whose wife owned the cabin at the time. I'll have to ask whether Tom Hoff was a red haired. It seems unlikely that in the home state of Joseph McCarthy in '53 anyone would label themselves "red" without a good non-political reason.

It was great to get away. I hardly ever spend so much time reading and napping when I'm home and bits of yard work (like trimming some tree branches this morning) always seem more like work at home. That's what the place is for. Now, if only we can make more time to be there. (After the 24th, we have only a weekend trip to Cleveland on the calendar for the summer. Hint. Hint.)

Big Blake photo blog

2009-05-20T11:03:00.001-05:00

Nancy Krieger Hochschild, who has a place on Big Blake, pointed me to a blog (mostly photos) from Big Blake.

Check it out at Blake Lake News

Map illustrating history

2009-05-19T13:35:00.004-05:00

I found an old USGS map at Sidetrack. It was published in 1950 (aerial photos taken in 1947, field checked in 1950).

It seems to show that all of Section 26 of Georgetown Township was made up of government lots. Sections are usually divided into quarter sections and quarter-quarter sections, etc. Government lots describe areas where bodies of water "interrupt" the quarter section scheme. There don't appear to be any quarter sections in Section 26 that don't include water.

Back in 1880, George Anderson homesteaded lots 2, 3, 4, and 5. Since I haven't seen the plat book (that will have to wait until I get to Balsam Lake some weekday), I don't know where Government Lot 1 and the lots are located. We do know that the Holy Rosary church was located in Government Lot 3, on the south edge of Section 26.

Also Al Anderson's 1915 cottage was on the west side of Lot 4, and that might have been on the east side of Little Blake.

(It will be interesting to see the plat book.)

In 1950, there were 9 cabins along the west side of Little Blake. There were none on the east side of the lake.

There were 18 cabins on the east side of Big Blake and 24 along the west shore (with two more on lots away from the shore).

Neighbor Larry and the former owner of Sidetrack told me the Belisle farm was (and is) located on the very southern end of Little Blake, just west of the bridge over the channel between the Blake Lakes. Have to check with Mayor John on that detail.

Don't forget to check out and join the Blake Lakes Fans group at Facebook.

MidMay

2009-05-18T11:33:00.006-05:00

I got here on Friday afternoon. If I thought it was cool and windy for the fishing opener a couple weeks ago, that was nothing compared to the rain, wind, and cold Friday night and Saturday. Sunday was still cold, but at least the sky was blue and the sun shone.

Before the clouds covered the sky, I did find a silly blossom on a plant (a lungwort) I put in the terrace last fall. What's with this thing? I was also able to sit on the deck and read some. While there I did see an eagle and saw and heard a loon.

Then the overcast appeared. Around dinner time, it began raining and kept raining until after I went to bed.

Somewhen during the night the wind began blowing from the southwest. I woke a couple times during the night to the sound of the air moving rapidly through the trees.

In the morning, the temperature was just about 40° and the wind kept blowing. I could feel it blowing through the walls. I kept the space heater running and it had trouble keeping the temperature comfortable.

Saturday morning, I went to Cafe Wren for breakfast and contact with the outside world. Later in the day, there was too much wind chill to do any work in the yard. I had to nap and read and sit and meditate on the beauty of the lake and thrashing of the tree branches.

There's a lot to be said for semi-enforced inactivity.

Sunday morning was time for coffee with the neighbors and getting reacquainted after the winter. That felt good. And things were gorgeous as usual. The loons were loud. The vistas across the lake were really fine. I want to go back. NOW.

More history of the Blake Lakes

2009-05-12T12:10:00.002-05:00

Not long ago, I had the chance to trace the history of land ownership of the land in Section 26 around Little Blake Lake. Property abstracts are great things.

The story really begins with Annishinabe (Ojibwe) people who hunted, fished, gathered wild rice, and farmed in the area. Even before the Straight River was dammed to create the Blake Lakes, there was almost certainly wild rice along the river south of what's now known as Big Round Lake. There were probably lots of fish and decent land on which to grow small plots of maize, beans, and squash. And judging from the number of deer around now, hunting was probably good. There were probably elk as well as deer around -- maybe even moose. Bears probably roamed the woods. Beaver, muskrats, and other small game were probably plentiful. The maple trees might also have been tapped for the sweet sap.

Canadians and Europeans started showing up in the late 1830s. Logging was the primary attraction. As the forests were cleared, farmers were attracted to area, even though the land wasn't the greatest for Western-style farming. Polk County was organized in 1853, five years after Wisconsin became a state.

In 1880, George P. Anderson homesteaded Government Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Section 26 of Township 35 North, Range 18 West (Georgetown Township). That means he acquired them from the U.S. government "pursuant to an Act of Congress approved on May 20 1862." (That was the day President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act.)

Those lots surround most of Little Blake Lake and the south end of Big Blake Lake.

In the next few years, Anderson acquired more land in the area. The 1888 Polk County Plat book lists Anderson as the owner of
184.65 acres near Blakes Lakes in Section 26,
40 acres in Section 25,
29 acres in Section 24 on Clem Lake, later known as Clara Lake,
160 acres in two parcels in Section 18,
80 acres in Section 16,
40 acres in Section 6,
and
84 acres on Borders Lake in Section 4 of Balsam Lake township, and
80 acres in Section 13 of Apple River township.

Back in the 1870 Polk County census, there was a 45-year-old farmer named George Anderson who lived in Balsam Lake township. He'd been born in Virginia, married Sarah, who had been born in Ohio. They had 4 daughters and 2 sons, ranging in age from 1 to 17. Same guy?

His land, in 1870 was valued at $1000 and his "estate" was valued at $250. That made him one of the 4 richest people in the township. He was Balsam Lake Township Chairman in 1871.

By 1882, George P. Anderson was Georgetown Township Chairman.

In 1893, George P. Anderson sold the land in Section 26 to John W. Shay for $1700, and loaned him $700 to finalize the sale. Shay was a local farmer who owned 40 acres in Section 26 and 40 acres in Section 36 (T35N, R16W) and had been township chair in 1891.

However, Shay died in 1894. His will left his estate to his widow and children, but the loan to Anderson wasn't repaid. Thus in 1897, Anderson foreclosed on the property. At a sheriff's sale on November 3, 1898, George Anderson bought the property in section 26 for $786.61.

Two years later, Anderson sold the property to Alfred and Arthur Bellisle (sic) for $1500. Bellisle made a $650 downpayment with an agreement to pay the rest by May 1, 1904.

In 1902, the loan was paid off and George P. Anderson deeded the property to Arthur and Isidore Bellisle.

That was the end of George P. Anderson's connection to the property. He died in 1906.

Arthur and his wife Minnie, used their half interest in the property as surety for a few months when they borrowed $40 from Charles T. Rogers in 1902. In 1904, they borrowed $1500 from Luke Gallant and used the land as collateral. They paid off the mortgage in two years, but the fulfillment was not filed with the county until April of 1917.

Also in 1904, Isidore used his half interest in the land as collateral for a $100 loan from the Polk County Bank. He paid off the loan in two years. Shortly after paying off that loan, Isidore and his wife Jessie gave (actually sold for $1.00) part of Lot 3 to the Holy Rosary Church. A church was built there and a cemetery established.

About the same time (1906), Isidore and Jessie mortgaged their half interest in the rest of the land in order to get a loan of $1395 from Luke Gallant.

Later in 1906, Arthur and Minnie sold their half interest to Isidore for $1800 and Isidore and Jessie sold Lot 6 and part of Lot 5, with lakeshore, to Joseph Belisle for $1100. This is where the division of the original homestead begins to take place.

Nine years later, Joseph "sold" the land to his wife for $1.00.

In 1917, Isidore and Jessie's mortgage was still unpaid. Luke Gallant assigned the mortgage to Artimise Gallant, and a couple weeks later, Isidore and Jessie registered the pay off that loan. At the same time they got a new loan on the land from Artimise Gallant for $1800. That loan was paid off in 1922.

It was at that time that H. W. Radcliff and Edward Belisle filed a claim to the property, asserting that Isidore was not the legal owner. Isidore filed an affidavit citing the 1902 deed when he bought the property from George P. Anderson to back up his ownership. Whether that dispute continued, can't be determined from the legal record. However, in August of 1949, a Polk County court ruled that the sheriff's sale of 1898 was legitimate. There's nothing in the legal record to explain why such a ruling was necessary.

After paying off the loan to Artimise Gallant in 1922, Isidore and Jessie borrowed $4000 from the Federal Land Bank. That mortgage was paid off in 1949.

However, things got complicated in the '30s.

In 1938, the Belisles granted an easement to Polk Burnett Electric Coop for an electricity transmission line. Electricity came to the Blake Lakes area. (The granted another easement in 1949.)

In 1939, Al C. Anderson (a relative of George P.?) filed a claim to a "cottage" on the west side of Lot 4. In his claim, he said Isidore and Jessie gave him permission in 1915 to build the cottage and to cross their land to get to it. It was built on a 5 rod x 7 rod fenced "lot." (That's about 82' x 120') He also assigned the rights to the cottage to his nephew Karl E. Anderson.

Could this 1915 cottage be the first cabin on Little Blake? It seems likely that it was on the east shore of Little Blake Lake.

By 1949, Isidore Belisle had died. The land was inherited by Jessie and their 8 children. There is a complicated set of recorded transactions where Jessie gave land to her children and they gave land to her. The children seem, in the end, to own the land.

Karl Anderson was deeded the land with the "cottage" on it.

Samuel Belisle and his wife Lorraine sold part of Lot 5 to Rudy and Julia M. Andress. The deed contained restrictions about what kind of building could be put up and limiting ownership to Caucasians.

It seems that the land on which Sidetrack sits (another part of Lot 5) was sold in 1949 to Almira Sawby, who borrowed $2000 from Ella O. Klingelhoet in 1950. The mortgage was paid off in 1952. Given this timeline, Almira Sawby is probably the person who had the cabin, now named Sidetrack, built.

in 1955, Almira Sawby Hove sold the land, the cabin, and personal property to Clarence W. and Amanda B. Lindstrom for $5000. This fits with the stories we heard about Dr. Hove (whose name is on the x-rays made into lampshades in the attic) and his art teacher wife (Almira) owning the cabin. (And Almira's students decorating the outhouse that we call the Shakespeare House. See an earlier blog entry about history.)

There's no direct evidence, but in the 1930 census, there was an Almira Sawby, born in 1905, living in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Maybe she was an art teacher at St. Louis Park High School? There was also an Almira Hove who died in Sun City, AZ in 1983. Her Social Security number had been issued in Minnesota. Same woman?

In 1967, Clarence and Amanda Lindstrom sold the property to James H. and Elizabeth H. Cook for $1.00 and the proverbial "other valuable consideration." The Cooks mortgaged the property to the Goodhue County National Bank in Red Wing for $6,375.

The Cooks sold the cabin in October 1970 to H. W. K. for $1.00 and OVC. They then paid off the mortgage. J. K., her husband, named the place "Sidetrack" because it was such a great place to get off the mainline and relax.

In 1996, after J's death and her remarriage, H. W. K. J. sold Sidetrack to the current owners.

In 2001, major renovations were made: a steel roof replaced the aging shingles, a new deck was built, new windows and a door were added to the "lake room" on the north end of the cabin, new paint was applied all around, and major landscaping on the east side pushed the hill away from the cabin and created a terraced retaining wall.

And next?

Red Tom is down

2009-05-04T13:16:00.011-05:00

There are reasons that deferred maintenance is deferred. A few years ago we monitored a major construction project and then worked like mad to finish painting and putting Sidetrack back into shape. After that, we relaxed and enjoyed things for awhile. Now, it's time to get back to work.

The weekend just past was mostly a work session. Deferrals can only last so long. All three of us are tired this Monday.

The most obvious result was the felling of Red Tom. (And, yes, for the first time in several years there were a couple "personal water craft" on the lake. Mark said they were visitors. We all hope so. With the wind and 60° temperatures, the riders must have been very cold. (Serves 'em right, noisy buggers.)

The top of the chimney will now be a flower pot marking a corner of a front garden. In a couple weeks, I'll fill it with lots of red flowers. (Suggestions?)

The skeleton is still lying on the lawn. Now, break it up and haul it away or just dig a hole and bury it?
Most of the rocks have become garden borders, after I moved a ton or so them.

We got the dock in the water, but the water's a little cold to install the support posts. So, walking on the middle part of the dock is a bit wobbly. Not something anyone should try after a few beers.

Our star builder made progress on replacing the sliding screen on the south end door. In the process, the door frame got a new painting. She and I made measurements and sketches for future projects. Our star scraper got a good portion of the west wall scraped in preparation for a new coat of paint there.

And we got back to an old practice and played a board game Sequence on Saturday night. The kid won 4 of 5 games.

While we worked hard, I did take time to watch some river otters frolicking just offshore at dawn. That's also when I listened to a loon. A bit later, a huge splash just beyond the dock was probably caused by a muskie lunging for breakfast. (I wasn't able to photograph those.)

And I noticed the Bloodroot flowers in glorious bloom and the quiet, scattered white and blue petals of tiny flowers in the lawn. Yeah, spring!

F'gas phone call

2009-04-27T19:59:00.003-05:00

So, I'm writing this afternoon, and who calls? Some chick from F'gas wanting to know if I'd like to take advantage of a new low price and fill our tank.

As politely and patiently as possible I declined, and added that I hoped to use up what propane we had so that they could come and take it away next fall.

Here's hoping for lots of cool nights this summer.

Early spring at Little Blake

2009-04-21T19:36:00.008-05:00

Recon at Sidetrack last weekend showed that all's pretty well. Everything worked and the only real problem was the blue mouse poison pellets that had been stored under the comforter by energetic mice. What's with the mice, carrying the stuff around? No dead Mickeys lying around as far as we could tell. Maybe they crawled under the comforters on the spare beds?

The only buds I saw were on a lilac bush in the back yard. A few plants are pushing up in the garden.

The old fireplace by the lake has to go.

It's ready to fall over. And with two growing boys next door, the chances are that somebody will be climbing on that thing before long.

The builders were not content with putting stones in a circle for fires by the lake. They built a fireplace with a chimney.

The sides of the fire pit were gone when we first saw it. Over the past decade or so rocks have fallen off of the structure. And now the whole thing rocks back and forth.

It won't take much to put it on the ground. The hard part will be breaking it up into pieces small enough to cart off.

It seems to have flattened conduit used as rebar to hold things together.

I'm not sure if the builders signed their work or named the structure, but "Red Tom" is the name. Too bad, but Red Tom will be on the ground before summer and Will and Charlie show up too much.

Got some garden clean up done, even in Sunday's rain. Read a book. (Although I fell asleep on the lake room couch Saturday night. I thought I slept for half an hour and woke up thinking it was too early to go to bed. It turns out I'd slept for over 2 hours and I was ready to go to bed.) Then I slept until 7:45 on Sunday morning. Well, that's one of the reasons to be at Sidetrack and offline.

Maybe we'll get back after the storms this weekend.

Reprise of The Cost of Not Buying

2009-04-01T20:55:00.002-05:00

If you look back to the entry I made here on November 9, 2008, you'll see my rant about Ferrellgas, one of the local (and national) suppliers of propane. And the one we have purchased from for over a decade.

My rant was due to the company charging us a $210.00 "non-usage fee" because we didn't have our propane tank filled last year. (We didn't use much.) Saving energy doesn't pay, it costs through the nose if you're a customer of that company.

I knew it was futile, but I had to complain publicly (besides here), so I wrote a complaint to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

The first response was a December 5th letter acknowledging the receipt of my complaint.

The second response, 10 days later, included a reply from the propane company, which did "not offer a resolution."

Here are the relevant parts.

December 5: Thank you for contacting the Department... I have written to the business to try to assist you to find a solution to your complaint...

December 15: I have received a response from Ferrellgas concerning your complaint, which does not offer a resolution. I have enclosed a copy of the reply for your information...

I have recorded your complaint... and it will be included in information provided to consumers who inquire about the business for a three-year period...

And here, is the propane company's response. Even though I've never had the pleasure of taking a course in contract law, I recognize that the "agreement" to which I am a party might be a legal agreement, but it's not a contract. It's bullshit. And so is the policy and rationalization offered by paralegal Erin M. Strickland on behalf of Wade Clarin (SCGM), Ben Guzzi (Region Manager), and the whole rotten company.

The Attorney General complaint... has been forwarded to the Legal Department... I have completed my investigation...

Customers who do not purchase fuel for an extended period of time are charged a fee to help offset the use of our asset (propane tank) that is not generating revenue...

Our Master Agreement... states... "If you lease a tank from us, you agree to purchase from us a volume of propane at least equal to two times the water capacity of your Tank each 12 month period...

The Wisconsin bureaucracy will keep my complaint on file for three years. If you have any to add, please do. Write to the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Division of Trade and Consumer Protection, 3610 Oakwood Hills Parkway, Eau Claire, WI 54701-7754 or call them at 1-800-422-7128.

I think my next letter will go to the Wisconsin state legislator for the district within which the lakes Blake lie and suggest that such one-sided agreements be outlawed in favor of contracts that are made between equal parties and that offer benefits to all parties and impose substantially equal responsibilities on all parties. (I may not vote in Wisconsin, but I certainly pay taxes that buy a lot of things I never benefit from.)

Blake Lakes Fans

2008-12-29T09:49:00.002-06:00

What better place to publicize the existence of a Facebook group called Blake Lakes Fans?

While some people live along the shores of one of the Blake Lakes, most of the community is spread out widely over the landscape of Minnesota and Wisconsin and the Caribbean (in the case of my lake neighbors) for much of the year. Even during the summer, staying in touch with neighbors is not easy.

This group can be a way to stay up-to-date on people, events, developments, and local "government" around the Blake Lakes.

The group is online at http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=49119014104

You have to sign up with Facebook to join the group, but you don't have to give them anymore information, besides your e-mail address, than you're comfortable making public. (I am especially reluctant to give Facebook access to my address book, which is one of the things it urges you to do.) After signing up with some name and your e-mail address, you can create whatever identity you want.

After all, do you know who Little Blake Lake, his sister Jenny, and their uncle Big Blake are?

If you know some Blake Lake residents who ought to join the Facebook group, let them know about the opportunity.

Join the party and help everyone stay in touch with what's going on "up at the lake."

Thanksgiving 1996

2008-11-27T19:36:00.002-06:00

Then there was the time -- it might have been 1996 or 1997 -- that we tried to go to Sidetrack for Thanksgiving.

We packed up the turkey and the rest of the fixings and left for Georgetown early on Thursday morning.

About half way between St. Paul and Hudson on I-94, we drove over a fairly large piece of angle iron in the middle of our lane. It became visible from under the car ahead of us too quickly and there was too much traffic for me to swerve.

CLUNK!

Well, we hit something. Tried the brakes. They worked. Tested the steering. It worked. Maybe nothing.

We drove on to the Baldwin exit and decided to pull into a gas station there for a visual check. I looked under the van and saw gasoline dripping pretty quickly out of a gash in the gas tank.

UhOh!

A guy at the station gave me some gooey stuff to try to seal the gash. No luck, but my arm got covered with gasoline. The station attendant assured me that no repair shops would be open in Baldwin (or anywhere else nearby).

We got back on the freeway headed west. My companions had instructions to watch carefully for anyone flicking a cigarette butt out a window ahead of us. We drove the potential fire bomb back home. (By the time we got home, we'd used and lost enough gas so the tank wasn't dripping any more.)

That evening, I came down with nasty cold/flu symptoms that I attributed to the chill of evaporating gas on my arm before I got to the rest room to wash up.

The next morning, the van went to the dealer's service garage for a new gas tank.

We never did get to Sidetrack for Thanksgiving. (But today would probably have been a good day -- although it was snowing pretty heavily just east and north of Georgetown according to the Twin Cities weather report this afternoon.)

Maybe, with global warming, there's still a chance we'll cook a Thanksgiving turkey in Sidetrack's oven someday.

A portrait of Little Blake Lake

2008-11-11T19:37:00.005-06:00

Yahoo maps has a new aerial photo of Little Blake Lake. It's really clear and beautiful.

It appears to have been taken in the early summer of 2008.

East Little Blake Lake Lane appears at the north end of the plowed field where it goes west from 70th Street.

You can also see a little triangle of bare soil on the west side of the plowed field (at the top third of the field). That's where the power line used to go down the hill to the cabins. It's almost directly east of Sidetrack.

If you click on the photo, you'll get to see it full-size. Then you can see the docks in the water. Sidetrack's dock is the fourth one from the northernmost. The silvery blob just south of our dock is the neighbor's dock and pontoon.

A little bit of history

2008-11-11T18:01:00.005-06:00

Sank from over on Big Blake said he was surprised that Sidetrack wasn't a year-round residence.

I take that to mean a little history is in the works. And a little is the operative word. I don't know very much. I was first at Little Blake Lake about 1971. There was a gap between 1972 and 1983 before I started spending much time there again.

On the south end of the east side of Little Blake is a public street called Little Blake Lake Court. There are a number of year-round houses on that cul-de-sac.

East Little Blake Lake Lane (ELBLL) is a private road off of 70th Street (Hunky Dory Road, according to locals) that provides access to 13 lake cabins north of that development. (Despite what the 1966 map or the online maps show, there is no connection between ELBLL and the cul-de-sac on the south end of the lake.)

A 1966 map of the east shore of Little Blake Lake shows 11 structures.

At least 7 and maybe 9 of those cabins were built shortly after World War II, including Sidetrack. (Before WWII, 2x4s were actually 2' x 4". The 2x4s at Sidetrack are 1 and 5/8 by 3 and 5/8. After 1952, the 2x4s were a bit smaller.)

The cabins all seem to have been built with the same footprint - kitchen on the northeast corner, a well just outside the kitchen with a pump at the kitchen sink, dining/living room overlooking the lake, and a couple little bed rooms in the back. A combo shed and outhouse graced the back yard.

The cabin at 1945 ELBLL seems to be the least changed.

Skip says that in the old days, the cabins wee simply sleeping places for a bunch of hard-drinking fisherman. Except for Sidetrack.

Sidetrack was evidently built with special-order options: knotty pine paneling, varnished interior ceiling, and a tiny balcony above a single bedroom. A little cellar was dug, a new sand point well dug, and a bathroom added, probably in 1949. (Toilet tanks have the year of manufacture on the inside of the cover.) I've already described the Shakespeare House. (See the October 2007 archives.)

Most of the original cabins have been changed and updated significantly. Since the new owners (2005) added a bathroom to the cabin at 1953 ELBLL, all have indoor plumbing. Nearly all now have decks, sliding glass doors, and big windows on the west sides.

The cabins that were added after the initial development are noticeably different. (See 1963, 1961, 1959, 1953, and 1939 ELBLL.) The cabin at 1943 might be one of the originals, but it's been altered dramatically. For instance, it has a walk out lower level.

Three of the cabins are winterized. The southern-most of the 13 was, I think, built for winter use. When we became custodians of Sidetrack, John and Mary Hammond (1943 ELBLL) were living on the lake full time. They sold and moved a couple years later. A few years after that, the people at 1941 ELBLL, put in a composting toilet, added a front porch, and lived there for one winter before selling. Several people use their cabins once in awhile on mild winter weekends. Sometimes, someone hires a plowing service to clear the "road."

I think I'll have to talk to Skip and get some more historical information.

Oh, and one other thing

2008-11-09T13:44:00.001-06:00

I filed an online complaint about Ferrellgas' "no usage fee" with the Wisconsin Attorney General's Consumer Protection division just now.

Made me feel better.

The cost of not buying

2008-11-09T11:53:00.003-06:00

It's expensive to not buy propane from Ferrellgas.

We didn't get to Sidetrack as often as we wanted to this past summer. We missed a lot of the spring and closed the place up a couple weeks earlier than usual. With the price of gas and propane, we were, in part, being frugal.

I received a bill for $210.00 from Ferrellgas last week. That's strange, since we didn't use much propane this year and didn't call for a tank refill at all.

The bill was for a "No usage fee." Huh!? We get charged over $200 for not buying Ferrellgas' product? (After a $57.00 tank rental fee.) That's right. I looked it up in the "User Agreement" that customers have to sign. Like most User Agreements, it's a one-sided "contract" that forces consumers to accept all kinds of limitations in order to do business with the company. Of course, the company faces no limitations, and can, indeed, change the terms of the User Agreement at any time for any reason.

I love the free market at work. Don't you? Adam Smith must be on a perpetual spin in his Scottish grave in view of all the perversions of his market theory practiced by free marketeers.

Turns out it does some good to complain. I called the company. The first sentence out of the mouth of the person I talked to was, "I'm authorized to reduce that fee to $75.00."

Now, the $75.00 plus the $57.00 results (in my mind) in a not-unreasonable tank rental fee. The company could even offer discounts to the rental fee based on the amount of propane a customer buys. (They already do. If you buy enough, you don't get charged for the tank rental at all and you don't get charged a "No usage fee.")

But, when Ferrellgas has the effrontery to bill its customers with a "No usage fee," you know there are a bunch of Neanderthals running the company who have absolutely no clue about public relations and customer retention. (It is so difficult to maintain a bit of old-fashioned propriety when I'm so offended.)

I'm beginning to call around because there are a couple competitors, one being the local power co-op, Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative. They might not offer better prices or terms, but it'll be worth a few bucks to me to get that Ferrellgas tank out of the yard and out of my sight.

Gallant lass to the rescue

2008-10-12T13:52:00.004-05:00

I was rescued from my north country retreat by the gallant lass with whom I share a life. She arrived on Saturday last and we proceeded to relax and work at cleaning up and closing up Sidetrack.

Sunday morning offered up one more image of beauty.

I tucked away the little car under its tarp in the garage. Outdoor furniture went into the garage around the car. We gathered up most of the liquid stuff and turned off the fridge and waited for it to defrost and dry. We loaded stuff into the mini-mini van and reluctantly said goodbye to the treasure on Little Blake for another year.

Thursday at Sidetrack

2008-10-03T07:56:00.004-05:00

I edited another chapter and another practice test. I need to send them off this morning.

Two juvenile bald eagles were playing in the air space over the front lawn and the shore line yesterday afternoon. I wondered if they were looking at the yellow mushrooms in the lawn. Then I wondered if there was a dead fish on the shoreline. After they were done swooping through the tree branches and down toward the edge of the lake, I went down and looked. No dead fish. It's hard to imagine that the mushrooms held any interest for the eagles. Maybe they were just playing with the tall weeds growing at the water line.

And when the sun went down, I noticed how far south the sun had gone. The sun was going down at the left edge of the picture. That "notch" in the tree line on the right side of the picture is where the sun was going down in July. Ah, fall.

You will notice that I removed the decking from the dock in preparation for hauling it ashore for the winter.

Wednesday at Sidetrack

2008-10-02T08:19:00.004-05:00

It was a cool and windy day at Sidetrack.

But yesterday morning in Luck, there was this excitement. One of Cafe Wren's neighbors sat in a kitchen chair on his stoop to watch the activity. (The new pavement is great.)

October at Sidetrack

2008-10-01T08:03:00.001-05:00

Arrived at Sidetrack yesterday about 4PM.

This was the most notable thing I could photograph. The eagle perched in a front yard tree, but flew away when I came around the corner of the house.

Weather radar

2008-09-23T17:50:00.001-05:00

Let's see if this works.

Thunderstorm warning at Sidetrack

2008-09-23T17:22:00.001-05:00

It's 5:35PM on Tuesday, 23 September. There's a Severe Thunderstorm Warning out for Polk County. The weather guy on WCCO just said that people in Balsam Lake and Luck are getting pelted right now.

September weekend photos

2008-09-14T19:36:00.008-05:00

Well, trips to Cafe Wren don't offer the best opportunities for posting pictures here. So, now that I'm home...

The first is a picture of the incredible stillness on Friday afternoon.

That did offer the opportunity for another perspective of Sidetrack.

And here's the sunset on the surface of the lake.

On Saturday morning it was chilly after I emerged from the electric blanket. And since there was little prospect of getting warmth from the sun. I resorted to the use of hydrocarbons.

While it rained most of the day, there was a bit of clearing as the weather front passed.

And neighbor Larry had a tree taken down with some interesting cross sections.

From Cafe Wren in Luck

2008-09-14T11:29:00.003-05:00

Friday evening was gorgeous. I paddled from north to south and back in still air on a mirror-like lake. Sunset was almost better in reflection on the water than in the sky.

Yesterday was all rain (almost). It was a light rain that just kept coming. By afternoon, I was chilled enough to turn on the heat. That meant that I could warm things up this morning so I didn't turn into a shivering jello heap after a shower.

Cloudy and cool this morning, so I came to Cafe Wren to check e-mail and read the news.

Now, I'll head back to Sidetrack and do some more work.

Of course, tomorrow and most of the coming week are to be sunny and warm.

Pump's ready and I'm not

2008-09-05T10:26:00.004-05:00

The woman who answered Larry's phone said he'd been to Sidetrack yesterday and the problem was a pressure switch (sounds a lot cheaper than a new motor) and that the system was fixed.

Now, if only I weren't tied to a bunch of 40-page pdfs on this computer for the editing project I'm working on... Well, maybe I could put them on a flash drive... I could email them back to the authors on Monday... or Tuesday... or from Amery or Luck... Maybe I'll get up there yet.

Here's a burned pressure switch. Maybe that's what happened.

Below is a new pressure switch. I hope something like this is the solution to the problem. (I don't know what the labels mean. I was just looking for photos and this came from an illustrated guide to replacing a pressure tank and a pressure switch.)

Pump expert coming

2008-09-02T19:50:00.002-05:00

Larry, the 2nd generation caretaker of our water system at Sidetack, has promised to go out to the lake and check on the pump and well.

I'm a little anxious about what he'll find.

But the beauty

2008-08-30T17:20:00.005-05:00

All my concentration on electricity and water made me forget one of the most beautiful sunrises at Little Blake.

I got the canoe in the water before the sun came up. Mist was rising from the surface of the lake. In some places the columns of hazy water vapor rose 20 or 30 feet. I paddled as silently as possible to the south end of the lake.

As I paddled back north, I saw an adult and a juvenile loon. The adult was diving and the young one was paddling quickly to wherever its parent surfaced. I aimed the canoe at them and drifted and watched. I got within 10 yards of the birds for several minutes.

Then I turned and headed north again just as the sun came over the trees and lit up the north end of the lake and the landscape up towards Big Round. Wow! I'd never seen the ridges and hills stand out they way they did in that light. Of course, being out in the middle of the lake helped too.

Thirty-some years ago Ruth Bernhard taught me how to see light in ways I'd never imagined. Those lessons stick with me and sometimes I'm nearly overwhelmed by what I have learned to see. Seeing the sun come up over the Little Blake/Straight River landscape this morning was one of those moments. Thank you, Ruth.

It's always something

2008-08-30T08:35:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's always something.

I arrived yesterday about supper time. The electrician had been here and the power was on. His note said the problem was a fuse, but he didn't say which one or why my replacements hadn't solved the problem.

I turned on the pump and it started. I went to the car to get more "stuff," and when I came back the pump had stopped. But there was no water coming out of the taps. The pressure tank sounded empty when I knocked on it. The fuses in the cellar looked good, but what do I know?

So, I filled a container from Skip's hose for washing and flushing, but now I'll have to call the plumber on Tuesday. I'm in Amery this morning and will get some fuses at the hardware store in case. But I think the problem is the pump now.

And I think I'll go home this afternoon.

Anticipation

2008-08-28T11:31:00.002-05:00

The electrician from Amery finally returned my call (a week later) and said he'd go up to Sidetrack yesterday or today. Hope so...

Larry said it took only about half an hour to fix his problems, which seem similar to ours (except perhaps for the pump).

I'm planning on heading up tomorrow morning. If all's well others may join me on Saturday or Sunday.

Ah, the boat parade on Sunday afternoon...

Twenty-two hours at the lake

2008-08-17T17:04:00.009-05:00

I had planned to stay longer, but then lightning scored a direct hit on one of Larry's trees. The tree exploded as the sap vaporized. Pieces of tree shrapnel were thrown all over the place. A large one broke some rafters in his shed.

Well, that didn't happen while I was there. It happened over a week ago. But, Larry's phone connection was burned out and so was the power line from his cabin to his shed. The lightning surged through Mark's TV and one of his air conditioners, "killing" them.

And it may have done in the power to our pump and water heater. It also seems to have fried the power line to the Shakespeare House and the outdoor outlets mounted on the retaining wall. And, strangely, the fixture on the kitchen ceiling and the outside light over the door.

I tried to reset the GFI circuit. No result. I checked all the fuses and even put new ones in the four circuits. No results. I looked at the fuses in the power switches for the pump and the water heater. They looked good.

And then the flashlight I was using wouldn't turn off!

Ah, without running water, I was forced to eat left over pizza I'd brought along on paper plates. I got some water from Skip's hose to do minimal washing up, but no shower.

I reset some of the wobbly pavers, and I pulled weeds in the patio.

And I enjoyed the bald eagle(s). I saw eagles twice, once when an eagle dove through the air and grabbed a little fish. I also got to see one of the cranes fly by, land, fish, and fly off.

This morning, while canoeing around the lake, I saw three loons floating on the lake. I'd been hearing them yesterday and last night. It sounded like they were over on Big Blake. This morning, I got to see them take flight (they need long "runways") and then circle over the canoe on their ways to somewhere else. They make a funny noise when they fly.

I also enjoyed the flowers that are blooming now. About the tiger lillies that I "rescued" from the ditch along Hunky Dory Road: when I was a little boy, my great grandfather Rohl had a huge "flock" of tiger lillies in front of his house. They were beautiful and as big as I was. So, they are magical flowers to me still. There are a dozen blooming stalks now and half that many smaller ones that haven't bloomed this summer. Next year.

The Cone flowers are fascinating just because the petals flop back against the stem.

The daisies are just a welcome additional color.

There are also lots of unwelcome plants. Like these in the patio.

And these that the wind blew up against the shore around our dock.

Well, I packed up and came home this morning with the phone number for the electrician who fixed Larry's problems. I'll call him in the morning and hope he can fix our power problems as easily.

Another quickie

2008-07-13T22:00:00.002-05:00

It was another quick Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon trip to Sidetrack.

Ah, but what beauty and what relaxation. A good book, passable food, decent naps, and lots of weeds to pull.

The neighborhood kids (ages 2-22) were having a good time, and we all got to wish the birthday boy a happy 70th.

There was a strong and persistent wind from the SSW the whole time I was there. Where was all that air coming from? And where was it going?

No pictures. I forgot my cameras.

Later...

Fourth of July

2008-07-08T21:20:00.014-05:00

It was a shortened July 4th weekend. Mary was here from Chicago and Jo came along. The weather was fantastic. We had a great meal (thanks, Mary). The fireworks from around the lake were equally amazing.

I got all the way around the lake on Saturday morning. Still beautiful. Home to see the kid for a few hours before he went back to the big city on the lake.

Kris was missing the old place from a couple thousand miles away, so I took everyday pics to help her imagine being here. (I thought about giving them captions, but everyone knows what's in these pictures.)

Enjoy.

R & R weekend

2008-06-30T10:28:00.006-05:00

It's been a week+ since I came back from Sidetrack, but I have excuses...

I was teaching all last week. (That's the main one.)

I headed up to Little Blake on Friday afternoon. I'd spent most of a fortnight getting my act together for the class, and I needed to get my nose away from the computer monitor.

When I looked at the meager photo output of the weekend, I realized that I spent a lot of time reading and meditating on the lakescape, and a fair amount of time cleaning. (Why does an uninhabited place need so much dusting, vacuuming, and washing? And why doesn't anyone do windows?)

Nan noticed a puzzle piece fall out of G'pa W's stuffed chair when we hauled it home last fall for repairs. She'd even seen it a couple times in the van. When I showed her the photo of the missing piece from the GTNP puzzle, she was sure that she had the missing piece floating around in the van somewhere. She captured it and I took it to Sidetrack to be reunited with the puzzle.

Well, maybe not. I changed the label on the envelope to read, "Missing puzzle" and left it with the other puzzles in the lake room.

Since we haven't decided exactly how to repair the heirloom chair ($800 for a total renovation seems a bit much), I spent an eighth of that on a new chair from Ikea.

There were a couple points at which I wished I'd had an extra hand, but assembly was as easy as advertised. And the chair is nearly as comfortable as grandpa's. I spent a lot of time in the chair reading over the weekend.

A couple of the flowers I transplanted from the woods to the retaining wall garden were blooming. They are wild geraniums or Geranium maculatum L.
also called Crane's-bill or spotted geranium.

The lupine that flared last October and then disappeared has left several descendants behind. One's even growing in the pea gravel of the patio.

[Here's why: "When the seeds are mature, and the casings have completely dried out, they snap open with a forceful spiral twist which sends the seeds flying some distance from the parent plant so they might find their own place in the sun."]

The replacements I planted in May are struggling to get big enough to survive the winter. I may go looking for some giant lupines to attract more humming birds.

The salvia are getting to the blooming stage and they are attracting the hummers. The hummers were about the only wildlife I saw that weekend. Hmmm... where are the eagles?

Bring on the noisy Fourth of July!

Watery weekend

2008-06-03T18:36:00.012-05:00

After the tears of laughter at Friday night's performance of Spamalot, the four days at Sidetrack were wonderful and watery.

N learned some basic plumbing because the the 20-year-old device (the toilet fill valve) in the toilet tank got clogged up or just wore out. The guy at the Amery hardware store was a great help and recommended the cheap alternative. Once installed, western civilization was saved from decay. Thankfully, there are those around who have more patience and willingness to read instructions than I do.

I got the canoe out and surveyed the lake a couple times. All's well. The water level is a little higher than it was last week, but not back to normal yet.

A big fish washed up in front of Skip's place. It still had a lure in its mouth. Breaking the fishing line was not a path to freedom for this muskie.

At dusk on June 1, I managed to re-set the marker showing where the shadow of the cabin falls on the retaining wall. It's a good 5 feet from the marker for May 1. (And the marker for January 1 is across the courtyard beyond the fire cage in the photo below.)

I did discover that a jack-in-the-pulpit had gotten itself transplanted into the terrace garden with some of the wild geraniums. (I've got to check to find out if that's the proper name for that plant.) It was so small, I didn't see it until Sunday when I was doing a little weeding.

Tuesday dawned cold and cloudy.

And by noon we'd cleaned up, packed up, and driven off. But what a great time we had doing some work (some over lunch at Cafe Wren), reading some books, and lots away from home rest.

Later...

Cafe Wren, Luck, Wisconsin

2008-06-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

Cafe Wren is a delightful little place. Check out the web site.

We had great sandwiches and great wifi.

More later.

Memorial Day weekend

2008-05-29T13:51:00.016-05:00

I got to the lake finally. Things looked good. A pileated woodpecker greeted me not long after I got things opened up. Larry had been there and turned on the water, so civilization, as represented by indoor plumbing, was present.

Mark and his fishing buddies were fixing things next door and helped Skip and me roll our docks into the water. A bit later, I got the decking installed. (See rain photo below for evidence.)

I'd stopped in Amery and bought some plants to get in the ground (you know, like salvia for the humming birds, who are already around). While planting I noted that it was the day for the bloodroot to blossom.

In the woods all around, the trillium and the jack-in-the-pulpits were showing off.

Meanwhile in the garden, the hostas were just barely showing their sprouts

and the lupine that was pushing up new growth in the October cold seems to have given up the ghost except for one little leaf at the back of the bed.

Friday night, Skip and I joined Mark and his friends (who were heading for Voyageur's National Park the next day) for dinner. Ah, cold beer and good conversation. Mark had fished at Cub Foods for some good walleye that he deep fried in a wok on the grill. He can cook for me any time.

Saturday afternoon was the exciting time. The weather radio beeped at me until I figured out what was making such a strange noise. A thunderstorm warning! Sure enough, rain came. Then came a tornado warning, and I spent a couple hours with one eye on the television weather reports.

The storm stayed south of Little Blake and the evening was mostly wet and cool. The next morning was bright and sunny. I walked down to Blake School (most of those pictures are on film in the other camera). Coming back, the sun and shadows on the road were enticing.

However, things were cool. I was sitting in the sun while working on workshop presentations. Me! Sitting in the sun! And I sat in the sun while finishing the puzzle that Kris began back in '06.

Then the sky turned gray. The temperature never really got above 60.

That's when I decided to clean up and come home before I had to turn on the heat (save that propane for later when it's really cold).

to be continued...