Hit the Road, Jack

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With the trek to Morris fresh under my belt, Addie and I are ready to hop back into the car for another short road trip. She needs to register for fall classes, so today we are headed to the lovely state of Wisconsin.

This is such a treat for me, to be able to travel in the summertime. I get to see all of the spring colors, and in particular the Green of everything! April, our usual travel month, is generally not very green for sightseeing. This year, of course, was an incredible exception with our trip to Hawaii. But for the most part, I haven't been on a summer road trip for nearly thirty years. That makes even the smallest parts exciting for me.

During my college years, I would experience three separate blooms of lilacs. In mid-May, they came out in southern Minnesota, right around the end of the semester. Then as I was headed home at the end of May, they were blooming in the Twin Cities. Once I got to Duluth, the lilacs would come out about a week later. It is full-bloom time in Morris right now. I had a moment when I could bury my nose in a large and beautiful lilac bush, loaded with flowers. I had to take a picture of it.

Now that I live in the far north, my lilac bush blooms really late. Here is what it looks like right now, as compared to the ones in Morris. It definitely looks sparse, and I still don't see buds. Most years it produces at least a few purple flowers, and that is enough for the lovely scent to waft onto a breeze. It's enough to make me happy.

As we are driving southeast, it will be fun to see the progress of flowers and trees, and how things compare to home. I'll probably get to experience some other plant life cycle twice 'round, kind of a double pleasure, just like Doublemint Gum.

Summer Favorites

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June has always been one of my favorite months here on Gunflint Lake. Currently, May is working its way up in popularity as well. The beautiful sunsets are one reason why. Because the days are longer, the sun goes down around nine or so in the evening. All that daylight is a big bonus. But then to have the beauty to end it all is just the icing on the cake, as they say.

I love the return of all the warm sunshine and temperatures, and the promise that the summer ahead brings. The days are extra busy, but it seems there is usually time for a quiet moment on the porch in mid-afternoon. The birds are busy singing while I sit there, and often the hummingbirds will come by. I am hearing the return of old favorites, and occasionally seeing them, too. A black and white warbler was busy in the birch tree at the corner of the lodge yesterday. The leaves are still pretty small, so I had excellent viewing of this particular bird. I also like it when a bird has a straight-forward name such as this one. Sure makes it easier to remember!

The lake has remained calm for today, and that always seems to be an invitation to go out in a canoe. I have yet to do it, but as mentioned above, the promise of summer should allow me that sometime soon. How about you? What do you look forward to this summer?

Homecoming 2010

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As a homeschool, we didn't attempt some of the usual school traditions, like prom and other dances. But in a way, we do celebrate Homecoming, even if it is at the wrong time of the year. I just returned from picking up Paul and Addie at college. Now who wouldn't want to arrive to a scene that looks like this?---What a lovely sight on Gunflint Lake to greet us this morning. I suspect that I missed a perfect-weather weekend here on the Trail. But if this is an indication of what is ahead, I am grateful to be back home. Paul and Addie feel the same. Addie said that it was hard to fall asleep last night, because she was so excited for morning to come---just like Christmas!

Miss a day, miss a lot...twice that for me. In my absence, the black flies returned. They are a necessary component in the blueberry plant's lifecycle, in that they pollinate the berry bushes in early summer. I'm hoping all the rain we received last week will nourish those little flowers so that we will later on have an excellent crop. We have just a few bags of berries left in the freezer, so it's nearly time to replenish the supply. Summer brewing plans include a batch of raspberry mead, so the rain should help those bushes as well. I noticed my tulip plant has bloomed, too, while I was gone. Its cheery red is a welcome spot in my otherwise-still-green flower patch. Now who would plant only one tulip bulb?! Evidently me, though I don't remember when. Or maybe I can blame it on a squirrel for digging it up somewhere else, and replanting it here. If that is the case, I wonder whose bulb it was?

The rain probably brought the lake level up a bit, but not enough yet to be real noticeable. As this photo indicates, our dock is ridiculously high out of the water. This is due in part to it not being pushed in all of the way yet. We are transitioning from a long wooden ramp to a roll-in one, another step in making the work easier. Soon the newer extension will be here and ready to go, so then we can position the dock further out in the water.

My flickers are calling right now, as I sit and write this on the porch. I should go and spy on them, in case there might be new little ones around. There just might have been another change that happened while I was gone.