Rainy Day Fun

The rainy weather yesterday inspired us to take a trip to Grand Marais. Since we couldn't do much outside work, it seemed like a good time to run the errands that were waiting on the perpetual town list. Before leaving, we launched a boat, and while we were pulling it up at the beach, we got to see the eagle come flying in. We were partially hidden by the trees, so he didn't see us right away. That allowed for a fairly close fly-by, and excellent sight of the eagle dropping his "landing gear" so that he could settle on a shoreline rock. No matter how many times I see these guys, it is always a thrill to experience their size and wingspan up close.

Rain on a vacation is probably one of the last things people picture in their minds as they are planning their trips. Imagine sitting around in mid-winter, drawing out the plans for a BWCA trip or cabin visit, and seeing rain in the images that come to mind. It just doesn't happen. That's because when we are thinking about it, we can choose whatever weather we want! While Greg and I were thinking about and reading up on Hawaii, we only saw sunny skies, blue oceans and sandy beaches. Fortunately, we had those for the majority of the trip, but we also had some days of rain. Imagine that--we all know it rains in Hawaii, of course, but certainly not while we are there! By the way, tomorrow I will post a few pictures of what we did on the island when it was raining. Like most folks, we didn't let the weather stop us.

But back to the Gunflint Trail. It's grand when it doesn't rain, but if it does, it's great to know that we will soon have another option for something to do on a wet day. If you read my post yesterday, you saw that I mentioned the Chik-Wauk Museum. This will be an excellent place to visit, and learn all about the history of the Gunflint Trail and its people. Here at Heston's, we are often in conversation about the early settlers and what it was like for them. Everyone up here is interested in the stories. Thanks to the work of a very dedicated group of volunteers, in partnership with the U. S. Forest Service, a home for housing the history and the artifacts will be up at the end of the Trail.

The grand opening is scheduled for July 4th. Beginning the 5th, the museum will hold regular hours through mid-October. Signs are in place, so it will be easy to find. Make plans to include Chik-Wauk in your vacation while you are here, but in the meantime, stop by their website and blog, and get to know a bit in advance. You can picture your own weather, and then when you come, you can tailor your activities accordingly. Nature trails make up a portion of the grounds of the museum, and so sunny days and rainy days both will be good times to visit.

Just Another One of "Those" Weeks

It's one of those weeks, where a problem keeps returning to vex me. In this case, it is a rash of outboard motor challenges. Over Memorial weekend, we had two motors go down in one swoop, when Greg and Paul were attempting to get the barge up and running. Of course, it had to be nine at night, as well, when friends had come to use it to reach their cabin. They ended up towing the barge, with their load of cabinets and other stuff. I love this picture of their trailer--they said several people on the highway had taken their photo. No wonder why!

We brought the two motors in to the repair shop, and after several days of determination, the guys had them running again. We picked them up and brought them home, and got them on to the boats. All was well for a moment or two, and then they quit on us. Unfortunately, one is just too old for the challenge of pushing a boat anymore, so we may have to leave that one for bluer lakes (greener pastures?)....or scrap, more likely. The other one, we hope, is still salvageable. Time will tell.

Now a third one has gasped, and so have I. The main thing for which I am grateful is that Greg and Paul are here to help deal with these challenges. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the waterfront, and in particular, learning about the outboards on my own, is not one of my strong suits. So glad to have help around!

This is a picture of Greg and our friend Chris. They are looking at an antique motor, a Johnson, just as the stand says. Greg isn't sure how old it is, but he says it's from the 1930's or 40's. It's another one of those old things around here, a part of our collection. Recently, the motor found a new home. The Gunflint Trail Historical Society will soon be opening the Chik Wauk Museum, up at the end of the Trail. The outboard is in one of the many exhibits. This will be a much better spot for it, rather than hidden away in a corner of our motorshed. I'm really glad that we didn't have to get this motor to run again....though that may have been an easier task than keeping our current motors in working order.

Sooner or later, our motor troubles will be behind us. In the meantime, I'm fixing up a boat with oars....not much can go wrong with that, right? On second thought, don't tell me.

Another Blueberry Update

Out and about last night, to transfer a car to the end of the Trail, I asked Greg to pull off on one of my favorite forest service roads near Seagull. Here is what we found:
Blueberries, and lots of them. Everywhere I looked, I saw bushes that were laden. Continued doses of rain and sun should help them along towards another healthy harvest.

It was difficult to walk, so as to not step on a bush. I missed seeing a black-backed woodpecker up close, as I was paying so much attention to my footing.

I baked up a batch of blueberry scones in the bread oven recently. Something tells me that more of these are in our future, given the looks of things in the two pictures above. Yum--can't wait!

Home Improvement

Or, Cabin Improvement, as the case may be. Don't you love it when a project finally all comes together? We have been planning for a while to raise the floor in the master bedroom of Diamond Willow cabin. But like all such tasks, it needed to wait its turn on the project priority list. Last December came, and the time was right. So we ordered the flooring from our good friend Greg of Hull's Sawmill. It is tongue-and-groove maple, a lovely honey color, with interesting shading throughout. My Greg went to work right away to raise the old floor, and install the new one.

Like any good resorters, we were working on a deadline, and as it approached, we identified the usual problems: not enough time, and not the best timing. The floor was in, and had been sanded, so it only needed a finish. Winter, however, is not a good time to be applying polyurethane when decent ventilation is needed. We opted to wait until spring, when we could open the windows and the warm air would assist in a shorter drying time. We put some scatter rugs down, and called it good enough for the cold season.

Two weeks ago, Addie and our friend James got busy and emptied the room of its furniture. They learned the fine art of sanding, which is a whole lot easier these days. No more sheets of sandpaper and blocks of wood. They used two orbital hand-held sanders and had it smooth in about an hour. Next, I showed them how to paint on the poly. Two coats later, and we have a beautiful finished floor in the cabin.

But wait there's more. The bonus of this project is that Greg took the opportunity to install a new door, leading out to the screen porch. He installed a screen door, as well, so now fresh lake breezes can readily waft into the cabin. A short ramp leads from the bedroom down into the screened porch.

And just outside the porch, the deck awaits folks in need of serious relaxation....Anyone interested?