Bass on a Stick

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One of my favorite things is when kids catch fish, big or small. This is an older photo of my nephew, proudly showing off his bass, which literally was caught on that stick. He was up to visit with his family. They rigged up poplar branches with hook and line, and fished right from the dock. Sam impressed me a lot with his skill in landing this fellow. For other, more experienced fishermen, this may not have qualified as a keeper, but in my book, it was.

We've had an assortment of fishing folks in this past week, and it has been a challenge. The weather was not really in our favor, as many days brought rain. Since the water level remains low, it was a lot of work to get up in to North Lake. Once there, it seemed that fishing was best for northern and small-mouth bass. The trout and walleye have been hiding more than usual. One family has been exploring new territory by trailering their boat up to Seagull, and learning about a different lake. It's all an adventure.

Even with the rainy days, folks seem pretty happy. It really is true, the worst day of fishing is still better than the best day at work. Sitting around the campfire last night, we had a great time re-telling the fishing stories of the past. It all helps to create new memories, things to add to the library of good times. It's those moments that sustain as we continue onward.

Things We Saw on Our Vacation

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As remarkable as it might seem, sometimes extraordinary things just aren't happening on Gunflint Lake. What is a blogger to do then? Well, in my case, I am going to post some more pictures of our recent trip to Hawaii. One of my loyal readers commented that she has been waiting to see some of these photos, so here is another sampling.

As I was going through my album, I was again reminded of how we Minnesotans love water. I thought about a trip that my boys and I took in 2004, down to the high desert of New Mexico. We were intent on backpacking, which went fine, until the stream we were following ran dry. At that point, we decided it was time to head on back out. It just feels natural for us to be near a body of water. The ocean, as seen above, is a major body, no doubt about it. I've visited the Pacific and the Atlantic before, but had never really gone swimming in either, and hadn't done any snorkeling. It took some getting used to, as well as becoming comfortable with salt water. I didn't realize how spoiled I am to live on such a great freshwater lake as Gunflint. The ocean was warmer than our lake, but I was surprised that it wasn't as warm as I expected.

Probably because we traveled in a bus for so many years, these vehicles are near and dear to our hearts. We always notice them on our journeys, and quite often take pictures of them. Though we did not buy a smoothie from this vendor, we did enjoy those tropical fruit delights in other places.
I often say, when asked why I would want to leave Gunflint Lake to vacation elsewhere, that it is to see other peoples' trees. We were not disappointed. These are painted eucalyptus, an amazing tree. There does not seem to be any bark as we know it, and they have vivid colors growing right in their trunks. Definitely not like any we've ever seen before.
Without a doubt, the most exciting part of the trip for me was to see the whales. I should probably write a separate post about that, though I think I'll wait until I can use some of our friend Ruth's photos to illustrate it. This is the best I could do for a tail shot...

Finally, for now, this flower's structure makes me sigh with the perfection of its beauty. I love the spiral of the petals. My eye follows it around to the tight inner circle, and I am truly amazed. I don't even know what it is called, but it has me spellbound.

More pictures in a few days, unless something big happens around here!

A Paddling Sort of Moment

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If it is a dead-calm moment on Gunflint Lake, it's best to quickly grab a canoe and seize the opportunity. That is exactly what we did on Saturday night, after making pizza in the bread oven. I looked down at the lake, and asked Greg what he was doing. I told him that it was time for us to slap the stickers on the Wenonah, and take it for a quick spin. He bought the canoe several years ago at the North House's boats-to-tools auction. As far as my memory serves, I could only recall taking one short ride in it. Last year, I renewed the license, and never even got around to putting it on the craft. Now that's bad. I wasn't going to let that happen again this year.

He found the wooden paddles, we dusted the cobwebs off of the canoe, and launched from the side of the dock. It was so peaceful as he steered us towards the point, and then around. Suddenly, though, I could feel the power in his paddle strokes, as we began to lunge forward. I picked up the pace from my own rather relaxing paddling, and I asked if we were suddenly in a race. He said no, it just felt really good to be out there. Just ahead, I could see a loon, and we headed in its direction.

We are so fortunate to hear the loons often throughout the summer. I also get to observe them swimming near the main dock, or past the beach when I am walking by. If I get out on the lake, it is usually by motorboat, and the loons are off in the distance. What a treat, then, to be able to drift near this fellow. He circled us several times, and uttered a few soft calls. With the aid of my zoom lens on the point-and-shoot camera, I was able to get a fairly adequate shot of him. Then he headed off to the north, and we turned towards home.

We continue in the pattern of cloudy, grey skies, occasional showers, and cooler temps. But while we were out on the water, none of that mattered. The moment of quiet, surrounded by the shores of Gunflint Lake was enough to make me forget all about the weather, and just enjoy the riches literally at my doorstep.