The Legend Lives on...

from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitchee Gumee. (The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot)


I was always fascinated by Lake Superior and spending a few days on its shore last month have rekindled my interest. My new dream would be to spend some time in the late fall, early winter up in Grand Marais on the shores of the lake during a storm!! Ooooo, scary!!

I found this little fact filled nugget on the internet...

Not only is Lake Superior the largest of the Great Lakes, it also has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world. It contains almost 3,000 cubic miles of water. You would need all the other Great Lakes combined plus three additional Lake Eries to fill it. With an average depth approaching 500 feet, Superior also is the coldest and deepest (1,332 feet) of the Great Lakes. The lake stretches approximately 350 miles from west to east, and 160 miles north to south, with a shoreline almost 2,800 miles long. The drainage basin, totaling 49,300 square miles, encompasses parts of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario. Most of the Superior basin is sparsely populated, and heavily forested, with little agriculture because of a cool climate and poor soils.

References: Great Lakes Atlas, Environment Canada and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1995

To the left is Minnesota. You can see both Duluth and Grand Marais. Hmmm, I didn't know we were that close to the Canadian border!

Do you remember where you were when you heard about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975? I distinctly remember watching the local 10:00 news that evening in St. Paul when the breaking news at that point was that authorities lost communication with the vessel during a storm and considered it missing.

If you have the time (it's over 6 minutes long), click on this link for a very moving video tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald with the haunting Gordon Lightfoot song as background. It has wonderful old footage of the christening of the ship.

Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior. Although I have a photo just like this when I visited in 2003, this is borrowed from the internet. The lighthouse is no longer in use and is a historical monument, yet they light it every year on the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Now Where Was I???

Sorry for the delay in posts. Without home internet it's been quite complicated getting anything posted on this blog. And, with my photos on my home computer, I have to try and get a wireless signal from a neighbor and then hope I can get the photos sent to blogger before I get booted off! I was planning on getting wireless service but had to get my car in for some work to the tune of over $600.00 along with the fact that I need four new tires in the next couple of months. Wireless may have to be put off until next year. In defense of Bulldog though (my Honda Element), he IS six years old and I haven't put a penny into him beyond the usual oil changes. So except for the bad timing, I really can't complain.

Now, where was I?? Oh, we had left my niece's and drove to Duluth. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of Duluth. It's a great harbor town on the shores of Lake Superior. It was really a one horse town when I started visiting the city in the late 70s. Now there are lots of shops and eateries including a favorite candy shop called Hepzibahs. The shop was named after one of Duluth's pioneer women. My sister Debbie can never remember the name and would refer to it as "Hezb*llah," so now it is referred to as the terrorist chocolate shop! After stopping in a few shops and loading up on chocolate, we headed for Grand Marais.

Grand Marais is also a harbor town on Lake Superior but much farther north than Duluth. It's called the gateway to the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area). For being so far north and isolated, it is a real diverse town with a good size artistic community and WONDERFUL food! My sisters have all been to Grand Marais before but it was my first visit and I loved it. I think it would be breathtaking in fall and winter.

Just one of many eclectic shops. I was so mesmerized by the giant fish (northern pike?) that I cut off the other side of the building.

My sister Michele found a wonderful place to stay--Cobblestone Cove Villas. A group of townhouses right on the harbor, and they gave ME the master suite! You have the beauty of Lake Superior right out your window and the convenience of being within walking distance of downtown Grand Marais. How can you lose when the World's Best Donut Shop and a Frozen Custard shop are within a block of your townhouse?

Here's a view of the harbor from our deck.

A close up of the little lighthouse

You could walk along the man made harbor towards the lighthouse. Even though it's as wide as a sidewalk, it still made me nervous!

Here's a view from the man made harbor towards town and our townhouse. We stayed at the one furthest left with the sun shining on it.

This is my favorite photo. The sun was just setting and the fog was rolling in from the lake. I have to admit it though that it was my sister Becky that took this shot.

A peek into my room.

Quite a Room with a View!

Going up Nort

The first part of my mini vacation in Minnesota was driving up North (or up Nort as they say in Minnesota speak) to visit my niece Meagan who is a naturalist. She lives in an area where I think the loons outnumber the people. She and her adorable dog, Abby, live in a cute house on a lake with no neighbors in sight. I often think of myself as quite an independent woman, but I'm no match for Meagan. She is a true Woodswoman.

A view of her dock from Meagan's back yard. We heard loons that evening and in the morning.

For an example of her woodswomaness, a few winters ago she was driving home from work on a dark and snowy night. She struck a deer. The deer did major damage to the front of her car and was still alive but in critical condition. Meagan called the highway patrol. While waiting for them to arrive she sat down and put the deer's head on her lap and softly stroked it. The patrolman came and put the poor animal out of its misery. She asked if she could take the deer and the patrolman helped get the deer into her vehicle. When she arrived home, she dragged it to the barn on her property, hoisted it up, gutted it and made deer jerky. She then skinned it and she now has a beautiful tanned deerskin on her rocker. What a gal!

Ms Abby, getting ready to give us some lovin

Abby lounging on the back porch

We toured her place of work, the Long Lake Conservation Center. Schools around the state send students to spend overnight or a few days for intensive environmental and conservation education. Not in your school's budget? Check out the link for possible funding from a grant from the Jeffers Foundation. They also have occasional weekend retreats for adults. Any Minnesota nature photogs out there--Lynne, I'm looking at you! They are hosting a Fall Photography Retreat, October 2-4. An incredible resource smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

Meagan's house view from the back. I slept on that back porch. While lying there trying to get to sleep amongst all the quiet, I saw a huge shooting star streak across the sky.

Here she is! A woman who can charm the scales off a snake (whose name is Stan by the way). Check out that t-shirt!

Meagan was a wonderful host to her mom and three aunts, cooking up a tasty grilled chicken kabob dinner with sweet potato fries and a salad made from her own greens with a maple vinaigrette (made with her homemade maple syrup she harvested from sugar maples on her property.)

We left the next morning for a stop in Duluth then onto Grand Marais.

Out of Touch

Yes, that's me.

Possumlady has returned from the land of sky blue water. I came back a week ago from Minnesota where I spent a few glorious days celebrating my 50th birthday with my sisters. Oh, fyi, my actual birthday isn't until tomorrow. Just sayin....

Still on vacation until Wednesday, so without home internet service have not been able to post or comment (am borrowing someone's wireless right now---sshh!)

Anywho, thought I'd say hey. Will be back to posting when I return to work. I'll leave you with a photo of Lake Superior at Tettegouche State Park.

Chillin'

Not much to report here. It seems like the weather gods and goddesses finally woke up and gave us the kind of summer I've learned to expect around here. Hazy, Hot, and Humid, with the almost daily late afternoon pop up thunderstorm...just in case the humidity level was starting to drop. Oh lovely (she writes sarcastically). The only sound outside is the drone of all the air conditioners. Getting out of my car when I return home from work, I have to sprint to the front door or I'll be mobbed by mosquitoes. Even with the sprinting I never seem to be able to get in the door without 2-3 bites!

Because of a badly placed skylight, my air conditioner struggles in the intense heat and humidity. In the winter, the sun is lower and never seen through the skylight. In the summer, it looks like a search light coming through heating up the house for a good 3-4 hours every day. I've tried putting up room darkening film but it wouldn't stick because of the bubble shape of the old skylight. It really needs a a shade of some sort, but it would cost a pretty penny to have someone custom fit and install it. I know, I know...I've probably paid more in energy costs throughout the years.


Now, why was I even talking about the heat in the house?.....a few minutes go by as she sits pondering....

Oh yes, because of the cats. It always comes back to the cats, doesn't it? Coming home from work during these hot days, I'm no longer greeted at the door. I call out and start my search. Hmmm, one in the darkened tv room...one on the cool bathroom tile...one LYING IN THE LITTER BOX!! "OH GROSS APU--GET OUT OF THERE!" He slinks out of the litter box with a look that can only be interpreted as "what the heck is YOUR problem!"


Ahh, summertime. Hot, sticky days and stinky cats.




Oh my! I was originally adding this photo to show Sweet Pea just chillin', but now looking at it I almost expect him to start breathlessly quoting lines from The Maltese Falcon!

The Bestest Place on Earth

According to my cats, is.....

Mom's lap after she has been out of town. According to my neighbor who was taking care of my herd, the inside crew seemed quite depressed. Not one of them came out of the bedroom the entire time I was gone (well at least when my neighbor was there). Apu, I could understand. But Sweet Pea and Woody are so friendly and curious with everyone I was very surprised to hear this.

So, my first morning back I sat on the couch to see who would be first. Usually Woody is the lap hog, but as you can see from the above photo, Sweet Pea beat him to it. Woody decided to bide his time by chewing on his back leg, when all of a sudden he looked up and saw this...

Sweet Pea jumped down and Apu quietly sneaked up. I think you can see Woody's surprised expression. I believe he is saying "Wha hoppined?" Well enough is enough. Woody was not going to sit around waiting for Apu to leave.

He decided to squeeze his way onto my lap with Apu not giving an inch. Although I frequently joke about Woody's lack of intellectual muscle, he does have a few frequently used tricks up his sleeve.

Oh look at those devious eyes! He very slowly moves across my lap, making sure he is between me and the other cat. This results in one of two things. Either the first cat will feel too squeezed and will jump off, or in the close quarters will start grooming Woody. It's a win-win situation as far as Woody is concerned.

This time, Woody got to share my lap and get groomed. What a deal!

If I'm Going Crazy it Must be July!

Yet, you would NEVER know it was July with the weather we've been having. Absolutely wonderful. Highs in the low 80s, low humidity and the nights cool down to the low 60s. Just heavenly. I think we've had maybe two really bad HHH days so far this summer (Hazy, Hot, and Humid). It must be a record.



I must say that the weather has really made preparing for our July Board meetings easier to bear. If you think it seems like I'm always writing about preparing for another board meeting, believe me, it certainly feels that way to me too! Yes, I'm off to Portland, Oregon this weekend. I know I'm a broken record on this, but I really do hate traveling and attending these meetings. Always needing to be on call, never being able to let your guard down and relax, always worrying about taking minutes and hoping the food and activities I've selected meet with everyone's approval. The only upside is not having to cook for a few days. But that is offset by worrying about my furbies back home and hoping they are all okay. I've already been preparing them by telling them that my neighbor will be coming by twice a day to look in on them and feed and brush them. And, to make me feel better, I remind myself that a week from today, I'll be back home again!

Windows open, cats lounging in the evening breeze. It doesn't get much better then this. Take care everyone and maybe I'll send you a post from Portland. But if there isn't enough time, I'll be back in a week.