Here is a reminder that summer is coming! George Pfoertner likes to shoot from a kayak and this is one gem from an earlier trip. Thanks George.
Itasca in Winter
Stopped by Itasca State Park earlier this winter to see the headwaters of the Mississippi in winter. No doubt, many of you have walked across this river on these rocks.
Boot Lake Fish Houses
A fish house on Boot Lake is a rare sight. Our lake just does not see much winter fishing pressure. There have been a few more houses than normal this year, including this bright red one, but we typically only see one or two at a time plus an occasional portable. And we have “dark houses” too. A dark house is, just as the name implies, dark. Blocking out all the light helps a spear fisherman see his decoy (a wooden or live minnow) and also the northern pike that come to investigate. I would guess most of the ice angling on Boot Lake is for pike also. We have usually pulled our house off by now. The heavy snow cover pushes water up through any opening, flooding the lake with water which in turn, saturates the snow around the house and freezes it in. We have had to chip our house out (or use the chain saw) once or twice and it is a job we vow to never do again!
January Sauna
Do you remember the cold snap Minnesota experienced in late January (as in -36)? During that cold week our family took a sauna at least 3 of those evenings, which is our normal pattern during the winter months. Here is a post I wrote after one of those nights.
Our sauna routine is a fairly common occurrence during the winter. Friday night three of the kids and I took a particularly hot one. After we cook, we like to cool down outside and last night was awesome… very cold, a bright full moon, and dead calm; as we settled into our towel draped chairs, the 9 below temperature accentuated the steam pouring off our bodies. Our small talk faded into silence, as we all just sat and appreciated the night. By the time we were fully cooled off our hair was frosty and our suits frozen.
As an addendum to this post, during the following night’s cool down, we clearly heard a pack of wolves howling across the lake. Now, hearing coyotes is common, but these wolves were a rare treat.
Making Quilts
This is the time of year Mary makes quilts for the cabins. Typically, she will cut out and sew four quilts each winter. (She is very grateful that others do pitch in and help from time to time, but, by and large, she does most of the heavy lifting in this area.) The first couple quilts were simply old spreads sandwiched between new “woodsy” décor sheets and then tied, rather than quilted. Now, after sewing all the squares together, she will use a company out of Blackduck, MN called Anderson Fabrics to apply the batting and backing; these layers are then machine quilted. This also happens to be the best place she has found to purchase her fabric. Here is their FaceBook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anderson-Factory-Outlet-and-Quilt-Shop/160246990672246 and Webpage http://www.andersonfabrics.com/. The binding still needs to be added by hand stitching. Fortunately, she has help for this from Betty (as in “Tom and Betty”, the couple from AZ who have spent many summers here, helping us run the resort). This will be a busy quilting season, as she hopes to finish eight quilts. We will then be up to 58 quilts, with only cabin 11 left!
February Sunrise
Another beautiful day at the lake!
Big Snow
Yesterday was spent digging out from a major snowfall. We had sleet and rain through the day (Monday) which turned to a heavy, wet snow by evening. Not sure what the official accumulation was, but before this started the weber grills were free of snow.
Winter Bubbles
Sharing a couple photos from last winter with Michaela and Katherine. It was very cold on this night and these bubbles froze instantly. Notice the ghost image of Katherine in the bubble below. You never know what those two will come up with for fun!
Snowboarding on Boot Lake
Nate has a bad case of cabin fever! Last night he began his insistent “Let’s do something FUN!” To fully appreciate our discussion, remember there is a big difference between how a 17 and 57 year old define the word “FUN”. Today he prodded and pulled until we finally acquiesced into his plan for the day: snowboarding behind the truck. The 16 inch bar of the chain saw plunged straight down into the ice told us it was safe. So, in spite of the blustery conditions (0 degrees and 20 m/hr winds), we all bundled up and piled into the truck. We grabbed an old ski rope and the kids squeezed into snowboard boots that didn’t really fit anymore. At the public access, we noticed we weren’t the first vehicle on the ice, so that was reassuring. We started slow, but by the end of the afternoon the kids were looking for drifts to jump and were up to speeds that had Dad, the driver, feeling uncomfortable. Here is a fun video if you have one minute. Be sure and look for the amazing sundog which will appear at about the halfway point!
Amazing Night Photography
Every year George Pfoertner spends part of his vacation shooting Boot Lake at night. Obviously, with so little light, he must use a tripod and very long shutter speeds. One of his tricks that I find fascinating is when he “paints” in the foreground subjects with light; using a flash or sometimes just a flashlight. On the other hand, except for the stars in the sky, photos taken with a substantial full moon can look a lot like a daytime photo. I think my favorite is the vertical photo (above) of a single boat at the dock. The line of white and colored light on the lake is from a boat that passed while the shot was being exposed. But what I really like is the way all the stars are circling around the North Star in the center. I don’t remember how long he exposed this, but it must have been awhile to get the long lines of light from the moving stars! Note: for more information on George, including his web site, see the side bar at right.
Sunrise Kayak
If you are ready to break up your winter with the sound of waves and loons, plus a kayaker paddling off into a misty sunrise check out this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc4ZwFM5Bng
Frosty Morning 2
Here is the second installment of the frosty morning photos. In addition to the frost, several photos show frozen water droplets, evidence of the rain that preceded the snow and frost. The rose-colored backgrounds and highlights are indicative of the rising sun. The kids were home for Christmas this past weekend. Plenty of relaxing, with a little grouse hunting in the snow. Nate had one nice shot, so we did have something to show for our efforts. Ryan and Liz came up empty-handed after trying to spear a northern in the dark house. Plus, we had a couple of great meals, a ski, and a sauna; all in all, a nice Christmas.
