These boys really know how to relax. Check out these 7 hammocks set up next to the lake. Great place to enjoy the full moon at night and the loons at dawn, or just an afternoon nap!
Spring Quilts 2014
This is one spring tradition we enjoy (or at least I do – not sure about Mary, as she has to do all the washing and hanging). As she washes up the bedding, one cabin at a time, the clothesline fills with all these colorful, homemade quilts. Each day is a new show with new colors and new patterns. This was a productive year, as Sarah and Mary made 6 more new quilts. This particular quilt caught my eye when it became backlit at the end of the day.
New Plants
“We have a birth announcement this morning…..” Mary answered our curious looks with the fact that her lobelia seeds had just germinated. So, in spite of our most recent attack of winter, the first step of our summer flowers has begun. Mary used to start thousands of plants in our furnace room under florescent lights, truly a humble beginning. But, for various reasons, she now starts only a few types. Some she can’t find locally and others like the lobelia, she just has better luck with her healthier, self-started stock. She also starts several hanging pots of bridal veil from the cuttings of last year’s plants. Five of these will hang in the court yard entrance to the lodge, adding understated, but important color and texture.
Moonrise swim
This moonrise coincided with a warm August evening and a cool-down swim. There is something about crawling into bed on a warm summer evening after cooling down your core with a swim in the lake.
Sunrise Wakeboarding
It looks like a sunset, but it is actually a sunrise. In late July, three of our kids headed out on the water about 5:30. Nate was wakeboarding, Sarah driving the boat, and Michaela taking pictures. This one was amazing. Notice the symmetry of the spray reflected in the water.
Resort Panorama
Half Moon Trail at dusk. Thanks to George Pfoertner for the extra effort involved in getting this shot.
Mid-summer Gardens
The gardens have filled out and are full of color. Here is a quick tour of some of the gardens at this stage of summer.
Spring Planting
The gardens have been planted. The following photos include the new garden shed, as well as a couple shots of Mary and Teri planting some pots.
Spring Green
The resort is starting to “green up”. The garden is worked up and ready for planting, Adirondack chairs refinished, and the hydrobikes serviced. But the carpetball tables are still stacked and knuckleball is still wrapped in its winter garb. We are getting there!
Spring Comparison
We have started our spring routine. Yesterday, one job was to plow a path to each cabin so we could access them for cleaning. Hope you enjoy the photos of what your resort looks like right now, compared to this time last year.
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!
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!
