For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Michaela. I am a born-and-raised resort kid. I spent my summers fishing and swimming with a new batch of friends delivered each week. Now that I am a bit older, my hobbies are really just an extension of the way I grew up. I upgraded from a Barbie pole off the Boot Lake dock to a fly rod, exploring the fishiest waters I can find. If I wind up a little too sunburned and have to spend recreational time inside, you will likely find me with a pencil in hand or sawdust in my hair.

If you are interested in booking a session, I would love to hear from you via my email, kayla.ahrendt@gmail.com. I am booking one or two sessions a week on a first-come-first-serve basis, so if you want to ensure a spot, be sure to contact me ahead of time.  I encourage you to go check out my website http://MichaelaAhrendt.com or my Instagram page, @kayla_ahrendt, to see some of my work!

This spring fishing season has been atypical, the weather being unseasonably warm early on and hitting a cold stretch later in May. Mid-depth weed lines are beginning to fill out and seem to be the best place to find northern pike. The crappie bite was good about a week ago, although I haven’t heard any recent reports.

Targeting structures like downed trees with minnows for crappie seemed to be the ticket. Working shallow reed lines and lily pads with a jig and plastics has brought in some good-sized largemouth bass so far this spring. A personal favorite of mine lately on a newly acquired fly rod, sunfish and bluegill have been aggressive in the shallow to mid-depth weed beds.

A day boiling sap is one to be relished. With hours of watching, mixing and skimming sap there is time to laugh and tell stories, or just sit in appreciative silence. Seventy-five gallons of sap are transferred from our bucket seats to the boiling pans over the fire in intervals. As the day wears on the sap deepens to amber and careful watching begins. The turning point from sap to syrup is 219 degrees. The temperature climbs slowly: 215, 216, 217, 218 and finally 219. Dad and Ryan have been standing ready and can now filter the thickening liquid. The only thing left to do after filtering is to transfer it into jars and set it in the pantry. It will be enjoyed throughout the year with the satisfaction that comes from the memories that went into making it.

Fall at the resort is beautiful, and a time that our family thoroughly enjoys. Mom (Mary), myself, and our garden crew were hard at work this past week working on the gardens.  We go through the gardens in the fall, making note of plants that did well, some others that didn’t, and things we would like to try next season.  It’s also a time that we split perennial plants that have grown too large for their current spot in the garden, which is what we are doing in the last photo below. Lastly, we put the gardens to bed for the winter. The first two photos are before and after we have winterized one of the gardens. Winterizing requires cutting most of the perennial plants down, pulling the annuals, and saving any bulbs that we take inside to replant next season. All of plants that we pull or cut are then composted, making nutrient rich compost for adding to the gardens in future years.