The end of a season...the beginning of a new chapter for all!

I cannot believe that the summer season is over already!  It seems like just yesterday I rushed to open the blinds in the cabin to see if the ice had completely  melted from the lake yet so we could put the boat in the water.  It really does seem my grandparents and parents were right all those years when they told me to enjoy each day because life goes faster and faster the older you get.  I do believe they were right.

This summer I truly did take their advice.  For the first time in my adult life I took advantage of our move to Minnesota and closing down my business in Iowa as an opportunity to try and get rid of all the stress I had accumulated in me (without even knowing I might add).  I must admit it wasn't as easy to take the time off as I had expected.  There were feelings of guilt for not being "useful" and "contributing"; feelings of loneliness at times; feelings of "what if no one ever wants to hire me again"; feelings of blah, blah, blah.  I really didn't start my relaxation time until late June and what I found is it took about three weeks for me to really start to relax.  As the next few weeks went by I could almost feel the stress leaving me and realized just how uptight I had become due to the pressures of having the business and being in the field I was in.

So...for the next four to five weeks I really just started to reflect on what really used to make me get excited and it was the simple things in life.  I read a fabulous book that helped me put it in prospective.  It was called 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller.  It helps to guide you through thinking back when you were a little kid and dreamed of what you might want to be when you grew up.  It definitely helped me and would recommend it to anyone wanting to change up their professional life.  I discovered that it wasn't the nice dinners, the trips, the "stuff" we all work so hard to have.  It was the quality time with my family when I got it.  It was sitting on the deck with a cup in the coffee in the early morning looking out at the lake or a fire by the lake with family and/or friends.  I realized in those few weeks that my feeling of peace is very simple to have if I choose to have it.  It's up to me to make the choices with my life to stay in line with my real priorities.  That's why I think the cabin is so very important to me.  I found out this summer that it truly took very little to sustain me while I was at the cabin.  I didn't feel like I needed any of the extras that I feel I need while in the city.  I also know why that is now.  I don't like being in the city!  I think so many people feel this way though, so at least I don't feel alone in this.  So many of us are forced to be in the city in order to provide for ourselves and our families, but given the chance we would chuck it for a more quiet and peaceful existence.  

I thought I would share a few recent experiences that I had during my last few weekends at the lake.  My husband, daughter and I were spending the day on the lake a few weekends ago and had stopped fishing to just slowly cruise around the lake in and out of some bays that we don't normally boat into.  We both love to look at the shoreline, different cabins, and views from the lake.  On this particular day we got to experience two different events that were new to all of us.  We were boating by White Eagle Resort on the lake when we noticed a bride and groom with their wedding party down by the dock at the resort.  Then we noticed a float plane coming into the dock.  This beautiful spot on the lake had just been the location for the beginning of a new marriage for this young couple.  "How absolutely perfect!", I thought.  It was a beautiful summer day with little wind and a lot of sunshine.  A float plane ride over the lake would have been the perfect way to make a grand entrance for the reception location!  I was trying to capture the event with a picture of the wedding party, but realize I wasn't going to be able to get a picture without getting too close and that would have been rude.  So....you'll just have to imagine the bride in her long white dress, the groom and groomsmen in their black tuxes and the bridesmaids in their ruby red long dresses.  Quite a sight!

Upon starting back into our cruise we had a couple of loons decide to come close to our boat and check us out.  My husband stopped the boat so that we could possible capture a picture or two.  When they got closer to us I realized that this was a mother loon with her first year offspring.  It was so obvious to us that she was giving the little loon a few lessons that afternoon.  I captured a picture to share with you.  

I went back to the cabin and researched on the DNR's web site about the loon.  I didn't realize that Minnesota had the most number of loons of any state in the nation except Alaska! 

The male loon is slightly larger than the female loon and is usually  between 8-12 pounds when fully grown.  They are known for their red eyes which allows them to see under water better.  They are also noticed by their black bill and their summer coat which shows off the spotty black and white feathers with a black iridescent green head. In the winter months their black and white spotty exterior is replaced with gray above and white below.

Loons don't start to reproduce until they reach 3-4 years of age.  The male chooses the territory and then goes to work attracting a female.  They will build a nest out of weeds and grasses on the edge of the water and will share in the incubation of 1-2 eggs each season.  The eggs will take generally 28-30 days.  Young loons are blackish brown when born and are carted around by one of the parents on their backs in order to keep them safe from predators (larger fish and turtles).  The young aren't able to fly for the first two months, so this is critical for their survival.

In September loons begin to migrate south to the Atlantic coast from North Carolina all the south to Florida.  The adult loons migrate first in September and the young follow the migration 2-4 weeks later.

A few other interesting facts I found was that a loon needs 100'-600' of runway in order to fly because of their solid bone structure which allows them to dive so deep under water.  They can fly up to 75 miles per hour and can live up to 30 years.

So now that summer is officially over and the leaves are turning vibrant colors I'm back in the city and anticipating my new job that starts October 3rd.  I'll forever feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to spend an entire summer at the lake.  Knowing that I'll probably not be given this opportunity again until retirement, I'll be holding tight to the memories that I have and trying to keep those "priorities" straight in this new career I'm embarking upon.

I'll be making every attempt to continue blogging on a weekly basis to continue sharing my up north experiences.  It won't be more than three months from now that you'll get to share in my favorite time up north when snowmobile season kicks in.  YES!  Vroom.....Vroom!

"The Walleye Sisters"

As the air starts to turn cooler and the leaves start to turn my family gets both a sense of excitement about the upcoming snowmobile season and a sense of gloom.  The gloom is due to one of our favorite places to visit up north shutting down until next spring.  

  

As with many things in life, good things and places come to those who have patience and wait for the best to appear.  One of those places for us is Nelson’s Resort on Crane Lake in northern Minnesota.  

Nelson’s Resort was started by John and Millie Nelson in 1931.  With one and a half miles of shoreline, quaint log cabins, lodge, and beautiful views of Crane Lake, it truly offers families, couples and even honeymooners a memory that will last a lifetime. 

Nelsons offers both one and two bedroom cabins for rent, a full service restaurant and lounge and many activities to enjoy.  The facilities include a swimming beach, hiking trails, game room, sauna, playground, canoes, volleyball, laundry facilities, boat launch, wireless internet and general store with clothing and accessories to purchase. 

 Our family has never stayed at Nelsons, but we make it a point to travel from our lake home to Crane Lake several times each summer season to enjoy a great meal in the restaurant and soak up the views.  We’ve also taken a Van Air float plane ride from our dock to Nelsons for a special anniversary meal.  What a treat!  

The restaurant serves many great things, but I always enjoy knowing that some of the fresh ingredients I'm eating were grown right on the resort's site in Millie's Garden.  The garden produces much of the fresh ingredients served to the customers.  I know I was enjoying some of the fresh baby carrots the other night in my salad!  They were great!  The garden is now tended by Millie's granddaughter, Jacque.  I'm sure Millie would be proud to know her legacy lives on. 

The lounge offers a pianist Thursday through Saturday evenings for additional ambiance.  If you get a chance to get there early, it’s always nice to start the night off with a glass of wine on their recently built deck area overlooking the resort and lake.  Be sure to also ask for their hot fudge brownie sundae for desert.  I won’t say it’s Weight Watcher friendly, but if my husband orders it I make sure I get at least two savory bites each time.  Terrific!  

This past Saturday night we drove up to Nelsons for what is probably our last visit in 2011.  They will be closing at the end of the month for the winter season and re-opening next spring again.   We enjoyed yet another great meal at the lodge and even got to have fun visiting with some guests staying at the resort. 

 

There were three couples enjoying a fun night together in the restaurant that night.  When they came in to be seated I immediately noticed that the three women were wearing walleye fish hats on their heads.  The couples were having so much fun together it almost made me want to join in on their fun.  Because our tables were seated next to one another it was possible for me to overhear that the ladies had won a friendly fishing contest with their male counterparts.  Their special crowns that night were displaying proudly their win.  I thought to myself, “What can better be an example of an up north girl experience than this?” so I boldly went over to their table and explained that I would love to take their pictures and include them in my blog.  Without a pause they all jumped up and said, “We would love it!  Where do you want us?  Is in front of the fireplace ok?”

As I’ve taken this summer to reflect on what I want the next forty-five years of my life to “look” like…..this was it!  I wanted to take time to get to know these women and learn what made them tick.  They were having fun and obviously living life to its fullest that evening.  They were able to laugh at not only each other but themselves and not give a care to what anyone else in the lodge was thinking.  I only inspire to be that carefree and fun.  Thank you ladies for showing me how it can be done!

As I continue to read on the book “50” is the New Fifty by Suzanne Braun Levine I read a passage yesterday that made me think again of my new friends at Nelson’s Resort proudly displaying their fish trophies.  Her chapter entitled “a circle of trust is a must” talks about women’s friendships and how important they are.  Furthermore it talks about how studies are now showing that women’s friendships are possibly a reason why women outlive their male counterparts.  

Ms. Levine quotes a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Melissa Healy, who said the following:

            Women are keepers of each other’s secrets, boosters of one another’s wavering confidence, co-conspirators in life’s adventures.  Through laughter, tears and an inexhaustible river of talk, they keep each other well, and make each other better. 

            Across species and throughout human cultures, females have banded together for protection and mutual support.  They have groomed each other, tended each other’s young, nursed each other in illness and engaged in the kind of aimless sociability that has generally mystified male anthropologists.

            But the power of girlfriends is beginning to yield its secrets to science.  For women, friendship not only rules, it protects.  It buffers the hardships of life’s transitions; it lowers blood pressure, boosts immunity and promotes healing.  It may help explain one of medical science’s most enduring mysteries: why women, on average, have lower rates of heart disease and longer life expectancies than men. 

Maybe the ladies I met at Nelson’s Resort this Saturday have figured out this secret already and are living it!  I suggest we all get this secret figured out and put having fun in life at the top of our priority list!

A general store and more!

A place everyone must visit on Lake Vermilion is Moosebirds!  My family loves to stop by the general store not because of what items they have to purchase really (although they have it all), but for the nostalgic feel of the store with the friendly staff.  Owned by Ron and Sue Martin, Moosebirds is known on the lake for having the best ice cream cones!  People come from all over the lake to enjoy one of their special flavors offered each week.

Moosebirds is accessible from the lake or Highway 24 and offers food, clothing, gift items, jewelry, coffee, wifi access, and don't forget the ice cream!  If Ron and Sue aren't there to greet you at the cash register, one of their staff will help you with a smile.

Moosebirds also has cabin rental, boat rental, camping supplies and my husband says the BEST bait on the lake!  A new feature they offer is on-line shopping for supplies.  What a great idea for incoming guests they may have or someone coming up for a weekend with limited time to pick up supplies.

I personally look forward to going in each year in the spring and picking out my new sweatshirt or t-shirt for the season.  I always let myself buy one a season from Moosebirds because I love their selection.

So what is a Moosebird anyway?  Well....the legend is that the lumberjacks nicknamed the Canadian Jay the Moosebird because is would catch a ride on the antlers of the Moose in the northwoods.  The Moosebird is known also to be a greyish-blue bird that will come take food right from your hand if offered to them.

The dictionary describes the bird:  The Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis), also Grey Jay, Canada Jay, or Whiskey Jack,^[2] is a member of the crow and jay family (Corvidae) found in the boreal forests across North America north to the tree-line and in subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains south to New Mexico and Arizona. It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, the others being the Siberian Jay, P. infaustus, found from Norway to eastern Russia and the Sichuan Jay, P. internigrans, restricted to the mountains of eastern Tibet and northwestern Sichuan. All three species store food and live year-round on permanent territories in coniferous forests.

Here's a photograph of a Moosebird found on the internet.



Whether you have an opportunity to ever see an actual Canadian Jay be sure to check out Moosebirds on Lake Vermilion!  I promise you'll be welcomed with smiles, great service and great ice cream!