The gate survived its first winter.
Everythng looks pretty much how I left it.
Except for a few thousand Asian beetles the log cabin looks the same too.
After a long dark winter the ducks are free.
Another sign of spring: Burney and I are off for our first bass fishing trip of the year.
And I did catch a Bass,
The three amigos at La Pasta for Friday breakfast.
The water is on in the log cabin. Now to do something about the Asian beetles: 7 or 8 runs of the Roomba and a few hours with the Rocket vacuum should do it.
In Bemidji today buying a new mattress for the hill house. No, I did not strap it on top of my car and bring it home.
A Mantrap mystery. This derelict boat with a trolling motor has been abandoned here since last fall. No boat registration, no claim of ownership, no dead body near by.
Wind and rain for a few days. This is just a baby tree that I could take care of with the hand saw I keep in the trunk.
Finally a bass worthy of a picture: 3.2 lbs. I caught him at the pilings. There are always fish at the pilings.
The log cabin is clean and (for the moment) bug free.
I installed some under cabinet lighting up here in the kitchen.
Dinner with Barb and Burney (behind the camera) after a successful afternoon of fishing.
I'll try a Fuschia again this year.
Dock and boat are ready to go. I know it's late but this year I got someone to do it for me. Don't judge me.
The Little Free Library is in the shop for repairs. It became unattached from the 4x4 post..
First outing in my boat with Burney.
This metal bracket is what I should have use from the start.
Janet's Free Little Library is open for business again.
With all the rain we've had this spring my lilac has really bloomed.
Dorothy sent me new bedspreads for the bunk beds. This inspired me to wrestle those weird onepiece sheets onto the matresses.
New (more comfortable) seat for bench #4.
Just passing through.
The bear came back and knocked down the bird feeder again. Now he's just sitting there at the edge of the yard watching me put it back up.
The tilt mechanism on the trolling motor broke. Amazon is sending a replacement part. Fortunately I have a spare trolling motor.
Somebody from Arvig came today and sprayed an orange strip and planted an orange flag every 10 yards along the road. Maybe I will get a fiber optic line here after all.
It appears as if Arvig is really going to run fiber to the cabin. This guy will plow in the cable all the way to the gate to connect with the main trunk.
They had to hand trench from the shed to the house because of all the existing wires and pipes. The clam shell will go where the old phone junction was.
Rob, Terri, Brandon, Kaitlin and Rhys arrive (and Riley and Roxie too).
Rob rented a real bass boat for a week. This is a lot nicer than mine.
New blinds on the big west facing window in the log cabin.
I want to replace the rear boat bench.
Rhys' first fish.
Time for the annual painting of the deck railing.
Riley, Terri and Rob head back to Denver.
Brandon, Kaitlin, Rhys and Roxie head back to Houston. I hope they have electricity by the time they get there.
Cooler today with no rain. I can start repainting the white trim on the log cabin. West side in the morning and east side in the evening.
Back working on the rear boat bench.
The bench is assembled (glued and screwed). I'm usinbg Bondo to fill the screw holes and voids.
My 2024 T-shirt from Dorothy. "Preserve Old Growth'". That's a sentiment I can get behind.
One coat of primer and two coats of this special marine paint. I think I'll give it one more coat. I need to wait 24 hours between coats.
New, improved, bench with sliding seat. Nothing to it.
Mini split for the log cabin. I will paint the white PVC chase brown.
Cool off the cabin on a hot summer day,
Heat up the bedroom on a chilly fall night.
Fischer's 13th annual neighborhood party.
I've been lucky so far this year- until now. This and another on the way back to the cabin. I had to walk in to get the chain saw.
Burney, Barb, Bill Mills and I went to the Northern Lights Opera presentation of Chicago. Great fun.
This screen door just might be original to the cabin. How many times has it been slammed? It's falling apart.
It's high time for a new screen door.
Dorothy arrives.
Dinner with Burney and Barb: fish provençal.
Dorothy flies back to Detroit. It's always fun to have her vivit.
Rob, Terri & Riley arrive.
A couple of light bulbs in the ceiling fan need replacing. All we need is someone who isn't afraid to get on a tall ladder.
Rob practicing recaulking windows. He's getting pretty good at it.
Andrew and Crystal arrive. Banzai and Addy are so happy to be out of the truck that they are raing around like lunatics.
Arvig installed fiber for my Internet. Starlink was good but this is better.
Rob and Terri head back to Denver. Riley, not wanting to be left behind, is already in the car.
Andrew is using the old gate to drag the road. This is very reminiscent of what we did 50 years ago.
Andrew, Crystal, Banzai and Addy drive back to Houston. Congratulations.
I canceled Starlink today. It was excellent but cannot compete with fiber.
Dave Sauer, a neighbor over on Steamboat Bay, has a bobcat with a brush cutter attachment. He made a trip in and out of the driveway. Amazing.
Jim arrived. This is his first visit since the blowdown.
The last breakfast with "the guys" for the season.
Jim heads back to Illinois with a stopover at Paisley Park in Minneapolis.
Chris flew in from Florida.
Installed a foot operated door closer on the new screen door.
Dinner with the Fischer's. They are leaving in a few days.
Dorothy sent this nice framed picture of the cabin in the snow. I'll be gone before it looks like this.
Rob reglazed this window when he was here. I just painted the metal mullions black.
I've hoping to see a hummingbird for a week now. I guess it's time to face reality and take the feeder in. Another sign summer is over.
New deeper shelves in the log cabin bathroom.
The new boat bench is failing. This is at least in part because the boat is so far below the dock that when I jump down on the bench it just cannot handle it. Maybe I shouldn't jump.
No mosquitoes, tick or deer flies. If I'm ever going to open up that path south of the cabin this is the time.
That isn't to imply that there are no bugs. The Asian beetles have just started to arrive.
Bass over 1 pound
Total number: 48
Tota1 pounds: 94.9
Biggest: 4.3
35th Annual Bass Tournament
Bill (8) 18.2
Chris (17) 42.0
The boat (and the ducks) are safely tucked away in the boathouse.
Bad windstorm last night fortunately this uprooted tree missed the cabin.
The water is drained and the dock is in the boathouse. This should get easier every year shouldn't it?
Chris heads back to Florida (just in time for Milton). Thanks for the seminar on bass fishing.
The brace to the tamarack tree by the boathouse broke. I replaced the wire rope with a chain. I don't kmow if this does any good.
I finished painting the mullions on the front window. I'd like to take credit for this but Chris did the lower three rows.
The loag cabin is closed for the year: water heater off, refrigerator emptied and defrosted. Rick Ronnebaum will drain the water afer I leave.
The log cabin and the boathouse are locked up for the winter.
I hope I thought of everything. If not I'll find out next spring.
One last look over my shoulder as I drive away. Sigh.