Rusty and I have truly embraced the Ely community. However, there are still many times when we miss our beloved Lincoln friends. How many times did I spend Saturday morning with friends at The Mill? 100’s! Below are pics from Northern Grounds, the closest thing Ely has to The Mill.
 |
| Wine bar |
 |
| Coffee and more. |
Each year the seasons are a little different (especially with Climate Change!) and this past winter we were blessed with exceptionally heavy snow. Sadly for me, it also lasted about a month longer than usual.
 |
| For most of the winter we had over a 2 foot base, with many inches of snow on top. This is the path we take to the outhouse each morning. Winter provided plenty of opportunities for fun winter activities like hiking, cross-country skiing and winter fat-tire biking. |
 |
| Eventually the temps warmed and we enjoyed time on the porch. |
I spent a lot of time in Duluth working with a carpenter to “update” our home. We believed we would be spending quite a bit of time in Duluth, so I wanted the house to feel like “me”. On the main floor we put fresh paint on everything, ceiling to floor. All new window treatments everywhere. New lighting in each room. New sub floor with vinyl wood laminate flooring. Fireplace surround was totally rebuilt.
Updated kitchen with floating shelves, a “working sink” and quartz countertops. The whole house looked fabulous!
And then we decided we wanted to live permanently in Ely!
I’m on the board of AAUW, Rusty is on the board of WICOLA (White Iron Chain of Lakes Association), I’m active in EMPOWER, I belong to a book club, we both belong to a short story discussion group. Rusty fishes and golfs. I have found friends to bike with often, we have neighbors we enjoy having dinner with, etc. etc. Ely has really become our home.
It seemed only reasonable that we should sell our Duluth home.
 |
| First there was the mega-garage sale to get rid of tons of stuff that would never fit in the cabin. |
 |
| Then there were multiple car loads of moving stuff to Ely. |
 |
| We rented Trailer #89 at R&R Transfer to store the stuff that won’t fit in the cabin. |
Hopefully, 2024 will see the building a of a new garage to store the bikes, canoes, and the few items we feel we still want to hang on to.
 |
| Duluth is a hot real-estate market. We sold our house the day before it went on the market. We recouped our investment and got more than asking price! |
Our next project is making a big investment in our Ely cabin. We’ve lived in our cabin for a little under 2 years with no running water. It’s time for an upgrade. If our permit arrives in time (think “fighting city hall”) then Schulze Excavation will begin digging through rock to install a septic system. Rusty is the general contractor for this project. He has worked on the permit, the septic dig, and has commitments from a carpenter, a plumber and an electrician. Finding tradesmen is a huge deal up here. There are few of them and the outdoor work season is only about 5 months of the year.
 |
| A couple of weeks ago we replaced our 23-year-old roof. |
In the meantime, life goes on…
I made my first quilt this winter.
 |
| Birch Tree Quilt |
We join 30-80 folks over lunch for an hour and listen to captivating speakers. We have heard from university professors and other experts from all over the US about topics such as Researching Atmospheric Transportation of Mineral Dust, Climate Change, Clean Energy Economic Development in Northeast MN, The Life of Loons, The History of the White Pines in the US, Understanding the 1854 Treaty, etc. What an education we are receiving each week! All of the speakers are recorded and can be viewed on YouTube.
In February our local theater hosted its first-ever Film Festival. It was a 4-day event with over 30 films.
 |
| The State Theatre kept its retro style, but has been completely restored. |
I like to ride the Mesabi Trail which begins in Ely and goes 150 miles to Grand Rapids, MN.
 |
| The Mesabi Bike Trail is very hilly and wanders through forest and alongside lakes. Bears, moose and wolf likely to be spotted. https://mesabitrail.com/ |
Rusty enjoys fishing.
 |
| Lovely days paddling White Iron Lake. |
I’m taking a mountain bike class to develop skills for single-track riding.
 |
| Grant’s Ridge Bike Class |
Rusty built this fencing with gate to try and keep the deer away from my tomatoes.
Rusty is playing with the Ely All City Band on Tuesdays in the park.
 |
| Rehearsal |
 |
| Performance |
Tomorrow is Rock the Park, an evening event with lots of bands, fireworks, food trucks, etc.
The next day we are doing a quadrathalon (swim, bike, run, canoe) with people in our hood. Afterwards there will be a pot-luck dinner with a campfire and socializing.
There’s always something to do in Ely!
And tonight we celebrated 15 years of marriage!
 |
| We feel blessed! |
