August 2024

 I seem to be so busy enjoying life that I don't get around to blogging very often.  Here are some of the highlights.

One of the things I love most about our Ely community is it's inclusion of all peoples in various events.  In the early spring an outdoor party was held at Seimer's Beach and there were tiny babies all the way to aging seniors.  Multi-generational is a big deal.

Some enjoyed the bonfire and others dipped into the lake.

Me with my Ely friends: Ruth, Autumn, Jodi and Linda.

The mosquitoes up here are pretty nasty in the spring, and this year was a remarkable year.  I decided I needed to have a screened in porch.

Our carpenter, Chad, had to be totally covered while working among the voracious mosquitoes.

I'm really happy with the finished product!

Since our cabin does not have a basement, our newest building is a combination garage and storage space.

Forms and rebar

Pouring the cement pad

Walls begin going up

Almost looks like a garage.

Thanks to Rusty (and a little help from me) we now have 18 feet of shelving in the storage half of our new garage.

The spruce budworm came through this area a few years ago and has left everyone with many dead balsam trees.  We are doing our best to mitigate the fire danger by sawing down many trees each month and then limbing them and hauling them to a nearby transfer station.

I spent many months completing a video about my Dad.  It gave much history about my family and the kind of person my Dad was.  It was well received by many of my relatives.  It was a labor of love.

I had the opportunity to travel with my two cousins, Linda and Nina, to Twin Falls, ID and spend some time with my Mom and Darlene and family.

Di, Linda, Nina

Dar, Mom, Nina, Linda, me.

Me, Mom, Dar

While we were there, Dar and Tom celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Nina, Di, Dar, Tom, Linda

On Flag Day we saluted our recently departed cousin, Jack.  On Father's Day Tom shared his gift of fresh oysters from Kelly. Yummy!!!!

Kelly & Tom

While waiting for my plane in Minnesota, I enjoyed catching up with cousin Barb and her husband, Bill.

We don't have a laundry facility in our cabin, so periodically I load things up and go into town.  The new owners of one of the laundromats has been rather creative in naming their machines.

Every other day or so Rusty spends time at the chopping block putting up wood for next winter.

In June, Rusty and I celebrated our 16th Wedding Anniversary.  We've been blessed!

In July, Ely has a good old fashioned 4th of July parade, including the local high school band and also visiting politicians.

First time marching since pre-covid days.

Our gal Amy Klobuchar

And Rusty performed in the City Band.

I do miss my Lincoln riding buddies and our regular Saturday morning rides.  One Saturday morning I was able to have a nice FaceTime chat with them.  That put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

(front) Clayton, Don, Gerry, Jane, (back) Shari, Susan, Jeff, Ray

However, I have found quite a few people to ride with here in the Ely area.  My first ever biking/camping adventure was with these 9 women.  We rode 3 days in the Crosby area of MN.

Posing and fresh for another day's ride.

Carrying my tent, sleeping bag, clothes, food and cooking utensils on my bike was a new experience for me.  I plan to take another 3-day trip in September.

WOW (Women on Wheels) cooling off after a hot day's ride.

As in the previous two years, I helped our AAUW group host a July Garden Party and fundraiser.  It is free and open to all, but hopefully our guests will participate in the silent auction.

This is the appetizer table.  The food is amazing!

Salads and desserts galore.

We raised over $3,000 that will go to our scholarship fund.

Rusty turned 76 in July. I turned 75 in August.  Another good year!

Rusty and I donated new sewing machines to the Ely Folk School.  In July I volunteered to help young people complete a sewing project of their choice.

My dear friend, Sissy, spent a couple days with us in Ely.

We enjoyed hanging out on the screened porch.

Sissy and I spent a couple days in Duluth eating at fabulous restaurants.

We stayed at the luxurious Fitger's Hotel located on the edge of Lake Superior.

We attended nationally acclaimed Bill Zeibart's annual soiree held in his beautiful gardens.

We had a most wonderful visit from long-time Lincoln friends, Peggy and Lorvey Stark.

A visit to our cabin always involves a hike down to the water.  Yup, Peggy and I are wearing head nets.

Thank you, Lorvey, for this great picture of our cabin!

This Garden Party was hosted by Save the Boundary Waters, an organization that Rusty and I support whole-heartedly.

Summer would not be complete without at least one trip into the Boundary Waters, right?

Beautifully, clear water.

A nearly full moon on the first night camping.

Even on the cloudy days, the view is spectacular.

Catching fish is not a guarantee, but it sure makes supper better.

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.