Good-bye 2024

 A little bit of history about our lake, White Iron Lake…

In the early 1900s, the upper regions of Minnesota were a great source of wood for buildings (especially in Chicago) and railroad track ties.  It is said that the amount of timber harvested from this region could have covered the entire state of Minnesota in a white pine plank one foot thick.  Photos from that era show White Iron and its flow into Kawishawi Falls covered entirely in logs. That meant dangerous work for lumberjacks who delicately balanced on floating timbers while prodding and prying them through Silver Rapids.  Many lumberjacks’ lives were lost until lumber companies began metering the flow of logs with a huge shipping chain stretched across the White Iron narrows, which is well-named for the iron anchor rings at Ring Rock points that were in use until 1923.

The rings in the rocks are still present today.  I often paddle my canoe to the ring on the south shore, which is about a 3 mile round trip.

One day Rusty caught a tasty, small-mouth bass on his very first cast!

We enjoy just being out together in a canoe.

And speaking of canoes…

Many of you witnessed the building and successful launch of our cedar strip canoe, Fine Lee.  Because it is such a gorgeous boat and we hesitate to paddle it in these rocky environs; we’ve decided to give it up.

Fine Lee makes her way from the storage trailer to town.

She is currently snuggled in at the Piragis Boat House where she is waiting for spring.

We have donated Fine Lee to Save the Boundary Waters 501c3.  This spring they will host a fundraiser and auction off Fine Lee.  She will enjoy a new home and hopefully good money will be raised to help Save the Boundary Waters.

I did my second self-contained biking/camping trip in September.

I taught the ladies how to do shots.

Sporting my prize for fastest rider on the windiest day.

Calming peace as we settle in for the night.

October is always a beautiful time of year up here.

We were blessed with a delightful visit from Kate and Anna.  (Kawishawi Falls in the background.)

We had “make-your-own-pizza” night.

The October Fest was new for Ely this year.  It was a good excuse for a community gathering and, of course, a fundraiser.

This was a contest to see who could hold up the beer stein the longest.

I had fun teaching our newly-elected City Council member, Emily, how to polka.

I have always felt it is everyone’s responsibility to be informed and involved in elections.  I did the stage setup for two forums, one with District candidates and the other with City Council candidates.  The community appreciated the chance to hear what candidates had to say.

I worked with a team to help students at our local college get registered to vote.

Every Friday at mid-day we stood on the corner of Main Street and showed our support for our favorite candidates.

The two favorites on my boom box were “Put a woman in charge” (Keb Mo)and “Put a woman in the White House” (Sheryl Crow).

Whether at the cabin or at a restaurant, we often enjoy sharing a meal with friends.

Glen and Jane Witte
Jane likes escaping the August heat in Lincoln and spending a month up north.

Sarah & Kay are the hosts for our Saturday short-story group.

We had a delightful Thanksgiving celebration at the Schurke residence, home of Wintergreen Dog Sled Adventures.

Susan stirs the gravy while Rusty slices the turkey.

I went on a gravel ride with these guys; they seemed okay with a chick riding along.

We had a big windstorm in November and our trail to the lake was totally blocked.   With chainsaw, ropes, come-along and buck saw, it took a few days to get it cleared.

Ely has Trivia Night once a month.  It is so well attended that it’s very hard to get a table.  With the help of Roberta, Steve and Ozzie, we got about 80% correct.  It was a blast!

I frequently help out at the Folk School with sewing classes for kids.  
Fiona is making Christmas presents.

We did our first burn pile of the year.  Only 3 more to go.

As soon as we arrived up north, we started a yearly tradition of hosting a holiday open house.  The neighbors love it!

There were lots of yummy things.

I enjoyed our guests so much that I forgot to take pictures.  We had many new guests this year and it was fun to see them engage with each other!

We gathered with friends at the annual Winter Bonfire Festival, enjoying glog, fruit pasties, a warming tent, dog sled rides, and a blazing fire.

Here’s my Christmas trip down memory lane.  Check it out:  https://youtu.be/VW5gP25NBlE?si=LKSXiKR7USPpOX-9   Zippy was on many popular entertainment shows back in the ‘50s.  I thought he was adorable.  (This was before PETA).  When I was 8 or 9 years old, I was at that awkward stage when I was too old for a new dolly, but not completely satisfied with new pajamas or a new sweater.  Christmas Eve at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house involved all the cousins and aunts and uncles.  The tree in the living room sparkled with lights and tinsel, and presents galore.  We cousins were warned to stay back from the tree and not to touch anything!  This year, among the pile of frilly bows and gaily wrapped boxes, sat a very unusual package.  It almost looked like a seated bear wrapped in tinfoil.  Unlike the other presents, this one did not have a name-tag. We cousins all wondered who the lucky person would be to get such a mysterious gift.  When Grandpa distributed the presents, he handed the tinfoil-wrapped object to me!  It was Zippy!!!!!

I loved Zippy and took him everywhere with me!

Maybe you have a Christmas story you’d like to share with me?