November 12, 2008

Tom Malay and I put his boat in my garage at the cabin for winter storage today. We both realized that neither of us will be doing any open-water fishing until the Spring of 2009. There was a finality to it that was a bit unsettling. I'd been fishing Leech Lake since May 23. Now here we were 5 1/2 months later and it was over.

Today also marks the final week of our stay in Minnesota. Kathleen and I have been here for the longest stretch of time since we purchased our properties in 2001, and now it's coming to a close. We've had a fantastic run at Leech Lake! We're trying to make every second of every day count, because we know our time here at the lake is limited.

The temperature today was 32 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast with the threat of snow and the wind was out of the south at 8-10 mph.

I made bacon-wrapped venison sirloin for dinner tonight. Until you've tried something so tasty and so decadent as bacon-wrapped venison sirloin, you haven't truly experienced life in the Northwoods of Minnesota.

After dinner I got a fire going in the fireplace, put some Frederic Chopin on the CD player and relaxed with Kathleen in front of the warmth of the fire. Another fantastic night on the shores of the mighty Leech Lake.