October 25, 2011 -- Goodbye From Leech Lake

From the phone message I received yesterday from Lake Country Power I didn't expect to have electricity from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. this morning. All morning long I went about my business of closing up the house and cabin before leaving for the airport at 11:15 a.m., the whole time waiting for the power to go out. But so far (at 9:35 a.m.) it's still on.

The temperature at Leech Lake this morning at 8:00 a.m. was 35 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and the wind was light at 5-8 mph out of the NNE.

By 8:30 a.m. I was going about the various tasks that I perform before I leave the lake. I gathered up the garbage and took it down to the waste and recycling center at the Ottertail Peninsula Community Center, then stored the truck in the cabin garage for the winter. I closed up the cabin and set the security alarm. I did several other little chores required for closing up the places before I leave. It'll be a long, cold winter on the shores of Leech Lake and the properties need to be secured.

At 10:00 a.m. the electricity was still on, and I have to believe that at this point Lake Country Power isn't going to be cutting off our power. That enabled me to finish up some of the tasks that require water, such as cleaning the bathroom, since our well pump is powered by electricity. At this point I've pretty much got everything in order and think I'll take one last quick walk in the woods.

After my walk in the woods I went out and sat at the end of the dock for a while. There were a couple of loons right in front of me, most likely a mated pair, diving for fish then resurfacing a little distance away.

It is now 11:00 a.m. The Malays will be here in a matter of 15 minutes or so, so I need to sign off and shut down the computer. Goodbye from Leech Lake.