Many millions of people throughout the ages have marveled at the poetic masterpiece Odyssey, by the ancient Greek Homer. But for all of my reading, I had never consumed this treasure before finishing it today.
What a wondrous tale of war, separation, determination and finally redemption. It is as beautiful and passionate as any modern love story, as exciting and thrilling as any Spielberg spectacle and as brutal and violent as anything Hollywood could conjure. No doubt its these very merits that have kept it in our human conscientiousness for so many millennia.
I was fortunate enough to read a fantastic translation by Stanley Lombardo, who is a professor of Classics at the University of Kansas. His treatment of the Odyssey retained the poetic cadence that I would imagine the original Greek verse to possess while using language that is consistent with the modern vernacular.
That I read it while at the shores of Leech Lake make it all that much more memorable for me.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
July 14, 2011 -- At Leech Lake
It must have rained last night because at 8:00 a.m. this morning everything outside was wet. The sky was still grey and overcast, the wind light at 5-8 mph out of the ENE and the temperature was 54 degrees.
As the morning moved along the wind shifted a bit and seemed to be coming from the ESE, still at only 5-8 mph. The sky in the south looked like it might contain a storm but one wasn't predicted until sometime after 5:00 p.m.
Nature Update: I was sitting in the living room quietly reading when I spotted a large bald eagle swoop across our yard and land in a tree just behind the fishing-cleaning house. I quickly grabbed the binoculars and as quietly as possible crept out onto the back porch. I was unable to spot the enormous raptor so I stealthily walked across the yard toward the dock, the whole while scanning the trees for the big bird. Eagles, despite their size, have a way of using leaves and branches to conceal themselves quite effectively. Slowly and quietly I tread onto the dock. I moved my field glasses from tree to tree trying to spy the eagle. As if it could feel my gaze coming closer, the gigantic national bird sprung from its hiding place and with a couple of loud flaps of its wings soared over the lake, not more than 25 yards from me, took a quick right turn and landed in another tree near Poage's cabin. A magnificent sight on a cool July morning.
By noon the temperature has risen to a paltry 58 degrees. The wind was still at 5-8 mph out of the east, but seemed to be swirling a bit between ESE and ENE. The sky was grey and overcast and there was a light mist in the air. This is mid-July in the northwoods of Minnesota.
At 2:00 p.m., I thought about going fishing, but the heavy mist still embraced the air and I knew that sitting on a boat for very long would require rain gear to guard against the damp. I just didn't feel like putting on rain gear, so instead I remained inside. The temperature had fallen a couple of degrees to 56 and the wind still couldn't decide which way to blow, and at times seemed to blow from all directions at once; although not very hard at 5-10 mph.
The light, grey mist permeated the air still at 3:30 p.m. All day the air itself has seemed sad. The temperature clung to 56 degrees as the wind picked up to 10-12 mph as if to finally bring with it the rain. But at 4:00 p.m., still no rain fell.
I thought again about going out onto the water to fish for walleye, but with an east wind blowing and a cold front moving into the area I figured that the already difficult walleye bite would probably be even worse. So I remained inside and continued reading the classics.
Unable to sit inside any longer, I took a brisk 2-mile walk down past Paulson's and back. The temperature was still a cool 56 degrees, but the humidity was clearly 100% since I could literally see water in the air. I arrived home damp from the experience, but happy to have gotten in some exercise and the opportunity to take in the beauty of Ottertail Peninsula. And yes, the deer, horse or yellow flies, whichever you choose to call them, were as annoying as ever, buzzing around my head and occasionally biting my neck and ears.
Just before 6:00 p.m. I made my way to the cabin to prep the grill. I planned to make BBQed marinaded pork chops tonight with a side of fried potatoes, peppers, garlic and onions and a big bowl of fruit salad, complete with watermelon, cantaloupe, raspberries, and honeydew melon.
But by 7:30 p.m., my enthusiasm for preparing such a feast waned and I decided instead to finish off the beer-battered walleye, Cole slaw and French fries that were left over from last night. I hate to waste good food. I'll prepare my pork-infused meal tomorrow to celebrate the end of the week.
I had a very nice conversation on the phone with my son Joe. He is a great guy and I hope he has a chance to visit Minnesota and Leech Lake before the summer is over.
The evening passed quietly with me doing some reading, writing and watching a bit of TV. The rain never did come, although the ground and everything outside is wet. The mist is as heavy as it's been all day. I'm going to enjoy the cool weather, however, because the forecast is for hot temperatures, in the 90s, and very humid this weekend. So for now, I'll sleep in the coolness of my bed.
Until tomorrow...
As the morning moved along the wind shifted a bit and seemed to be coming from the ESE, still at only 5-8 mph. The sky in the south looked like it might contain a storm but one wasn't predicted until sometime after 5:00 p.m.
Nature Update: I was sitting in the living room quietly reading when I spotted a large bald eagle swoop across our yard and land in a tree just behind the fishing-cleaning house. I quickly grabbed the binoculars and as quietly as possible crept out onto the back porch. I was unable to spot the enormous raptor so I stealthily walked across the yard toward the dock, the whole while scanning the trees for the big bird. Eagles, despite their size, have a way of using leaves and branches to conceal themselves quite effectively. Slowly and quietly I tread onto the dock. I moved my field glasses from tree to tree trying to spy the eagle. As if it could feel my gaze coming closer, the gigantic national bird sprung from its hiding place and with a couple of loud flaps of its wings soared over the lake, not more than 25 yards from me, took a quick right turn and landed in another tree near Poage's cabin. A magnificent sight on a cool July morning.
By noon the temperature has risen to a paltry 58 degrees. The wind was still at 5-8 mph out of the east, but seemed to be swirling a bit between ESE and ENE. The sky was grey and overcast and there was a light mist in the air. This is mid-July in the northwoods of Minnesota.
At 2:00 p.m., I thought about going fishing, but the heavy mist still embraced the air and I knew that sitting on a boat for very long would require rain gear to guard against the damp. I just didn't feel like putting on rain gear, so instead I remained inside. The temperature had fallen a couple of degrees to 56 and the wind still couldn't decide which way to blow, and at times seemed to blow from all directions at once; although not very hard at 5-10 mph.
The light, grey mist permeated the air still at 3:30 p.m. All day the air itself has seemed sad. The temperature clung to 56 degrees as the wind picked up to 10-12 mph as if to finally bring with it the rain. But at 4:00 p.m., still no rain fell.
I thought again about going out onto the water to fish for walleye, but with an east wind blowing and a cold front moving into the area I figured that the already difficult walleye bite would probably be even worse. So I remained inside and continued reading the classics.
Unable to sit inside any longer, I took a brisk 2-mile walk down past Paulson's and back. The temperature was still a cool 56 degrees, but the humidity was clearly 100% since I could literally see water in the air. I arrived home damp from the experience, but happy to have gotten in some exercise and the opportunity to take in the beauty of Ottertail Peninsula. And yes, the deer, horse or yellow flies, whichever you choose to call them, were as annoying as ever, buzzing around my head and occasionally biting my neck and ears.
Just before 6:00 p.m. I made my way to the cabin to prep the grill. I planned to make BBQed marinaded pork chops tonight with a side of fried potatoes, peppers, garlic and onions and a big bowl of fruit salad, complete with watermelon, cantaloupe, raspberries, and honeydew melon.
But by 7:30 p.m., my enthusiasm for preparing such a feast waned and I decided instead to finish off the beer-battered walleye, Cole slaw and French fries that were left over from last night. I hate to waste good food. I'll prepare my pork-infused meal tomorrow to celebrate the end of the week.
I had a very nice conversation on the phone with my son Joe. He is a great guy and I hope he has a chance to visit Minnesota and Leech Lake before the summer is over.
The evening passed quietly with me doing some reading, writing and watching a bit of TV. The rain never did come, although the ground and everything outside is wet. The mist is as heavy as it's been all day. I'm going to enjoy the cool weather, however, because the forecast is for hot temperatures, in the 90s, and very humid this weekend. So for now, I'll sleep in the coolness of my bed.
Until tomorrow...
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