August 15, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

The temperature this morning was a balmy 75 degrees at 10:00 a.m. with overcast skies and a 8-15 mph SSW wind. The temperature would eventually climb to 80 degrees today, but we'd only see brief moments of sunshine in an otherwise very cloudy day.

The forecast for today called for late afternoon thunderstorms, possibly severe, so I made the decision that rather than start staining the house only to have to redo it because of the rain, that we'd wait until better weather to begin in earnest. Joe and I did spend a couple of hours staining the road-side of the house, the part that's underneath the front porch where it wouldn't get wet even in the most heavy rain. I have to say, the stain looks good, and the cedar paneling soaked up the stain suggesting it was definitely time to tackle this project.

I spent several hours power-washing the dock at the cabin. I'm roughly half way done after three days at it. With the staining still ahead of us, I probably won't get back to the dock for a week or more, but we'll see.

Half of the 'cabin dock' washed. Half to go.

As the day went on, the sky grew darker and more green in color. By 5:00 p.m. the temperature started to drop, from a high of 80 degrees to down around 70 degrees. The wind began to pick up and within 45 minutes the skies opened up and it started to rain.

Joe and I scrambled to close up the garages, lower the flag pole, etc. in preparation of a thunderstorm. At 6:00 p.m. NOAA radio warned our area of a severe thunderstorm and recommended seeking shelter. Joe and I went back into my bedroom, which is away from the lake and more protected than any other room in the house. We played chess and waited for the storm to pass.

There was lightning, thunder, rain and heavy wind for roughly 90 minutes. At last, however, the storm passed and the sky began to lighten. We had a wonderful purplish sunset at approximately 8:30 p.m. this evening, after which Joe and I had dinner. We had a quiet night at home and plan to do some more staining of the house tomorrow; weather permitting.

The remaining clouds from the thunderstorm that hit Leech Lake this evening

August 14, 2012 -- On Leech Lake

This morning the sun was trying to force its way through a haze of high clouds and was doing its best to cast shadows although it itself could not been seen. The temperature was 68 degrees and what little breeze there was out of the SSE created no more than ripples on the otherwise flat surface of the lake. The sky, and the lake, were a brilliant, and yet at the same time subdued, color of yellow.

Joe slept in very late this morning, in fact, it was no longer morning when I first saw him. By that time I'd done a few chores around the house, like connecting a new back-up battery to our security system and handling several personal-business issues both online and on the phone.

I started power-washing the dock at the cabin at 1:45 p.m. and kept at it until 4:00 p.m. when the muscles in my arms and back told me it was time for a rest. The process of cleaning the dock is slow and tedious, but necessary. When I was finished for the day I looked at how much I had completed and estimated I had between 4 and 6 more months of power washing ahead of me. Actually, it'll probably take another 4-6 days, but with the house-staining project due to start tomorrow (weather permitting) I won't be able to finish cleaning the dock for another couple of weeks.

I had a quick sandwich to tie me over until dinner and went out fishing around 4:45 p.m. Joe decided to stay onshore so he could go for a walk, do yoga and read. Not a bad choice, but for me, the lake beckoned.

I lowered my Lund into the 77 degree water and made my way out to a spot in front of the house in 10 feet of water. With the light breeze still coming out of the SSE the boat was gently propelled away from shore and slightly north toward the Malay's.

I managed to hook one small hammer handle, but nothing else while jigging with artificial bait. I decided to change tactics dramatically and go bass fishing.

I switched from a spinning rod and reel to a baitcasting set up and tied on a spinnerbait. I added a 3-inch plastic trailer for extra bulk and attraction. I dropped my MinnKota electric trolling motor into the water and slowly made my way north along the reeds that start in front of Norm's house.

In years past, the edge of the reeds that start at Norm's have regularly produced  both good numbers and good-sized largemouth bass, but not this year. In fact, I've not hooked one bass in front of Norm's all year; although to be fair I've not targeted bucketmouths more than a half dozen times since bass season opened.

I finally did hook a smallish bass in front of what I call the "eagle tree," thus named because bald eagles often perch in it while eating fish they've taken from the lake. The bass made one final leap into the air right along side the boat and managed to unhook itself before I could land it cleanly. Not that I cared, since I planned to put it back into the lake anyway.

While I was out on the water, Joe had not only gone for a walk and exercised, but he decided to go for a swim in the lake as well. It's always a good idea to take advantage of the lake when you can, since before you know it it'll be too cold for swimming.

We spent a quiet night at home watching the sunset, having dinner and just hanging out. Tomorrow, we start the house-staining project.

Good night.

Calm waters of Leech Lake at sunset