October 9, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

Once again the weather this morning was cold, grey and wet. The temperature at 9:00 a.m. was 39 degrees on its way to a high of only 42 degrees. The sky was grey and it alternated between a light rain and a drizzle. The wind was out of the WNW between 8-15 mph. I didn't see a boat on the water all day.

And like yesterday, my day was devoted to cleaning the house. While enjoying a pot of coffee I did a load of laundry, washed the dishes and cleaned the counter tops. Then my cleaning took me from the TV room to the living room to the bedroom to at last the kitchen, where cleaning the floor is something I really didn't want to do.

Just before 4:00 p.m. I was done with most of the cleaning, with the exception of the master bath and the refrigerators. I took a break and got the ATV stored away for the winter by running the gas out of the carburetor and hooking the battery to a trickle charger. While I was outside the wind picked up and then with a 'whoosh' hail mixed with snow flurries began to fall. I continued my outside chores which included locking up the out buildings and turning off the harbor lights.

I still have to close up the cabin and out buildings over there, but I'll get to that tomorrow after I store the truck in the garage.

I got a call from Karen Newman earlier today and she has generously offered to cook dinner for me and the Malays (Tom and Lainy) this evening so I don't have to prepare any food for myself, plus she said that they wanted to say goodbye. It was a very nice gesture and one I graciously accepted. I wrapped up my cleaning by 5:30 p.m. in order to get cleaned up and over to the Newman's cabin by 6:00 p.m. for dinner.

I arrived at the Newman's just after 6:00 p.m. and had a nice conversation with Karen prior Tom and Lainy joining us. At one point I happened to look outside and saw a very interesting sunset. I excused myself and walked out to the end of the Newman's dock to get a better look, after all it'll be the final Leech Lake sunset I'll see this year.

Another beautiful Leech Lake sunset

We enjoyed a bountiful meal of pulled-pork sandwiches and a fantastic bean dish that Karen made. Lainy provided a tasty cherry crisp for dessert. It was nice to spend some time with friendly neighbors on my final night at the lake. Knowing that they're right here keeping an eye on my place during my absence gives me peace of mind.

Once home I did another load of laundry, continued the cleaning of the kitchen and made sure that my bags were packed. Then it was another check around the house to make sure all was in order for tomorrow's departure. Tom and Lainy are picking me up at 11:00 a.m. and then it's on my way to the Bemidji airport.

Good night from Leech Lake, one last time.

One day and counting.

October 8, 2012, At Leech Lake

This morning at 9:00 a.m. the temperature was 39 degrees, the sky was grey and overcast and a light rain was falling. In fact, a light rain fell all morning long. It was definitely a cold, wet Autumn day on the shores of Leech Lake.

The weather cooperated with my plans for the day -- which was to stay inside and clean the house in preparation for my departure midweek. My procrastination for cleaning the gutters yesterday delayed the start of that project until 1:30 p.m., and today was a repeat performance as I was faced with the unpleasant task of cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen.

The rain continued to fall as I finally began cleaning at 1:30 p.m. By 3:30 p.m. I'd cleaned two of the bathrooms, cleaned the hallway by the garage and polished much of the woodwork in those areas. At that point it was time for a lunch break.

After lunch I did some more house cleaning before cleaning up myself. Tomorrow I'll clean the kitchen, bedroom and living room (including the fireplace). Since there will be no fire for me tomorrow night, I went out to the wood pile in the late afternoon, during a break in the rain, to gather some firewood. While outside I was graced with the presence of two magnificent bald eagles that were riding the air currents above me. I watched them soar off into the distance without so much as one beat of their wings. Spectacular. And just another of the beautiful sights I regularly see here at Leech Lake that I will not see in San Jose.

With a night's supply of firewood neatly stored in the garage, I went out onto the end of the dock and watched the lake for a while. There appeared to be a storm approaching from the southwest most likely bringing with it more rain or some snow flurries.

A distant storm moving north on Leech Lake

As it turned out, it neither rained nor snowed. It did cool off to around 38 degrees from a high during the day of 45 degrees. The wind continued to blow hard from the SW.

I ate some of the left over walleye for dinner -- I like making fish sandwiches out of the precooked fillets -- and then settled in to watch the fire and listen to some music. Tomorrow will be another hectic day of cleaning, in addition to other tasks, such as storing the ATV for the winter, etc.

It's hard to believe that in 48 hours I'll be in California. Good night from Leech Lake.

Two days and counting.