August 23-24, 2012 -- On Leech Lake

August 23:
Today the temperature by 10:00 a.m. was very warm 75 degrees on its way into the mid-80s. The humidity was high making is a hot, sticky day. The sky was hazy with some high clouds and the wind was out of the south at 8-12 mph.

I took care of a variety of work tasks in the morning and then after lunch decided to go fishing. Joe again opted to stay on shore to go walking, do yoga and then go for a swim in the lake; all things he really enjoys doing.

I took the boat out to a spot in front of Newman's cabin in 8 feet of water and let the wind push the boat out into Sucker Bay and slowly north toward Norm's cabin. As I have for most of the past couple of months, I used a jig tipped with a plastic grub.

I made several passes -- moving quickly without the drift sock -- in order to cover as much water as possible. I caught a fair number of small- to medium-sized perch, but none that I considered big enough to keep. For me, 10-inches is the smallest perch I typically keep, although a "plump" 9-inch fish has found its way into my live well.

The shoreline of our house/cabin from Sucker Bay

I came ashore late in the afternoon and began prepping for dinner. I'm trying to replicate the grilled chicken that we had at Newman's the other night. Actually, preparations began yesterday when I started brining the chicken. In addition to brining the chicken in water with salt and sugar, I added a variety of herbs and spices as well. Then the brining pot went into the refrigerator for a full 24 hours. Earlier today I made the North Alabama White BBQ sauce, which consists of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, horseradish, salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. The sauce then needs to chill in the refrigerator for several hours.

So my prep this evening was primarily getting the grill ready; the chicken needs to be grilled with indirect heat; not over the coals directly.

The chicken came out perfectly grilled and the brining and white BBQ were also right on target. The chicken was paired with mashed potatoes, biscuits, and a green garden salad. Very delicious.

We then had a quiet evening of reading and listening to classical music before going to bed. A great day at Leech Lake.
------------------------

August 24:

This morning at 10:00 a.m. the temperature was 74 degrees, the humidity was at 92%, the sky was again sunny but hazy with a blur of white clouds mixed with mostly blue sky, and the wind was light out of the SSW at 5-10 mph.

It hasn't been this humid since back in July when Kathleen was still here; when we took daily camp baths to cool off from the oppressive heat.

By 1:30 p.m. the temperature had climbed to over 80 degrees and the humidity continued to bear down on us at more than 90%.  Despite the heat, Joe went for a 3-mile walk and I enjoyed a 5-mile bike ride. We need our exercise regardless of the heat.

Once both Joe and I were back home, we had some lunch and then decided to go fishing. Joe isn't much for jigging for perch, preferring instead to troll for walleye and hunt muskies, so he sat in the boat with me while I  fished for perch.

The water temperature had climbed back up to 76 degrees due to the heat, humidity and relatively weak winds. We set up in a spot in front of our house in 8 feet of water and let what little wind there was push us out into the bay and slightly north.

I had a few bites, probably small perch, but only hooked one fish, a 28-inch northern pike. While it is by far not the largest pike I've seen pulled out of Leech Lake, it was still a good sized fish and worthy of close inspection, including measurement on "The Judge" tournament rule. After unhooking the fish and the quick measurement, I released it back into the lake where after only a few seconds it got its bearings and swam out of sight.

At 3:30 p.m. Joe and I went ashore, got cleaned up and then by 4:10 p.m. were on our way out to the Pike Hole Restaurant to meet up with Tom and Lainy Malay and Ron and Sandy Newstrand, neighbors of ours on Ottertail Peninsula. Throughout the summer, Pike Hole features a walleye fish fry every Friday night and if you get there early enough, like we did, you can snag a table on the deck that over looks the channel between Cass Lake and Kitchi Lake, which is in the general area of the small town of Pennington.

Everyone at the table ordered the walleye special and it was definitely worth the drive. Not only did we have good conversation, but the location couldn't have been better and the food was fantastic. Maybe not what discriminating city folk from New York or San Francisco might call gourmet, but as far as I'm concerned, it was still delicious.

Once we were back home, Joe and I watched a movie on DVD and then he went to bed. I stayed up to do some reading, and did one last check on the weather. The wind had picked up to 14-18 mph out of the south, the temperature was still a very warm 74 degrees and the humidity was at 82%, which is why it felt so muggy.

Good night from Leech Lake.

August 22, 2012 -- In Leech Lake

By 10:00 a.m.this morning the temperature was already 75 degrees on its way to the mid-80s by 3:00 p.m. The wind was slight at 5-8 mph out of the WSW and the sky was sunny and blue. A day that reminds us all that we're still in the midst of summer. Although here in the northwoods of Minnesota, on the shores of Leech Lake, the leaves on some of the plants and trees have already started changing color.



The big maple tree on the Leech Lake side of the house showing some early Fall colors

I first noticed the change late last week while driving into Cass Lake to get pizza. A few of the sumac were turning red. A handful of birch trees were starting to sport yellow leaves. And more than a couple of maples had some red, pink, orange, yellow and red leaves on them in addition to the mostly green leaves that still cover them. I heard a report that "peak" foliage color in and around Leech Lake will come earlier this year -- due to the early ice-out and arrival of Spring -- and won't last as long, due to a relatively dry summer. I'm guessing that peak-color will appear in early- to mid-September, and that by October the leaves will be brown, dry and on the ground.

But today, with the heat and glorious sunshine, was a summer day to thoroughly enjoy. After breakfast and some cleaning around the house, I drove into town to mail some packages and pick up a few groceries. I picked up an unbaked pizza from Great River Pizzeria; which Joe and I will enjoy for dinner tonight.

Once back home I ate some lunch, had a work call, then got the boat ready for a late-afternoon fishing trip with Joe. As it turns out, however, Joe walked to go for a walk, exercise and then go for a swim in the lake rather than go fishing. So we ended up staying on shore and enjoying a swim in the lake. It was much cooler than when Kathleen and I would enjoy our "camp baths," but with the air temperature in the mid- to high-80s, it felt great.

As the evening wore on the sky began to cloud over and the forecast called for some light rain sometime after midnight, and the temperature began to cool.

Over the past several days, Joe has been baiting the crayfish trap and each day the trap fills up a little more the crayfish. Tonight, we decided to cook them up and have them as an appetizer before our pizza. There must have been somewhere between 30 and 40 crayfish, but since they're so small they really offer that much meat. Most of the meat comes from the tail; which we snap off from the rest of the body, pull out with either a toothpick or other pointy object, dip them in melted butter and enjoy some simple fare from the lake. Not particularly filling, but tasty nonetheless.

A big bowl of crayfish prior to cooking

We watched a little TV after dinner (actually a DVD) and then headed off for bed. We talked about going swimming again tomorrow since it's supposed to be warm, and maybe get in a little muskie fishing. Stay tuned...

August 21, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

Today was a beautiful day all day at Leech Lake. The temperature ranged from the mid-60s in the morning to nearly 80 in the late afternoon. The sky was mostly sunny and the wind varied from 8-15 mph out of the WSW.

After breakfast I went next door to the cabin to finish power-washing the dock. I had put this project on hold while Joe and I stained the house, but now it was time to wrap it up. It took me close to three hours to wash the final sections of dock, but at about 2:15 p.m. I completed the project and it looked great. I put away the hoses, the power washer and cleaned up myself and then had a quick bite of lunch before heading over to John Newman's cabin.

John had invited me and Joe, along with Tom Malay and Ron Newstrand, over to his place for a grilled chicken dinner. Prior to getting the grill going, however, John, Tom, Ron and I took our ATVs back into the woods to survey the many trees that came down in last month's big storm. There are probably a half a dozen big maple and ash trees that fell across the various trails that crisscross our properties and since Tom and Ron both heat their houses with firewood during the winter, John and I wanted to make available to them the fallen trees.

Once the woods activity was complete, Joe joined us back at John's where we reconvened for some cold, malted beverages, some conversation and eventually a very tasty grilled chicken meal, complete with mashed potatoes, Cole slaw and an apple pie (compliments of Lainy Malay) for dessert. Joe and I finally left Newman's at about 10:00 p.m. and came home for a quiet evening before going to bed just before midnight.

We didn't get any fishing in today, but the power-washing of the dock was completed. I have to run into Cass Lake tomorrow to mail some packages, and later in the afternoon I have a work call, but somewhere during the day tomorrow, Joe and I do plan to spend some time on the water. Until then...

August 20, 2012 -- On Leech Lake

This morning the sun was shining, the sky was mostly blue and bright, the temperature was 65 degrees and there was practically no wind, maybe just a slight breeze from the WSW creating a few ripples on the otherwise flat-calm lake.

The only part left on the house to stain were five different areas. One fairly large section over the garage, another fairly big section over the living room, a couple of small areas over the kitchen and in the back side of the house, and one section over the master bedroom window. I stained the part over the master bedroom since I could reach it with a ladder and extension pole. Joe handled the over parts by climbing up onto the roof and then using a roller attached to an extension pole. Despite the relatively small areas to stain, it took close to three hours since it the areas were hard to reach and required using the extension pole. But by 3:30 p.m. we would complete. The house was stained (not including the decks) and the materials and gear were cleaned up and stowed.

Joe wanted to spend the balance of the afternoon reading, talking a walk and hanging out at the cabin, so while he was busy doing that I went fishing.

The water was 73 degrees, the air temperature at that time was also 73 degrees and the wind had picked up and was coming out of the WSW at 8-12 mph. With the drift sock hanging over the side of the boat, I still was pushed northward on Sucker Bay at a ground speed of roughly .50 mph.

My method of fishing today was a jig and 3" plastic grub bounced just off the bottom of the lake as I drifted along. I caught two medium-sized northern pike, a couple of small perch, and then had my line snapped by something that hit hard and put a lot of weight on my line; most likely a good-sized pike. I tied on a new jig but decided to come ashore.

Joe and I had some dinner and then decided to go trolling with crankbaits; a proven method for catching walleye in the spring, early summer, and autumn. But since it was mid-August, I wasn't too sure we'd hook a walleye, and I was correct. We trolled in 10-12 feet of water from mid-Duck Bay up to the Malay's cabin, but the only fish we hooked was a northern pike that Joe caught.

Still, it was great to be on the water as the sky changed colors and darkened. Good night from Leech Lake.

Leech Lake sunset from the boat on Sucker Bay

August 19, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

I must have been very tired from staining yesterday because I slept in much later than usual; and Joe slept in even later.

The weather this morning was sunny, blue skies with a temperature of 64 degrees. The high today is supposed to be 72 degrees. The wind was out of the north at 8-15 mph, and while there were no white caps, there were some decent-sized rolling waves; typical for Leech Lake.

I started in on staining the house at noon, and Joe joined me about 90 minutes later. We worked straight through until 5:30 p.m. and completed staining the house. Technically there are still some sections we need to stain, but those will require one of us, or both, getting up on the roof in order to reach some of the cedar panels that are tucked up high under certain sections of the roof. We'll get to those tomorrow.

But for the most part, the staining of the house is complete.

Just before 7:00 p.m. John Newman stopped by for dinner and joined us for BBQ pulled-pork sandwiches, Cole slaw, sweet corn and French fries. It was tasty, and fairly typical, summertime meal at the lake. We then hung out for a couple of hours talking, listening to old Steve Martin comedy LPs and enjoying each other's company.

When John went home shortly after 10:00 p.m., Joe and I watched a little TV (actually DVDs) and then called it a night.

Tomorrow I want to finish the staining of the panels on the roof so we can cross that off our list. We'll then be able to spend some time doing a thorough cleaning of the house, and do some fishing, before we start staining the decks.

Good night.

August 18, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

Today the sun was out for most of the day, the temperature hovered between 65 degrees earlier this morning to a high of 72 degrees by 4:00 and then cooled back down to 65 degrees as the evening progressed. The wind was variable throughout the day at 8-15 mph from the north and NNW. By 5:30 p.m. the clouds rolled in, we had some thunder and about 90 minutes later a light sprinkle of rain, but nothing that should negatively affect the stain on the house.

Speaking of the stain on the house, Joe and I spent the better part of the day applying "butternut-colored" stain the house. We focused our attention today on the side of the garage that faces with road and moved around the corner to the south side of the house facing Newman's cabin.

The garage, partially stained.

It is often tedious and hard work and someone needs to scale the ladder while using an extension pole attached to the roller to reach the higher parts of the house. Joe has graciously volunteered to most of the ladder work. Although I too spent a couple of hours using an extension pole to reach some of the paneling up over my head.

The sections that Joe and I completed today -- from a square footage perspective -- make up close to 60 percent of the cedar paneling that requires staining; not including the front or lakeside decks. Thus, we knocked out a significant chunk of the work today. Tomorrow we'll stain around the big windows of the living room, work our way toward the kitchen and then wrap things up around the master bedroom's bathroom. If we do finish up tomorrow, then we'll take a couple of days off before starting on the decks. I want to be able to do some fishing with Joe; particularly some muskie fishing.

John Newman arrived at the lake this afternoon and I invited him to have dinner with us on Sunday evening. I've got a pork shoulder that I'll slow cook in the crock pot and then make BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, with a variety of side dishes. John accepted and will be joining us for food, conversation and fun tomorrow evening. Hopefully by that time Joe and I will have finished staining the house.

We watched another beautiful sunset this evening before settling in for the night. Joe did some reading and played video games, while I did some reading online and listened to some music. Good night from Leech Lake.

Calm waters during a Leech Lake sunset

August 17, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

The temperature this morning at 8:30 a.m. was 56 degrees, the sky was mostly sunny and the wind was blowing out of the WNW at 8-12 mph. Not a strong wind, but enough to send waves rolling into the shoreline directly in front of the house.

Joe and I continued staining the house today and now have completed the road-side of the house, including around the master bedroom and the part around the garage door. At 3:30 p.m. I cleaned up and drove into Cass Lake to get some groceries and to pick up a pizza at Great River Pizzeria so Joe and I could celebrate a "Friday night pizza party" at the lake.

Joe staining the road-side of the house.

The evening the temperature was a perfect 73 degrees, the wind was barely a whisper and the sunset was unspectacular yet beautiful nonetheless.

After the sun had set, Joe and I had our pizza then watched some DVDs. We had a productive and fun night at Leech Lake.
-----------

NOTE: Although I made mention of this in its own post, I would be negligent if I didn't mention that fellow Ottertail Peninsula resident Steve McLean passed away today. He had suffered for the past several years with lung cancer, despite the fact that he was not a smoker. Sometimes things happen for no apparent reason. Peace Steve, I hope you did not suffer.

RIP Steve McLean

I did not know Steve McLean well, but I did know him. We would often talk while he was out walking his dogs and I was either riding my bike, riding the ATV or driving in the truck. Kathleen used to see Steve often while she was out running and he was out walking. Steve liked being outside here on Ottertail Peninsula.

Today, after a long battle with lung cancer, Steve died. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where he had been receiving the best care that could be offered to anyone in the world. It was not enough.

The first OPA potluck dinner I ever attended, back in October 2001, Steve wore a name tag that read "John Doe." Why, I do not know. But that was Steve.

Steve was a fixture on Ottertail Peninsula and a resident of that group of houses we refer to as "The Harbor." He liked to play hockey and worked as a court reporter at the courthouse in Walker, the county seat for Cass County.

Good bye Steve. Rest in peace.

August 16, 2012 -- At Leech Lake

At 8:30 a.m. this morning the temperature was a cool 56 degrees and because we'd left some windows open last night, the temperature in the house had dropped to 64 degrees. I closed the windows and set the furnace thermostat for 68 degrees to warm up the house.

The sky was grey and overcast and the wind was howling at 15-20 mph out of the WNW. With the cold temperatures and the threat of rain, I'm not sure we'll do any staining of the house today. Plus, with all the rain we had last evening, I'd like to give the house a day to dry out before we do any staining.

Throughout the day the wind continued to howl, and at times was blowing over 25 mph creating big white caps on the lake. The grey skies did eventually give way to sun, but not until 3:30 p.m. too late to start staining for the day.

I did some more power-washing on the dock at the cabin, and I figure with another 3-4 hours of dedicated time I should be able to finish the job.

Joe and I had a rack of tasty pork spare ribs for dinner, and then watched a little TV (actually DVD since we have no TV service) before going to bed early. Tomorrow we're going to try to get several hours of staining in.

August 16 sunset over Sucker Bay, Leech Lake

---------------
NOTE: The stray dog, which I've dubbed "Buck," showed up this evening for the first time in 12 days. He looked skinny and weak so Joe and I gave him a bowl of dog food which he devoured. He then had a second bowl. Then as darkness fell, Buck turned tail and wandered away.