ALSV Day 9 (7/11/09) : The Trip Home

It was a beautiful morning by the lake. “A great day for someone else to be starting their vacation.”, I thought. It took us a couple hours to eat breakfast, clean, and pack. We were on the road to Duluth by 10:30.

We made a couple stops in Duluth: one for a couple packages of Alakef Decaf Highlander Grog coffee beans and the other to check out Spirit Mountain Resort where friends stayed last summer. We like Bob’s Cabins better. A little later on we stopped at a wayside rest in Remer MN for a picnic lunch en route to Lake Itasca State Park where the girls waded a ways down the Mississippi River. Supper was at the German Restaurant- Schuartzwald Inn in Park Rapids, MN.

From Procter MN, just outside Duluth to Detroit Lakes, 45 minutes form Fargo, we again traveled a two lane ribbon of asphalt bounded by tall, pine, birch and other Northern trees. I wondered how much they had grown in the 19 years we had been making this annual pilgrimage and how much more they might grow in the years and decades to come.

The long narrow path through the trees seemed like a birth canal, taking me from the warm, moist lake shore to the outside world, with harsh noises, harsh lights, and sometimes a good slap to the rump. Will Monday be like that for me?

ALSV Day 8 (7/10/2009) : The Last Full Day by the Lake

With Last night’s clouds and scattered showers came a change in weather. We woke up to fog on the lake which burned off by mid-morning, leaving a clear blue sky dotted by a few clouds. By that time it was already 70 degrees and the wind was from the south, more humid and less cool than the east wind of the previous days.

Clouds, but no rain, came in about supper time as we headed to Duluth. We ate on the deck overlooking the lake at Va Bene. Afterwards, we did the Duluth Lake Walk from the Portland Malt Shop up to the gardens of Lief Erickson Park and then back to Va Bene, for gelatos.

Just as the day was one of variability for weather it was also one of variable emotions as I sojourned yet another day by the lake; but also recognized that I needed to repack my introspections, intentions, and insights to take back to Fargo.

My book focus for the day were Strengths Finder 2.0 and Strengths-Based Leadership along with results from a 45 minute on-line strengths assessment test I had taken in May, The reported top 5 strengths of responsibility, analytical, learner, strategic, and ideation and lack of top 5 strengths in the themes of influencing and relationship building helped provided insight into some of my recent frustrations and longer-term experiences.

The test results and book text also helped with self perceptions along the lines of the SHAPE model presented by Rick Warner in The Purpose Driven Life and in more detail in SHAPE: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose in Life by Erik Rees. The thesis is that maximum ministry and significance in life if found in the context of SHAPE.

S- Spiritual gifts
H-Heartfelt passion
A-Abilities
P-Personality (INTJ in Myers-Briggs model for me)
E-Experience

Over the week I thought and reflected and prayed about priorities and significance over the next 30-40 years of my life, if god should grant me that many good days. While my priorities didn’t change this week, my need to better align my time and talents with them was re-emphasized. That’s a common outcome for a week by the lake and it is challenging to act accordingly over the next 51 weeks. This also raised the question of a winter by the ocean retreat next winter; to reduce time between retreats.

So my emotional “sunny” was the strengthening of directions in the coming years and some actions for the coming academic year. My emotional “cloudy” was the recognition that over the next year I need to by grinding it out in the trenches of daily life, at times losing sight of long term paths.

ALSV Day 7 (7/9/09): A Typical Day

This week I have not been setting an alarm clock and have been surprised at the 9-10 hours I have been sleeping. Today was the first day I woke up before 8 AM, but then I elected to lounge in bed for another hour.

Clouds moved in overnight and the sun has occasionally been breaking through. The lake has consequently alternated between grey and blue, synchronized with the appearance and disappearance of the sun. The breeze off the lake picked up and we are again trying to find reading locations which aren’t too hot or too cold.

I’ve been reading most of the day and finished The Introvert Advantage. After lunch I went up to the Mocha Moose for a mocha and, more importantly, wi-fi access. It looks like the world is continuing on without my direct involvement. Prior to my mocha, Ilene and the girls went into Two Harbors for lunch and some shopping. They also browsed some lake shore real estate which falls into a fantasy purchase category at about $1000/shore foot.

I’m currently writing on the deck, and of course the sun is reappearing. Earlier for my post- Mocha Moose reading time, it was also out and I went down to the rocky lakeshore to read. I wanted to be closer to the sound of the waves and the expanse of the lake: to look out for tens of miles without a ship or soul in sight. What better environment for reading about introverts!

The clouds came, it got cooler without the sun and I finished my book. It seemed like a good time to get new reading and join my wife on the cabin deck: to at least be out of the wind, if not in the sun. Ilene has been reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, at nearly 1000 pages, and dealing with people involved with the construction of a cathedral. She has liked most of it except for the occasional raping and pillaging.

The 40% chance of rain in the evening amounted to few scattered, light showers en route to Duluth. There was no rain for our hiking along Amity Creek and the Lester River.

Supper was at a restaurant new to us: At Sarah’s Table Chester Creek Café. The Mexican and Middle Eastern food we had was very good. Besides the good food, the restaurant is known for its organic, local, fresh, and green practices.

On our way from Chester Creek Café to Leif Erickson Park by the lake, we stopped at Whole Foods. It was my first visit to a store in this organic grocery chain. There was a wide selection of pretty much all foods and a deli. Prices were a bit higher than conventional groceries, but not bad.

At Leif Erickson, my wife’s focus was on peonies which were near the end of blooming. There were also roses in bloom and also, of course, a great view of Canal Park, the left bridge, and the ship canal.

It was sunset as we drove back to our cabin on the North Shore Scenic Highway. We passed deer at about half a dozen locations along the way, fortunately none on the road.

ALSV Day 6 (7/8/09): Between a Rock and a Hot Place

The cool breeze off the frigid lake continued throughout today. The challenge became finding the right temperature spot between the rocky lake shore, and the protection of our cabin’s deck. At one point my swimsuit clad wife was sitting next to me on the deck as I wore jeans and a sweatshirt.

I had a power reading day outside, covering about 200 pages in The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney. I had finished Game Plan yesterday and started a fresh book today. The main benefit of today’s reading was a reminder of who I am and some ideas on dealing with some of the frustrations I have had at work the last 8-10 months.

While I started the day reading, Ilene and the girls went to Flood Bay State Wayside to look for sea glass. On the way back, they stopped in Two Harbors at a number of shops. Ilene came back pumped up to search for amethyst near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since our passports are in Fargo, that adventure will need to wait for another time.

As supper time approached, we debated our options and decided to do hot dogs and smores at a lake side campfire. We started early to take advantage of heat stored in rocks and we bundled up in jeans, and sweatshirts. It wasn’t too bad. After showers, continuing the DVD “Song of Hiawatha” as the last scheduled event for the day. We are now past the halfway point of our stay and the remaining two full days will pass too quickly.

ALSV Day 5 (7/7/09) : Split Rock

The morning was a typical reading morning at the cabin.

About 12:30 we headed to Ledge Rock Grill for lunch and got our traditional seats at the “kitchen counter” where we could interact with the chef who was preparing our meal. Two of us had flat breads heated in a flaming oven: daughter T had southwest chicken while I had a steak, apple and blue cheese recipe along with a bowl of cheese, potato, and sausage soup. Ilene had a southwestern wrap with sweet potato fries. Daughter L had a bowl of French onion soup and handouts from other family members. We finished the meal by splitting a crème broulee trio, which included 3 small bowls with raspberry, lemon, and Malibu (coconut) flavored desserts.

After lunch, the girls and I headed up to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park while Ilene stayed at the cabin to read. The girls had been to Split Rock on one of their first North Shore visits in 2002 or 2003, but Daughter L couldn’t remember the museum or the tour of the 100 year old navigation aid which had been in official use into my lifetime.

Light houses have been a technical inspiration for some of my robotics localization work, particularly for systems which use visual landmarks day and night. Each lighthouse has a unique visual appearance by day and light pattern at night so there would be no confusion as to which light house a navigator was looking at. No two lighthouses look the same.

This trip also gave me cause to reflect on the not one, but two GPS receivers I have with me on this trip. How navigation has changed not just in the last 100 years, but in the last 9 years as GPS has become a consumer item.

My older receiver is a lower end handheld from 2003 which I use for off-road activity such as hiking. My newer receiver, actually a personal navigator system, is a Garmin nuvi 760 for on-road use. Briefly, it is a navigation system, national yellow pages, audio library, and a photo album in a pocketable form factor.

After the lighthouse tour, movie, and museum, we took some time to hike up to an observation point on Day Hill. This was a new trail for us and at the top we were rewarded with a nice view of the lake, the lighthouse, and a chimney whose origins are unknown.

On the way back to the cabin, we stopped at Flood Bay Wayside so the girls could hunt for sea glass. When we left the cabin early afternoon, the temp was about 70, but the wind had some up. A cool breeze from the east was propelling waves to the shore and cooling the land to 57 degrees and falling.

Back at the cabin, we decided it was cooler and breezier than we thought comfortable for sitting on the shore, cooking hotdogs on a campfire, and then watching the full moon rise. Instead, we headed back to Betty’s Pies for supper and a strawberry rhubarb pie to bring back to the cabin.

We also stopped at the grocery store for a few items, and at Pamida, we rummaged through discount DVD bins to find a movie to watch on my laptop. Our selection for last night was “Song of Hiawatha” which seemed appropriate for our stay the shores of Lake Gitche Gumi. We got half way through the movie and then decided to head to bed.

ALSV Day 4 (7/6/09): A Morning on the Deck and a Climb up Lookout Mountain

We slept in, as is our custom, and rose well after the sun. Following a breakfast of cinnamon rolls from the nearby Mocha Moose, we assumed our stations. The girls alternated from the cabin to the shoreline. They tossed sunflower seeds to the resident ground squirrels and found a lake snail. Daughter L spied a bulk freighter entering the port of Two Harbors.

Ilene and I sat on the deck reading, She in the sun, and I in the shade. I face the lake and can look up from my book to see gulls flying over the scintillating waters of the lake. Squadrons of dragon flies occasionally strafe the vegetation between the cabin and the lake in a search and destroy mission of smaller flying insects. A breeze occasionally rustles the birch trees in front of me while an anonymous bird sings as part of a larger chorus.

Our leisure at the cabin ended at 3:00 when we left for Cascade River State Park some 75 miles up the shore. Our hiking took us to the key sights at the park: the solid rock shore with Lake Superior, the cascade of Cascade River, and a hike 600 ft above the lake to Lookout Mountain.

The shoreline was dominated by solid rock with very few split off boulders. During this phase of our hiking, a key focus was to find the toilet shown on our map. We eventually found the single holer, but I would dispute the placement of the “T” on the map relative to our trail and the cross trail it was on.

The second phase of out hike was along the cascade River, whose features are known for their beauty and easy access form highway Mn-61. A sample video is provided below.

Our group was game for a third phase of hiking up Lookout Mountain. The trail took us from Cascade River to Cascade Creek and then up Lookout Mountain. The reward was twofold: a view across the Cascade River valley to the next peak of the Saw tooth Mountains and a view of the Lake Superior.

While the mountain”, at 600 ft above Lake Level, is only a mountain by Midwestern standards, the chain and lake stand as well weathered monuments to an alleged more violent period in the area’s geological history. A period when a chain of volcanoes lined what is now the North Shore, forming the rocky hills and shore. The lake itself is in a rift where the current North American continent was ripping apart. One of the rips in under 600 ft of water, not to far from where I now sit.

The descent down was nice. We much prefer coming down than going up. Our destination was the historic Cascade Lodge for supper. It was our first time to eat there since it is on a part of the North Shore we seldom visit. We enjoyed the homemade salad dressing, walleye fish cakes, and big burgers. We will be back.

For most of the drive back to our cabin, we were escorted by the nearly full moon as it rose above the lake. There was an especially nice scene as we crossed the Gooseberry River of the moon, its shimmer on the lake, and a bulk freighter lit up beneath the moon. We turned around for a picture, but the timing, lighting, and camera lens were not sufficient for a good shot. We had also stopped by Split Rock lighthouse for a “moon shot”, but that didn’t work out either.

It was well after 10:00 PM when we arrived back at the cabin. It had cooled down and the waves had come up a bit. Ilene left the lakeside window open a bit so we could hear them gently caress the rocky shore as we fell asleep. It is the signature sound of our annual sojourn.

ALSV Day 3 (7/5/09): A Leisurely Day

My Shadow is long before me as the sun is well into the western sky. Flood Bay is calm before me. A couple seagulls float in the bay. My two daughters and other tourists line the beach: one walks a golden retriever, several toss stones into the placid water, my daughters are stooped over as they hunt for sea glass.

Our day started at a leisurely pace and didn’t deviate much from it. At 10:30 we headed to Duluth for lunch at a place we hadn’t eaten before: Hell’s Kitchen in Canal Park. The food was rich, and good, the portions large, and the price competitive. However, it was a bit noisier than we cared for. Our food included a creamy wild rice, nut, and dried berry porridge; lemon ricotta cheese hot cakes, sausage bread, ham and pear sandwich, and sweet potato fries.

From the restaurant, we drove up to Enger Tower to enjoy the view from the top level of the 70 years old landmark. We also walked some of the surrounding gardens before departing.

Our next stop was Chester Park for a brief hike among a small creek. Our route started about 400 feet above Lake Superior and we followed the creek for about a third of a mile, horizontal distance, and about a 150 foot elevation drop. The deep, sharp, ravine walls along the creek made my GPS elevation readings less accurate for tracking the elevation changes.

We enjoyed the sound of the water: Sometimes cascading in narrow channels through solid rock. At other times, gurgling between rocks on a less steep bed. I had hoped to go further on the trail, but was outvoted on the matter when we came to a bridge which connected trails to each side of the creek.

With all appetites for food, and all but one appetite for hiking satisfied, we returned to our cabin. Activities there included reading, feeding sea gulls cheap bread, conversing, and playing some iPod Touch games. Supper was a simple sandwich and chips affair as is our custom for either lunch or supper. Once the girls have finished their beach combing, we will stop in Two Harbors for gas and some groceries before rejoining Ilene at the Cabin where she was reading. Perhaps we will finish off the remaining half of our French Cherry Cream Pie from Betty’s.

ALSV Day 2 (7/4/09): Laid Back 4th of July

We slept long and woke about 8:30 to a sunny morning, calm lake, and a chorus of song. A variety of birds loudly proclaimed the beauty of the day and that we were late in enjoying it.

After breakfast, we headed outside: the girls to the shore and Ilene and I to read on the deck. The water in front of our cabin has been busy. In the half hour we have been up, a parade has floated by: several geese, a kayaker, a fishing boat, and a bulk freighter. Each was an order of magnitude further from shore than the previous.

As I write and read this morning, I sit on a weathered deck with my coffee, books, binoculars, and camera sitting on the deck railing. Though I am in the shade, my sweatshirt and t-shirt are enough to keep me warm. The Alakef coffee helps warm me from the inside out.

We have nothing scheduled today until the community band concert at 7:30 followed by the fireworks display. We are on vacation time where hours are generally meaningless. Rhythm is set to days which are tiny compared to the decades these cabins have been sitting in an old cow pasture, the millennia the lake has been here and the ages since the rock upon which the sit were formed.

The ancient rock and old lake have been pretty much the same since we started coming her 19 years ago. Each year I have had successes and disappointments. I have gotten older. Our family has grown. The unchanging shone, at least the by human standards provides an evocative venue for reflecting on where I have been the past year and where I hope to go in the future.

Last evening, as I sat for a while by the lake, between arriving and supper, the word that came to me was “gravity” Within a few months of last years visit, the economy went into in free fall. There was, and still is, gravity pulling down on me from shoring up my my “rainy day fund” to become a “stormy day fund” in case of job loss and extended unemployment.

There was also the gravity which pulled millions of acre feet of water through the Red River channel in Fargo-Moorhead. Without God’s providence in the weather and the heroic community response, much of the city could have been lost. In the context of being one weather factor away from possibly loosing our home, the stress of early spring had added weight to the economic pressures. I look forward to using this week to help decompress. The river is down and the economy is hopefully turning the corner.

As I sit pen and paper aside for a time, I will pick up a couple of books to facilitate reflection on the second half of my life. What do I hope to accomplish in the next forty years should I be granted that much life and vigor? It is a question I have brought to the lake each of the last several years of being middle aged. Each year I have gotten a bit more insight and a bit more direction. This year it feels like the gravity of the economy and the gravity of the Fargo flood have pulled me off of trajectory. I look forward to reconfirming my life landmarks and connecting course to service and significance in life.

- - -

I ended up with “readers sunburn” today. It covers one quarter of each of my hands, running from my sweatshirt cuff to my knuckles, from my thumb to middle finger. The other three quarters of each hand were shielded from the sun by the book I was reading.

The book I was reading, or rather reviewing, was Half Time by Bob Buford. It is about moving form success in the first half of life to significance in the second half. I had bought it in 1999, but it sat on my shelf until last year when I read it at Bob’s. The subject matter had become more relevant. I had some new insights and the review gives me momentum heading into its sequel, Game Plan: Winning Strategies for the Second Half of Your Life, either tomorrow or Monday.

Besides reading, I got to use the new binoculars I had gotten for Father's Day. The 10 x 25 really brings things in close. That’s the way I hope it is at Yellowstone later this summer: nice view of the grizzly bears, but at a large, very safe distance.

I also got to keep tabs on boats and ships that passed by during the day. I’ve known in theory that the Earth's curvature kept me from seeing the true Wisconsin shoreline and that the land I see across the lake is actual hills about 10 miles inland. Today the theory became more real as distant bulk freighters were chopped off in my binocular's view. That or they were loaded with something very, very; heavy witch caused them to ride tens of feet lower in the water than normal.

The volcanic rock near the lake also took my mind back in time and across space to Mars when large bodies of water with barren shores may have existed on that smaller planet. The greater curvature of the smaller sphere would cause ships to drop below the horizon even sooner. The same would be true for ships on the hydrocarbon lakes on the Saturnian moon Titan. I much prefer contemplating science at 70 F on Earth than at -250 F. The sky here today is a bright nearly cloudless blue compared to the dull, hazy orange of Titan.

The binoculars should also be good for astronomy. Due to the nearly full moon this stay, star visibility is reduced due to the reflected moonlight. There is also a lack of planets in the post sunset sky right now. One of out best memories of Lake Superior moons was the year when Jupiter rose in parallel with the moon. The gas giant was bright enough to have a reflection off a mirror smooth Lake Superior. I have the “Distant Suns” app for my iPod Touch, so will need to see it has indicates any non-planetary interesting celestial objects.

- - -
Our celebration of independence was carried out in four easy pieces: food, music, family, and fire works. It started with a stop at the Culvers in Two Harbors for supper.

After supper, we drove to the band shell in a small, wooded park near the historic center of town. We parked in front of the old city hall, constructed in 1905, which also happened to be for sale. We spent a moment contemplating the possibilities: a summer home, a little shop, an eatery.

Our walk from the car to the park passed by a small two story wooden building the birth place of 3M and now a museum crossing a second street. We arrived at the park and set up our chairs, joining people age 2 months to 92 years who were also getting settled.

The Two Harbors city band, organized in 1897, took the stage at 7:30 for an hour of marches and patriotic music. Occasionally a pre-schooled or two year old would start to dance between the front row seats and the shell, or out in the field near the shell, electing approving smiles, from many faces.

Following the concert, we made out way a few blocks toward the harbor, setting our chairs on the platform of the old train depot. It now serves weekend tourists and houses a gift shop. Three of us also took advantage of the $4 pie a la mode served up by the Socially Active Seniors Club of Two Harbors.

We hung out by the tracks waiting for the fireworks to begin. Daughters T and L spent part of the time walking and balancing on the train rails. Some people had brought their own fire works which any could watch. There were interesting dogs of all kinds and people passing by, en route to their seats. A nearly full moon rose and reflected off the lake. As 10:00 approached, tiny periods, asterisks, and exclamation points of light could be seen across the lake; distant fireworks punctuating the Wisconsin shoreline.

At 10:15, our twenty minute show began. It seemed a bit smaller than past years, but in the length was understandable, given the economy. When it concluded, we walked back to the minivan for a slow exit from town due to traffic followed by a quick five minute drive through the country to our cabin.

ALSV Day 1 (7/3/09): The Trip To Cabin #5

We left Fargo about 8:30 in the morning, taking our standard route. The four-lane US 10 took us out of the Red River Valley into the Minnesota Lakes country. From there, MN-34 and Mn-200 took us through the northern forest where the two lane road was lined with tall trees, broken occasionally by small towns and by lakes both large and small. Finally, the high-line US-2 took us down into the Lake Superior basin. The trail took us through three watersheds where the waters end up in Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and the St Lawrence seaway, respectively. We also crossed the Mississippi River in a location where it appears less than mighty.

We went past the fast food eateries in the towns of Park Rapids and Walker so we could eat lunch at the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop in the small town of Remer. It is a modest, church run eatery with a nice menu, nice ambience, and nice prices. Our family had waffles, a breakfast burrito, a pizza pretzel, and a chicken ceasar wrap. Add on an iced Americano to go and we had it all for under $20.

We arrived in Duluth in time to see a 19th century lake schooner replica, the Denis Sullivan, parade through the ship canal accompanied by a flotilla of boats.

We then headed to Christian Eggert Violins in the historic Dewitt-Seitz builing in Canal Park. While my daughter was picking up some cello music not in stock in the Fargo store, I looked out a window to see the Denis Sullivan docking at the nearby DECC.

After checking in at Bob's Cabins and unloading our minivan, we headed to Two Harbors for traditional first night activities: supper at Betty's Pies, sea glass hunting at Flood Bay State Wayside, and grocery shopping at SuperOne Foods.

The sun had dropped behind the hills as we arrived back at cabin #5. A variety of pastels reflected off of clouds and water to paint our eastern horizon. Without the sun it was noticeably cooler, especially with a slight breeze off the calm lake. The conditions allowed us to see our breaths even thought the temp was still in the 50s. The humidy turned to dew on the grass overnight.

The finale for the evening was around the table where we had french cherry cream pie from Betty's Pies with coffee or hot chocolate.

The waxing moon made a hazy appearance over the lake as the list sips of coffee were enjoyed. Thus ended the first day and it was good.

Yard and garden Update (7/12/2009)

When we returned from our annual Lake Superior vacation last night, we were not surprised to see our second boulevard elm gone due to Duth Elm disease. The remaining stump is visible in the lower right of this picture. Also notable is the shade pattern in early afternoon. The remaining elm is shading the garage where the Man cave is located, but the bedrooms to the left and the flower bed in front of the house are now in pretty intense sunlight. Ilene wonders about the hostas which had been planted there when the front yard was very shady.

The perennial garden, below, has a good number of blooms as we head into mid-July.

The red cana lilies are starting to bloom and the marigolds are blooming strong.

The veggie garden and new grass are doing well.

Tiger lilies are now blooming in the back south bed.

Yard and Garden Update (7/5/2009)

Ilene uses potted plants as an accent in some of the "whitespace" parts of the yard. Today we feature a number of these plants with others to have their turn later in the summer.

Outside our front door...

On the southside of the garage. The black plastic is the 20' edging strips for the bed expansion project.

On the patio...

On the back step....

Yard and Garden Update (7/2/09)

We got the sad news today that we are losing another elm to Dutch Elm Disease. Ilene had noticed some elm leaves in the yard last weekend and today one of the city arborists was cruising the street looking for telltale signs of the disease: dying branches. The arborist thought that the recent hot weather had caused the tree to draw in the fungus through its roots from shared root space with the tree we lost last year. The marked tree should be cut down within the next week, leaving us with one elm. While sad, this is not unexpected given the proximity of the trees. We had thought about systemic fungicide treatments last year, but they are expensive and the effectiveness is debateable.

The picture below shows the tree, but it is hard to make out the dying branches in the top center. This tree provides our front yard much shade from the hot summer sun and will be missed. We will likely select a faster growing tree like a sugar maple to replace it vs the slower growing burr oak we chose to replace our other elm.

The climatus on the south side of the house is blooming.

The netting which protected the grass seed we planted over Memorial Day weekend was removed this week and the new grass mowed for the first time. Thus taking us from the "before" picture below...

to the current scene with healthy grass and veggie/herb garden below.