The Cabin

I don’t blog from Minnesota, but I think I should at least once from my cabin in northern Minnesota, about three and a half hours north of the Twin Cities. Those of you who have been here will be able to picture it all quite well. Those of you who have never visited will hopefully get an idea of why it is my most favorite place to be in the summer, and perhaps you’ll visit someday.

The lake is called Crystal Lake and for good reason, it’s a very clear lake and one can often see schools of fish swimming around and sometimes turtles. The small fish nibble at your legs and feet (no need to go to a spa in SE Asia to have fish eat dead skin). The lake isn’t very big, but there is a large end and a small end.  Our cabin is on a point where the two parts come together. I don’t fish, but there are pan fish, sunfish and crappies, and bass and walleye.

The big event this year is a baby loon. It’s been years since one has survived. We always have one adult pair of loons on the lake, most likely the same pair every year. This year Mom and Dad have been especially protective and have cried out loudly to chase the eagles away. Baby was born at the beginning of June and is still a very downy brown, but starting to get real feathers with a dark head and white on the sides. Mom and Dad feed him fish constantly, but he’s becoming more capable since he can now dive and swim underwater. The distinctive cry of the loon is something very Minnesotan and they often call out to each other.

 There was a big snapping turtle whose shell was about a foot in diameter, digging a hole to lay eggs in two different sandy spots on our beach. Some critter got to the eggs, however, dug them up and consumed them, maybe a raccoon. 

 We usually take the kayaks out in the evening to circle the bay checking out the beaver house across the way where babies can be heard crying out. Often one can see an adult beaver swimming around, and then when they become aware of us, they slap their tails hard and swim away underwater. One time I saw one chomping a fresh branch by the house and then swimming down and inside to feed the babies. Chomp, chomp. Deer are plentiful and I see several almost every day. There are two very tiny fawns with spots running around. The deer are very timid and run off into the woods when they hear you.

It’s summer in Minnesota so of course there are mosquitoes, not so many during the day, but definitely at dusk. Since we’re on a point, we often get a breeze, which helps. We have many huge white pines and some spruce trees.  It’s beautiful and peaceful. I read a lot, walk, kayak, and swim everyday. Since we’ve been having very hot warm weather, the lake is bathwater warm, but there are cold springs that cool it off in places. It’s been warm here, but not nearly as hot as in the Twin Cities. There’s usually a cool breeze at night and air conditioning is not needed.

My cabin mate, Jean, a law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, works at her desk most days and watches the humming birds suck up the sugar water outside the window. Besides the humming birds, there are a variety of other birds at the regular feeder: gold finches, sparrows, and nuthatches. There are woodpeckers in the trees, and on the lake there are great blue heron, green heron, and kingfishers.

 Jean and her 3 year-old grandson, Heath, and I went into Walker for the 4^th of July parade. It was a small parade, but lots of candy was thrown. There were political candidates, fire trucks; police SUVs, and decorated pontoon boats on trailers for floats. Patriotic music was played and veterans were marching with the flag. It was unbearably hot and humid, but we survived and Heath and I waved our small flags.  At night on the lake, people let off firecrackers.

 In the evening it is often dead calm as the sun is setting at about 9:00 pm, and there is a golden sheen on the lake. It’s a magical time when everything is peaceful and wonderful.

This is summer at the cabin in Minnesota, a tradition for many.