Duluth Day 3

Duluth Day 3

Today was kayaking day.  We were glad we took the advice of the woman at the marina yesterday and waited. Today was about 10 degrees warmer and the breeze was out of a better direction for the kayak trails. We arrived around 10:45 and were set up by a nice man in his early 30’s who looked more like a surfing instructor from California that a Marina guy in northern Minnesota. Nice kid, he showed us the map and when he learned that I was a birder he suggested a route that would help me indulge that part of me. He advised us on the current and how the wind direction would affect us on our route and sent us on our way after exchanging phone numbers in case we needed help.

Four hours passed like 5 minutes. We paddled south and found the island with the active Eagles nest he told us about and then crossed the channel. A big island in the middle of the river was the lunch destination. As we paddled along, we noticed a picnic table, or what was left on one, so we stopped there for lunch. A tutorial sign told us we were at Clough Island that boasted over 150 breeding bird species. It was obvious that it had at one time been maintained but had likely succumbed to budget cuts over the years. Nevertheless, we ate our lunch and I watched birds the whole time. I photographed and recorded to E-Bird a Great Crested Flycatcher, that was considered rare in the area. I was able to get a nice shot of the eagle’s nest with the mated pair and their two fledgling juveniles.

Champ cruising along the shoreline

Heading out of the marina cove into the St. Louis River channel

Juvie, Bald Eagle perched above the nest

Mature Eagle keeping an eye on me

Lunch stop at Clough Island

We learned two valuable things today. We are closer all the time to buying our own kayaks. We have used the ‘sit on top’ type twice and like them. Today day we had the ‘sit down in’ type and were not fans. They weren’t quite as stable. In my case, I don’t know how to travel light on an excursion. I go armed with my camera bag, binoculars, water bottle, cell phone….you get it. The sit on top kind have a nice indention and cover where I can stow all my stuff. Today most of what I took was in a compartment behind me where I couldn’t get to it while in motion. As my camera laid between my legs a drop of water initiated a frisky shock the left a nice burn the size of my fingernail on my inner thigh. That woke me up!

The other thing I learned was the birding is hard in a kayak! You dial in on something and get the binocs for a look. Next thing you know the kayak is turning in the current or breeze and you’re twisting to stay sighted on your bird. Then there is trying to take a picture with the kayak bobbing in the water and of course rotating in the absence of your control with the oars. I did get a couple of good bird pictures despite the challenges.

One of several species of water Lily in the river

The bridge to Wisconsin at the convergence of the river and Lake Superior in the background

Great Crested Flycatcher- fun sighting today

This was the most robust kayaking day we have had. Between the wind and the current and the active boating channels it was a challenging, yet fun and rewarding day that took us another step closer to adding two kayaks to our toy collection. The comic relief came at the very end of the day. As I beached my kayak and stood up to step out, I tripped over the seat, lost my balance and fell flat on my butt in the drink! 4 hours, wind, boats, current in and out of the kayaks several times and not a bit wet till the very end. Thank goodness I had handed my camera that was hanging around my neck to Champ, seconds before. Otherwise, I'd be shopping for a new one and these pictures would not be in this post.  I walked into the office still dripping! 

Tomorrow we will venture 20 miles south to a state park recommended to us by a couple camping near us.

Until Next Time…

Duluth Day 2

Duluth, Day 2

We had planned to go kayaking today. When we went to pick up the kayaks the woman at the marina told us the east winds would make for a miserable day. We took her advice and reserved for tomorrow when it will be a little warmer and the breeze will come from the Southwest instead of the East.

We went back to the RV, changed clothes and decided to head up the North Shore. As we started up Highway 61 we marveled at the beautiful waterfront properties, talked about how expensive they must be and how miserable it would be to be there in the winter wondering the whole time how many of the properties were summer homes of the wealthy. We had our North Shore tour guide in hand and had some places in mind to see.

Our first stop was Stony Point. A little bump of a side road and a gorgeous smooth rock shore line where we could get our feet in the water.  I picked up several smooth stones to make a keepsake with. Another little craft project on the horizon. The hardy Dulthians had no problem swimming in the sub- 70 degree water. I was content to wade in ankle deep. 

Champ contemplating crawling down into the crevasse

Cooling my feet at Stony Point

Stony Point looking North up the shoreline

Pools eroded in the rock at the shoreline

The next stop was 45 miles north at Split Rock State Park and a stunning lighthouse. That is where the day got humdrum. On arrival it was obvious that despite all the COVID protocol, the place was overrun by summer tourists. It was going to cost $8 each just to get on the crowded grounds to see the lighthouse. Um, no.  We drove to the Wayside a mile south got out and took a picture.  I can look up the history online. Next stop on the way back south was Gooseberry State Park, famous for its waterfalls. Again, overrun with visitors and crowded trails, nowhere to park, you get it. We drove on through with a wave and found a place on the shore line on a big flat rock at Agate Bay in Two Harbors to enjoy our lunch and look at the big Iron Ore loading facility that sends freighters like the famous Edmund Fitzgerald south with ore for the steel plants in the lower Great Lakes.

Lunch on the rock shoreline at Agate Bay

Champ at Pebble Beach Split Rock State Park

Split Rock Lighthouse

Iron Ore loading facility across the bay from our lunch table

The day wasn’t a bust. We saw some beautiful scenery and stunning real estate. We arrived back at our site in time to sit in the yard on our corner lot and make conversation with everyone who passed by. It occurred to me that as past camp hosts and park volunteers talking to other campers is second nature to us. We visited with people this afternoon from all over the country and heard a dozen stories about how they ended up in this particular campground.

Our fire was going by 6pm and chili is on the menu on this cool fall like evening. Tomorrow we will hopefully spend the day on the Saint Louis River kayaking, eating our lunch on the bank of one of the little islands watching the birds and the ships.

Until Next Time…

A Much Needed Vacation

Day 1-  Duluth

We arrived in Duluth for a 5-day vacation. We were supposed to spend 2 weeks in Maine this summer but the COVID issue nixed those plans. Shamefully, as Iowans we had never been to Duluth MN, only 6 hours away. Ironically, Minnesota has been conspicuously blank on our map since we went full time. It seems over all these years we have travelled every direction from Iowa but north. It was time.

Our first impression as we drove into Duluth was how beautiful it is. We are both drawn to cities by water. We have spent time on the shores of Lake Superior from the U.P. of Michigan and the north shore of Wisconsin.  We noticed right away the Duluthian’s love to be outside in the summer! I would too, if I had to live in what must be an utterly frozen hell the other 8 months of the year.

View of the Duluth on arrival

We settled into a little campground along the Saint Louis river the empties into Lake Superior about a mile north of us. Our daily entertainment is a squirrel who lives in the Walnut Tree next to where the RV is parked is none too happy that a cat has taken up residence at the base of his home. He tries to come down and finds Buster laying in his lawn chair. The squirrel chatters and shakes his tail, to no avail.

We spent today exploring. A morning bike ride along the paved state trail in the area, then a walk around the trail the circumvents the point that the park is build on.  The number 1 recommendation was a drive along Skyline Parkway. It took 5 hours as we stopped at several parks including Enger Park with it’s tower to take in the sights from on high of the Twin Harbors area of Duluth and Superior Wisconsin. At 55 years old I walked through the first Japanese Peace Garden I have ever visited. A joint project between Duluth and their sister city Ohara-Isumi, Japan. We stopped at a Nature Center that I knew was closed but a Ranger went inside and brought a birding list to me. We ate our packed lunch in a park on the waterfront and watched the guys mow the park in preparation for an evening concert. Having mowed for park services ourselves, we watched and knew how annoying it is to mow in a heavily used area. Stop, wait for the pedestrian, turn the blades back on, make sure you are facing away from the people, stop again, wait and repeat. Eventually you get it mowed. We sat at our picnic table enjoying our lunch in the middle of it all, knowing we were “those people”.

Part of the Japanese Garden

Enger Tower

Lunch in the park

View of the Areal Lift Bridge from the tower. The park we ate lunch in is in the foreground

View from the tower of the barrier island the separates Lake Superior from the Saint Louis River

The most challenging piece of the day was the trek out to the Entry Point Lighthouse at the mouth of Superior and the Saint Louis River. The walkway deteriorated years ago. In order to get out to the lighthouse and get the full effect we navigated a quarter mile of break water granite boulders. Not for the faint of heart or old of joints. Champ bounced along like he was 20 of course. He is ever the gentleman and held out his hand many times to help me, my decrepit knees and fear of falling as I moved along much slower that he could move. We made it out and back and I have to say, it is the hardest I have ever worked to get to a lighthouse but is was so worth the extra effort. Every time I visit Lake Superior, I have such a hard time reminding myself that it is a lake and not an ocean as I gaze out at the vast expanse and endless horizon of the water. It is a remarkable place full of history and energy. Little wonder people are drawn here.

View from the Shore

Navigating the Breakwater

View of Duluth from the Lighthouse

Entry Point Lighthouse. Graffiti was disappointing but not surprising

Looking out at Lake Superior

View to the shore from the platform of the lighthouse

The weather is fall like here this week. Highs in the  70’s lows in the  50’s and virtually no humidity. People at home gave us the usual grief about why we think we need a vacation. In their eyes, we are always on vacation! Only a full timer gets it.

After canvasing the area, we are back sitting around a nice fire that has been so unappetizing in Iowa’s hot summer we almost forgot what it is like to sit around a campfire. Tomorrow we’ll explore in kayaks from the water side of the area. We realize we have missed out on a gem of an area all these years. We will have 4 more days and know we will only scratch the surface.

 

Until Next Time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           

A Summer of Learning to Adapt

It’s been awhile since I have written anything. While the summer has been mostly a string of cancelled events, disrupted routines, masked people in public and uncertainty; there have been some cool things that have happened.

My container garden is flourishing this year. After three years I have gotten the hang of it. I have a Beef Master Tomato plant that is over 6’ tall and producing tomatoes the size of softballs. My herb pot is overflowing and cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and cherry tomatoes are producing nicely. Champ informed me the other day that I had 24 pots planted on our site! My pollinator habitats are thriving after taking last year to get established and yes, the butterflies and bees are visiting in large numbers.

Giant BeefMaster in background nearly 7 feet tall!

Close up of the BeefMaster heavy with fruit

Drive Entrance one of my two Pollinator habitats

The highlight of the summer so far, is my decision to buy another motorcycle. Eight years after selling mine, I decided it was time to start riding again. Some of my stimulus dollars are now in the form of a beautiful 1999 Green and Cream Honda Shadow. The nagging doubts of whether I would get into it again and remember how to ride, blew away in the breeze as I took off from the home of the man I bought it from on a 100 degree evening and set out on the  70 mile ride home. Within the first 10 miles I was back in the saddle ( so to speak) and feeling the freedom only a motorcycle rider or horseman feels with the wind blowing across you as you lean through the curves of the winding midwestern two lane blacktop back roads.

Bringing 'er home

Me And My Shadow

The honeymoon has not ended with my Garden Center job. I don’t think it will. It’s more like a comfortable old marriage. When I started working for them in early May, they were the only major retailer in central Iowa requiring both guests and staff to wear masks. That policy was set to expire in late June. I couldn’t imagine working outdoors in the extreme Iowa heat and humidity wearing a mask and hoped for a cool June. Flashforward to late July, and we are still wearing masks, other retailers have joined my employer in the mask mandates and the heat is searing here this year. The mask sucks, I won’t mince words. Today the thermometer that hangs on the wall between the covered and outdoor garden center space reached 100 degrees. More days than not this year we are in the lower 90’s by lunch time. Oddly, everyone seems to be adapting the extreme discomfort of having our face covered in the heat. I drink a lot of water and am taking about a 90-minute nap every day after work. Despite that, I am quite at home spending mornings caring for the plants and stocking gardening freight at the store always grateful that I get out of there at midday before the really bad late afternoon and evening heat settles over the department. Like every other part time job I pick up here and there I learn something new at each one. I have never used a pallet jack but it has quickly become my best friend in the garden center. I've also learned about some plants I wasn't previously that familiar with as a result of taking care of the entire inventory of plants and trees. There is always room to learn something new! 

My New Best Friend at Work

The weight on most full timers shoulders this summer, is what we are going to do this winter. As COVID numbers skyrocket in the areas frequented by snowbirds we are all feeling uncertain. After some exhaustive conversation we decided to withdraw from the position we were offered at a big resort in Mesa.  Arizona will have to wait for another year. At the end of all the discussion we decided two things. First if we are healthy and travel is possible, we would just as soon be bored where it is warm rather than bored in the frozen north. Second, we want to be somewhere familiar. That being said we made a reservation at a park outside of Mathis, Texas where we stayed for 8 weeks a couple of years ago. We met several couples there that we have stayed in contact with. We are both relieved to have as firm a plan as one can have these days. Of course, we both realize that the world could go straight to hell between now and then and we could be forced to stay in Iowa this winter, but we aren’t dwelling on it for now.

Momma Robin feeding her babies

The feeling of normalcy comes each time we see the kids and grandkids. I have been watching a pair Robins, nesting in the tree next to my patio feed their three babies the past couple of days and look forward to watching them fledge soon. We are finally in something of a routine after a very unsettled spring when we arrived back in Iowa.  The rest of the time we try to roll with all the changed procedures and new ways of existing in public. It is a world gone mad for sure, but we are getting used to being full timers in these uncertain times. Changes are achieving permanency all around us. Like everyone else, we just don’t know which changes will have staying power and which ones will subside over the next months. I can’t help but wonder what work camping will look like three years from now. 

Until Next Time…

This Could Be You!

There seem to be two types of full timers. Those who roam almost constantly and those, like us who stay put in different places for long periods of time.  We come back to the same area each summer to spend time with family and friends and chose a different winter destination each year taking our time meandering our way to and from. 

One thing that people tell me frequently is they miss their gardens and flowerbeds. The thought of giving up mine was a huge hurdle and almost a deal breaker. One of the things I like the best about our brand of full timing is I still have fresh veggies in arms reach and lots of flowers, especially in the summer. 

Years ago we used to camp at a big reservoir south of our home town and there was a camp host with a site planted within an inch of its life. I always thought it was the coolest thing. I wondered what the yard at her home looked like because her site looked fabulous.  I have never forgotten her site and have strived to achieve that since we became full time.  Thanks to the ability to return to our home base here at Saylorville in the same site each year and the Rangers willingness to let us plant in the ground and make our sites beautiful I have become that woman I admired years ago. There are many sites here that have been improved and planted. Some of the volunteers who created these luscious, homey areas have moved on but their legacy remains. 

Five weeks into the growing season, things are looking pretty fabulous at site # 7.  Champ was sitting on the patio the other day an informed me I had 24 pots with stuff growing in them. How did that happen? In addition I have 4 sections of plantings directly in the Iowa earth. In all, I have two tomato plants, Butternut Squash, Zucchini, Cucumber all spaced far apart so they don't cross pollinate, Snow Peas, Carrots, two varieties of bell pepper and banana peppers, 6 types of herbs, three varieties of lettuce and spinach. My friend gave me some Hostas that surround my tree and grow in the shade along my patio. Pots with flower arrangements are scattered throughout my site.  Squash is starting to grow, tomatoes are blooming, I am on my second cutting of greens and the herbs are over flowing in their planter.  Flowers are in full bloom and my butterfly habitats are attracting a nice variety of butterflies, bumblebees and of course honey bees. Hummingbirds are starting to flit around sipping on the plants provided for their dining pleasure. Life is good. Here a few pictures of my little slice of heaven.

Flowers and Food abound

Herbs aplenty

Cucumber loaded with blooms and babies

One of two butterfly habitats with Zucchini in the background

The grandkids garden is really growing! 




This too, could be you! 

Until Next Time...

Make Your Own Mirror and Wiper Covers

The sun is  hard on wiper blades when they sit and bake against the windshield for several weeks while one is on a job or visiting an area for an extended period of time. Sun and birds can be equally as hard on the side mirrors and their chrome finish. Most people buy covers to place over them for protection. They can be purchased for anywhere from $25.00 to $60.00 for a set, online or at the RV store. I decided to make my own. It turned out to be a simple sewing project that I completed for $11.00 in fabric and supplies I had on hand.

Here are some simple instructions with a few pictures to guide you along if you want to make your own.

I went to JoAnn Fabrics and bought a yard of Outdoor Fabric. This type of fabric is designed to hold up to the elements and dries quickly so as not to mold or draw moisture to the surface it is protecting. It is the same fabric that outdoor furniture cushions are covered in. The patterns and colors are nearly endless. That’s one of the best things about making your own. Typically JoAnn’s has either 50% 0ff or a coupon to grant 40% off a regular priced item.  I hit the store on a   50% off week and got the yard of fabric for $10.99.  I used Dual Duty thread that I had in my vast collection of threads. It is a little heavier than normal thread that you use for normal projects.

To make my covers I used:

o   1 yard of outdoor fabric

o   8” Velcro Strips

o   Dual Duty Thread matching the fabric I chose

Wiper Cover Instructions:

1.      Measure the length of your wipers and cut your fabric 1” longer than the total length and 5” wide.  You will need 2 panels

2.      Press and stitch a finished edge ¼” wide the length of both sides of each panel.

3.      Measure your wiper from the top to where it attaches to the arm. Mine was 12”

4.      Fold panel in half the long way with right sides together. Mark the distance from the top to where the wiper blade meets the arm. Sew to that mark and turn the panel inside out.

5.      You will have a pocket on the top half and an open bottom half with finished edges.

6.      Sew strips of Velcro near the middle and toward to bottom of the open sides.

7.      The cover will slip over the top of the blade and you will use the Velcro to secure it together below the wiper arm.

 

Mirror Cover Instructions:

1.       Measure the Width and Length of your mirrors. Measure the depth of the mirrors. 

a.      The measurement of the depth will be divided by 2 and added to the width of the panels + ½”  seam allowance on each side.

b.      My mirrors measured 20” long – 11 “ wide and 7” deep.

c.      I cut my panels  20” x 15” to allow for the depth of the mirror and seam allowance.

2.      Cut 4 panels with the measurements you calculate based on the size of your mirrors.

a.      Note:  You made need more or less  than a yard of fabric depending on the size of your mirrors and wiper blades and width of the fabric. Take your measurements and determine how much fabric you need before you head to the fabric store. You may also need to account for pattern and repeat of the pattern depending on what you choose.

 

3.      Sew a ¼” finished edge along the bottom side of each panel

4.      Place right sides together and start on at the bottom edge of one side. Sew up one side to the top, I made a curved turn instead of a square corner since my mirrors are rounded at the top. Sew across the top and down the other side ending at the bottom on the other side. Turn inside out and drop it over the mirror.

I haven’t yet, but may end up adding a small strap at the bottom to hold it on the mirror. I’ll wait to see if they stay in place in the wind. I have a little fabric left over to make the straps if I decide I need them.

 

In all it was a fun project that took about 2 hours this morning. I saved around $40.00 and got to pick a fun pattern instead of setteling for  plain brown or tan.

Until Next Time...

I Found My Dream Job in Retirement

Of all the part time jobs I have held over the years, working in the Garden Center is by far my favorite. It checks all the boxes. I move back and forth between being inside and outside with large overhead doors letting the breeze blow in, it is physical in nature and  helps me stay in shape and I have contact with the public in a fun way. When people come to the garden center they are generally in a good mood, nurturing a hobby or passion just as I am doing by working there.

This morning when I was watering the outdoor area, easily an acre of trees, shrubs and sun loving perennials, and annuals in various sized pots it occurred to me that garden center plants are a lot like shelter animals. They can survive okay in the pots just as animals do in kennels and cages at the shelter, but they will never thrive until someone comes and picks them to take home to nurture and love. In my decades of perusing garden centers and greenhouse for my annual plantings I have been oblivious to the work it takes to keep them looking attractive and healthy enough for someone to want to take home.

It is a daunting task to maintain any plant in a garden center for more than a couple of weeks. It amazes me how quickly some of them sell. It is not unusual to get a pallet of 50 of something and have it be gone in a weekend or a mere few days. The name of the game is move the merchandise. Any plant in the garden center for more than a couple of weeks really starts to show the stress of their life from seedling, or transplant. Quickly outgrowing their pots and some in less than ideal light. The outdoor plants have it the hardest. Not only are they in black pots, they are displayed on pallets or open tables on a blacktop lot.

As Champ has settled into his routine with his duties mowing taking care of playgrounds as they begin to open areas of the park, I have settled into a nice schedule of early morning hours. My day starts at 7a.m. The first 2-3 hours is spent watering, deadheading, and condensing displays of live freight, otherwise known as plants. The rest of the morning I stock indoor freight, and face shelves in the indoor part of the garden center. All the while I help people shopping in the department and often help them pick plants and talk to them about how to care for them. One of the perks is work smells incredibly good!  Especially when I am watering the Flowering Tropicals!

I think it is safe to say I found a nice niche for myself a few days a week this summer. I had to retire to find my dream job.