May 10, 2019. Who "launches" a dock? Yoopers do! Most personal docks in the far north can't withstand crushing ice, so our docks are pulled out of the water in fall and returned to the water in spring. Our dock is 64 feet long and 7 feet wide. Jeff built it on the frame of … Continue reading The Dock is Launched!
Category: Journals
From Tag Elders to Fraser Firs
May 10, 2019. Out with the tag elders, in with the fraser firs! The south end of my waterfront plot, across a small stream bridged by wooden planks, was overgrown with a weedy tree called tag elder. (They should be called "tangle elder," because you get all tangled in their skinny, hungry branches!) We removed … Continue reading From Tag Elders to Fraser Firs
A Husky Wants to Pull!
Jan. 25, 2019. I tested Roscoe’s Siberian Husky genes today through the use of a harness and 12-foot rope, for a cross-country ski on Huron Bay. A few inches of snow covered the ice, which is perfect for skiing…but without a trail to follow, it was not perfect for mushing! He wasn’t sure which way … Continue reading A Husky Wants to Pull!
Crackling Fire, Cracking Ice
Jan. 13, 2019. Who does an outdoor campfire on a snowbound winter night? Hardy northerners do. Because sounds are fewer, they're magnified. The ice is cracking loudly a few feet away while the fire pit crackles away at my feet. And although I can’t hear it, I know the home-made wood stove is also crackling in … Continue reading Crackling Fire, Cracking Ice
When Your Christmas Gift is a Tool
December 25, 2018. How do you know your partner is more practical than romantic? When he gives you tools for Christmas! Loppers, in this case. Loppers are a type of scissors used for pruning, or "lopping," twigs and small branches. These are the sturdy Fiskar brand, and I know they will withstand tough jobs. It's … Continue reading When Your Christmas Gift is a Tool
Sauna Sadness – History’s Mist
August 28, 2018. Old wood-fired saunas carry memories, and I was washed with them as I bid a final bittersweet farewell to this sauna and the farmhouse next to it. Both were built by my Finnish-immigrant grandparents. This is where 21 children were born, created from the same parents. (Three died in infancy.) This is … Continue reading Sauna Sadness – History’s Mist
The Compost Toilet (Not Outhouse!)
August 15, 2018. When developing land (or living on boat), one faces the need to manage essential human processes. I'm a former back-packer who doesn't mind doing her business in the woods if necessary, but that won't work here. We're a far cry from building a septic system or a cabin. So what to do? … Continue reading The Compost Toilet (Not Outhouse!)
Cruisers Come to Visit
Aug. 10, 2018. Cruising boaters are delightful people - cheerful, flexible, hardy and super-organized. That's especially true of those who visited us today in two C-Dories and a tug. These boats are 25' or less -- sturdy craft, meant for comfort over speed. Their owners are all over 60 years old. All have spent weeks … Continue reading Cruisers Come to Visit
Inviting Vikings: Rune Windchime
June 22, 2018. I think of the Vikings as distant relatives, although there's scant evidence that any came from Finland. They were nature-lovers, as I am. They needed the sea, as I do. They had wisdom, as I hope to; I discovered that when I uncovered an old volume of The Book of Runes years … Continue reading Inviting Vikings: Rune Windchime
The UNpretty Side of Developing
April 20, 2018. My first purchase to start developing Camp Many Moons is a silt fence, so-called to prevent silt from running into public waterways. If you have waterfront, you need to put one of these in place before you start moving dirt around. You need to get familiar with regulations and regulatory agencies and … Continue reading The UNpretty Side of Developing
For Many Moons 