Early Summer 2019

Early summer in the north woods is all about birth. The fawns start being born in late May and early June. They are mostly legs and are very cute. If you startle one, it will jump straight up in the air. This picture was taken in late July so this fawn is about 6-7 weeks old. It’s still smaller then Gilmore.

The loon chicks also start hatching in this same time frame. Loons are very protective of their chicks.

In mid-May we had a bumper crop of Monarch butterflies. Not surprisingly, by mid-July we had a bumper crop of Monarch caterpillars.

In early June this bear was on our deck. We’re not sure if this is Boo Boo or a relative. They are very clever and agile.

In late June our “fairy God Daughter” Alice and her family were up for a visit. Alice is now 3 and ready to conquer the world but I’m not sure the world is ready for Alice.

Presque Isle Days was going on while they were here. Alice’s mom, Meghan is a marathoner so naturally Alice wanted to run in the kids race around the pond. She needed to take Lambie to help her. Lambie pretty much goes everywhere with Alice. Her Dad, Mike, said there was no way she was going to make it that far so he took her stroller to go find her. He found her resting. She told him that she didn’t want any help, that she was resting so she could “finish strong”. She has obviously been to many of her mom’s marathons.

Alice helping Gilmore watch for the infamous Mermaid Lake pirates.

Alice piloting our pontoon. Barb made the mistake of showing her where the horn is. That was to much fun for words.

Our friend John participated in the amateur lumberjack contest at Presque Isle Days. His first try at the ax throw not only missed the target, it missed the stand holding the target. On his second try the ax caught the back of his hat and pushed it forward over his eyes so he couldn’t see anything. Of course he threw a bullseye.

In early June we visited our oldest son, Tom, who lives in Minneapolis. Their weather this winter was very similar to ours, water, water everywhere. This is at Minnehaha Park which is in the city.

This waterfall in Minnehaha Park was really gushing.

Clair De Lune was written by French composer Claude Debussy and was originally published in 1903. It’s one of the most widely used and recognized romantic background tracks in movies. In the north woods, Clair De Lune has a completely different meaning.

This Clair is in the town of Mercer and at 16’ tall she is the world’s largest talking loon, making Mercer the “loon capital of the world.” Of course most places up here are the world capital of something. Loon Fest is one of our favorite local celebrations. It’s the only place I’ve ever heard Jimmy Buffet songs played on an accordion.

While we were in Mercer we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. This was one of the menu items. With a name and description like this how could you resist?

This sign is at the “Wampum Store” in Mercer.

Store sales in the north woods have a decidedly different focus then you see in cities.

You also see lots of signs that aren’t selling anything.

Or that are just for fun.

So that’s the latest news from the north woods. To believe it you really have to come see it.