Commersgate
Shown above is
young Patrick Commers, the central figure in Commersgate.
After much consternation in Mendota Heights, Patrick was
released from his suburban prison to join Dooger Kleemeier
(shown below) and yours truly in the finale of the 2004-2005
Mille Lacs ice fishing season. However, due to some
mysterious combination of allegedly poor spousal
communication and a suspected irrational maternal fear of
ice houses at night, Patrick was thwarted in his desire to
spend the night. He came up with his father on
Saturday morning, and left after dark on Saturday night.
Word to the
wise! When involving the younger members of the
Commers family in exciting outdoor events be diligent in
communicating to both parents early, and clearly. I
would recommend an affidavit be signed by both parties at
least a month in advance. It was a shame to involve
such a great kid in such a controversy, and thwart him from
his desire to sleep on the top bunk. It was pretty
obvious, though, that he had a lot of fun anyway.
Dooger was
able to keep his streak alive of catching a walleye on every
trip. He wanted to fillet this one, but we had to talk
him off the ledge. Dooger appears somewhat tired as he
reprised his trip to Menogyn the previous evening by touring
McGregor and Moose Lake on the way from Saint Paul to the
fish house.
As is always
the case with Dooger-Patrick events, a game of ball was
played (above). Above you can see Patrick winding up
to smack one all the way to Garrison. Note T.C., as
the catcher, in his natural position.
And finally,
Commersgate was tough on T.C.., who decided to drown his
sorrows in my bottle of Wisers De Luxe Canadian Whisky.
It got the best of him in the late afternoon, and we let him
sleep it off. If only the Pioneer Press had a copy of
this photo a few years ago, eh?
Like Father, Like Son?
This past
weekend was John and Thomas Bradford's turn to enjoy the
many pleasantries of the fish house. Thomas (on the
right, above) was an extremely positive and well-behaved
infant, the latter feature being one very much unlike his
father. I am quite certain that he has inherited this
trait from his mother and her fine Milwaukee upbringing.
Shown below,
you will see Thomas reading one of his favorite books to his
father. John, as we all know, doesn't really like to
read very much. It is good that Thomas does, as John
(believe it or not) has gone through all of his life
thinking that the narrator of the book shown below really
"would not, could not" eat a tasty breakfast of verdant eggs
and ham.
As has been
the case with all Bradford visits this winter, the meal on
the agenda was Wisconsin-cooked Venison bratwurst.
Shown below you see the critical simmering phase of the
tasty wursts in beer and onions (do not boil). The
second phase is shown below, right is where the
aforementioned wursts are being browned (do not over-grill).
The final phase (not shown) is a soak in warm "bratwash",
which is a mixture of butter, beer, and onions heated to a
pleasantly warm temperature. On good quality buns,
with spicy mustard, it is a meal fit for kings.
The final weekend of fish-housing looks to be a real hum-dinger,
with our own Doug "Dooger" Kleemeier, Pokie the dog,
ex-politician and current corporate shark Tim Commers, and the
always entertaining, interesting, and World-Famous Twins fan:
Patrick Commers.
Martha's Tree House
This past run
of fish-housing introduced a new concept into the
experience: Kids! And there could be no finer
first child visitor than the eldest Burket child, Martha
Otte Burket. Tom brought her up on Saturday and we
spent a good afternoon, evening, and most of Sunday living
the life of Riley on the house. As seen below, some of
the activities included were a very competitive game of "go
fish", as well as snowman manufacturing. Martha was a
very curious, courteous, and enjoyable guest who only
exhibited one sign of parental brainwashing. She very
earnestly lectured upon why as a resident of Minnesota, I
should cheer for "our team" the wearers of purple and
yellow. Hopefully I broadened her horizon in my
earnest explanation that I cheer for the team of green and
gold while clearly remaining a proud Minnesota resident.
Martha very
much enjoyed the top bunk, and the ladder. And for now
on the top bunk will be known as "Martha's Tree house".
 
This last trip
found me spending a record six consecutive nights in the
house. I have an even better video of a walleye
getting hooked that I will edit and post. I'm tired
this evening, and for now you'll just have to wait.
2/1/05
Addendum. Here is the better video of the walleye
being hooked. I left it a large file size (19.7 MB),
but it is short to watch (5 seconds) I hope it is as
much fun for you to watch as it was for me to catch.
Video-->Aggressive
Walleye Caught<--Video
Snowed In
I
spent another 5 days in the fish house at the end of last week,
and experienced quite a bit of snow. The photo above is of
sunrise from the south window the morning after the storm.
The day before it was as if all hell broke lose with the sky,
air, and ground a complete white. The wind was whipping
from the south and blowing a small drift under the gap in the
door. Inside all was warm and toasty, but the outside
wasn't fit for man or beast.
In
the morning after it was peaceful, but windy. That white
you see outside the window covers up a plowed road that has
ceased to exist. The Mac's Twin Bay plowing service was
busy that day and by its end, all routes were passable.
Carmen and Brooks came Thursday night and we had fun We
dined on venison brats cooked with the Sheboygan Method (Blatz
beer, onions, butter) and the Brunner family traditional
cornmeal pancakes the following morning. We watched both
Miracle and
Up in Smoke on the laptop, while eating popcorn.
Brooks, as is traditional, caught an eelpout and a nice walleye
to boot.
On
Saturday night Wade Brown came up and our activity was more
fishing-centric. We tried out a theory that a shiny CD-R
hung just above the bottom would attract fish. We were
unable to prove this, and feel that it is more likely that it
terrified them. Wade was the second person this year to
forget his sleeping bag, so please guests do remember your bags.
We did not have any form of engine failure, which has occurred
on our previous two trips to Mille Lacs. I believe it will
be good engine luck from here on out.
I
spent some time Saturday morning arranging my messy tackle box,
and the photo below shows the homeless lures prior to
organization. I meant to stay Monday night as well, but
found that the minnows made a jailbreak when their bucket tipped
over in the water under the house. They found the holes,
and escaped below. Without bait, I spent the afternoon
reading
this book and came home this morning (Monday). I will
return tomorrow or Wednesday, so if you feel like calling in
sick and coming up Wednesday or Thursday night by all means do
so. Tom and Martha Burket have the bunks reserved for the
weekend.
Big Cold Weekend
It
was a big weekend in the fish house, with many guests and frigid
temperatures. Just below is a photo of what the
thermometer read on Monday morning:
With the top being the outdoor at -26.1, and a nice 70.0 on the
inside.
I
had a great many guests this weekend, and a tremendous amount of
fun. On Friday I was joined by Dooger Kleemeier and John
Bradford (who brought Mags, his dog). John left Saturday
morning when Chris Commers and Tom Burket arrived. It was
a full house Saturday night and even the cot was put into use.
For the record, Dooger's wife Melissa still holds the title of
"best wife" as she sent along many delicious treats. I'm
starting to think that none of my other friends' wives can even
come close to the baking wizardry of Melissa. They are, of
course, welcome to try. I must also say that it was great
fun to fish with Tom and Chris, and I haven't seen enough of
them in recent years. They are great folks.
I've moved to a new spot and it is quite a good one.
Between Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning 15 walleyes were
caught, along with a few perch and pout. I spent a great
deal of time working with my new underwater camera, and working
with digitizing the video stream from it so that I could record
it on my laptop. I was successful at this task and was
able to record a walleye being seduced by a jigging Rapala.
Click below to download a 16.8 MB file that contains 1 minute
and 17 seconds of exciting fishing action. I shrunk this
file from around 16 fps down to 4 (90 MB to 17), but wasn't able
to make it any smaller and still viewable. If you are on a
slow connection, don't bother to click. But if you have
broadband by all means download away
{Note: I removed the file to save on bandwidth, and
replaced it with one better:
here}
In the video you'll see a walleye come in and look at my
red/silver jigging Rapala with a minnow head on the treble.
He looks at it, and seems uninterested and begins to swim away.
My jigging gets him to return, and then he lowers to the bottom.
I slam my jig on the bottom of the lake several times and he
comes in facing the camera. As he gets closer I move my
jig away from him and draw him up. The video ends as he is
hooked. I reeled him in and had a nice 16" walleye.
As he was sure to be a movie star, I released him.
Eelpout Heisman
For the first weekend on the gravel I had Todd Danelski of
Sturgeon Lake as my guest. (shown here imitating the
famous Heisman Trophy, with a trophy eelpout of his own).
The fishing was fair, with a number of decent walleyes
harvested. Todd was hoping I would get skunked on
walleyes, but he was very disappointed. I told him on
Sunday morning I would give him a free clinic on walleye fishing
while he napped. Slap, bang, and I pulled a plump walleye
through the hole. I normally charge for such instructive
clinics, but I will do one pro bono on an "as needed"
basis.
On the Gravel
The big red fish house has been moved out to the gravel. I
called up this morning and they confirmed that it is good to go.
I will be up there starting Thursday and through the weekend.
Reservations are open for this weekend and the fishing should be
prime. This is the time to go, if you can get away.
Addendum 1/5/05 @ 10:30 PM. Todd Danelski will be in the
house Saturday night, and possibly Friday night. There is
still room for more, if you are thinking of coming up.
After 10 AM on Thursday please call rather than e-mail.
Cinema Fish House
Fish house season is well underway and I'm home for a brief bit
to charge batteries, and allow Mac's Twin Bay to move the house.
As I'm writing it's Monday afternoon, and as early as tomorrow
my house may be out on "the gravel". I'm going to the same
hump I've been the last two years. This hump has always
held walleyes, and I've caught 3 that are over 28 inches long
off of it. It's a good spot early, and then as the winter
progresses I move deeper and further out.
As
previously hinted, one of the new features in the fish house
this year is the ability to watch movies. I've re-done the
laptop and set it up to play DVD movies on the 15.4 inch screen.
I broadcast the audio using an
irock Beamit FM-transmitter and play it on the house stereo.
Dooger's wife Melissa is allegedly suspicious about watching
movies on a laptop, but I think as you can see from this photo
it is quite good. Maybe she is thinking we're watching any
of these?
For power, I have a 12 volt adapter for the Dell
Inspiron, which wires right into the fish house electrical
system. I run a bank of 3 large deep-cycle high amp hour batteries and we
could watch movies for days on end. I bring up a folio of maybe
200 to choose from, so I'm sure you'll find something good to
watch.
Another side benefit of the laptop will be ability to make CD's
right in the house. If the fishing is slow, and I remember
some blank CD-R's, I can make you a disc or two to listen to on
the drive back. Just remind me to bring the iPod docking
station if this is something you are interested in.
For those of you interested in coming up, this is prime time.
Right now I have only two reservations: January 15th (Tom
Burket, Chris Commers), and January 29th and 30th (Tom and
Martha Burket). If you want a bunk for a specific night
you should plan it now, and reserve it with me. That way
you won't be disappointed. Walleye season ends on February
20th, and the house will be put away after that.
FISH HOUSE DEPLOYED
The fish house has been successfully deployed on Mille Lacs
lake. It is only about a half mile off shore and is over 20
feet of water on sand. I spent 3 nights there this week and
didn't catch much but small perch and a few tiny walleye. As
soon as the ice gets thicker I'm going to head out to the gravel
where the big fish are.
I'll be heading back for New Years and have openings. If anyone
wants to watch movies and drink Canadian whiskey to celebrate
the new year, let me know. Otherwise, I'll be up there by
myself reading away.
Technical Issues
Your webmaster apologizes for the lack of updates recently. I
had major technical issues, losing a 200 GB hard drive. I have
now replaced it, and re-installed all the software. I was able
to download this site back off the server, so we should be back
in business. I lost all of your email addresses, so please take
a moment to send a message so that I can re-populate my address
book.
Have a great Christmas week! I'll be around with ice fishing
updates soon enough, so if you don't get what you want from
Santa there will at least be something to look forward to.
Update 12/20/2004. I continue to have hard drive problems. The
new hard drive that Dell shipped me has now failed as well.
Technical Support in Panama City was very helpful, and I'm
confident that I'll get everything going again. But after I
installed the drive, re-installed XP Pro, put in all the
software, tweaked and configured it, and backed up all my iPod
music, blam-o, to paraphrase Reagan, there it goes again.
I'm going to limp along on the laptop, and try again. It is
slow, as it is old, but at least it works.
Update 12/30/2004. The second hard drive is installed, and
I'm back on the speedy machine. I hope this one isn't
defective like the last.
Hunting is Over
I have
come to the end of the 2004 hunting season, and it was the best I've
ever had as well as the best I'm ever likely to have. Leaving
behind the silliness of the filter company, and all the dumb corporate
politics, led me to a blissful autumn existence where I could chase
game. I started in Manitoba with waterfowl, pursued them also in
Minnesota and North Dakota, and ended last week with a full season of
deer hunting.
The
photo above is with my pal John Bradford posing with the second buck I
shot the first day. I shot it in the swamp stand, after taking a
lesser buck earlier in the morning. My freezer is full up, with
bratwurst, polish, sticks, breakfast sausage, chops, roasts, steaks,
hot dogs, and tenderloins. I've been eating venison every day
since September, and I am not at all tired of it. It gives me a
real connection with the land, as well as being nutritious and
delicious.
My other
news is that I had Lasik surgery last week, and now have glasses-free
20/20 vision. I've worn glasses since I was very young, and it
is very nice now to not have to deal with them. I am not so good
at putting the drops in my eyes (steroids, antibiotics, artificial
tears) but will only have to do that for another week or so and them
I'm up and running.
Ice
fishing next. And I suppose I should look for a job. But
truth be told, I really don't want to.
Red
Country
I wanted
to post this map, lest people think that America is divided. Don't
believe the mainstream media hype that America is divided, and that
there is equal representation between Americans who vote Blue and Red. America is by far
Red (voting for Bush, not Kerry) as this
map shows. Yes, those Blue areas are more populated than most of
the Red, but let me ask you whether you think the people in those Blue
areas represent America more than those in the Red? I'll take the
wisdom and beliefs of those in the northern plains, the south, and the
west much more than I'll believe those costal and urban liberals.
I especially take little stock in what the chattering classes of the
north-east and Hollywood have to say.
And, as
you can see, a lot of Minnesota is red. For some reason the Iron
Range clings to foolish memories of their DFL past. And the Twin
Cities is misled by the left-leaning Star Tribune to vote liberal. But
we are more red than blue, and I take heart in that.
America
is Saved!
Woot!
Woot! For the first time since I can remember I stayed up all
night, last night, watching the election returns come in. The
screen shot above was taken at 11:58 PM just seconds after Drudge called
the election. He was the first one, and he was right.
I was
fairly nervous that America would make what I would consider to be a
terrible mistake, and elect John Fricking Kerry as our next
president. I am extremely relieved that we came to our senses and
elected a strong leader who has the stones to take it to the
terrorists. I have great hope for America in the next four years
and I feel that we really dodged a bullet.
Not to
gloat, but the picture below really sums it up for me:
As an
anecdote, I had to almost physically remove a MoveOn.org volunteer from
my porch yesterday. She tried to enter my house and convince me to
vote for Kerry. She wouldn't leave when I sternly told her
to. It was almost to the point that I needed to take out my 12 gauge.
Northern
White Beak
I spent
this past Thursday and Friday on Nett Lake hunting ring-bill ducks as a
paying guest of the Bois Forte band of
Chippewa. Jeff Dekko, Brian
Provost, and I participated in the annual slaughter with our guide Gordie
Adams. "Bois Forte" means "strong wood" in
French and you can see Gordie testing some of the local wood in the left
of the picture.
As you can
see from the photo, Jeff is rather pleased with the "northern
whitebeak" he shot (one of two). Little does he know that
Gordie is laughing at him from behind, and Brian is looking on in
disgust. I was back in the bush having an uncomfortable moment,
but it was alleged upon my return that Jeff actually shot the second one
out of the air. I was poisoned by an evil salad and wasn't the
most enthusiastic hunter on Thursday morning.
Here is
what our spot on Thursday looked like from the water:
All told,
we shot our limits both days and had a good time. There are an
amazing number of ring-bill ducks on that lake and it is always a sight
to see. We purchased wild rice harvested and processed by Gordie
himself, and generally had a fine time on the big rice lake.
Friendly
Manitoba
The lack
of September updates on this site can be attributed to my absence from
the US of A. This year I took a 22 night vacation to probably my
favorite place on the planet to visit: The Pas, Manitoba.
This was
my third trip to The Pas for hunting, and was probably my best so
far. Aside from some of the most spectacular hunting one could
ever see, I attribute this high rating to the fun of the friendly
Manitobans who were great fun to hunt with and who I consider great
friends. In the photo above you will see Warren Hicks on the left,
yours truly in the middle, and Terry on the right after a successful
Snow and Canada Goose hunt. Below, you will see John Lutz and his
dog Drake on one of the lift-overs coming from a good duck hunt on
Reader Lake. I had very good hunts with both Warren and John, and
I appreciate their friendship greatly.
For as
long as I live, it will be my intention to spend as much of ever
September as possible in The Pas. I will probably have to get a
real job this winter so this may be tough. But it is my aim.
This year,
in particular, I choose to go after mallards. I found where
thousands upon thousands were roosting in a massive valley meadow, and I
chased them from various directions day after day. Here is a
result of a good day chasing them.
Men's
Night
For
several years now I a number of the fellows I grew up with at Camp
Widjiwagan have been meeting on a monthly basis. This has come to
be known as "Men's Night" and is generally held at a
steakhouse or Saint Paul tavern. Around 6:30 or so we all get together and
generally renew our friendships and learn what each other are doing with
our lives.
This past
Monday the event was held at Andy's Grille at the
Minnesota State Fair. As
shown below, you can see Tim Commers who brought his son Patrick
along. Patrick is always welcome at Men's Night as he is a
enthusiastic and knowledgeable Twins
fan. This type of manly
feature is to be admired.
As you can
see from the photo above, Patrick definitely takes after his uncle Chris
more than his father Tim. Patrick started 1st grade this week, but
perhaps in another 17 years or so Patrick can participate in all of the
manly activities of Men's Night, and buy us all a round.
Doug
Kleemeier, AKA "Dooger", has been the ringleader of these
events and has organized each one of them. Dooger has done an
excellent job of this, and I treasure each of these meetings. I
believe it is very important to share these moments, and to remain
friends. As this type of thing, along with each of our own
families, are truly the events that are most important in life.
State
Fair Day 1
John
Bradford and I carried out the tradition this morning of being the first
people to enter the Minnesota State Fair. We were interviewed by
both KARE 11 and KMSP 9 during our pre-dawn entry to the gates.
Our repartee was witty, and I hope you were able to catch it on the
tube.
The shot
above finds us outside the yet-to-be-opened Ralph Nader booth.
Notice my clever hand gesture I'm giving to you libs to encourage you to
vote for Nader. If you're one of those undecided folk (and I can't see
possibly how anyone could be at this point) or have an irrational hatred
for George W. Bush go ahead and throw your vote away to Nader.
Just as long as it isn't for Kerry. Let's give W a crushing
victory so the Democrats can't try to cheat again.
Ikea
Grand Opening
The
Brunner clan headed out this morning to attend the opening of the first Ikea
store in Minnesota. The news and radio had warned us of the
traffic and the line, but we braved it nonetheless and perused the
Swedish furnishing giant. Below you will see Carmen with her flag
at a truly very exciting moment.
We spent
quite a bit of time in the store, following the serpentine aisles and
looking at various gee-gaws and whatsits. On the left below you
will see Mom, Brooks, and Brennen admiring some kitchen devices.
To the right, if you look closely, you will see Carmen pretending to
chug some Lingonberry-Apple Kristian-Regale sparkler.
Yes,
Brooks does need a haircut in a bad way. And, yes, those are
Swedish flag shorts on Brennen.
 
Other
highlights of the trip included me removing a "No Fur" sticker
from a sign advertising a nice woolskin rug. The anti-fur asshats
had already been out with the store open just 3 hours! I peeled it
off and tossed it in the trash, as any good American would do. The
final bit of excitement was the call over the intercom of a "Code
90" in the Smaland playground. It's kind of a massive
McDonald Land with a Swedish flair. Let's all hope that the
"Code 90" has been happily resolved.
One final
point of interest. I paid some attention to where the products
were manufactured, by reading the tags. Much of it, as you would
expect, was made in China. However, the Ikea tags said "The
People's Republic of China" rather than simply "China" as
American products do. Is this some Swedish plot to socialize
Minnesota? I think we may need to keep our eye on this Ingvar
Kamprad fellow.
Doog's
Fish & My Buck Head (click to see big photos)
Independence
Day in Wisconsin!
This past
weekend I drove Big Red to Wisconsin to spend the 4th with John
Bradford's in-laws. John and I drove down to the Milwaukee suburb
of Brookfield, and stayed with his wife Jill and her parents. They
provided excellent hospitality and exhibited that fun-loving zest for
life that Wisconsinites are known for.
Among the
highlights of the trip were our visits to the music festival Summerfest,
once in the rain and once without rain. On Saturday night, John
and I got backstage passes courtesy of Noah Levy of The
Honeydogs who is the drummer for Five
For Fighting. We were able to spend some time on the swank
tour bus (see photo below of John at the wheel) and the Spartan dressing
room. John particularly appreciated the free beer, though he
didn't seem to appreciate it as much this morning as he slept in the
back of the truck as we drove back to Minnesota.
Special
thanks goes out to Noah for giving me a glimpse into the world of rock
stars. I believe that Tim Commers was his counselor at Widji years
ago, and he apparently has become an accomplished rock star in spite of
that harrowing experience. The Five For Fighting tour bus was way
cooler than the one in Almost
Famous, and I enjoyed it all very much even though I was obviously
out of place.
No
picture, but no 1000 words either
Several
weeks have now passed since the nice man at Brett Favre's Steakhouse
told me he would send me back my camera. Every day I am home I
eagerly look on the front porch, and check the weedy back porch.
So far no camera!
The last
social event of the PUR facility was held on Saturday, via a boat ride
on the Mississippi. Several of you on the trip asked me when I
would update the website and found my excuse that I didn't have my
camera back as a weak one. So for now I'll post the occasional
text update, but that doesn't suit my style as I always like a photo to
color whatever I'm talking about. If I had my camera I'd
have taken a photo of Rick Riedel looking regal on the poop deck of the
Harriet Bishop.
Rick and
Igor Zdorov took a break from playing cornhole in Cincinnati and flew up
for the trip, and it was good to see them. I'm not sure that Rick
was actually on the "poop deck", but I just think it's fun to
type "poop deck."
I have
several exciting events in the weeks ahead, including a launch trip on
Mille Lacs and a physical where the doctor will do the obligatory
prostate cancer check. I'm at that age where you can't get out of
it. I'm sure you'll all be glad that I don't have the camera to
record that event.
Poop deck!
Green
Bay Rainathon
I
apologize for the lack of a clever picture, but I accidentally left my
digital camera on the chair at Brett Favre's Steakhouse on Saturday
night. Because of this I have no photo of Doog doing the Lambeau
Leap or any of the other amazing things I saw
through the rain in Green Bay this weekend. I have contacted the
management and hope that they will return me my camera. If not, I
will need to shop for a new one. Perhaps, too, #4 will take pity
on a poor semi-employed fellow and spring for one for me?
As you can
glean from the above, I did visit Titletown this weekend and, amazingly,
it was the first time I have ever been there. I drove Dooger east to run the
Cellcom Green Bay
Marathon, and watched him finish from section 111 in
Lambeau Field through torrential rains. He finished at 3:01:45 in 36th
place overall. He actually did do the Lambeau Leap in the south end zone,
and even twice. I believe he could have broken the 3 hour mark by
not doing the leap, but I figure when a guy has the chance to do that, he
takes it.
I was able
to visit the Packer Hall
of Fame, the Packer
Pro Shop (twice), and do one of the Official
Lambeau Field Tours. All of it was very worthwhile and quite
amazing. I have only seen NFL football games at Milwaukee County
Stadium and the hated Metrodome, and it was evident in every way that
Lambeau Field was far superior to either.
If anyone
has a recommendation on a new digital camera, please let me know about
it. Also, I will field travel advice on any of the Packer
features listed above. It was an amazing and eye-opening trip for
me, and I recommend it warmly to anyone thinking of going.
Update
5/26/04: At the Saints game on Monday night I received a call
from Brett Favre's Steakhouse. It wasn't Mr. Favre, but the fellow
on the other end did say my camera had been found. He is sending
it to me and I will now not need to buy a new one. Hurrah for
Brett Favre's Steakhouse!
Out
For Trout
I've
returned this Monday night from a successful Quetico
fishing trip with my buddy Dooger, and his dog Pokie. As you can
see from the above we had a good deal of success chasing the wily lake
trout of That Man Lake. It was a four-night cruise up the Man
Chain and back down, where we caught lake trout, smallmouth bass,
walleye, and those nasty slimer northerns.
We were
able to try out two very fine pieces of new gear on this trip. The
first was a Trail
Blazer Take-Down Buck Saw that folds up into an aluminum tube.
Below you can see a before and after project, where we removed a dead
tree for "safety" reasons. We also made a number of
large wooden floating objects that sailed merrily away across a number
of different lakes. I never knew that Doog took such an interest
in cutting and burning wood.
 
The other
new piece of gear was a very nice Freden
Reflector Oven that was hand made in Sweden. Below you can see
our Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (yes, the ones in the tube) baking and then
being frosted. We also baked some smallmouth bass, with dill and
fresh lemon with it. It's a fine item and I recommend it.
Look at a bigger picture of it on the website linked.
 
It was a
short trip, but very nice. We had a bit of snow, some rain, and
sun. It froze one night and was in the 30's all but the last.
Next
Stop: Green Bay, Wisconsin! Stay tuned.
Flirting
with Disaster
This past
weekend John Bradford and I made one abortive and one successful trip
down the Minnesota and Mississippi River. On Saturday we started
out from the Fort
Snelling State Park landing and quickly turned back due to a nervous
dog. John very nearly took a swim, and on numerous
occasions. Sunday we made it from the Highway 77 bridge to Harriet
Island in Saint Paul, and did, sans dog, it in about 4.5 hours against a
headwind. We each paddled our solo canoes, John's a Bell
Magic and mine a Bell
Wildfire.
In all the
years that the two of us have lived in Saint Paul, we haven't ever
paddled this stretch of river. It flows near our houses and it is
surprising that we haven't ever done it. The Mississippi is the
better river as I found it cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing.
I
apologize to my loyal readers for a lack of April updates. I
wanted the message below to sink in, and allow some time for it to be
considered. Now that it's May I have many exciting adventures
planned that I will chronicle on this page. Stay tuned!
Eulogy
The
last day has come and gone. Having watched it on the calendar for years I had mentally
reviewed the scenario hundreds of times.
I steeled my heart and mind to whatever might be expected, and
convinced myself I was prepared for what I discovered I was not.
From
the day BFS stood before all the managers at 7 AM and told us that the
company had been sold I was suspicious that this day would come.
And as we learned of our new owners, and experienced their
culture and methods it became all the more clear.
It was just a matter of time, and I understood from those days
forward that the only way that we could truly win would be for our group
to remain
friends to the very last day. To walk out together as a team, maintaining that critical
bond that was the cause of it all.
What
made R&D tick, and what I believe made us successful, was the fact
that we genuinely liked and trusted one another.
It wasn’t hard work and long hours that did it. Nor was
it good engineering or good ideas. Truthfully, most were neither and
surely nobody will remember a one-piece float ten years out.
But we will, and I argue SHOULD, always remember the friendship
that fueled our growth and our success.
They were the only key, the only thing of lasting value.
The
fact that we did not all walk out together is the crime and tragedy
here. Some sad and evil things happened that prevented that, and
it does no good to call them by name and wish that they hadn’t
occurred.
Instead, we should learn from them and make sure that we know not
to repeat them ever again in our professional lives.
Although
I was prepared for most of what I expected yesterday, I just could not
stand there and look beyond the sin on the table.
As I’ve said, our strength was our sprit, our esprit de
corps, and our camaraderie: the
way we trusted and accepted one another. That was tossed aside as if it meant nothing, torn apart in a
brash act of stupidity and selfishness.
Anybody
can design plastic parts, maintain schedules, and curry the favor of
partners and managers. But
not every group can stand together through 10 years of crisis and get up
from every arrow shot into its flank, with a smile, laugh, and a
smart-assed quip.
It
shouldn’t have happened the way it did, and we should have been better
managers, co-workers, and friends. The
end never justifies the means and the relationships of people are all
that is truly important in life. Remember these things and learn from them.
But
it did and, like it or not, it
is now time to move on.
T-4,
and a Walk in the Bog
I took walk in a bog today. Spring is coming to central Minnesota and the
snow is now mostly gone. We had a lot of rain Saturday night and when
the showers ended I decided to take a walk to a wild place. I
waded, balanced on sticks, and jumped hippie heads back to where some
winter logging had been done in the very big bog (3 x 1.5 miles) near
where I hunt deer:
 
The forest
there is tamarack, black spruce, and sphagnum moss. The US
Geological Survey, in their poetic way, classifies it a Coniferous
Bog. It isn't a hot spot for recreation, and in reality is a
very wild place that few ever enter. There isn't much wildlife to
see, as woodpeckers and dickie birds are about all that live
there. Deer and bear live on its edges, but deep within it is the
domain of birds and bugs.
I walked
out upon it on the logging trail, supported by still-frozen
ground. It was a nice way to reflect on the eve of the week that
concludes a job I've had for nearly 12 years. A month before I
started the job I will lose, I had returned from a 55 day canoe trip in
the wilderness. Since then I've learned a lot about Corporate
America, and what is both good and bad in it. I found the wild bog
to be an excellent place to reflect on those facts, and consider all
that I have learned and the friends that I have made.
Even
More ideas for
the Soon-To-Be Slacker!
More of
you have sent me suggestions, and they keep getting better and
better! I can't help but smile and feel that there are nothing but
happy days ahead.
From
Pete Beerse:
Office
Cubicle Biohazard Clean-up Specialist {Editor's
Pick}
With all the shift in jobs from the US,
offices and cubicles are being vacated at record numbers (obviously the
fallout for failed Clinton policies). As
a result, office moving personnel are being confronted with finding
significant deposits of hardened nasal solids that were picked by the
vacated occupants and transferred to the under surfaces and crevices of
the desk furniture. What makes this situation SO scary is the
critical mass of dormant respiratory virus waiting for their opportunity
to infect a host. Without the proper clean-up and disposal, a
epidemic may be looming called OARS (Office Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
As if that weren't enough of a threat,
movers are also confronted with finger nail clipping deposits. Often
the clippings are allowed to incubate on the dark crevices and continue
to support whatever microbial growth they were last infested with.
Click
here and here to see stomach-turning photos of what inspired Pete's suggestion
From
Huey: Ice
Fishing for Sharks in Greenland. Click the link. You'll
say "Holy Crap!", I guarantee it.
From
Rick Andrew: How about attempting to catch a walleye from
every lake in Minnesota before getting a new job? I'm sure Jack
Daniel's could be incorporated into the plan to make it a real
challenge.
From
Mike "Bloomers" Blumenstein: I think you should find
yourself a large stick and do a Buford
Pusser down in Cincinnati at the P&G HQ.
Woody's
Second Suggestion: Take classes at Dudley
Riggs Brave New Workshop (if it's still around) and become an actor
specializing in improv. Maybe becoming the white Wayne
Brady in the process.
Either that or you could go download all the episodes of The
O.C. and watch those.
Your
Suggestions
Suggestions
are coming in for what I should do when unemployed. Woody,
from the left-east-coast, has suggested:
I
think you oughta take the overnight slot on the new Air America Radio network.
Picture this: Sitting in the studio with a bottle of what's good
for ya, a no-longer concealed weapon on the console, and a microphone
that reaches from Portland to Portland. Talking about whatever
you want to talk about for three-to-six hours a night.
How can you go wrong?
If anything, it'd beat watching you on a web cam watching Oprah.
Thanks for
the suggestion W., but I'd probably have to at least brandish that
"no-longer concealed weapon" on one of these two asshats they've
chosen for hosts. Gee, I can't wait to listen to what these useful
idiots have to say once the network launches....
 
Countdown
to Blissful Unemployment
There are
only two weeks remaining until I join the ranks of the unemployed.
It has been coming for a long time, and is now at the point where I am
ready for it to be over. Nearly all of my friends have (as they
put it) "transitioned", the cubes are mostly torn down and
barren, and the parking lot is strangely empty. The once vibrant
and proud plant is now a lonely ghost town.
Novels
could be written about what happened there over the years, and how it
was tragically and stupidly destroyed. But heck with that, school
is about to be out for the summer! As such, I would like to take
your suggestions as to what I might do the first day I'm
unemployed. So far I have two ideas. Write me if you have
more, and if they are clever I will post them.
1.
Drink a bottle of Jack Daniels and watch Oprah.
2.
Be first in line to see the guy on the left, remake the role from the
guy on the right:
 
Walking Tall (2004) and
my unemployment, coming to you April 2, 2004.
View
Trailer (QuickTime)
Brennen
Back from Antarctica
As you can
see from his relaxed pose above, Brennen has returned to the Gopher
State from the cold south. Due to heavy, and relentless rain in
New Zealand he flew back last week for a Lake of the Woods ice fishing
adventure. On Friday the two of us took the 370 mile drive up to
Warroad for two days of fishing the big lake. We caught perch and
walleyes, and Brennen had two tremendous walleye fumbles--one into the
minnow bucket.
You can
call him at Mom's house and I'm sure he'd like to hear from you.
Just don't ask him to pay the bill though.
End
of the Season on Mille Lacs
This
morning was my last in the fish house for the 2003-2004 season. I
packed up all the gear, strapped the rattle wheels to the wall, and put
everything in order for the 8 mile drag back to shore. It's sad to
see the season end, it never seems to last quite long enough.
It was a
good year for me, better than most on the lake based on reports. I
moved three times and ended up at the end of the road. Nobody was
further on the lake, from Mac's Twin Bay, than I was. There were
no houses nearby and everything was white as far as the eye can see.
Fear not,
though, fishing is not over. In another week I'm going to Lake of
the Woods for border water walleye fishing, and then after that I'm
going after bluegills and crappies. The fun never stops.
This
is fishing?
This past
weekend I had the great honor of having Woody, Dooger, and Bradford as
guests in the fish house. Doog and W.,came up Saturday morning,
and Bradford on Saturday night. We caught a few fish, used an
underwater camera, and played two epic games of Monopoly: Classic, and
Green Bay Packer Monopoly. We also played this dumb Jurassic Park
game, which I was accused of having a bad attitude about. It IS a
dumb game. Too many farking rules.
Doog's
wife Melissa made a delicious cheese ball and hereby holds the title of
"Best Wife". This is the second cheese ball she has sent
to the fish house, and boy can she make a delicious ball of cheese.
Man!
Brennen can Shovel It
Dear
Mr. Salveson,
I am writing you to inform you of Brennen Brunner's most stellar
shoveling performance on the C16 iceberg this morning. Both Jonathan
Thom and I had heard that he was a top-notch shoveler, a man who had a
certain finesse with the shovel. In short, we knew he was somewhat of a
legend in the shoveling world and so we both anticipated an
enlightenment of sorts. However, I was wholly unprepared for the
overwhelming ecstasy I experienced this morning on the iceberg. Mr.
Brunner is indeed a master shoveler. He shovels with the precision of a
calligrapher, with the power of the most intimidating natural disasters,
with the tenacity of a leopard closing in on its prey, and with the
grace of a ballerina floating across the stage.
I wanted to not only thank you for being so generous as to send such a
world class athlete on our mission, but also to let you know how much we
were impressed in Mr. Brunner's seemingly inexhaustible shoveling
prowess.
Most sincerely yours,
Marianne Okal
Apparently
Ms. Okal has never encountered someone who grew up in a corner house in
Minnesota before. C-16 is one of the big icebergs in the region. I-190
put various weather and seismic equipment near the edges of these bergs,
and as these things price out in the $100sK+ range, we're going in now
to recover them. Weather was a little iffy, a dark bank of clouds
approaching from north, and hoping not to spend the night out I took my
shovel with some élan.
Anyway, though the Coast Guard helo crew told us to call and they'd come
early, and we whipped out a two hour job in 45 minutes, they showed up
an hour late and couldn't get in. We spent a fair bit of time sitting on
our packs, but now I return safe and sound. No doubt you will know what
she writes is the truth; all know I can shovel, particularly things with
four letters that begin with S.
Brennen
Bad
Photographer
For the
last week I've forgotten to take out my camera and photograph the fish
house festivities. Last Wednesday and Thursday I had Mom, Brooks,
and the dog up for a night of fish house fun. We ate delicious
meals, shared laughs, and had a rip roaring time. On Saturday and
Sunday, Doog and Pokie (his dog) came up and we listened to The
PowerLoon and had also a very fine time.
I will
take more pictures the rest of the season that will give you plenty of
visual delight. Next weekend it's the PUR R&D trip where we'll
split between my house and the MacQuoids deluxe monster house.
Be sure to
make your pick for the Super
Bowl of Rock! It's a Mille Lacs tradition on Super Bowl
weekend and you know I'll be listening.
Bradford
& Brennen
It is 9071
miles in a straight line from
McMurdo Base in Antarctica and my Fish
House 3 miles from shore on Mille Lacs. But don't these two just look like they
belong together? The second shot is Brennen with his "Glacier
Meat" snack, just before he led a group of glaciologists up a
"steepish slope". The first is Bradford, with his fine
dog Mags enjoying his own snack (a frozen eelpout) before John has a
dozen or so Huber Bocks. Two peas in a pod.
 
It's too
bad about the Packers, but that's life. The fishing has been good,
though! I caught two 27", a 22", and a 19.5"
walleye this past weekend. We also had the pout attack on Saturday
night which was a bit thrilling. Mom, Brooks, and the Dog in the
house on Wednesday night, Dooger this weekend. Spots still
available!
Gravel
bound!
The crack
has healed and the ice has thickened up. My house has been moved
to the gravel, way out there in the lake where the big fish roam.
I'll be there Friday morning through the weekend, with John Bradford and
Mags the dog as guests. The top bunk and the cot are open if
anybody wants to stop by. I've stocked up on
Huber
Bock so that ought to entice you, eh?
This is
prime time. If you were thinking of coming up and want to catch
fish, the next several weeks are the ones to come up for. Check
the Fish House page for details and
directions. 01/07/04.
Even
Happier!
Fishing
was slow this weekend, and I'm hoping the bitter cold this week thickens
the ice some. If it does, I'll be moving to the gravel where the
fishing should be much better.
In case
you needed another reason not to move to Cincinnati, Ohio let me put
forth exhibits A and B:
and 
This game
is apparently the highlight of fun and culture down there (between
visits to that nasty Chili place
and the Hustler
Superstore). Apparently these Buckeye asshats don't know the
actual meaning of the word. Shhhhh....don't tell them.
HAPPY
DAY!
 
ICE
SEASON UNDERWAY!
The first
night in the fish house this year was December 19th. With the
furnace in place and running well, I spent the first 3 nights fishing
away. I caught walleye, perch, and eelpout and basically got
everything up and running.
I will be
in the house all weekend after Christmas and am looking for
company. If anyone wants to
come up, give a call and there is room for you. If not, have a
Merry Christmas and be well.
Fish
House Deployed! (sort of)
I received
word today from MTB that my
house was deployed! I'll be heading up Friday afternoon for the
first weekend of ice fishing. Expect a report and pictures next
week, just in time for Christmas.
One
story. Always concerned about the safety of my guests, along with
my fiscal concern regarding fuel efficiency, I arranged in August for
the fish house furnace to be serviced. A nice man from Isle, recommended
as the best, agreed to do the work. Back from Manitoba in late
September I called, and he reported that he would do it soon. Back
from North Dakota in late October I called, and received the same
report. Back from deer hunting in late November I called, and
(surprise) learned the same. Two weeks ago, I called again and was
told "I will get right on it".
Well, as
some of you know, I've had some trouble receiving my new auger.
Reeds
alleges it was shipped via Spee
Dee, but it has not been received. The long and short of it is
that I start the season auger-less and had to pay MTB to drill my holes
and start my furnace prior to my arrival Friday afternoon. I have
also learned that Reeds is apparently incompetent.
I received
a call this afternoon from MTB indicating that when they went to drill
my holes and start my furnace they found no furnace. They had tracked it
down and learned that the nice man had removed it and was fixing it but
had caught a cold and couldn't finish it today. It would be in
tomorrow, they thought.
All of
this means that there is a reasonable chance that I will be posting a
picture of the rental house that MTB will provide me this potentially
furnace-less weekend. Even so, it is my aim to hook fish.
I'm patient and will allow everything to work itself out.
If anyone
wants to do some fishing Saturday or Sunday please give a call, and come
on up. Early ice is always the best fishing so it will probably be
worth your while.
12/18/03
MEAT!
As
promised, the meat run was made. I loaded 4 heavy boxes of
MEAT! from the Rhine Lake Butcher Shop into my truck, and then
drove them south. My new 5 cubic foot freezer is now nearly
full of venison steaks, chops, roasts, tenderloins, country
breakfast sausage, and kielbasa. Clara Peller and Ted Nugent
would be proud. When I'm unemployed next spring there will
be meat on the menu.
Meat
Run Today!
12/13/03 I'll
be driving up to Finlayson and back today to pick up a mess of
meat. The Venison wagon will be heading south, with tasty meat for
all. Updates soon.
Ice
Fishing Show Superstar
On
Saturday John Bradford (shown above trying on a hat at the fur booth)
and I attended the 11th Annual Saint Paul Ice Fishing Show. It was
not very different than the 10th annual, the 8th annual, or even the 2nd
annual. There are a few more booths, some new gadgets, and a lot
of the same old stuff. I guess we can take comfort in that.
In this era of constant change, at least we can expect the same old crap
at the show.
Even
so, I did add some new armaments to my arsenal. A new 3 HP Jiffy
9" auger (to replace the beat up old 2 HP 8" one) and, yes,
finally this year, a underwater
camera.
More
Photos of the show: sales
pitch, tiger jacket, rod
in hand
.jpg)
.jpg)
I did not
receive any feedback on the new sizing, so I assume it's OK. Write
me if you have comments.
Many of
you may be viewing for the first time. Welcome. T.C. wrote
back complaining that his picture was no longer on the page. I
suggested that maybe I could find something from the Pioneer Press circa
the summer of '03 if that would make him happy. No response yet.
He must be trying to phone me.
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