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The aftermath!

20 Apr

New dock location

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I’m not busy planning a contingency response for the world’s next great disaster, I can be found at my little cabin on a lake in central Minnesota. It’s not much, but it is comfortable. Fishing, having a cold drink on the deck, writing, reading, or watching the many birds and animals that stop by for a visit are favorite past times. It is this last activity that I want to discuss today.

When I go to the cabin, I take my two, 14 pound feline children along. I could leave them alone at home and they would be okay for two nights, but I prefer to have them with me. So I crate them up, load them in the truck and head north. Hermann, the tuxedo, curls up and sulks in his crate while Marble makes sure that I know how much he despises me for locking him up by meowing every three seconds for the entire drive. If he gets really upset, he will puke or leave me other forms of displeasure to clean up once we get to our destination.

However, once we arrive, all sins are forgiven. There are birds, and chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits, other cats and assorted wild game to attract “the boys” attention. And for the next forty hours, noses are glued to the window panes, tail tips twitching, muscles tense, and ears alert.

Captive audience!

Captive audience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When faced with a ruthless enemy such as the heinous Blue Jay or the vicious Chipmunk, the Boys will chatter as their bodies quiver with excitement. The chatter is a reflex action to seeing something that they want to bite. Their solid bodies seem to vibrate constantly and at times I think they might start to cramp up from the continuous strain.

Chipmunks love sunflowers too.

Chipmunks love sunflowers too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason, they chatter at the Jays but not the red-headed Woodpeckers that nest in the nearby tree.

Red-Headed Woodpecker feeding her young.

Red-Headed Woodpecker feeding her young.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the action outside slows down, the boys burn off the tension by chasing each other around the small cabin. Two 14 pound cats, running full-bore around a 960 square foot cabin, makes on hell of a racket.  The “Thundering Herd” can go on into the wee hours of the morning ensuring that I get as little sleep as they do. As the weekend draws to a close, i stuff them back into their respective crates where they repeat their afore-mentioned routine of sulking and hurling insults at me as we drive home.

After they escape their traveling prisons and have a bite to eat from their normal bowls they slip into the living room and curl up in their favorite chair. They will sleep for nearly 24 hours and an exploding stick of dynamite will not wake them as they recover from the thrills of the previous two days.

Too much excitement...

Too much excitement…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is one full chair!

 
4 Comments

Posted by on April 20, 2015 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Vacation

27 Jun

I’ve been busy recently with vacation. It all started Friday before Father’s Day. The archery club I belong to, holds a traditional archery shoot every year on Father’s Day weekend. Shooters come from across the U.S.to participate in what many have called the finest traditional-only, 3D archery shoot in the U.S. Yes, I’m biased. However, when participants of the IBO World Championships tells you this, you tend to pay attention.

Only traditional equipment is allowed. Longbows, recurves, and primitive bows are the mainstay. no sights are allowed so instinctive shooting is required. Targets are commercially made three-dimensional life-like replications of real animals. They are accurate in size and shape. The main differences is the real animal does not have scoring rings etched into its side and it doesn’t hold still for very long. 🙂

Looking through the blind at the 3 dimensional foam target.

Looking through the blind at the 3 dimensional target.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three dimensional targets look very real, but they are made from foam rubber.

The three-dimensional targets look very real, but they are made from foam rubber.

The Shoot consists of three loops of twenty targets each. It’s a lot of work to put these kind of event on but the Club enjoys putting it together almost as much as the participants enjoy shooting it. I did say almost, right! Unfortunately mother nature had other plans for us. Friday was set up day and was beautiful. Saturday and Sunday were a wash out when we got five inches of rain. It cleared up a couple of hours before it was time to tear everything down, but attendance was terrible. Oh well, better luck next year. It will be our twenty-fifth year.

After the Shoot, I visited with my father and took a few days to go to the cabin. Most of my time there was spent getting it in shape for the upcoming July 4th celebration. Then a day of yard work at the house was quickly followed by a three-day writer’s conference called 4th Street Fantasy.

4th Street is a small convention by most standards, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in content. Seeing friends from across the country, participating in panel discussions with world-class authors, sharing music circles and single malt in the evenings, all the while learning about the craft of writing; what better way to spend the last few days of vacation.  For those of you who love to write or read fantasy/science-fiction, this is a must to add to your bucket list.

 

 
5 Comments

Posted by on June 27, 2014 in Other Strangeness, Traditional Archery

 

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Summer’s Coming

28 May

Two weekends ago, my ‘crew’ went to the cabin to put the dock and boat lift in the lake. This annual ritual took place several weeks later than in previous years due to the hard winter and late ice out. It usually takes a few hours to get everything in the water and leveled up. This is followed by general back-slapping and high-fives indicating that no one drowned in the process. Cold drinks and hearty meal celebrate the coming of summer as the boats are now in the water and fishing can begin in earnest.

 

Putting new section on the dock.

Putting new section on the dock.

There were several twists to this year’s event. We added a new section to the dock. The expansion was necessary because the CEO bought me a new toy (i.e. boat – not pictured).

Dock and lift in their new locations. Time to go fishing!!

Dock and lift in their new locations. Time to go fishing!!

And, we put it in a new location to provide the clearest view of the lake. In addition to the view, the change of location made for easier set up. The water is more shallow in the new location, which means I don’t have water splashing over the tops of my chest waders. Water temperature of 48 degrees F can make for a chilly experience if it gets inside.

Now that the work is done, fishing, writing, and general R&R become the priorities! Yes, in that order!

 

 
9 Comments

Posted by on May 28, 2014 in Other Strangeness

 

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Domestic Project – Finished

31 Oct

The Goal: Complete kitchen remodel of the cabin in four days!

Initial Task breakdown:

1) Tear out most of the old cabinets – Done

2) Repaint remaining cabinets, add appliques and new hardware – Done

3) New floor – Done after four restarts (see below)

4) New counter-top – Done without chipping!!!!!!!

5) Create sink base out of 150 year old dresser and 1923 vintage sink – Done – Previous owner of dresser would cry. She was so proud of her refinish job. Sorry.

6) Rebuild 1920’s vintage faucet – Done – Try to find seats and washers that fit!

7) Add wainscoting to walls and paint – Done – Crooked walls and sagging ceiling made for no straight lines

Additional tasks due to age and condition of cabin:

1) Replace sub-flooring – Done – See comments below

2) Try to lay straight flooring over warped floor with walls that are not square – Arrrgh! Done!!!

The domestic CEO and I decided to convert a 1980’s style kitchen with more cabinets than floor space into a more open and lighter kitchen from the…say 1940’s. When we bought the cabin a year ago, it had been neglected for several years and needed a LOT of work. We spent last fall and winter making it weather tight.

That meant the kitchen was next. At 140 square feet, this is not a big space and the existing layout left no room for two people to move around. So, the CEO/Architect/subcontractor got busy locating the pieces we would need. that left the General Contractor (Me) to come up with the work plan. When we told friends the plan was to complete the project in four days they ALL laughed hysterically. The nerve. \

In the end they were right. it actually took us six days. The delays were found in two places. First the sub-floor under the fridge and existing sink base was so rotted that we had to replace it. Interestingly we found three floor surfaces below the vinyl flooring we planned to cover. The second major delay came with trying to lay wood laminate floor in an old house. There were no straight corners and the floor was warped and sagging in spots. I had to restart the new floor three times before I finally got the hang of it on the fourth try.

We are thrilled with the results and keep reminding ourselves that it is a cabin. Below are the before and after pics.

Old fridge position - note the room between fridge and opposite couter

Old fridge position – note the room between fridge and opposite counter

New position with 'new' sink

New position with ‘new’ sink

Previous sink and corner counter

Previous sink and corner counter

'New" Sink and Corner

‘New” Sink and Corner

'New' cabinets

‘New’ cabinets and counter – Note the high-end commercial-grade stove. It makes great pies.

TaDa! Complee with floor.

TaDa! Complete with floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now two people can live and cook in the kitchen. It just works. For the record, the punched tin chandelier was hand-made by my mother, the true artist of the family.

 
11 Comments

Posted by on October 31, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Fisherman/Writer’s dilemma

28 Oct

The dock and boat lift are out of the water. Leaves scatter across the yard and what’s left of the huge oak’s canopy, filters the grey sky.

A strong, northwest wind has whipped up the open water on the lake. Whitecaps roll along for nearly a mile before crashing into the south shore creating a foamy line. However, in my protected cove, the water just ripples. The reflected light throws off yellows and golds between flashes of the grey sky. It looks cold. Dark and cold. The cool clarity of Spring and the light green warmth of the summer algae bloom are gone.

The lake still calls to me. To test my skills against its denizens. I reach for my rod and reel. One more day of fishing before the North Wind turns the water to ice. The sharp air cuts into my fingers. Tiny white flecks of snow give me pause.

I look over my shoulder through the glass door and see a fire crackling away in the wood stove. The quilt mom made lays draped across my favorite chair. The laptop sits quietly on the side table waiting patiently for the me to create the next scene.

The weather man said tomorrow will be warmer with less wind. He’s been wrong this year as many times as there are leaves on the ground. “One can only hope,” I mutter. I shove my hands back into my coat and head into the cabin.

The warmth of the fire hits me as I walk through the door. “What tortures can I inflict on my character today?” I ask myself.

The writer wins … today.

 
8 Comments

Posted by on October 28, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Menagerie

24 Sep

I have a new favorite first line! “Digging graves is hell on a manicure, but I was taught good vampires clean up after every meal.” I just started reading “Red-headed Stepchild” by Jaye Wells and with an opening line like that, it promises to be an unusual read. I plowed through the first four chapters last night and actually missed most of the Denver Broncos vs Oakland Raiders football game. I will provide a review of it for my friends at Find Stuff 2 Read.

The past four days have been event filled, to say the least. Let me give you a little rundown. First, Friday night, the domestic CEO and I went to see the Broadway musical, ‘Wicked’. It was her first Broadway production. Excellent show based on an excellent script. I picked the book up several months ago but have yet to read it. A cold weekend in front of the fire at the cabin might be the best place for that.

Saturday night was spent with or neighbors. Now for most people, that sounds pretty mundane. However, Our neighbors are professional boxing trainers and boxing promoters. So, we spend a quiet Saturday night with several thousand inebriated boxing fans watching one of our neighb’s fighters win the USBA Middleweight title. The fight ended in the fourth round with Caleb knocking out his opponent. He is now ranked 2nd in the US and 10th in the world! I think I see Las Vegas in our future travels.

Sunday was spent CLEANING the house. Considering how much time we have spent at the cabin this year, it is no surprise the house needed a good scrubbing from top to bottom. I find that helping the CEO with this project scores MAJOR points that will come in handy when a writing conference or archery tournament comes up that I really want to go to. And, as I stated in a previous post, being a gentleman is just how I roll.

To top it all off I added a year to my existence and am looking down the barrel of the AARP as they try and recruit me into the ranks of geezerhood. Not yet my friends. I’m at the tail end of the baby boomers and as the youngest of the brood, I will fight it all the way. Actually, for the record, fifties are the best time. Even better than being forty-something.

The best part of the weekend was getting some writing in on a very difficult scene that has been giving me fits. It seems to be working its way out.

 
6 Comments

Posted by on September 24, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts, Other Strangeness

 

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A Candle Guides the Fishermen Home

12 Aug
A candle lights the way home

A candle lights the way.

There are no lighthouses on the lake.

In the gloom of the coming darkness, the shoreline is black as it meets the dark water,creating a curtain that hides both the safe docks and the rocky shores.

The fisherman is tired from casting and maneuvering the boat among the waves. Eyes are dry from enduring hours of sun and wind.

Slowly, he makes headway as the wind has calmed, though he is wary of submerged rock piles.

The fisherman relies on memory and intuition to keep him in safe waters as he scans the shoreline ahead for his home.

He makes the turn between the Point and the Shoals keeping a discreet distance from the hazard buoy that he knows lies just beyond his running lights glow.

His eyes drift north and he sees a dim point of light in the distance. He blinks to be sure that it is not just his mind playing tricks.

The point of light flickers but remains steadfast. The fisherman guides his boat toward the light. He slows his engines to an idle as the boat enters the familiar bay. Shadows on shore begin to take on a shapes that he recognizes until at last, he sees the canopy that is home to his boat. The light is recognized as a candle. It rests on the railing of the deck that surrounds his cabin

He ties off the mooring lines, lifts the day’s catch, and makes his way down the dock to the loved ones who left the candle burning to guide his way home.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on August 12, 2013 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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