Ramble on lil’ doggie...

Ramble on. Sure I will; glad you asked. It’s been a few weeks since I just mindlessly typed about the summer’s on-goings. Rusty I might be, so please bear with…

We have been continuing in the tradition of lots of summer lawn games here at Clearwater. Okay, maybe just badminton. But there had been a hiatus due to insufficient birdies. We tried many, and killed most of them before a night was over. However, we finally found some that we will endorse. We had to venture to Duluth for them, but they are a major score. One birdie lasted two nights worth. Here’s to you durable birdie makers; you get the Clearwater Canoe Outfitters and Lodge Staff seal of approval.

Maybe you caught Kirsten’s blog about our boss turning 60. Well at least we think so. The aged kept changing. That is, he said 59, others claimed 61. Who knows, maybe the Clearwater blog will again read Mike turning 60 next year; or 62 for that matter. Nevertheless, we still celebrated it in style, with a feast that all contributed to, and some funny stories from the birthday boy himself. (I told you this post would be random).

For those of you new gunnel pumping enthusiast (I at least know that my brother (Matt) is all for its inclusion in future Olympic games), a quick update on the Gunflint Canoe Races results. Per usual, there were shenanigans. Our lodge’s hope, Kevin, was bumped out of the gates by an also ran. And while he finished strong, it was too much to overcome. However, the winner was not a purist; he stood on the back seat. Now I’m not one to rise a fuss (well, electronically is okay, I guess), but gunnel pumping means gunnel pumping, not back seat pumping. The race is not called ‘back-seat-pumping.’ What is the world coming to?

Another thing that has been bugging me, and the rest of the staff has been…the bugs (sorry, had to). However, the tides are turning, the mosquitoes are fading. That’s not to say they are a city levels yet, but significantly down since late June. However, the BWCA ecosystem can be unforgiving, and now the flies are out. While mosquitoes are pesky and typically swarm in masses, the black flies are stronger flies and harder to kill or be deterred by a head wind in the boat. So I guess pick your poison. (personally, I think I’ll take the flies).

People always ask, when we ask them when they will be getting back from their trip, what do we do if they don’t make it back on time. Well, we wait longer. But not too long :) We did have a long wait a few weeks back. A couple of day trippers, big gents, dumped a canoe a few too many times in the strong winds that we’ve been having this summer. The decided to split up. Bad decision. One stayed with the canoe, the other tried to hike back. A closing time, we hoped into the boat to look, and found the one who stayed with the canoe immediately. However, the hiker was nowhere. So what do we do when they don’t make it back on time? We call search and rescue. Fortunately, by the time they had assembled, we had found the hiker at a lakeside campsite. He had hiked all day, but only made it about ½ mile (out of the 4.5 miles back to the lodge).

Some of you may have caught my recycling project blog post on the lodge’s blog lately. Yes, 2008 is my green year. I tried to be better with recycling, consumption, and energy conservation around the apartment this spring. Perhaps I made a difference; most likely I just annoyed Kirsten with my random efforts. However, this summer I have had the chance to make a tangible difference. Without bothering Kirsten. I’ve taken to improving the lodge’s recycling system. I am a systems guy, and I am always looking for improvements. While I’m not done here, the recycling van is filling to the brim, and the dumpster is filling out applications for a second job, and posting personal ads on eHarmony. But seriously, green is the new black and conservation one thing that you can see the results (well at least if you can see the ozone, and visit landfills regularly).

The dog days of summer are here, sort of. The weather has been every changing up here. Sunny. Hail. Wind. Clear. Cold. Humid. We’ve had a bit of it all. While it’s easy to dress for it, and manual labor keeps one warm… the lake temperature has been suffering. It had been getting up to nearly 70* before a cold spell kicked it back down below 65*. Now it’s back up near 70*, and on a warm day it is perfect for a post work dip, or not as shocking during a gunnel pump fall. So if you visit, bring your suit for a dip in a pristine lake. Just check yourself for leeches when you can’t stand the temperature any longer.

Besides becoming addicted to blogging this summer. And actually updating my facebook account. And emailing a bit (who knew it would taking being away from broadband to actually improve my e-communications?). I’ve also started a youtube account. So far it’s mostly gunnel pumping videos. And it’s only taken with my little Canon Elf camera (not the best for video). But hopefully I will keep it going strong. Doubtful, but hopefully…so check periodically for our lives, in motion.

While I am out in the wilderness this summer, the office is still in my blood. That is, I’ve learned a new tool and I’m addicted: the laminater. I could buy one for myself. Have you ever laminated something? Or should I say, have you ever made paper invincible? It’s beyond words. Try it, if you dare.

We saw an Imax/Omnimax (is there a difference, besides the dome part?) on the Colorado river in Duluth. It was good, great cinematography and captivating storyline, but there were some questions about this ‘save the planet’ film’s claims. However, I recommend it, if only for the intense draw to now float the Colorado. Or go back to my first love, and raft the John Day river in Maupin (just outside of my beloved Wildhorse Canyon). Also, the movie may also get me to again set foot in my birth state, despite Bronco fans.

A big congrats goes out to my former roommates (or current roommates if you are Comcast), Tory and Jill on their engagement. Hopefully a wedding means moving out of our old townhouse, no matter how cheap it is (now). But in all seriousness, congratulations, we are very excited for you two!

For those of you thinking about visiting, the clock is ticking. Less than a month left to check this O’Brien duo in the great north. We’ll be back on the 17th (of August) and we’ll hit the ground running looking for a new apartment, dog, job, etc. (and if you know about a good part time job for me, send it my way!). And just so you know, our weekend days have been shifting around some. We are off on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, and that trend may continue. So just give us some notice if you are headed north.

Hopefully you caught the lodge’s post about the huge hail storm we got here on Monday. (the photos are provided by yours truly) I’ll try to post some more photos, but I’m not sure when I’ll get around to it. For me, a life long Washingtonian, I’ve never seen hail so big, and near has my car, but we both survived unscathed. Thunderstorms are fun, and definitely are a plus for MN and a minus for WA.

Besides just birdies, we also picked up some DVDs for quieter nights out here (which are rare). But big recommendations for How I met your mother Season II and the Tudors. While both a bit crude in their own way, HIMYM is easily the funniest show on network TV (consistently funnier than the Office, hands down) and the Tudors is another great historical(fiction) drama in the lines of Rome, the Sopranos, and other high quality HBO/Showtime series.

And finally, last but not least, Tuesday (the 15th) marked 2 years. 2 years married, and basically 2 years in MN (or just 2 years away from SEA). We hit up the big northern lake city of Duluth (more on that trek later). It’s been fast, but action packed for sure. New state/city, jobs, grad. School, friends, experiences…for me it starting to feel more like home (who knows, I may even change my Facebook network). Wow, 2 years, maybe a whole ramblings post on that later…(but for now this has been long enough).