• Happy Birthday, Robert Wadlow (1918-40)! 8️⃣–1️⃣1️⃣

Good Morning . Idle chat about your morning, your weather, your plans for the day.

After all the busy holiday party has faded, and all the house has been "put right", un-proofing rooms from the holiday hordes of children and dogs, and decorations safely stored for another year, we can finally appreciate the calm and quiet. Maybe now would be a good time to put up that French door I've been meaning to do. Being able to close off the kitchen (parties) from the rest of our small house would be a boon to early to bed youngsters. That idea was first presented to me a couple years ago when a d-i-l complained of the noise. Up went a French door separating basement rec room from next door bedroom. But the same complaint was made when she slept in the spare room upstairs. Hmmm, there's nothing I can do about the lady in question so I guess I'm hanging another door. My wife concurred. "Just put a door up" she says like it's tinsel on a tree. Door number two coming up.

Although the canoe gear is likewise safely stored away I've been meaning to play with it. I don't know about you but I choose whichever packs and barrels "I'm in the mood for" when planning a trip. They must suit the type of trip for sure, base camp or travel. I have both planned but she only has time for one, if that. I played my "solo threat" card and she merely brushed it away with "Why don't you go with one of the kids?!" I don't really want to solo, seeing as how I'm practically solo all day long, though I know it's not the same thing. Maybe it's time I guilt tripped the kids into tripping with Dad? In the past I have been subtle, maybe too subtle "Hey, wanna go on a canoe trip with your old man!?" While I'm thinking through my trip plan I'll play with rearranging the gear and packs and anticipating my mood.
Once I just put a door up.
 
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arrgh.. have to go to Beans for ...one canister isopropane.. Down South there seem to be NO good outdoor stores devoted to backpacking or canoe camping.. The good news is that five minutes ago I packed the toilet paper/hand sanitizer.. If I am going to forget anything it always is that.
 
Watcha got in mind Brad? I kind of have lots of free time eh. We are doing boat fishing around Red Lake the latter part of June and it occurred to me that Marshall is not that far away at that point.
 
Planning a trip to Costco and the pet food store. Really gotta find something with less filler.
Thinking Corned Beef w/cabbage for dinner.
 
Watcha got in mind Brad? I kind of have lots of free time eh. We are doing boat fishing around Red Lake the latter part of June and it occurred to me that Marshall is not that far away at that point.

I warned her the good times mayn't last. We went from tap water to sparkling mineral, then on to pretty decent plonk before I saw a drought coming...standing sticking out our tongues with faces turned up to the sky praying for rain; but it finally fell. Now we're back to squeezing lemons and exercising the cold tap for our metaphorical thirst. I'm happy. I feel a rich man in ways that count to me, though money is tight and vacation time even tighter. That's why staycations, DIY projects and weekend microadventures are so cool with me. I work at keeping her thinking positive about it too. She's the real breadwinner one with the constricted vacation time, not me. And she's come round to the taste of lemons, particularly during long hot summers sitting in the sun. And if a cloud or two skirts across the sky to harsh our vibe and block the sun, we'll adjust our parasols and call them parapluies instead, and gather more lemons.

Temagami is in our meagre plans, but I love the sound of Marshall as well as. She won't have time to go far but I expect I will, so I'll keep you posted.
 
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Off to Florida on the Gulf coast for camping daytripping and one five day canoe trip in the Everglades
Packing when your driveway is a sheet of ice is no fun
Gimme snow!

Enjoy your trip to Florida. I suspect fighting alligators will be no harder than dealing with the ice.
 
Unseasonably icy shoulder from the spouse this AM. I backed up her 3 year old iPhone and replaced it with the new model last night. Unfortunately, because of the age of the homedesk top, nearing 10 years-old, something went awry and several months of photos and contacts were lost. Forecast for the next several days to possibly weeks is bleak with warming no where in sight.
 
Unseasonably icy shoulder from the spouse this AM. I backed up her 3 year old iPhone and replaced it with the new model last night. Unfortunately, because of the age of the homedesk top, nearing 10 years-old, something went awry and several months of photos and contacts were lost. Forecast for the next several days to possibly weeks is bleak with warming no where in sight.

I know of MN notoriously hard winters.. But it sounds like yours moved inside your house...
Choclate.. Buy Chocolate.
 
It's a great way to wake up to a message from fellow canoe trippers so I'll post something for you all. First off good morning. I'm sitting in on Cape Breton Island at the freezing point temp. It's warmer today but It's been -15c for the past few weeks with snow everyday. I like winter but today I'm kinda of dreaming of the coming season and I am excitingly looking at buying a new freighter with a motor. I am messaging to friends and we are all impatiently waiting for that first stroke of the paddle or pole. Man it's going to be a long wait.
 
As I sit here, it's about 20F outside with 30 mph winds...plans for lift served skiing went out the window last night with forecasted 75 mph gusts and limited lift operations at the VT areas where my seasons pass is good. Instead, I'll gamble that my favorite back country ski spot might have enough new snow over the breakable crust from yesterday's storm. If it's unskiable (actually, unenjoyable, I can ski ANYTHING) I'll just get some fresh air.

Paddling is a distant vision at this point.
 
I'm sitting here in SE MN and it is -8F with a real feel of -24F and only supposed to be colder tomorrow. We also have our first snow on the ground in almost 2 years. Been planning a hard water BWCA trip in 2 two weeks and looking at getting my sap taps out when I get back from there. Paddling is a few months away but I do have some ideas cooking for an early May BWCA trip.
 
As far as canoeing is concerned, I'm meeting up with friends at the end of the month to plan the coming season ...
and we hope to have a great time together and try to catch the rainbow like last time.

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Will be spending this coming weekend re-enacting an 18th century winter at Fort #4 in Charlestown, NH. Looking forward to gathering with like-minded folks and spending the weekend in the trading post. We'll be cooking over the open hearth and gathering around it for whatever warmth it will exude into the room. All light will be via candles (I have a case in my truck ready to go so we don't run out) and food will be traditional to the time (approx. 1740s). With the predicted cold, I already have my bearskin and 6 point Whitney blanket set and ready to go so sleeping should still be comfortable away from the heat of the hearth. Should be a lot of fun!

That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper
 
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