When Wifey’s Away; A Special Night Out; Car Quiz Winners; Floral Quiz; “What’s That Noise?” Back to Lake Harriet; Rocky Road; Goodbye, Minnesota

When My Lovely Bride was off having lunch the other day with Echo Bodine, I was left to my own devices without wheels (powered, at least) at the campground. I decided to get wild and crazy. No, I did not call Tammy’s Mobile Lap Dance Service. I decided to have My Favorite Lunch, chili dogs… not just any chili dogs, but what I call “chickli dogs”, grilled chicken hot dogs with Hormel chili (sans beans), cheddar cheese, onions, mayo and mustard, open-face on toast. It is a meal fit for a king. Okay, maybe a barbarian king, but royalty nevertheless. I skipped the beer (although I was tempted), but frankly, Diet Coke was a poor substitute for an Alaskan Amber. In any case, it went down very well, and when Suzanne came home and asked me what I had eaten for lunch, I artfully changed the subject. (She still doesn’t know…) 

One of our very special events here in Minnesota was having dinner with Chris, Pat and Bill, all of whom Suzanne had given readings. They invited us to Bacio’s, a fabulous Italian restaurant in Minneapolis. Bill’s sons Churchill, Brooks and Harrison also joined us, and it was a fun-filled evening. They are three of the brightest, most personable and charming young men we’ve ever met.

 

Suzanne was presented with a beautiful Baccarat blown glass yellow butterfly and a very generous check for the scholarship fund in memory of our daughter Susan. Thank you, Chris, Pat and Bill!

Our Car Quiz Award Winners are Chris Lavender and Dale Hilliard; they will each receive two packages of Twinkies for correctly identifying the Lotus Elise (photo 1).

 

 

 

 

 

The Psychic Car Quiz Award (yes, Twinkies as well) goes to Bob Blythe… although he incorrectly identified the car in the photo as a Porsche Carrera. What made this stunning was that there was a black Porsche Carrera parked directly behind The Lotus, as the next photos prove… how did you do that, Bob?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s quiz is on flowers… be the first to correctly identify this one I saw in Wayzata and you get an ice cream prize…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we were driving to Lake Harriet the other afternoon, a nice love song by Christina Aguilera came on our Honda CRV’s XM radio. Suzanne was engrossed reading email as I began singing along with Christina… after a minute, without raising her eyes from her iPad, she asked, “What is that howling noise?” (Okay, that’s the last time I sing to you, Baby! And you may be shocked when I get invited to audition on America’s Got Talent…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On that same drive, we passed a sign for one of the most interesting sounding eateries/drinkeries I’ve ever seen, The Good Day Café/Bad Day Bar in Golden Valley. No matter how your day is going, there will be something for you there… We didn’t have time to stop that day, but will put it on our list of places to try next year.

 

On Sunday, Suzanne presented her Meaning in the Messages in the morning and her Making the Connection talk in the afternoon at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Center. Both presentations were enthusiastically received, and several friends from other events made their way to Lake Harriet for these presentations.  

 

 

 

 

We departed the Twin Cities area this morning, headed for our next series of events in St. Louis, Missouri. The trip did not start off smoothly (literally) because I-35 south of MSP is very rough… like, it’s the worst section of Interstate highway we’ve travelled since driving I-86 in western NY state a couple of years ago. Fortunately for our coach’s suspension, we entered Iowa before there was any damage. (Hey, Pam, could you ask the folks at MNDoT to fix this road before we return next summer?)

Yes, we will probably be returning next summer to visit Pam, Terri of the Frozen North, Bill, Pat, Jim and other Minnesnowtan friends we’ve made here. Terri asked me yesterday, “Ty, didn’t you find a few things about Minnesota that you liked?” In fact, I love Minnesota! I could even live here (part-time, of course)… the people are delightful, local foods are delicious (okay, exempt lutefisk and a few hotdishes), the lakes beautiful, the bike trails extensive and well maintained… and the weather… well, let’s say that we awoke this morning to a brisk 48 degrees. That’s a typical winter low back in Florida. But hey, I like the change of seasons. Here in Minnesota, you get them a couple of times a week! Seriously, we are looking forward to returning next summer, as long as the Minnesota Tourist Bureau takes down the “Wanted Dead or Alive” posters with my smiling face on them…

A Triple! Wayzata; Hot Mama; MN Liberty; Sunrises? Spiritual Events; Latrine Pho?

On Thursday evening, we had 8 people in our coach. Now you may say, gee, even in your 42 footer, that’s a crowd. But there was plenty of room… how was that? Well, 3 of our six visitors came from “the other side”. Let me explain. Suzanne’s literary agent, Bill Hammond, had lost his wife Victoria two years ago.  On Bill's birthday, Suzanne gave Bill a highly evidential reading that proved she was still with him every day. Bill asked Suzanne if she would give his sister Chris a reading; she was grieving over the death of her husband Tom. That also went very well, and they asked Suzanne to give Victoria’s best friend Pat a reading; she had recently lost her husband John. This third reading also went very well. When Bill heard that we were coming to Minneapolis, he asked Chris and Pat if they would like to come visit to meet Suzanne. The original plan was to get together with us for dinner this coming Saturday. On Wednesday, Chris flew in from Scottsdale, AZ, and on Thursday Pat drove 500 miles from Nebraska to the Twin Cities. Because all three of their readings had gone so well, Suzanne invited the three of them over for a special group reading, and asked their spouses, Victoria, Tom and John, to join us from the other side. It was also special for me because I had never before been present for one of Suzanne’s readings. It was a wonderful evening, with visits and evidence from the three spouses that left us all crying and laughing. Bill even remarked that he had never heard of some of the information that came through from his wife Victoria about some grade school pranks that she and Pat had kept secret for 50 years. When greater focus was no longer required, we toasted our spirit visitors with glasses of Cabernet and Chardonnay and some Cherries Jubilee. All in all, it was a very, very special evening.

In spite of our Learning Minnesotan Training Video, we are having some difficulties here in The Frozen North. One of the problems arises with pronunciations of local words. The town of Wayzata, for example, is not pronounced Way-za-ta like it looks. Locals say “Why-zet-a”. This is interesting because the three “a’s” are each pronounced differently. How is a Southern boy supposed to talk like a Minnesotan when they don’t follow any logical rules of linguistics?

Speaking of Wayzata, My Lovely Bride decided we should take a bike ride from that exclusive, keetchie (not sure about spelling, but you ladies understand that word, right?) town on Lake Minnetonka to St. Bonifacius on the Dakota Rail Trail, a 16 mile bike trail that runs through gently rolling countryside and along several lakes. “But first… Let me run inside this boutique we passed the other day… it looks really neat!” I should have known I was in trouble when I saw the sign, “Hot Mama”. It was suggested that I take a walk, get a cup of coffee, take some pictures, prep the bikes, fill the water bottles and read the Sunday New York Times… yes, I was in deep doo-doo. She came back an hour or three later with a smile on her face and bags in her hand, saying, “Darling, you know I haven’t bought any clothes all summer, right? You know that I love you, right? You want me to look good, right?” (I knew I was doomed; maybe my banker will give me a second mortgage on the house...) Evidently she walked in and announced to the several unoccupied clerks and fashion advisors, “I’ve worn khaki uniforms for 20 years… Help Me!” Can you imagine their reaction? They kept throwing clothes at her until she succumbed. Anyway, Suzanne refused to show me any of her new outfits until after our bike ride. (And yes, they were very stylish.)

 

 

 

 

Our 32 mile bike ride was delightful. We pedaled out of Wayzata on a smooth paved trail past unassuming hovels like this place with the Statue of Liberty flanked by two gilded lions, probably owned by a member of the Minnesota Mafia (are there Norwegian and Swedish Godfathers and Wise Guys?). I have to admire the owners’ patriotism, if not their sense of style; I’m sure the home’s interior is also very understated…)

 

  

I’m not sure I could stand winters here (although I do enjoy snowshoeing, and have often wondered what frostbite actually felt like), but this house in Minnetonka Beach really caught my eye. With a beautiful lakeside lot, it could tempt me to think about spending a summer or two sailing an E-Scow on fresh water… 

 

 

 

 

I mentioned sailing E-Scows on fresh water because I have always lived on or near salt water. I have owned seven sailboats over the years, crossed the Atlantic on our own sailboat, but have never even been aboard a sailboat in fresh water. This particular design by Buddy Melges is 80 years old, and still one of the most popular racing boats in the world. The design is based on a high-speed planing hull, and is so fast that the boat can even tow a water skier. It has always been a favorite of mine, but I’ve only read about them.

 

Here’s another quirky thing about Minnesota: there are a bizzilion lakes here, and every one seems to have a restaurant or bar named “Sunsets” or “Sunset View”. They are invariably located on the east side of the lake, on Lake Street (where else?), with a deck or windows facing west or southwest toward the setting sun. Now I realize that’s a great gimmick to get people to come out on those rare days when (a) it’s not 30 below, (b) the sun shines and (c) the lakes aren’t frozen over, to enjoy the setting sun with a PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon, the apparent brew of choice judging by the roadside signage). But what about the west side, the poor side of the lakes? Why aren’t there at least a few “Sunrise” bars and grills, or at least cafes, so lonely ice fishermen can gather before trudging out onto the lakes in the early dawn’s light to dig a hole in the ice and fish for perch?



Last night was our first Minneapolis event. We held a private screening of the Messages of Hope documentary at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Center. Several friends attended, including Pat and Jim from Duluth, Terri and Pam from Coon Rapids, and Bill, Pat and Chris mentioned in an earlier paragraph. (Here's Suzanne showing a special prop from the film viewing.)










 

 

Over 50 attendees watched the film, followed by a book signing. Here Suzanne and Echo Bodine, noted Minneapolis author, medium, and psychic, chat at the end of the evening.

After we wrapped up, we joined Troy (a medium and film producer), Terri and Pam for coffee and ice cream at a nearby shop. They were all "good", having coffee, while My Lovely Bride and I were "bad", splurging on BIG ice cream cones. Our discussions ranged from mediumship to film making to current events, including Syria. On the last subject (I'm not very conversant with spiritual topics or film making), Troy said he found my lack of political correctness refreshing… I’m not sure if I should be flattered by that! It was a fun end to the evening, and we hated to say good night, but Rudy and Gretchen, who made a special appearance on stage, were ready to head home.



 

In closing, Suzanne just emailed me a photo from a restaurant where she had met Echo Bodine for lunch. It was an Oriental restaurant, and Suzanne mentioned to their server, Alex, that she would like a bowl of Pho, a Vietnamese soup. Alex replied that they didn’t have bowls of Pho, only cups and latrines. Suzanne was taken aback, and asked him to repeat the second word… “Latrines…” She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh, saying, “In the military, a “latrine” is a toilet.” Alex looked surprised, and said, “Excuse me; I’ll be right back.” He came back a few minutes later and sheepishly said, “You were right; it’s not a latrine, it’s a tureen. I’ve been calling it a latrine since I've worked here, and no one has ever called me on it.”  

Maple Plain; Looking Chipper; A Sushi Quest; A Naval Novelist; Car Quiz; Organic What?

We have safely returned from Normally Frozen Far, Far Northern Minnesnowta to much warmer temps in the Twin Cities (after all, it IS in the Far South of the Land of 10,000 Lakes and 100,000 Lake Streets). The Coach is happily moored in a very nice campground in Baker Preserve, Maple Plain, MN. We are surrounded by hundreds of maple trees, oddly enough, but the locals here apparently do not collect much of the sap of these maples, which is why Minnesota Maple Syrup is so rare and expensive.

We were very happy to accept an invitation to Terri and Pam’s lovely home for drinks and snackees. Terri is doing much better since being evicted… er, discharged… from the hospital. They warned us to bring an appetite, so I brought two of my own hearty versions and My Lovely Bride’s Light Appetite, and good thing, because Pam had laid on a feast of smoked salmon, multiple cheeses, olives, tapenade and little bread rounds, followed by a yummy chocolate dessert. Smoked salmon has always been one of my favorites, and their smoked Sockeye was the best I’ve ever had! (I diplomatically did NOT mention the Keta variety (dog salmon) that My Sweetheart had inadvertently procured a couple of weeks ago… after all, My Momma Didn’t Raise No Fool).

The evening was going swimmingly until Terri’s cat Gabby came out to say hi. Now, I must tell you, Dear Reader, that I get along perfectly with every species of animal, less sharks and hyenas (okay, and one particular evil equine devil, Clifford the Horse). I am the kind of person who stops along the highway to move turtles off the road. But did that give me any cachet with Gabby? Nay, it did not. The little beast came up and rubbed against my leg for a minute, lulling me into a sense of security. Then she sniffed closely, perhaps realizing then that I was one of those enemy creatures, A Dog Person. When I leaned down to scratch behind her ears, I got the Perfect Evil Hiss… okay, little Gabby, I know your Mom loves you, but now you are officially off my Christmas Card List! (Note: Gabby is actually a hairless Sphinx breed of cat; I did not choose a photo of a Sphinx because I had two concerns: (1) puncture wounds; and (2) a feline defamation suit).

 

Have I mentioned that My Lovely Bride is addicted to sushi? It’s been weeks since her last sushi fix (Montana, Alberta, Kansas and Missouri not being particularly well-known for raw seafood), so last night we went looking for the best sushi in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Suzanne looked up the reviews on Yelp, and found one only 30 minutes away. When we drove up, we found that the sushi bar had been displaced by a Mexican restaurant. (This was one of those N.G. moments…) Fortunately, Sushi Suzy went on a quest, asking several locals what they had done with the sushi bar. They must have recognized the frenzied light in her eyes, because one person said, “It moved across the street, ma’am, here I’ll take you there…” Good thing it wasn’t a weekend, because the sushi bar’s main draw was a long bar for folks downing shooters, like maybe mixes of sake and tequila. (Did I mention that the people are a bit strange here?) Anyway, we had some very good sushi, gyoza and a Kirin Ichiban beer, but it was much pricier than back home in our favorite Japanese restaurant in The Villages. At least Suzanne can last another week or two before she starts twitching and I have to look for another sushi bar…

We went for a w-a-l-k around t-o-w-n in Excelsior, and of course wound up on a dock on Lake Street by (what else?) one of the state’s thousands of lakes. This is one arm of Lake Minnetonka, which has seventeen arms, but because it’s so famous, and everyone wants to live on or near it, six cities claim it as their own. Needless to say, real estate here is rather pricey. Rudy and Gretchen were less than impressed; there were no rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs or prairie dogs here.

 

 

 

 

 

Car Quiz: Okay, here is an opportunity for some car nut to win a couple of packages of Twinkies (if they are back in production) or some other replacement goodies. Name the make and model of this sports car, and one person will be selected at random from the thousands of correct answers I receive (actually we don’t usually get over several hundred).

 

 

 

Today we were invited to lunch with novelist Bill Hammond and his son Churchill. Bill was Suzanne’s literary agent for several of her early books. He is now a very successful and award-winning author, published by the US Naval Institute Press. I have read all of his books, and heartily recommend them. See his series of four novels based on the US Navy in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 at www.bill-hammond.com. When not writing novels, Bill is also a full-time freelance editor. We met at Sunsets in Wayzata, where Bill and Churchill live. We had a delightful time with Bill and Churchill, and look forward to seeing them again later this week during our stay in the Twin Cities.

 

 

 

 

Lastly, you may have noticed that I like interesting signs. I found the first in Wayzata in an obviously upscale part of town (I don’t think there is a downscale part of Wayzata). I won’t make any comment other than, “Isn’t that interesting?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second sign was in a small town out in the country, Long Lake (could it have been on Lake Street?). Anyway, I found it intriguing because in my small pea brain, I thought that all wood was organic, but obviously I am not well-informed… by the way, the shop was near the organic grocery, where you can buy organic foods for only two or three times what you would otherwise pay for non-organic foods… what a great deal!  

 

Off the Grid; No Ice Bridge Today; What’s the Pointe? New Duluth Friends; Suzanne’s New Black Suit; Ty in a Skirt?

For several days we have been “off the grid”… Internet and cell phone connectivity has been more than a challenge here on the shore of Lake Superior – it has been virtually non-existent. There is cell phone service in Bayfield, pop. 493 in summer (maybe 23 in winter?), about 12 miles away. Our AT&T cell phone only works within the town itself, which is about 1 square mile area. There are only two coffee shops with Internet, and they close at 1700. But Bayfield is a neat little town, with a short 3 blocks of shops and restaurants, not too busy now the week after Labor Day, but the locals say the best time to visit is in February, when you can cross Lake Superior on an ice bridge to Madeline Island, a couple of miles offshore. (Let’s see, I should leave the sunshine and 75 degree temps in The Villages in February to walk across an ice bridge in northern Wisconsin??? The Chamber of Commerce really needs to do some creative advertising on this one…) 

We decided to cross over to Madeline Island on a ferry instead of waiting for Lake Superior to freeze (hey, that might happen next week, but we have a schedule to meet). We left our campground in 75 degree, sunny weather, and drove into Bayfield, parked the Toad, and prepared to load our mountain bikes on the ferry. There was only one itsy, bitsy problem; in the hour since we left the campground, Fall had displaced Summer with a vengeance. The wind shifted 90 degrees, and the temperature dropped 20 degrees. Suzanne had a jacket in the car, but I had to buy an Apostle Islands turista tee-shirt to avoid hypothermia.

 

 

It was a short ride to the village of La Pointe, Wisconsin, pop. 246, only 20 minutes, and fortunately it was upwind, and the ferry had a small passenger cabin area to huddle in. La Pointe is one of the most northern island communities in the US, but it has a flavor similar to Key West. Okay, no Jimmy Buffet bars and parrots in cages, but more than a few folks who probably dropped out of the wider American society in the 70s to live in small communes, with multi-colored, mismatched clothing, and lots of wild hair, tie-dyed shirts, hippy beads and beards. We rode around the island, uphill and upwind at first into a stiff breeze, then, thankfully, with the wind at our backs. Here is Your Faithful Correspondent at the beach at Big Bay State Park.  

La Pointe is actually not the original name of the settlement. The Ojibway (Chippewa) Indians who lived here before French traders arrived called it Moningwunakuaning, which means the center of the earth or the spot on which the Ojibway Tribe first grew.

We departed the Apostles and headed for Duluth, Minnesota, where we met Pat and Jim Suchan at their beautiful waterfront home on Lake Superior. Pat had found Suzanne’s sailing book, Living a Dream, in a local bookstore, and subsequently ordered ALL of her books! Bedside being a discriminating reader, Pat is a fabulous painter, and Jim retired from his auto body shop business in central Minnesota. They gutted a 1930s cottage and completely redid it to its like-new condition.




 

Pat has an art studio as well as a reading room (in a separate building), while Jim keeps his immaculately restored vintage 1929 Ford truck in the garage.

Jim and Pat took us to lunch at an iconic Duluth restaurant, Black Woods, near their home. I had the best Reuben sandwich ever, while Suzanne had a yummy salmon sandwich. It was a delightful lunch, and we are looking forward to seeing Pat and Jim again in Lake Harriet, Minneapolis on Friday for our Messages of Hope documentary showing.

    

 

Finally, a few words on fashion… we decided that paddling in chilly Lake Superior would be safer if we were better equipped for possible “unplanned wet exits” from our kayaks. We dropped in on the local kayak shop and picked up two wetsuits and spray skirts. You don’t normally see me wearing a skirt, but the photo shows the black neoprene molded around my waist and attached to the kayak cockpit, preventing even the most determined waves and spray from entering the inside of the boat.

 

 

Here is My Lovely Bride dressed up in a tight, basic black number, ready to head for the Apostle Islands a few miles offshore… doesn’t she look stylish?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here she is, paddling with perfect form... I am also submitting this photo to NC Kayaks, the maker of these great boats, for their web site...

 

Wisconsin; The Apostles; Serious Kayakers; Red Cliffs; Fish Livers?

We departed the Greater Coon Rapids Minnesota Metropolitan District Wednesday morning after checking in on our good friend Terri of the Frozen North. Good News: Terri is recovering from surgery and should be home in a day or so, unless the snowfall exceeds three feet, which they say is unusual, but not unheard of, in early September. (I think she was actually asked to leave the hospital because she was telling too many off-color Ole and Lena jokes, and the Charge Nurse, Hildegaard Olsson, had been insulted… but that’s another story.) Poor Pam has this cross to bear…

We drove north from Coon Rapids through suburbs, then corn fields, then forests, all interspersed with lakes, ponds and puddles, on scenic roads with unique names like Lake Road, Lake Drive, Lake Highway, and Lake After Lake Parkway. We finally left the big highway in Da-Lute, MN. Foreigners call this town Duluth, but residents of this working town on Lake Superior pronounce it a little differently.  A major port for iron ore and grain, Duluth is at the far southwest corner of Lake Superior, and doesn’t get the brunt of the winter storms that are always respected and sometimes dreaded by mariners up here (remember the song about the steamship Edmund Fitzgerald?). 

 

After driving down a scenic two-lane road for a couple of hours with virtually no traffic in either direction, we arrived at our designated campground in Russell, Wisconsin. Within the Apostles Islands National Lakeshore, Little Sand Bay Park sits on the shore of Lake Superior with a very well-kept campground and a small marina and harbor protected by seawalls of very large rocks. Here is My Lovely Bride with our Docks-hounds Rudy and Gretchen checking out our new digs; not a bad view, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

Nearby are The Apostles themselves… not the original Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but beautiful tree-covered islands a few miles off shore. Lake Superior is known for its storms and we were hoping to kayak the beautiful shoreline and offshore islands. Just offshore 2 or 3 miles is Sand Island, which we planned to kayak to later in the week. Sunsets here are sublime...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday morning we noticed a couple in a nearby RV stirring. Not only did they have Wisconsin plates on their car, but they had two sea kayaks on their roof and wetsuits drying in the early morning sun. (Wetsuits, you ask… in September? Yes, Dear Reader, because even with a balmy 70F high in the afternoon, at night the temps fall into the high 40s, and the lake water temps average around 58-60F.) We wandered over and met Roy and Kathy Green, experienced kayakers who have a relatively unknown condition known as kayakitis, the uncontrollable urge to acquire more and more Eskimo-style boats until your children see their inheritance dwindling to nothing, forcing them to seek out legal help to have you committed to an institution for the nautically-deranged. They offered to accompany us on a trip to the Red Cliffs near Meyer’s Beach on the south shore of Lake Superior. The sea caves in the cliffs here are considered one of the world’s top kayaking destinations. That's Kathy exiting the cave mouth talking to Suzanne at left.

Kathy, as it turns out, is the real instigator here (she is a former swim coach and lifeguard); Roy, a retired school superintendent, gave up his second career as a horseman/cowboy because Kathy had the sense to know that unlike horses, kayaks don’t bite and kick you. Now they have seven kayaks between them, and are both highly skilled paddlers. Roy also was a pole vaulter, and now uses an Olympic-style rowing machine for upper body fitness. Here is Roy exiting a narrow slot in the rock wall...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier I mentioned the fierce storms that breed on Lake Superior, with 50-60 foot high waves, large enough to sink large ore carriers without a single survivor. This photo shows what can happen when the wind and waves pick up and smash into these lovely cliffs and caves...

Some of the caves have openings large enough to drive a bus through, and other were so tight that you had to duck your head, put your paddle parallel to your kayak, and pull yourself through with your hands on the cave ceiling and walls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good thing it was a calm day, or you could be squashed on the ceiling like a bug; there have indeed been numerous injuries and fatalities in these caves during bad weather. Today, however, was a perfect day for visiting these unique natural attractions. We were very grateful for Roy and Kathy’s offer to go along with us; not only were they expert kayakers, but they were also tireless. My Lovely Bride and I normally paddle along at what we call a “mellow” pace; Roy and Kathy are hard-core kayakers, and didn’t break a sweat in their fast, steady pace, and politely slowed down a bit for us.

 

 

 

On the way back to the beach where we put in, Roy decided to do some practice rolls, just for fun. For those who have never rolled a kayak (and that’s probably most of you, right?), it’s a learned skill that needs constant practice. Imagine hanging upside down under your boat while holding your breath, and using your paddle and hips to twist your kayak upright; hopefully your spray skirt (yes, some guys do wear skirts) keeps Lake Superior out of your boat, and you pop up nicely with wet head and hands, but the rest of you (relatively) dry under your wetsuit. (Wait, let’s see, they call it a wetsuit because yes, the 58 degree water does get inside, but it helps keep you warm by not losing as much body heat… hmmm…). Few paddlers hit every roll perfectly, and I recalled that it had been about 20 years since my last rolling session. (Maybe I should find a warm pool back home in The Villages before trying out my kayak roll in Lake Superior!)

 

After our paddle, we invited Kathy and Roy over for drinkees in The Coach, and then they took us to dinner at Maggie’s in Bayfield, a charming lake port town that has a fishing fleet as well as pleasure boats and a quaint town center. It also has several historical buildings like this Victorian inn. It is a famous sailing destination, with the Apostles being a wonderful place to anchor for several nights of solitude before returning to the madness of civilization.

 

 

Whitefish and lake trout are the usual catch of the day here. We weren’t too sure about the whitefish livers that Kathy ordered (neither of us had ever tried fish livers). She assured us they tasted just like chicken (where have you heard that line before?) and we weren’t disappointed… they were actually quite yummy! The whitefish sandwiches (both sautéed and broiled) were also delicious. I also wanted to try the local microbrew, Running Naked, but My Lovely Bride said not to embarrass her, so I stuck to the mellow Amber brew instead. (Sometimes she is SUCH a prude.)