North Shore Morning

The upper Gunflint Territory seemed headed toward a lamb-like end to March. We were teased with a couple swell early spring days, then came Easter Sunday. All talk of April making a blissful entry, with an end to low digit temperatures, was dashed by a resurgent lion-like slap from Old Man Winter.

Our parade to Grand Marais for Easter church services was marked not with thoughts of bunnies, eggs and celebration, but stymied by snow showers and serpentine whiffs of snow slithering down the cold byway ahead of strong northwest winds.

It was almost as if the great spirit of the north was howling, “Just not so fast my border country buddies. Ghostly reminders of Jack Frost and I will cede to spring only when I say it’s time.”

Although new snow accumulations amounted to little, here we are, almost a full week into month four, with the bloom of a new season hovering in a cool holding pattern. Regardless of melting yet to be done, time cures all, and the virtue of patience will prevail knowing we’ll get a blessing of days for rebirth, perhaps as soon as tomorrow!

Until then, it’s back to gloves, sheepskin hat, insulated boots and heavy coat! No foolin’, it was minus 2 at Wildersmith on April 1 with wind a-howlin’.

Those last few days of month three were so inviting. How inviting was it? It was so inviting that I brought the old rocking chair out of storage onto our sunny deck and walked around in a sweatshirt, even though walkway and driveway snow piles remained well over knee deep.

The Wildersmith neighborhood even had a spring shower of the liquid variety before the return to February. All over the area, art work of Old Man Winter was taken over by Sol, and nature’s heat source did some reduction work on the snow pack.

The Mile O Pine, like many seldom-traveled winter roads, saw the warmth allow a few patches of brown gravel bleed through months of packed wintry buildup. Those brief days of meltdown also gave way to a few puddles, a bit of trickling water, and our first mud.

During my travels down the road and tromping through the woods, there is confirming evidence that we’re shrinking the deep snow. I’ve found that a number of baby trees which have not seen the light of day for some time are proudly poking their growth buds skyward. Similarly, their older forest brethren are perking up after months of bearing the weight of winter decorations.

Meanwhile, the powerful sun has chiseled out countless shapes in roadside snow banks. The Trail, now completely free of slippery patches, has miles of etched windrow embellishments that lend themselves to an aggregation of imaginative beauty, in spite of their grungy color. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder.

Life goes on in the wild neighborhood. Critters come and go daily, and I’ve noted a couple cases of seasonal bumps. And I don’t mean those in the road.

Specifically, I reference belly bulges on several expectant does, while on the opposite of white tail genders there are swelling knots where crowns of manhood will soon be growing.

It’s also a good bet that our warm days stirred the slumber of our north woods Brunos, as well as chipmunks and those not-so-popular skunks. About the only critters probably not aroused at this point is the first generation of nasty biting bugs. I don’t know of anyone who would feel bad if those winged savages forgot to show up. We should be so lucky!

Keep on hangin’ on, and savor thoughts of the spring takeover!

Airdate: April 5, 2013

In this edition of Moments in Time, we hear about an ancient style of timber framing from southwest Norway called Grindbygg.  A frame was recently completed at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, in a class taught by instructor Peter Henrikson.  It will be erected at the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum in Tofte in May, where it will cover The Viking, an historic Lake Superior commercial fishing boat built by the Hill family of Larsmont and donated to the museum by fisherman Walter Sve.  Produced by Carah Thomas.

(Click on audio mp3 above to hear Moments in Time feature.  Click here for more information about Grindbygg construction.)

An interesting new business is coming to Lutsen soon. Chuck Corliss, long time Lutsen visitor and homeowner, is building a winery and brewery on the east side of the Ski Hill Road, just a little ways up from Highway 61.
 
Chuck recently attended an informal get-together with neighbors to show them the plans for the project and solicit ideas and concerns.  Chuck plans to initially sell bottles of wine that are made elsewhere, but marketed under his own brand.  Eventually, he plans to grow fruit on the property and use that to blend his own wines.  A gift shop and tasting room will be located in the same building.
 
For the beer brewing side of the business, Chuck has teamed up with local brew masters, Mike Carlson and Matt Kartes.  They’ll brew small batches of high quality beer in a separate building on the site.  They will sell large bottles of their beer, known as growlers, from the gift shop.  They also hope to have their beer on tap at bars around Cook County and perhaps regionally.
 
The plans do not include a restaurant or bar on the Lutsen site, although Chuck is brainstorming about offering classes, tastings, acoustic music and other events.  He is striving to make the business compatible with the other uses in the neighborhood, and he plans to make the buildings, landscaping and gardens as tasteful and pretty as he can.
 
Chuck is hoping to be at least partly open by this fall, but possibly not fully open until next spring.  He is moving ahead full speed with all the various licenses, permissions and plans that he needs before breaking ground.
 
A new and fun music event is happening in the West End Soon.  On Friday, Apr. 19, Cascade Lodge Pub, located between Lutsen and Grand Marais, will be the site of the “Cook County Ramble: The First Waltz.”  Many of Cook County’s most active musicians will gather to perform songs made famous by Levon Helm. Helm was most famously the drummer for The Band, which was Bob Dylan’s band for a while, among many other accomplishments. 
 
Levon Helm died last year on Apr. 19, so this event is designed to honor his memory.  In recent years, Helm hosted a famous concert series call the Midnight Ramble at his home in Woodstock, New York.  Helm was also featured in the movie, “The Last Waltz,” directed by Martin Scorsese, which documents The Band’s final concert in 1978. So, the Cook County Ramble: The First Waltz, is working to carry the work of one of America’s music icons forward, right here in Cook County.
 
Each musician or musical group will present its own interpretation of two songs that were previously recorded by Levon Helm.  At the end, all the musicians will join in on two of Helm’s most famous songs, inspired by the final scene from “The Last Waltz.”
 
Everyone is welcome to come and watch the fun.  Given the level of musicianship around Cook County, it should be well worth the effort.  The event is a fundraiser, so the musicians are all donating their time and talent.  There will be a small suggested donation at the door with half the receipts going to the Cook County High School Band instrument fund and half to Levon Helm’s charitable foundation, Keep It Goin’.
 
If you have any questions about the “Cook County Ramble: The First Waltz,” or if you would like to perform or even just help out, contact Eric Frost at 370-1362, or call WTIP for Eric’s contact information.
 
The Birch Grove Foundation is hosting an interesting event, also on Apr. 19, from 5:30 until 8 p.m.  The foundation director, Patty Nordahl, is inviting all the West End non-profits, public service organizations, townships and volunteers to a gathering at Birch Grove.  The purpose is to share information, get to know each other and explore where and when it might be useful to work together.
 
The agenda asks that participants bring any promotional materials that you might have to share about your organization and dates and times of any events that are coming up to be put into a community calendar. 
 
The Birch Grove Foundation is also putting together a list of West End community assets, so people should think about what they consider to be an asset to the West End.
 
There will also be a brainstorming session about broadband Internet access, which is arriving in the West End soon, to generate ideas of how broadband can be used to improve the community.  The ideas will be used for a Blandin Foundation grant application for a “Public Access Technology Hub” in the West End.
 
And, last, but certainly not least, the wood-fired oven will be hot and you will be able to make your own pizza.  Drinks will be provided and a collection will be taken up to pay for the pizza makings.
 
In my opinion, this is a really important effort that the Birch Grove Foundation is making on behalf of the West End.  It should be very useful and lead to better communication and cooperation in the community as we enter the world of broadband and the many other opportunities that are in front of us.  Contact the ever-reliable Patty Nordahl at [email protected] (that’s bgf as in Birch Grove Foundation), or call WTIP for her contact information.

David Seaton is a guitar maker and repair man. In this edition of School News, we listen as he teaches Sawtooth third and fourth grade students about the nature and physics of sound.

This past week, five Cook County Middle School 8^th graders qualified for the State History Day competition scheduled for May 4^th.  The State competition will be held at the University of Minnesota. In this edition of School News,  students Julia, Hannah, Sarah, and Bailey share more about it.

‘Twas the days before spring, and all through the woods, the critters were stirring in shivering wonderment. So goes the story up the Trail as month three has been much less than spring-like so far.
 
Under a growing “crust on the snow moon” (Onaabani Giizis), the topper was this past Sunday when the Wildersmith neighborhood awoke to a shocking minus 29. This followed the five previous mornings where our mercury column registered at least zero or below. It’s been so cold that we are making ice on area lakes, thus adding to the 3-foot cake already set on most bodies including Gunflint.
 
There has not been any significant snow shrinkage out this way, due to the cold. But neither has what we have on the forest floor grown during the past seven. Only a couple dustings has freshened us as storms once again have missed border country. We’ve had mostly sparkling clear days where the brightness and power of old Sol caused me to forget about the frosty January-like sunrises.
 
One has to remember that a year ago at this time the snow was all but a memory. And the lake ice on our Gunflint gal made an all-time record exit on March 25. What a difference 365 days can make!
 
As can happen quickly, our more normal March might be reversed to real spring between the time this scribing is keyed and when it comes out over the waves of cyber-space. Here’s wishing, though, that a few more droppings of the winter element might blanket us before mud season and dreams of green poking through the meltdown actually become a reality.
 
Wild neighborhood critters continue making candid appearances. The lynx that has been frequenting the grounds around Gunflint Lodge was recently observed in pursuit of a snowshoe hare by a lodge guest. I was not told whether the race outcome favored the cat or the rabbit.
 
Over the past couple weeks, white tail traffic has increased considerably about our place. I guess nourishment must be hard to come by under the crusted white. It’s been entertaining to watch a few crows browse about between the hooves of my brush-pruning deer.
 
I don’t know if there is a precise term for describing a bunch of pine martens, but if there is such, it can be applied to the scene on our deck-side cafeteria. A number of them are often cavorting about at almost any given time of day or night. I observed one leap-frogging over another recently in quest of the next open sunflower seed station, quite amusing.
 
Recently a member of the Gunflint/Loon lake wolf pack has been on fast food surveillance duty through the yard.  Evidenced by tracks, scat and territorial marking, it has yet not brought in the troops to execute their predator exploits.  
 
Meanwhile friends from over on Hungry Jack Lake share an ongoing saga of a moose carcass serving nutritional needs of many hungry creatures in their neighborhood. The end of life for this waning icon of the north woods might be blamed on the wolves too but, then again, it could have just been its time.
 
So players in our wilderness drama of search and survival continue keeping the Wildersmith two, and most other Gunflint residents, with our noses to the glass during these waning days of this long white season.
 
In a closing salute, yours truly sends a big thanks to all who stepped to the plate in our “15 reasons” membership drive. If you missed getting your token of support in during the 5 ½- day run, your willingness to be a part of the WTIP family will always be accepted and much appreciated. Just call or click at any time!
 
Keep on hangin’ on, and savor the equinox signal of an ending and beginning!

Airdate: March 22, 2013

A beautiful new building is coming to Tofte early this summer.  The building has recently been built and will be moved to the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum in May or early June.  It will be used to protect one or more of the museum’s historic fishing skiffs.
 
But, here is the interesting part. The building is a replica of the 3,000-year-old Grindbygg style of timber framing, which is the oldest known style of building in Norway.  The old style of building is still commonly seen in western Norway, especially in utility buildings like barns and boathouses. 
 
The Grindbygg style of building is similar to modern timber frames, but there are no mortises or tenons.  The construction is a bit simpler, but was a practical solution for ancient people that didn’t have access to smooth, sawn timbers.  They built the buildings with axes, chisels, drills and handsaws.  The bracing is made from the naturally curved root knees from birch and tamarack trees.  It gives the building a very organic, natural look and makes a building durable enough to last for centuries.
 
The museum’s Grindbygg building was built by a North House Folk School class under the capable direction of Peter Henrikson.  Peter traveled to Norway this year to learn the technique, which is enjoying a popular revival there.  The completed frame is currently in the courtyard at North House, so if you are going to Grand Marais, stop by and look at it.  I would love to have a cabin built in the Grindbygg style.
 
I was disappointed to see a headline in the Duluth News Tribune recently that read “Wolves Taking Toll on Minnesota Moose.”  The story itself, written by reporter John Myers, was actually a pretty routine update on the ongoing DNR research project on the rapidly declining moose herd.  Myers is a veteran and experienced reporter, who does consistently excellent work. 
 
The gist of the story was that six of the monitored moose have died since they were collared last month.  Four of the moose died from the stress of being shot with a tranquilizer and collared.  Two of the moose had been eaten and presumably killed by wolves.  In all six cases, Myers reported that it is likely that the moose were already ill and weakened before the researchers and/or wolves killed them.
 
In my opinion, the headline, “Wolves Taking Toll on Minnesota Moose” has two problems. First, by misrepresenting the content of the story, it reinforces old and discredited myths about wolves.  Second, is it really news that wolves kill moose?  Haven’t wolves been killing and eating wolves since time immemorial?  Doesn’t everyone know by now that the predator/prey relationship actually strengthens the moose herd over the long run? 
 
Last fall, 82 moose were killed by human hunters, but a headline reading, “Hunters Taking Toll on Minnesota Moose” would have been wildly inappropriate.
 
The Birch Grove Foundation is hoping to offer the LOTS program at Birch Grove Community Center this summer.  LOTS stands for Learning Opportunities Through Stories.  It is a family/child literacy program where children from birth to 5 years old and their caregivers listen to stories and do related activities.
 
There will be time for playing outside too, and maybe even a family pizza night using the new outdoor wood-fired oven. It is a great way to meet other parents with young children. Older siblings are always welcome.
 
If you are interested, or know anyone who might be, please contact Patty Nordahl at Birch Grove. Her email is bgf, as in Birch Grove Foundation, @boreal.org.

Me'tis artist Christi Belcourt lives near Manitoulin Island, Ontario. She creates intricate paintings inspired by the traditional beading process and woodland style of beadwork design. In this edition of "Anishinaabe Way: Lives, Words and Stories of Ojibwe People," she shares her influences, her art and her artistic process. She also talks about her current work co-coordinating the project "Walking With Our Sisters," a Commemorative Art Installation for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Canada.

It is estimated that 600+ native women in Canada have gone missing or have been murdered in the last 20 years. Many have vanished without a trace with little to no concern paid by the media, the general public or politicians. For this project, 600+ moccasin tops (vamps) are being created by hundreds of people to create one large collaborative art piece that will be installed for the public in various galleries and sites. They will be installed in a winding path of beaded vamps on cloth over a gallery floor. The exhibit is currently booked to tour across Canada and perhaps into the United States. For more about this project including the exhibition schedule, visit the "Walking With Our Sisters" Facebook page.