West End News June 3

When we were in graduate school we had a friend who could come up with an appropriate saying for any occasion. When life was not going well he would say, "The doctor said that there would be days like this; but he did not say that they would be so close together.”

We have had "days like this" recently, and they have been close together, so once again column deadline came and went with no time to write. Once again improvement is imminent, so there is time for a column.

I cannot remember a Memorial Day weekend that was so favorable weather-wise, fishing-wise, and almost problem-wise. The problem was that many folks did not pay attention to the sun, so some suffered serious sunburns. Sitting in a boat or canoe with the sun shining and the reflection of the ultraviolet light from the water is an invitation for a burn. It amounts to being in a waterborne tanning bed. Not a good thing.

Fishing reports were very favorable. Considering that the temperatures have been very warm, which brought the water temperature up in a hurry, the fishing was excellent. Even inland lake trout were caught in good numbers.

Folks felt pretty good about their lake trout catches until Bear Cihlar of Lutsen reported his witnessed catch of a 35-pound-plus trout. The fish was released and the location is secret, except that the location is "out of the country.”

In just a few days another school year will come to an end. The Birch Grove graduation was followed by the dedication of the beautiful mosaic at Birch Grove School. The themes for the panels were chosen by the students with guidance from adults. The planning and execution of the panels was again done by the students with the help of Kelly Dupre.

There are now three outstanding mosaic installations in the county. One is at the Co-op in Grand Marais, another at the WTIP building in Grand Marais, and now a third one at Birch Grove School.

A few years ago I was contacted by a man who catalogs the locations of very large paintings, both indoor and outdoor. I told him about the walls and trucks with paintings in Grand Marais and also the Birney Quick paintings at the Catholic church and the Grand Marais State Bank. I wonder if there is anyone who does the same thing for mosaics. Most likely there is.

Each year when the photos of the high school graduates are published in the papers I am intrigued by the first names of the graduates, year by year. This year there are many Ambers and Caitlins. How does this flow of first names happen? It is a puzzle.

The message from all parts of the business community is that Memorial Day was busy and profitable. Let's hope that this is a great beginning to an outstanding season.