It’s mid-way between Christmas and New Year’s Day here in Minnesota’s northland. Inclination now is to look both in rearview mirror and windshield as time and events go and come. We journalled “End Game” last year so a revisit update now seems in order.
Dick Winter hit us hard this past week, here at dandy Mississippi’s once-grand rapids on Edge of the Wilderness. Heavy West-to-East moving storm after a week has left us some 16 inches of white stuff so far—above early ice layers; sub-zero temps coming next, plus more snow for Christmas.
Minnesota Northland Winter is tightening its hold as long-term networking Christmas letters, phone calls and e-mails bring updated “Autumn Accounting” of life adventure from friends across the land. Old outdoor and corporate adventurer here observes and appreciates from sidelines these days; however, he’s still keen on this subject feeling closely in touch with network contacts from coast to coast and Gulf up into Canada.
Dick Old adventurer and long-term bride, sweetheart and best friend here wish everyone a wonderful holiday season with full measures of peace and happiness. After 24 years at Idaho’s Snake River camp, it’s now our 5th Christmas North and nearly North of Highway #2 in Minnesota’s Northland, at once-grand rapids of our dandy river Mississippi.
NEARLY NORTH OF TWO Calendars announce December this week, only month containing alphabetic letter “D”. Skeptics might associate that letter “D” with denial—denial that Winter begins its real Northland season during this month.
Old adventurer and long-term bride here made a quick overnight trip to Minnesota River Valley hometowns last week to help share funeral honors for longtime family friend. Hometown visits always generate nostalgic flashbacks graced with gratitude for the gift of life going back over five generations to 1854 family immigrant homesteaders from Germany.
Thanks to a young duck hunter’s gift for this old duck hunter, old duck hunter with long-term bride once again enjoyed a simple mallard duck meal, stirring memories of grand waterfowl adventures past.
Thoughts here have been festering for some time now; however, it was during this most recent deer season opener that they began assembly as reported herein. This old man looked forward to several days of deer hunting this Fall at Big Bass Lake’s Idaho Avenue cabin a little North of Highway #2, with several hours to be spent each day at a location suggesting venison backstraps.
Been nearly six months since reporting on Idaho Avenue at Big Bass Lake, a little North of Highway #2. Daughter and spouse had then just begun work on new home building project.
We’re pushing toward November with firearms deer season nearing our Northland. Old adventurer, with a lifetime of outdoor adventuring now well into old age, has some wandering thoughts about beginning and ending those adventures. At age five or so, he got close enough to first-time see and touch a deer, his maternal grandfather’s final deer. It was a basement-hanging buck in that Minnesota River Valley farm home almost 75 years ago. First grandfather annually deer hunted “Up North”--Saginaw/ Grand Lake/Willow River--with a neighbor, some relatives and Savage Model 99’s .300 Savage cartridge. He tried, too soon, explaining bucks and does to this grandson. Taxidermy bucks and a modest arsenal on his enclosed porch were long envied by this young grandson. He encouraged grandson to pretend-hunt on that farm with real rifles after having removed firing pins. Same grandson remembers seeing first live hometown deer and finally getting 12th birthday gift gun; ensuing local adventures confirmed deer had returned locally following near-elimination due to homesteader/ market hunting.