Grand Portage - July 21-28

Welcome to Grand Portage!

Grand Portage Lodge and Casino

The weather this week was a copycat of last week’s. This must be one of the coldest Julys in history; Sunday’s temps were in the high 50s as the day started, and didn't get much higher than the mid-60s as the day progressed. After attending church in Grand Marais, we were invited to my aunt Bernice’s for Sunday dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, and all that goes with it. I provided rhubarb crisp for dessert.  We were joined by my uncle Erland, Bernice’s daughter (my cousin) Jane and her daughter Ashley. My family doesn't let one go hungry, that’s for sure! Always good food and good fellowship.

The weather improved to where we could sit outside so later, after returning to Grand Portage, we visited with Bob from Florida, Wes and Carolyn from southern Minnesota, Dick from Grand Portage, and Don from Two Harbors, and Al from Rochester, Minnesota.  There are always stories to share, and things to talk about. The fog rolled in again, so thick that Pete’s Island couldn't be seen in the harbor.

(fog photos)

Fog and sunshine!

Rain, rain, go away! Monday we were met with thunderstorms once again, and temperatures in the low 50s. Ugh… We decided lunch at the Portage Community Center was the thing to do so we chowed down on pulled pork sandwiches. They provide so much food for $4—and it’s good! The sun came out by mid-afternoon and the temperatures warmed up to the high 60s so we sat outside visiting with neighbors Bob, Wes and Carolyn.

As we were visiting we noticed a sailboat entering Grand Portage Harbor. The harbor isn't much more than 12’ deep in most spots, so we were interested to see that he was skirting the marina entrance, heading for much shallower water.  Eventually, the boat did make its way back to the marina, ultimately to refuel. The boat was too long to comfortably pull into the marina slips, but he did it anyway. After refueling, he attempted to back up and almost took out a large cabin cruiser directly behind him. With assistance from marina personnel, and much maneuvering, he did manage to begin to pull out of the marina, but took too sharp and too quick a left turn embedding the keel in a sand and clay bar just to the left of the marina entrance. Good grief… We watched as they shifted weight from side-to-side to break free, but no luck. They only succeeded in getting the keel more deeply entrenched in the muck. (They obviously didn't pay attention to the harbor map, which they said they had “somewhere” in the belly of the boat). After about an hour of trying to free the boat themselves, a large Case shovel was brought in to help. By attaching a rope, the Case was able to pull the boat free, so it could go on its way. We took photos, but wish we had videotaped it for you to watch. That was the most excitement we had had in quite a while. I'm sure it would've gone viral on youtube!

That evening, as we sat outside, Wes and Carolyn broke out their Mexican Train Dominoes. Fun times! (We need to invest in that game!)

WOW! What’s that golden orb in the sky?? Sunshine and 62 degrees at 7:30 a.m.! Tuesday was beautiful! We were able to walk a bit and ride bicycles in the park for a while. Dick also rode the motorcycle around the area a bit, as I worked on the blog.

Pass through Mt. Josephine, Grand Portage.

Grand Portage Harbor with Isle Royal int he distance.

Beaver dam along the Upper Road, Grand Portage.

After dinner we were still able to sit outside to introduce Pegs and Jokers to Wes and Carolyn. Such fun! Our hootin’ and hollerin’ drew folks from the park—they didn’t want to join in, but did enjoy watching us. We made plans with Wes and Carolyn to drive up to Thunder Bay on Wednesday, to see Kakabeka Falls, and to attend a free concert at Thunder Bay’s Marina Park, located on the Superior shore.

Not to be disappointed, Wednesday dawned sunny and beautiful, with a few floaty clouds going by. A good day for a day trip! After breakfast at the Grand Portage Lodge and a bit of time on the computer (we can only get WiFi at the lodge), Wes and Carolyn, Dick and I headed north to the Border.

Kakabeka Falls was running fast and furious after the recent torrential rains. Impressive! There wasn't quite that much water last year when Dick and I visited the falls.

As we were heading back to the truck—from the other side of the falls—the skies opened up and IT POURED! We were drenched!  Of course none of us were wearing rain gear—the sun had been shining! We drove into Thunder Bay for a late lunch/early dinner at Papa Piccolino’s, hoping that the skies would clear and we could attend the concert. That didn’t happen. We did drive around the marina, though, so Wes and Carolyn could see it—it’s lovely. Folks were setting up for the concert, but we didn't stick around. We thought a stop at Ryden's at the Border and an evening of Pegs and Jokers was much more “in the cards” (ha!) for us that day. By the time we had returned to Grand Portage the sun had come out and we were able to sit outside for a while, playing the game—at least until the mosquitoes took over and drove us inside. (Folks around here say that since the weather has been so cold, there was one massive hatch of mosquitoes rather than hatching over time.)

Had to include this photo; at Papa Piccolino's we ordered pizza and sodas. Really good pizza!

We asked for cups for the soda -- we got 'em!
Each held 2 oz...hmm...

Rain, rain, go away!! Thursday dawned overcast and drizzly, with temps in the low 50s. (We’re getting really tired of the rain!) Wes and Carolyn packed up and headed to Duluth, for a family reunion weekend at Spirit Mountain. Dick rode his bicycle around the park; I made banana bread, which we shared with Don and Gloria, Dick and Bob. Nothing like the fragrance of home-baked goodies on a rainy day! By noon, thunder storms hit again—with lots of rain.

Our plan was to head to Cloquet on Friday to see Mom, and to attend a Brummer reunion (Dad’s side of the family) on Saturday in the Minneapolis area). So, between raindrops, we packed up the black beast and headed south along the lake. We were on the road by 9:30. The drizzle let up a bit, but by the time we got half-way to Cloquet, the rain started again.

Rain knows no boundaries! It rained in Cloquet Friday and Saturday, too! Yuk—although there is no threat of forest fires in Northeastern Minnesota this year! My brother and sister-in-law, Ron and Debby (who were vacationing in Biwabik, MN) picked us up Saturday morning to drive to Shakopee, near the Twin Cities, for the family reunion. It rained most of the way.

My dad was the oldest of 11 children: he had 3 brothers and 7 sisters. Only 3 of the sisters are surviving, and all were there. We were missing some of the cousins, but most who were there I hadn't seen in 48 years. Other than being older, they looked like I remembered them. There was lots of food, conversation, photo ops, and laughter; lots of memories of being at Grandpa Brummer's farm for reunions and pheasant hunting.

Dad's surviving sisters: Millie, Odella and Ruthie (seated).
None of the brothers are still living.

"Some" of the Brummer cousins. Not all who were there
made this photo.

"Some" of the Brummer clan attending the reunion.
Again, not all who were there made this photo.

We returned to Cloquet for pizza and ice cream with Mom, Ron and Debby, Rich and Karen and MacKenzie. After Ron and Debby left at 8:30 to drive the 1 ½ hours back to Biwabik, Rich, Karen, MacKenzie, Dick and I played the crazy game “UNO ATTACK” until 11 p.m. Oh, my…we’re too old for those hours! It was fun, though. (We need to invest in that game, too!)

Here’s to a week of sunshine! We hope you’re doing well, staying healthy, and enjoying life. We miss you, and send you hugs!

Dick and Gail