One Last Paddle in the Boundary Waters

It is Memorial Day in Ely and it is hot and humid.  Just a week ago it was 30 in the morning and today the highs are suppose to get up into the low 90s or high 80s.  We are hot and getting tired of packing for our trip to San Miguel so we decide to take a break and do one last paddle into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  It took Jo Ann probably two or three nanoseconds to agree that we needed to get out and away from the chores of packing.

So we loaded up the ATV with the kayaks to head down to our landing at Farm Lake which is one of the entrances to the BWCA.

As we head out to cross Farm Lake the winds are strong and in crossing against us.  It is exhausting but we do get across relatively quickly but we do need to take a break from the paddling.

Where we stop is one of the many cabins on the edge of the BWCA that have no power and are accessible solely by boat.  These places are truly wilderness cabins compared to our “log cabin”.

We enter the BWCA through the Kawishiwi River which is a beautiful place to paddle a kayak or a canoe.  The river never flows too strong and the trees along the river keep the winds down.

While we are slowing down for another rest I pull out the camera again and shoot this image of the paddle and the water with Jo Ann’s reflection in the background.  It is so serene and peaceful in the BWCA.

We finally turn around at one of the portages along the river as we are having Jo Ann’s parents over for Memorial Day’s dinner.  As we are leaving the BWCA I have so stop and say good bye.  This is one of the world’s truly beautiful places and such an enjoyable place.  It is one of the many great things that Ely has to offer and I will greatly miss it.

So as we are leaving the BWCA we come to a place that will always have a special spot for me.  Two summers ago we had our niece Alexa up for a visit.  We took her out for a paddle and a picnic.  It was a beautiful day when we left, however as can happen up here the weather changed and the winds picked up.  Well as Alexa and I were trying to paddle our canoe we just could not make any progress and in fact many times were flowing backwards until we pushed ourselves ashore.  Jo Ann was able to navigate her kayak back to our landing and was able to get our great neighbor Frank who is a regular at rescuing wayward paddlers who are leaving the BWCA and trying to cross Farm Lake.

Well while we were waiting for Frank to come with his power boat, Alexa (who is a drama queen of the grand cru) kept telling me that we were going to die.  Well of course we did not die or get eaten by a wolf or a bear, but were rescued like many others.

So as we left the BWCA I had to shot a picture of the location were Alexa and I were waiting for certain death.  I was sad to see that the lot is now for sale, maybe Alexa will want to come up and buy it, not.

So I say good bye to the BWCA.  It is beautiful and if you want to really see what nature is like without man’s intervention, please come up and paddle in God’s country.

Less than One Week Until the Next Really Big Adventure

So it is less than one week before I start the migration from Northern Minnesota to the Colonial Highlands of Mexico.  Jo Ann and I have spent the past week getting our truck and the trailer ready to go and have just started packing.  Wow, I can’t believe how much stuff we want to take or looking at it from a different perspective, how little space you have with a Ford truck and a small trailer.

We have tried to get everything broken down into groups based on priorities as to what is needed at our ranch and what will be hard to obtain down in San Miguel.  However, as we lay all of the stuff in the garage, I almost break down in tears as to what will fit and what I still want to bring.  Oh well, it is only possessions and you have to start to ask yourself, “is it really needed or can we get by without it”.

So the plan is to finish the packing by Wednesday this next week.  On Thursday we will take the dogs for one last hike of Bass Lake and then early Friday, Matt and I will be off from Ely to Minneapolis.  Although this is an exciting day for me, as I start my migration to my newly adopted country, it is also an important date for Matt as he is closing on his purchase of a new house back in Minneapolis.  It seems that we are all leaving Ely this year, all for different reasons, but the two of us are commencing on new journeys on the same day.

Then early Saturday morning Matt and I will start the journal from Minneapolis to Wichita and on Sunday we will continue down to San Antonio.  Assuming that we are on schedule that has us crossing the border in Laredo on Monday morning and if all goes well (which of course it will not) we will be in Rancho La Luz by Monday evening.

The scope and magnitude of this upcoming move is starting to hit me as I start to comprehend what a major change in our lives this move will be.  Although the move to Northern Minnesota was traumatic it was still to a location in the US and we did not have any language issues (ok yes they do speak funny up here but it is still an English dialect).  Now we are off to a different country where we will be the foreigners, where our grasp of the language is basic at best and our understanding of the culture is only evolving.  However that is part of what is attracting us to this latest chapter of our adventure that is called life.

So check back in over the next several months to get some updates on how we are progressing with our move to Mexico and how we are adapting to our new adopted country.

Spring in Ely

Memorial Day weekend in Ely and we are preparing for our move to San Miguel de Allende Mexico.  The weather is beautiful, the lakes are fully of boaters and fishermen, and the gardens are in full bloom.

In order to save some of my sanity, I went out and shot some exposures of some of the beautiful flowers that are in bloom.  Although the season can be short here in the Northland, the spring flowers make you feel so happy, especially after the long cold winter.

 Enjoy some of our gardens and the color that is in full bloom.

Halfway Through the Renovation

For the past two weeks we have been at our ranch in San Miguel working with our contractor on the renovation of the house on the property. The weather has been wonderful, with most days in the high 80s to low 90s, and then nice cool evenings. We have even had some late afternoon thunderstorms which should help to address last year’s drought conditions.

Jo Ann and I have significant experience in working on renovations of older homes, but we have never done one outside of the US let alone working in a language other than English.

Well I have to say this has been one of the most enjoyable renovations that we have ever worked on. The crews are most professional and the quality of the workmanship has been great.

One of the first projects we needed to do was to fill in an old unused swimming pool. What we are doing is to turn the major part of it into a large cistern holding tank and the remainder into a root cellar (which will also be used as a wine cellar).



Then we wanted to completely redo the kitchen in the house. Here you can see the state of kitchen after the crew demolished much of the old counters and removed the old appliances.



The work on the kitchen was going much faster than we expected, especially considering that we were having to use the kitchen during the renovation since we were living in the house as the work was proceeding. Here you can see the kitchen now with most of the new tiles installed and the new appliances.



We also wanted to completely remodel the master bathroom which included demolition of the entire existing bathroom, replace the counters, the sink and the toilets as well as changing which side of the shower the shower head was one. One of the amazing things about construction in Mexico is how patient they can be when having to move things like water lines through the brick and concrete that is used in almost all of the construction. Here you can see that all of the tiles were removed and the water line was moved from the left side of the shower to the right. For me that would have been a major effort but for the crew it was just another day on the job.



When you are working on renovation in Mexico, you need to learn that most of the work on the structure is done in brick and concrete, so when the crew needs to move an electrical outlet or a water line, they need to chink away at the concrete and move the line. Well after two weeks of this chinking, I can tell you it is the only irritating part of the process, it seems that someone on the crew is always chinking away and it settles into your brain like brain sludge.

One of the last parts of the project was to paint the interior and exterior. Here is am image of our new exterior color.



As the image below shows, you can see the old white color of the ranch, which was faded and in need of an update, compared to the new color of the ranch.



So at the half way point we are excited with how the house is proceeding and impressed by the work done by the crew. Now it is only the half way point and much can go wrong as we work to complete the project, but I have to say it has been the best renovation that we have ever worked on. If you are looking to buy a home in Mexico and need to have work done on the house, don't be afraid, it is easier than working with remodeling contractors in the US.

We are excited about completing the work as I am heading down to live full time in less than two weeks, so hopefully the crew will be done and I can settle in with the dogs awaiting Jo Ann's arrival.

Celebration at Puente del Carman

Wow was Saturday evening an interesting night. It was another beautiful day at our ranch in San Miguel and then in the late afternoon a magnificent thunderstorm blew through. Though out the day we could hear a festival that was happening at the small village about 5 kilometers from our house called Puente del Carman which had music and fireworks blasting all day. However, when the storm blew through the music ceased and all was quiet.

The storm was gone in a little under two hours and as soon as the rain stopped the music started again and of course the ever present fireworks erupted. When we went to bed around 11p the festival was still going full speed, which was not a surprise. However, I awoke at 4:30a and guess what, I could hear the music still blasting away, in fact I would say it was louder than ever. Then at 6a the fireworks commenced again, so the festival continued through out the evening. I have not been at a festival or party like that probably since I left college.

So on Sunday morning, we decided to walk down to Puente del Carman and see the festival first hand, since we had already experienced it the prior evening. It was so great to see all the people milling around and looking so happy to be with their families.



There were children everywhere always laughing and giggling, especially at these gringos walking around with their camera. However we were having a great time experiencing the festival with our new neighbors and watching all the children.

Then we came upon this Ferris wheel called “The Titanic” where these two boys were just howling and laughing. I just love the smile on the one boy who kept watching me as I shot this image.



We had such a great time just walking though the festival and seeing people who are happy to be with family, friends and to enjoy the sense of community. I hope that we can develop this same carefree sense of happiness as this community when we are with friends and family.

New Additions to the Rancho La Luz Family

It did not take long but we have now added four burros to the animal community known as Rancho La Luz. Those of you who knew us from our Gualala farming days, know that Jo Ann and I have a weak spot when it comes to taking care of pets and other animals. So when we heard of the opportunity to get these four burros from a great new friend who did not have the space to allow them to graze adequately, we jumped at the opportunity.

So without further ado, here are the new additions to the Rancho La Luz community.

So we have Fernanda,


Panchita and Primavera together,


Another of Panchita


But I seem to be missing one of Pascual so that will have to come later.

But we have one last image to share and this one asks the questions "who do you think is really walking whom?"

Happy Trails to One Man's Best Friend

Earlier this week, our best friend Matt's dog died. Obie was one of the cutest and most enjoyable dogs you could ever know.

We all are missing Obie, it was a very sad day on Monday earlier this week. Although Obie had lived a long life, most people still mistook him as being a puppy and not an adult dog. He had a look that just made people happy and a prance when he walked that said, I love life. However doggy Alzheimers disease over came such a wonderful dog and we all miss him.

To quote Matt "He was one of the finer things that happened in my life. He made me a better person, certainly a healthier one. Think of him kindly, he was my great pal. He deserved a better fate."

Good bye and thank you for being part of our lives.