06-09-2018, 09:00 AM
My easy commutes to Jamaica just got a bit more challenging. Instead of being a mere 5 minutes from MSP and Sun Country's non-stop flights (4 hrs 20 min) I'm now living in Northern Minnesota just a couple canoe portages away from Canada.
There's a Paul Bunyan statue at the entrance to town (Winton, Mn. population 162 just outside of Ely, Mn.) which was once named The Coolest Small Town In America. Vacationers are streaming into Ely at this time of year with canoes on the roof for paddling adventures in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area). Other popular stops for the tourists include the Wolf Research Centre and the Bear Research Centre.
I'm across the street from Fall Lake with nothing but pine and birch trees to look at when I open the front door. Quite a departure from my garden level apartment on a busy four-lane boulevard in Saint Paul. Country life now.
There's a large public fishing dock just a short walk away that is a perfect spot for watching the sun go down in the evening.
There's no mail delivery out this way so residents pick up their mail at the Fat Chicken Feed Store where the mayor posts notices like "Don't feed the deer."
I have a house with no doorbell!
This is my well-fed 20 lb tom cat Marley inspecting the wood pile in the back yard. The wood is for an outdoor wood boiler that heats the house in the winter more economically than fuel oil alone. The back yard is fenced in so it won't be long before Marley will have a dog friend to hiss at. Huskies are popular here in dog-sledding country but I'm partial to retrievers/labs.
There's a Paul Bunyan statue at the entrance to town (Winton, Mn. population 162 just outside of Ely, Mn.) which was once named The Coolest Small Town In America. Vacationers are streaming into Ely at this time of year with canoes on the roof for paddling adventures in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area). Other popular stops for the tourists include the Wolf Research Centre and the Bear Research Centre.
I'm across the street from Fall Lake with nothing but pine and birch trees to look at when I open the front door. Quite a departure from my garden level apartment on a busy four-lane boulevard in Saint Paul. Country life now.
There's a large public fishing dock just a short walk away that is a perfect spot for watching the sun go down in the evening.
There's no mail delivery out this way so residents pick up their mail at the Fat Chicken Feed Store where the mayor posts notices like "Don't feed the deer."
I have a house with no doorbell!
This is my well-fed 20 lb tom cat Marley inspecting the wood pile in the back yard. The wood is for an outdoor wood boiler that heats the house in the winter more economically than fuel oil alone. The back yard is fenced in so it won't be long before Marley will have a dog friend to hiss at. Huskies are popular here in dog-sledding country but I'm partial to retrievers/labs.