Life Magazine

Life magazine did an article on the Angle back in 1950. I love reading this sort of history and learning how they made it back then. As you will see, we are spoiled now--and I don't mean extra large TV's and Ipods. I mean heat, hot water tanks and gracious in-laws! There are many things that have changed since this article was written, but I feel that the spirit is still here. There is a lot more to the article, these are just some highlights. You should be able to double-click on an item to enlarge it and read the print.

This introduction says that the people of the Northwest Angle "live in in an inhospitable land which is more like Siberia than the US." Funny that this magazine was just now "found" by Pat and Big Rick. No mention of Siberia or inhospitable land during our discussions of moving here.

The earlier sewing clubs!

This article states that the Northwest Angle belongs to the US because of a map maker's error.

Horses pulling a sleigh across the frozen lake.
Bath Time

Once again I'm sorry for my horrible scanning and editing skills. Maybe skills isn't the word I should even be using.

St. Patrick's Day 5K

On St. Patrick's Day, I went to town for a 5K run. The race was held to benefit the Senior Living Center.

Lot's o' green there. We got to town nice and early to register. What a beautiful day! The sun was out and everyone was dressed in green and cute costumes.

I went to the race with Nikki, a friend I met through Jenny. Nikki also works at the famous Jerry's. It's fun to meet people up here that I have things in common with--to do things I actually know about! Nikki and I both enjoy running, but the difference is that she is very good at it. She has done at least one marathon and has one planned for the fall. I have only done half-marathons this far in my life. The full marathon is undecided for me at this point. I ran a half-marathon in Leavenworth right before getting pregnant with Andie. The first 10 miles were a breeze...then mile 11 was angry like you stole it's parking spot. Miles 12 and 13 were just pain and suffering that I hadn't expected. Thus, I can't imagine doubling that........yet. I have to see what the summers bring as far as work hours. If I can find time to train perhaps I'll consider it.

The tallest leprechaun in Warroad.

There were about 5 of these ladies. Very fun and festive. I won't confirm or deny that at least one of them had a cocktail before the race even started.

My big finish. Nikki finished far enough ahead of me that she got the camera and took my picture. I came in 11th of 32 for my age group and one minute under my goal time, so I'm happy with that. I'm a mid-pack type of runner. And no, I'm not going to list my time. Not until I find one that is satisfactory!

Nikki getting her medal! She finished first in our age group and second female overall.
Later she won an ID bracelet for runners as a door prize. It's kind of funny considering she trains up here in the woods. If someone found her laying on the side of the road, they would know who she was. Or, as she pointed out, she could get attacked by a wolf and he could eat her arm off and take the bracelet with it. The door prizes would be much different for a race held at the Angle, that's for sure. ** Congratulations! You've won a tiny little fishing pole and a beaver pelt!**

A fun St. Patty's costume.

My grand winnings in the door prize drawing. Perfect for lattes. How did they know?

Celebrating at the bar after. It's St. Patrick's day and we are in Minnesota. Of course the race would be held right outside a bar! It would be wrong if it wasn't. Come to think of it, I didn't stop at the water table during the race. They may have been handing out beer there.

Nikki with her medal and her "Race Bling" sign for being second female overall. We had a tasty lunch and a couple drinks before heading to the grocery store and then home.

I spend a lot of time learning new things about my surroundings and feeling like an idiot, adjusting to this new climate, worrying about this big journey we've taken on, and missing home. But this---this was just for me and my own self-satisfaction. It raised my spirits. This was a good day.

What A Difference 5 Days Makes!

On Sunday of last week Rick, Tyson and I went out to load firewood for heating Brian's house and the garage. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining. Some family bonding while being productive at the same time.

In the very center of this picture is a gray deerstand. That is what they sit in while hunting deer up here. It's high off the ground. You can see the black spot that is the window and the gray square shape of the stand.

Tyson with his "chainsaw". He does a really impressive sound effect for it. Impressive and LOUD.

On this day we wore heavy coats and gloves. Rick, and of course Tyson, did the cutting and I helped load it in the truck.

Then 5 days later we went again and it was spring!!! Can you believe these pictures were taken in the same week? No gloves, no coats, no snowpants. Just a bit windy.

Tyson will be 3 in June. That's when the sweat and hard work will start. For now he can load wood and other odd jobs.

Andie shielded from the wind in the Baby Bjorn. I wasn't as much help on this trip since I had the baby strapped on. Tyson and I did a lot of puddle jumping and throwing things in the water to see how big a splash we could make.

I cannot begin to say how happy I am to see the spring weather. I feel liberated! The kids and I can spend so much more time outside and it doesn't take 30 minutes to get bundled up. My first Minnesota winter was very kind to me and made the adjustment much easier. I'm excited for the nice weather and the busy season to start up (in May) so I can see how this place works when in full swing. I've been learning about all the great history up here and can't wait to get out for some boating and hiking to see it all. I'm a warm weather and sunshine type of girl--my time has come!

The Best Day Of Tyson's Life

Last Saturday was the other snowmobile rally of the season. It was at Jerry's (surprise!) but this time a lot of it was outside. Basically this day was a collection of every thing that Tyson loves best. Plus a big lunch and prizes being raffled off, including a fishhouse that we did not win. Sadness.

The happiest kid in Minnesota, possibly the US. There was a Radar Run held out on the ice where snowmobilers could test thier speed. We stood at the beginning where the engines were the loudest and I thought Tyson would burst every time one took off.

Here is the beginning of the run. You can sort of see the end point near the top left. The sun was so bright that I couldn't see what my pictures looked like after taking them. So many are farther away than I realized. So sorry for near- sighted pictures, but the sun was beautiful and totally worth it.

This guy is holding the radar gun at the end of the run. Last I heard, the top speed was 95 mph. We ventured down to this end of the run because Rick was running the radar gun for awhile and Tyson wanted to watch him. I learned that the best time of day to get high speeds on a snowmobile is early when the temperatures are the coldest. Remember this if you are ever being chased by cops when riding a snowmobile. Commit your crimes in the morning.

By chance, someone was unloading a skidsteer (I think that is spelled correctly?) on the ice road near where we were standing. Tyson LOVES heavy machinery so this seemed to be the icing on the cake........until a big logging truck drove by. I had just been thinking how his grin couldn't get any bigger, but it could!

I tried to capture the happy dance he did after each snowmobile took off, but this is the best I could do. Lot of jumping and squealing and clapping hands.

This is a shot of all the snowmobiles parked in front of Jerry's. There were all kinds and colors there. This picture doesn't represent well.

Check out this guy's skunk gloves!!!! I wanted to pet them, but that seemed inappropriate.

As Tyson and I were walking back to Jerry's for lunch we found Tony cutting a hole in the ice for the Polar Bear Plunge. Tyson was so impressed with this huge chainsaw cutting in to the ice that he was speechless. He just stood frozen, watching it go. I have to say it was pretty impressive so I didn't mind having to stay put for awhile.

Brian pulling out the blocks of ice. This hole was cut in the ice right in front of the Young's Bay store. You can see our gas pump on the left. It's fun to have these things happening right where we live. We just walk out our front door and boom, ACTION!

The kids and I went home for nap time and didn't make it back to see anyone jump in the water. I was disappointed as I really wanted to watch those crazy people plunge themselves into icy cold, walleye infested waters.

To end his perfect day, Tyson got to have a little snowball fight with Jenny on the dock. He laughed and thought this was hugely entertaining. Most nights I ask him what his favorite part of the day was and he'll just say daddy or Tony or snowmobile. On this, the best day he has ever had, he said, "Snowmobiles, chainsaw, lunch, digger, logs......" Basically every part of the day was named. Can you remember the last time you had such a great day you couldn't even narrow it down to one thing?

Sewing Club

Recently I have developed a strong belief that in order to be a female living in the Northwest Angle, or maybe even all of Northern Minnesota, you must be proficient in one or more of the following talents: knitting, sewing, quilting, canning, baking, cooking, naming specific types of birds, and cold weather survival skills. If you don't pass for any of these requirements, a bachelor's degree in science or bioecology can be substituted. I might add, a metabolism like a race horse is helpful as well. Some of the best cooks I've ever met live up here, and not a single one is busting out of her jeans. Since I do not possess a single one of those skills, I'm not sure how I got the OK to move here. Perhaps it's because I'm willing to clean a toilet or because my husband is highly skilled in many of the male requirements for living here. Maybe his talents are so abundant, they can overlap where I am lacking. I have skills, they are just native to Washington! Give me a front desk in any clinical setting and I'll run the hell out of it!
All that said, somehow I got in the door at Sewing Club last Friday. These women didn't know I would be attending, so it was a surprise attack. This is a room full of very talented women. (No men at this sewing club, maybe they meet on Wednesdays.) They talked about making things I have never even heard of. Did you know there are different origins of knitting? I had intended on knitting while I was there, but soon realized it would be an embarassment to me and my mother-in-law if I attempted to fumble around with the yarn and pretend to know what I was doing. I was very humbled by thier knowledge of thier craft and the mindset it takes to tackle some of the projects they were working on.

Andie was looking tired so I made her a little bed in her carseat, but she just smiled and watched everyone work.

Pat looking through a quilting book for a pattern to make for Andie's crib.

I enjoyed the company of these lovely ladies and watching a couple of deer grazing outside. I have mentioned before that everyone in the Angle is friendly, and this group didn't disappoint.

Sewing may not be my thing though. I'd better look into an online science course.

Mother Nature Hates Minnesotans

I have come face to face with the real Minnesota weather. The weather I had only heard about. It's downright ugly. We went to town on Thursday for an appointment and when we left the Angle it was sunny and blue skies. Once in town, the snow started up and then the wind. OH THE WIND.
This picture is on the highway between Warroad and Roseau. You can see the blue sky peeking through as it had stopped snowing. But the wind was whipping the snow on the ground around so badly it was creating a white-out effect on the road. There were times we could not see anything. I am never nervous in bad weather with Rick and I am always relaxed when he is driving. But this had my stomach doing flips. Pulling over wasn't even an option due to the risk of being hit by another car coming that can't see you or the road. Then at the height of this blinding white-out, some imbecile in a truck with an enclosed snowmobile trailer was passing all of us. We could barely see the car in front of us and he was speeding around us all with this huge load of a trailer. (If this man is a reader of the blog, do tell me what on earth was so important you were endangering lives, you inconsiderate jackass. For shame!) By the time we got to Roseau, my car door was actually frozen shut. As we were driving home there was a car getting pulled out of the ditch and we were stopped in the road waiting for them, not knowing what cars or trucks would come speeding out of the haze and possibly hit one of us. My husband chose this time to enlighten me about all the ways you can die in the Minnesota winter conditions. It was also around this time I started to reconsider my need to shop at a grocery store. Perhaps living off the land and churning my own butter wouldn't be so bad after all.

My very own stalactites!This is after we had to stop once and kick the ice off the car. It had frozen up so thick between the tire and the fender we could hear it rubbing as we were driving.

Meanwhile in the backseat it was laid back and relaxed. Granola bar and upside-down glasses make for a nice drive.

More Winter Wonderland

Once again, I was reminded this weekend of how far out I live. The kids and I took a trip to town to stay overnight. Driving to Warroad on Friday held lovely blizzard conditions and I thought about turning around more than once. I have heard that Canada doesn't plow snow in a timely manner. Coming home on Saturday after the storm had cleared, I learned this rumor is true. It was basically an hour of driving on a highway that only existed in my memory. In some places there was a one-lane "road" that had been packed down by cars/trucks before me. I felt like I was driving in a field. The big bonus was that any oncoming traffic was usually logging trucks, which make for outstanding roadmates--white knuckle driving in the snow drift as far over to the side as I could get. There was a time in my life that I didn't even plan to have kids and thought I'd live in a big busy city. Now here I am in the middle of nowhere driving them through waves of snow and getting passed by some Dodge sedan. Remind me again, how did this come about?
After cleaning one cabin yesterday, Jenny and I headed out for a snowshoe. It was a sunny day, 20 degrees. Perfect conditions. We took a trail that started through the woods and then went out on the lake. I'm still not crazy about being on the frozen lake, but I'm getting better. There is too much snow to see the ice now, so that helps. I might add that our snowmobile trails are better kempt than Canada's roads. That's right Canada, I said it!

Along the way we saw some beautiful real estate opportunities. Somebody is probably embracing fond memories of this stellar domicile.

There is a naughty little bobcat on the loose that almost got in the back of the garbage truck with Rick and Tyson one day. Then he went down to Susan and Dwayne's house and got in thier garbage. To be fair, Sue is an excellent cook--can't say I blame him. We think these were his tracks on the trail. His are on the left of Tucker's big paw prints. The tracks wandered clear out to the lake. This bobcat is a busy fellow with a lot of free time for tomfoolery.

This portion of the trail is on the lake. I think this is Andrew, I can't remember. The dogs were hot on Bobcat Bob's trail. Tyson says the bobcat's name is Sugar, but I can't get on board with that.

This is Jenny stabbing at some ice buildup on my snowshoe with a pair of scissors.

Looking back on the lake at where we've walked, dog's trail taking off to the left, my snowshoe tracks in the middle and snowmobile tracks on the right.

Later in the afternoon, it was time to get Tyson outside. He gets amped up around 4:00pm and is a force to be reckoned with if he doesn't burn off some energy. I said we were going for a walk, while he thought we should be driving the mule. (Like a golf cart.) He is just like his father in this way. Why go by foot when you can drive something with a motor?

Watching him pull this sled around, I realized I would get more bang for my buck if I loaded it down with something heavy. That should tire him out a little sooner. I didn't do it, but I'm not opposed to it in the future!

And here would be the Angle Inlet twist--the modified jog stroller that now has skiis. And Andie Joy stuffed right in the middle of it all.

We only made one lap around the campground before the sun started going down and it got cold. This little red nose being the proof. I think it's funny that I'm outside all day in 20 degrees, but I only thought it was cold when the sun went down. Also, one of our friends went to North Dakota last week and I knew the location of the town she was going to. It's happening, I'm being sucked in by Minnesota. I'm....one of them?