Summer of 2021

 Sometimes life give you lemons and so you make lemonade.

A great weekend at Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids, MN

COVID-19 continues to spread. Declared a pandemic in March 2020, it remains a significant cause of death worldwide and is stressing the hospitals and nursing homes across the country as a new wave begins. If there is one thing COVID-19 has taught us is that we need to be flexible. We started with the alpha variant and now the delta variant has taken over. While break through infections in those with prior immunity does occur, the vast majority of those hospitalized and dying currently chose not to get one of the three FDA "approved" vaccines. Over half of eligible Americans aged 12 and up are vaccinated, yet globally we are no where near that percentage, which sadly means there is lots of tinder for the COVID-19 wildfire and this pandemic is going to be a lot worse before it gets better. 

Speaking of wildfires, our much anticipated trip to Duncan and Rose lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Trip in August 2021 was canceled the day before we were supposed to go in because of not one, not two, but three wildfires in the area. First time the BWCA was closed in my lifetime. While we were disappointed, it was better that we weren't in the wilderness and had to be evacuated. After we got the call from our outfitter that the BWCA was close, we decided to shift gears and backcountry camp at Cascade River State Park on the North Shore instead. We are so lucky to live on the North Shore as it is an amazing place to live and visit. Exploring the lakeshore, searching for agates, camping under the tall pines, hiking to tumbling waterfalls, and searching for the illusive moose as all favorite past times. As we drove up the Gunflint Trail, we saw the giant smoke plume from the John Ek fire. Various resorts and homes had elevated sprinkler systems over 30 ft in the air soaking the buildings in case the fire spread quickly. We picked up our dehydrated food from Camp Chow and headed back to Grand Marais.  We walked along the sea wall out to the lighthouse and could hardly see the Sawtooth Mountains due to the dense haze from the smoke. While ash fell on our tents that night, our lungs filled with smoking air so we packed up early and drove south to the cabin in Wisconsin. Away from the fires, so we thought, by the next day we could hardly see across the lake due to the wildfire smoke. 

Fortunately, not all smoke is bad. As a matter of fact, smoked fish from Russ Kendall's Smokehouse is the best way to start a trip up the North Shore! Smoked lake trout, whitefish and salmon are perfect treats for a picnic lunch along Lake Superior. In July we spent back to back weekends camping at hike-in sites at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Theo and I even did a backpacking trip 2.5 miles up the Superior Hiking Trail and camped overnight carrying all our gear on our backs. We struggled to get our packs down to ultralight but we had fun sleeping under the stars and getting covered in leeches in the stream. Getting outdoors is the best place to be with COVID-19 and we have made the most of that! 

In June, I completed the virtual Gary Bjorkland 1/2 marathon and then two sprint triathlons in July and August. Theo and Marit won their age groups in the Root Beer Kids Triathlon and I finished 2nd! Theo played on Gitchi Gummi summer soccer for the first time and I helped coach both of their Congdon Park soccer teams this fall. Both kids have score a few goals and it is so fun to see them interact with other kids again and get to run around outside and just be kids (even if it means doing work at home at night).  Theo and Marit enjoyed attending a few day camps: two weeks outdoors at Hartley Nature Center and one week at Spirit Mountain learning how to mountain bike. They have continued in Cub Scouts; Theo is now a Bear Scout and Marit is a Tiger Scout and I am the default den leader.  

Now, as the temperatures drop and the maple trees change, from green to vibrant red and orange, we say goodbye to summer and start a new chapter: fall. We are headed up north to the Iron Range to see the fall colors and explore Ely, MN, and to visit the international wolf center and international bear center. 

We hope the kids school continues in person for most of this year. Thankfully, they go to a school that has mask mandates since most kids are not yet vaccinated (but we're told most of the teachers are). It will be an adjustment for them to be back in person but kids are very resilient and more flexible than adults in many ways. For example, they have never complained about wearing masks and often remind us to put ours on. They don't complain about how things were and getting back to "normal" but try to make the most of what they have. They embrace the outdoors all year and bring their indoor toys outside to play. They might not have had spelling tests or hand writing practice, but they did learn to use a computer (and Alexa). They also learned about public health and infectious diseases and death. We also recently talked about an important moment in history that they never experienced or learned about: 9/11. On the 20th anniversary of these terrible attacks, 9/11/2021, we watched YouTube videos and read about what happened that tragic day. "Why would someone just fly a plane into a building?" Theo said. Very good question, my son. I'm not sure I will truly understand. President Biden removed all the remaining troops from Afghanistan ending the war just before the 20th anniversary. Sadly, Kabul fell to the Taliban in only a few days.

With so much premature life lost due to COVID-19, war, gun violence, and terrorist attacks, we are thankful to live in a safe place and be in good health. We hope you and your families are safe, 

happy and healthy, too. Please, wear a mask indoors. Get both your COVID-19 and flu shots. Be kind to others and don't do anything stupid because there probably aren't any beds in the hospitals and won't be for a while. -P.S.A. from your friendly cardiologists