Summer Time

It's been a hot couple of days here on Kabetogama. Summer is here! The lake is warm (warmish), the waterskiiers are out, and the fish are biting. Come and join in on the fun! :)
We had some guests limit out on walleye this week- almost unheard of in July! They caught some nice smallmouth bass, too.
Dave and the boys went fishing last night (I was along for the boat ride) and caught some northerns and a couple of bass in Gold Portage. The rapids are really big right now from all of the spring rain. It was a gorgeous night!
We just had some guests here celebrating their 30th year at Arrowhead! (Hi Petrick's and Possin's!!) They found some amazing patches of blueberries this year- it's a bumper crop!
The blueberries like a lot of rain and a lot of heat, and that's what we've had (rain in June and heat in July). Come on up and pick some berries!
The Bannister's from St Louis are here this week- they've been coming for many years, too, and we so enjoy having their family here.
It's been a great summer- lots of repeat guests who we love to see every year, and a lot of new faces, too. (which we love just as much!)
We have a family here this week who flew to Minneapolis from California, and are following the Laura Ingalls Wilder trail. What a fun trip! Their girls, Stephanie and Julia, are so sweet.
I've been busy taking outdoor portraits- senior portraits, family portraits, children's portraits- you name it. If you'd like your family portraits taken while on vacation in the beautiful northwoods, just give me a call! These make great Christmas card pictures! :)
Hope everyone is having a great summer.
-Sally

Governor's Opener was a success!

The Opener came and went so fast, it's hard to believe it happened! :)
Friday night started out the Opener with the Community Picnic at the Visitor Center. A huge tent was put up to seat everyone- there were approx. 950 people at the dinner! The Governor and his wife were both there, along with the Lieutenant Governor. Nathan's class had a field trip to the Visitor Center earlier in the day, and they all got to meet the Governor and take a picture with him. He was really good with the kids, patiently answering all of their questions ("Have you ever been to the White House?" "Did you sleep there?" "Did you get to jump on the beds?" "Did you meet their dog?" "How old are you?"). The Governor's wife was at the Littlefork school that day reading to the kids. Cameron thought that was pretty cool.
Saturday morning, dad got to sing the National Anthem at the send off! He was pretty nervous, but after all of his practicing while mowing the lawn, he did very well!
We had our family (my grandpa, aunt, uncle and cousin) here from IL to help out while we were working at the Opener- we couldn't have done it without their help! They helped tend bar, cook and serve meals to our guests, and answer the phone, among many other duties.
It was a fun weekend- and people caught fish!! :)

Spring is Here!

The ice went off the lake early this year! A month early, to be exact. Usually May 1 is the expected ice-out, but this year it was April 3!! Woo Hoo!! It's SO nice to see the water again. The lake level is coming up a bit every day. It's nice to have this extra time for the water to come up so we can float some boats at our docks at Opener!
Speaking of Opener.... The Governor's Fishing Opener is on Kabetogama this year. We've all (the entire community) been working hard trying to get everything ready for it. It's a very big event, and we're excited to see how it all works out.
The new dock is almost done! Just a few more boards on the decking and it'll be good to go. It looks great! (pictures to come when it's all done).
The guys put a new deck on our duplex cabin. Some friends from the cities came for the weekend to help us out, which is SO appreciated!!! It looks great!
Nathan and Cameron come home from school every day and go directly to the kayaks. They are very excited to see the water again, too! They're itching to swim, but it's still a little too chilly- even for them! :)

Nothwest Sports Show

Hi Everyone- Just wanted to let you know that we'll have a booth at the Northwest Sports Show at the Convention Center in Minneapolis next week. We'd love to have you come by and say hi! The dates for the show are March 24-28. Hope to see you there! :) (see how much fun we have there?)

The dock

The new dock is really coming along nicely! Dave has been working so hard at it for a few weeks now. He had to spend 2 weeks jackhammering the ice and rocks out first and then rebuilding from the ground up. What a job! We had really nice weather, though, which was a nice change. Although, all of the snow melted and the ice started melting on the lake, which made for some super sloppy days! By the end of this week, the guys were working in really deep puddles. But the job's almost done and we think it's going to be great! (sorry the pictures are not in the right order, still working on figuring that out, hehe!)
Dad's been busy in Cabin 9 this winter- new tongue and groove walls and a new kitchen floor! YIPPEE! That cabin is a great cabin, since it's right on the water and perfect for larger groups, but we've really been wanting to redo the inside for some time now. It's not done yet, but for now, it's a good start! :)
With the Opener right around the corner, we're starting to get excited for spring. There is always lots to do in the spring, but it's nice to get the season going. We love seeing all of our repeat guests again and meeting our new guests. We're hoping for another great season!

Winter has officially arrived and we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

The lake has frozen over - the guys have been ice fishing - the National Park has marked the snowmobile trails on the lake - life is good :>)

We will be open for winter business beginning Jan. 7. Hope you can come up and experience Voyageurs National Park in the winter. You'll love the snowmobile trails, cross country ski and snowshoe trails & just the solitude and quietness - a great place to "decompress".

Buoys

The guys are just about done taking the buoys off the lake. The first day they went out, it was 23 degrees and a bit foggy.
It's been chilly here lately, but we had the most beautiful fall. There are still some pretty leaves out there, but they're falling fast. Darn it. I almost wish fall could last at least half the year! :)
We had some die-hard fishermen here this past week, and they did pretty well! They all took home fish, which is what we always hope for.
We've just about got the cabins closed down for the winter, now we'll just wait for the snow to fly! (let's give that some time, though, ok?)