I am CuTRis

Many things about our Gunflint Trail trip were rather strange. One was a sign I saw while driving. It said, "Stop here for gas, food, clean toilets!" Now I can understand stopping for gas and food, but why would I stop to clean toilets? In another case, a sign said, "drinking water toilet." Personally, I would rather not get my drinking water from a toilet! Finally, take a look at the "moose viewing platform," that was at the "moose viewing area." I would like to make it clear, that though we hiked out to this platform, there were not any moose on it! I think that this is false advertising! We saw our two moose on the way back from the moose viewing area.

Dragonfly I sat in the canoe fishing, trying to get a movie of this dragonfly. This was the best shot. Red Fox This fox looked like it lived on handouts and was ready to jump in the car! This was at the end of the Gunflint Trail. The Devil's Kettle See how the Brule River splits and the left side goes down a hole in the rock.

We picked wild mulberries and raspberries today!

Mon. June 21st We drove to Two Harbors for gas and lunch. We stopped once along Lake Superior at a rest stop. We bought minnows at Buck’s Hardware in Grand Marais. We drove to Clearwater Lodge 26 miles up the Gunflint trail (and 4 miles on 22) and checked into cabin 3. We picked up a canoe and brought it to our cabin and fished off the dock. My wife caught a small, smallmouth bass that we released. The fishing was pretty bad the entire trip. Tues. June 22nd At 7:00AM we went to the moose viewing area on the Gunflint Trail. There were no moose there on the “moose viewing platform,” but we saw two moose from the road near our cabin on the way back. We fished from the canoe until it rained and then from the dock. By the time we went hiking up (90 steps) Honeymoon Bluff, the sun was out and it got hot. The view was great. Then we took the canoe out fishing and then grilled chicken. A bear “attacked” our empty garbage can outside the cabin over night. Wed. June 23rd I retrieved the garbage ...

Today we go to Devil's Kettle Falls .

We just got back from the Gunflint Trail . We stayed at Clearwater Lodge , in Cabin 3. There was no cell phone service or TV. Our only contact with the outside world was a (Thunder Bay) Canadian radio station called, The Giant . Currently, we are in Grand Marais , Minnesota. We are staying at Nelson's Travelers Rest . It is a nice cabin, but don't believe the part about the "view of" Lake Superior . It's back there somewhere, but I can't see it from our cabin...

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We like our lakes in Minnesota. Here are a couple of recent pictures. We saw this Green Heron at Lake Phalen. The Canada Geese are growing up fast! Did I mention that my wife doesn't like her picture on the WWW? Don't tell her! This Northern Pike she caught today, was 27.5 inches and weighed 4.5 pounds. I can't tell you what lake it came from. You might go there. There are enough people fishing there already!

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How dare you cry about the United States "picking on BP!" British Petroleum has destroyed our southern coastline. Now, over two months later, oil is still pouring into the gulf, destroying the environment, killing wildlife and ruining the jobs and lives of our people. If you are more worried about your big-ass, oil corporation that rapes the environment and then the people who buy gasoline, then too bad! I've quit buying BP products and I don't care if the company goes bankrupt! There, now whine about that!

Yesterday we hiked at Lebanon Hills Regional Park . Here are a couple of photos. Muskrat

School's Out, says Alice Cooper!

This Green Darner was on the side of our house during the rain the other day.

When did everyone give-up on the kid? He thinks that he can always get his way, because he becomes rude, abusive and doesn't give up. Eventually people let him have his way so that they can avoid the conflict. Therefore he always "wins". Someday, however, this will get him into trouble. He will lose badly. Should our educational institutions be required to teach this "life lesson?" What about the parents? Why shouldn't it be their responsibility? In more than one job, I have worked with "disadvantaged," or "at risk" people. I'm not allowed to discuss my work, or where I do this--as this would get me in trouble with my employer. I do have a point though. Basically, I think people (especially young people), need to be held to proper standards of behavior in order to stay out of trouble and to succeed in later life. I've seen what happens when they grow up thinking that they are always "right," above the law, and no one c...

When I heard some people talking about "Ape X," I wondered (of course), who this mysterious primate was? I thought it must be an impressive animal, because they mentioned that he was at the top of his career! I have always been a big fan of the great apes . Not only are they smart, but they are strong too! I envisioned, that Ape X was the pinnacle of ape-hood. Perhaps he was a secret agent, like Lance Link ! Eventually, however, I came to realize that there was no "Ape X." In fact, the word these people were using, was actually apex . "Too bad," I thought. What the world really needs is an ape superhero! Who cares if that guy is good at his job???

We went to see Alice in Wonderland at the cheap theater last evening. It was a very good movie! Who but Johnny Depp could play the "Mad Hatter?" Helena Bonham Carter was also excellent as the "Red Queen."

An excerpt from this past weekend that will go into my latest book, "Glimmer of White." One Saturday morning in May 2010, the phone rang at 8:00AM. We were just getting up, but this was common, as my wife’s parents were early risers. As usual, I was the last to know, and as usual this was kind of “last minute” anyway. The Hmong don’t send invitations, but we did apparently get a phone call. Unfortunately the caller was using my sister-in-law’s name when calling and we were used to creditors calling for her and her husband. Regardless of all of this, I learned that my Saturday would include a lengthy Hmong gathering. We picked up my father and mother-in-law and proceeded to the “school” where the gathering was taking place. I was wondering about this, because public schools don’t tend to rent space for parties. When we arrived at the location, the school was locked up tight. On the cell phone trying to get new directions and driving through the neighborhood, I happened to noti...

We needed a break, and the Maplewood Nature Center filled the need. Here are a couple of photos I took. Water Lily Female Wood Duck with young