Memory Lane

Lunch with George

So fun to be back in Okoboji and see George. We went to lunch and then in the evening we got a tour of West Lake Okoboji on the Queen II.  The Queen I met a firey fate some years back but the Queen II has taken it's place and it's' a great historical tour of the area.  Beautiful evening, blue skies and a slight breeze.  George was shocked to see how much the girls have grown. It was a short but sweet visit.  We also made it to Estherville, about 17 miles away, and found the houses Jeff's grandparents used to live in.  We drove by the hospital Jeff was born in.  Fun to show the girls some of that history.

Made it up into Minnesota on Saturday and found a wonderful place right on Lake Wabado, the lake Jeff's grandparents had a cabin on and where he spent a lot of his summers.  We met some fantastic folks, Maggie and Jerry Motyl, at Diamond Creek Resort.  What an amazing couple. They've lived on the lake a long time but just took over the running of the resort three years ago.  The lodge that they are refurbishing for their home was build in 1920.  They've kept the original rock fireplace, so beautiful.  They are two of the nicest people I've ever met, so friendly. The girls had a blast there and Maggie let them drive the golf cart which they loved.

Jeff's grandparent's cabin is up in those woods.  Still
has the original storage shed down by the lake 

 Jeff rented a small boat from them and we all got to try our hand at fishing.  Jeff finally caught one little rock bass right before we left this morning. He almost caught a loon!  We were standing on the end of the dock admiring the loon when it dove under the water.  Jeff was just dangling the lure in the water swishing it back and forth and the next thing you know, the loon is swimming right below the dock at our feet.  They swim fast!!  Such beautiful birds; such a haunting call.  There were probably 4 or 5 pair of loons on the lake, one had a pair of babies. They parent birds would dive down and bring up little fingerling fish and feed the babies.  So cute.  

The Great Fisherman

Something that has really surprised me as I watch birds (I've become an amateur birdwatcher)  is that I've noticed that the parent birds still feed the babies even after they've left the nest.  I didn't know that occurred.  I thought once the birds left the nest they were on their own.  But know I've seen three types of birds feeding what look like almost mature birds. One was a robin, the other was a grackle, and then the loons.  The loons didn't surprise me as much but the other "song birds" were nearly the size of their parents. They hopped around behind the parents and when the parent had something for them, they just popped open their mouths like babies in a nest and the parents fed them. 

Lake Wabado a Diamond Creek Resort

I said to Jeff, maybe the birds can't get their grown kids to leave and fend for themselves anymore than humans can these days - lol! Good grief!

Sunday's drive is to Lake Itasca to the headwaters of the Mississippi River.  It's strange driving through Minnesota and crossing over the mighty Mississippi.  One doesn't usually think about where it starts. In my mind it's associated with New Orleans. Since we've been to the END of the river we need to see where it all begins. 

Driving through this area is like driving in Alaska.  Lot's of trees and just little communities dotted along the road.  I love seeing birch trees again.  I've asked a number of people about moose but apparently they don't live this far south any more. Either hunting or more likely, loss of habitat has cleared them out.  But we've seen plenty of beaver huts, swans, and a few deer.  Looking for bear now!