I *LOVE* this time of the year! (That would be Fall.)

I haven’t written for so long, rather than try to tell you what has been

happening the past few years I thought that I would just write about today. (No more grandchildren…more about them another time… or that would have been first, of course!)

But as for today, it was a perfect day for a walk in the woods-sunny, calm and about 60 degrees. I started out on Lucky’s Loype trail and then cut over to the single track. (I don’t know how anyone on a mountain bike can negotiate the drop to the lake without going head over handlebars!) My counterbalancing, two step to the point to where I just shuffle/run down and pray I’ll land at the bottom in an upright position is probably a bit Charlie Chaplinesque. (Spell check suggested “noncompliance” but, you get the picture.)

Anyway, to borrow an oft used description, the woods were intoxicating! The fall colors are peaking..Maples in stages of gold, orange and red and the Red Oaks red/green leaves to darker hues which look almost leathery. Those two varieties are my favorite But, you need the yellows, greens and other colors to complete the beautiful palate.

Many leaves have fallen and the trails are covered so, after the visual feast, comes the sound of the crunching underfoot. Then the sounds of the birds, migrating geese and the barking and bounding of the dogs as they’re off on another chase. Before long I am picking leaves to bring back to the lodge to use as the base of garnishes for the serving platters in the dining room. (A couple of contrasting leaves, a sprig of fresh rosemary wrapped with a curl of birch bark and then a few small mums, or tiny pine cones or even dried cranberries and the garnish is ready for a platter fit for a wedding reception. We have two more weddings this fall so I can use my talents as the resident kitchen “fooh-fooh” lady and leave the cooking and baking to our talented staff.)

Well, back to the woods! Once I stop to hunt and gather I am struck by the “peace and quiet” as I hear the wind moving through the trees. It is amazing how you can hear it moving toward you and then feel the gentle breeze and then hear it pass on. This time of year we often have windy days so a walk on a relatively calm, sunny day in the woods is to be treasured. For a visual, go to the “Trails section on our web-site. Jay is an “artist” with his camera! Be sure to check out some of the photos of the funky fungus that look like white coral.)

O.K., I’m almost home…or so I thought! I am usually so intent looking for “treasures” to photograph myself, that I lose my sense of direction which is marginal, at best. As long as I have lived here, I still can get lost in our woods. I thought that the opening of light through the trees would lead me home but before I knew it, I was looking out at a vista of Bullhead Lake…. the opposite direction! A couple of trail signs up ahead pointed me in the right direction and soon I was home, relishing my “walker’s high”.

If you live close by, I strongly encourage you to come and experience the trails of Maplelag for yourself. Call ahead and maybe I could even go with you. You can lead the way!!

Rich Text Area Toolbar Bold (Ctrl + B) Italic (Ctrl + I) Strikethrough (Alt + Shift + D) Unordered list (Alt + Shift + U) Ordered list (Alt + Shift + O) Blockquote (Alt + Shift + Q) Align Left (Alt + Shift + L) Align Center (Alt + Shift + C) Align Right (Alt + Shift + R) Insert/edit link (Alt + Shift + A) Unlink (Alt + Shift + S) Insert More Tag (Alt + Shift + T) Toggle spellchecker (Alt + Shift + N) ▼ Toggle fullscreen mode (Alt + Shift + G) Show/Hide Kitchen Sink (Alt + Shift + Z) Add a Category to your Page or Post Format – Paragraph Paragraph ▼ Underline Align Full (Alt + Shift + J) Select text color ▼ Paste as Plain Text Paste from Word Remove formatting Insert custom character Outdent Indent Undo (Ctrl + Z) Redo (Ctrl + Y) Help (Alt + Shift + H) I * LOVE * this time of the year! (That would be Fall.) I haven’t written for so long, rather than try to tell you what has been happening the past few years I thought that I would just write about today. (No more grandchildren…more about them another time… or that would have been first, of course!) But as for today, it was a perfect day for a walk in the woods-sunny, calm and about 60 degrees. I started out on Lucky’s Loype trail and then cut over to the single track. (I don’t know how anyone on a mountain bike can negotiate the drop to the lake without going head over handlebars!) My counterbalancing, two step to the point to where I just shuffle/run down and pray I’ll land at the bottom in an upright position is probably a bit Charlie Chaplinesque. (Spell check suggested “noncompliance” but, you get the picture.) Anyway, to borrow an oft used description, the woods were intoxicating! The fall colors are peaking..Maples in stages of gold, orange and red and the Red Oaks red/green leaves to darker hues which look almost leathery. Those two varieties are my favorite But, you need the yellows, greens and other colors to complete the beautiful palate. Many leaves have fallen and the trails are covered so, after the visual feast, comes the sound of the crunching underfoot. Then the sounds of the birds, migrating geese and the barking and bounding of the dogs as they’re off on another chase. Before long I am picking leaves to bring back to the lodge to use as the base of garnishes for the serving platters in the dining room. (A couple of contrasting leaves, a sprig of fresh rosemary wrapped with a curl of birch bark and then a few small mums, or tiny pine cones or even dried cranberries and the garnish is ready for a platter fit for a wedding reception. We have two more weddings this fall so I can use my talents as the resident kitchen “fooh-fooh” lady and leave the cooking and baking to our talented staff.) Well, back to the woods! Once I stop to hunt and gather I am struck by the “peace and quiet” as I hear the wind moving through the trees. It is amazing how you can hear it moving toward you and then feel the gentle breeze and then hear it pass on. This time of year we often have windy days so a walk on a relatively calm, sunny day in the woods is to be treasured. For a visual, go to the “Trails section on our web-site. Jay is an “artist” with his camera! Be sure to check out some of the photos of the funky fungus that look like white coral.) O.K., I’m almost home…or so I thought! I am usually so intent looking for “treasures” to photograph myself, that I lose my sense of direction which is marginal, at best. As long as I have lived here, I still can get lost in our woods. I thought that the opening of light through the trees would lead me home but before I knew it, I was looking out at a vista of Bullhead Lake…. the opposite direction! A couple of trail signs up ahead pointed me in the right direction and soon I was home, relishing my “walker’s high”. If you live close by, I strongly encourage you to come and experience the trails of Maplelag for yourself. Call ahead and maybe I could even go with you. You can lead the way!! I took this photo near Rootin Tootin ski trail during one of my walks through the woods. Path : p

Well, some how the last “article” that I wrote never made it to the website. Obviously, a lot has happened since the last time I wrote but, that does not include any more grandchildren! Both families are standing firm with four boys each. Let me just say that when I see all eight boys together I am glad that we have food delivered to the lodge by a semi! It’s still hard to believe that having had only two children we now have eight grandchildren..

Jay and Jonell and their boys seemed to have gone from working with us to having Jim and I working with them! (Well, actually I had best just speak for myself. Jim seems as busy as ever!) I can’t begin to list all the responsibilities that they have assumed but I know that it means that Jim and I are free to travel a bit more.

Last spring we were able to have an incredible experience when we visited our friend, Gustavo, and his family in Argentina. (Gustavo is the assistant dean at the Concordia Spanish Language Village which we host during the summer.) We first spent ten days in Buenos Aires at a Bed and Breakfast and then eight days in Cordoba, staying with Gustavo’s parents in their home. They own a tourist hotel so we have a lot in common. Our Spanish is minimal but having wine with most meals and Rita and I sharing an Italian heritage and talking with our hands and all of us laughing alot we managed quite well. Gustavo and his wife, Marsha, and their daughter, Paloma, joined us for most meals. I now at last have an “adopted” granddaughter! It was nice to split our time doing “touristy” things in B.A. and then spending time in a smaller town with such a warm and generous family.

Our daughter, Debbie, and her family are still living in the “Ice Box of the Nation”, International Falls, MN. Dan has his own law firm but they are considering relocating to another area in Minnesota. Debbie is a “stay home mom” who frequently can be found loading her boys into the van. Church, 4-H (of which she is the club activity coordinator), Awana, preschool, football, dance, hockey, etc., etc.! She also manages to find time to substitute teach and her latest passion is writing. She has recorded some of her essays and hopes to find a newspaper for which she could write a column. She is in the process of having a website created so watch for a link on our website.

During various weekends this fall there was a lot of creative energy with a Creative Memories scrapbooking retreat in the large conference room as well as various other groups here to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. Biking, canoeing, hiking on the trails or just walking down the driveway and coming back for a massage and a soak in the hot tub seems a delightful way to spend the weekend.

Jim and I are returning soon for the London Film Festival so I will give you a report on that when we return.

As ever,
Mary