Speaking of Fishing...ever been to the BWCA?

As in Ely, Minnesota to the Canadian border?  

If not,

 I introduce to you

" The Boundary Waters  "

The ladies on Square Lake

One of my great lifetime loves is the outdoors. Good thing since I work in Forestry!  When it came to canoeing however, I just happen to go a little further then most; I would go yearly to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), a 1,000,000+ acre canoe camping wilderness, taking with another girlfriend or my daughter(s) or someone else's daughter(s) as in no men allowed. I called it my "fishing retreat".  You could sun bake, you could take pictures to your hearts content of the baby moose & playful otters, you could read on the sun warmed rocks, you could chat, analyze and complain about anything, including work, children and men,  but no matter what I"M GOING FISHING!!

Ashley helps Abby get her hair wet so she can go lather in the woods!

Mr. Foresterman would get a little wistful when I left, even though it was only for a week.  It wasnt that I hadnt been there with him, on the contrary he was my first canoe partner there, and we spent our honey moon there too! Its just that once a year it was nice to "take the helm" so to speak; as a designated group leader of never more then 3 women including myself, I would plan routes, register papers, copy maps, load & drive our canoes to the initial entry portage point selected that year, and most importantly, set up the food pack. And that always included a little salt & pepper, a little powder milk and egg white, a little flour, all in zipped plastic baggies, waiting for those tasty fish fillets to be put in and shaken around, and placed gingerly in the pan over a nice crackling fire...

My Daughter took this picture on a windy day 

& titled it "the happy fisher momma"

But as with all canoe camping/fishing trips, sometimes there was someone else who wanted fish too...Good thing we always hung our packs! But apparently not everyone would...

This Black Bear wanted company, esp. ones with food packs, 

but we canoed right by "Mr. Orson Steve"!

Even if the weather was icky, a good rain jacket and a pair of rubber boots would keep me fishing ~ and I would meet with Mr. Small mouth Bass, or Mrs. Walleye, or Mr. Northern...and they would taste real good later at the campsite, the fire snuggling with you against the cool night air... and you spoke in whispers to each other as to not break the spell of the sun slowly going to sleep...

taken by A. Lindstrom

 This was probably my last trip in the Old Town last year; 

a perfect solo canoe, 

but hard to paddle in rough weather by yourself as you get older...

So please take some time out and listen to the Boundary Water guide's recording of loons

 "talking" to each other...

                                                  

Theres just something about being in a canoe,

 and listening to the loons call each other forlornly

popping up like corks out of deep glacial blue

the stillness echoes loudly in your thoughts

interrupted by the soft sounds  
of tiny droplets, ancient waters 

as your paddle eases out, back in again

moving forward, 

your canoe skimming across 
the liquid glass mirror before you...
                                                        

I'm going to miss this place too...

~