Memorial Day 2010

Called the unofficial beginning of summer. Memorial Day is the first three day weekend of the summer season. Originally called Decoration Day, the day was set aside to remember and honor those who died in our nations service. It is now a date to remember all lost loved ones. The last Monday of May is the official federal and state holiday, with May 30th as the observed Memorial Day. Decoration Day was first observed in 1868 at the end of the Civil War. Locally a number of VFW's and Legions have services. Walker has a joint service by both the VFW and American Legion.In Cass Lake the Leech Lake Band has a Memorial Pow Wow at their Veterans Memorial Complex for all. On this special day, let us not forget the true meaning of this day and remember our nations hero's.

Lots of people enjoying the Oak Point area this weekend. Between my sisters summer home and my place we had family members that totaled 14 adults and 11 kids. I grilled two turkeys in the kettle grills and made my famous Boston Baked Beans. We had all sorts of foods including Rhubarb treats. Many of the area residents had family gatherings as well. Summer time at Leech Lake is all about family, food and good times, including cribbage games at our house. This weekend we started to teach my grandson the rules of cribbage. The cribbage tradition lives on.

Fishing

With the heat and the warm water temp. the Walleye bite is slowing down. Only a few were caught off the docks this weekend. We have enough fish for a meal. Sister Susan's 27 inch Walleye was the prize winner for the weekend.

Flora Aplenty

Our warm humid weather brought forth plenty of mother natures beautiful spring flora. People outside of Oak Point are jealous of the real thick ferns that we have. The Wild Geraniums are out. They are the lavender colored flower with 5 petals that grow on the edge of the woods usually close to water. The red pedaled wild Columbines with the inverted flowers and thin stalks are also blooming. The Columbines need more sun and can be found in the road ditches and in the open areas. We also call them Honeysuckle because of their sweet taste. I found some additional clumps of Yellow Lady Slippers in my back lot this past week. One clump had 11 blossoms.

Garden plantings are starting to poke through. Green beans are 3 to 4 inches high, green onions 5 to 6 inches high. Potato just starting to sprout through the black soil. Spent some time in the mornings weeding. Out garden is about 250 ft. from the lake. And I am hope that the lake effect will serve our garden well. The lake will make things a bit cooler, but it can also help us maintain a constant temperature on chilly mornings. The drawback could be the lack of heat. Will it get warm enough, long enough to ripen tomatoes? We will have to wait and see.

Oak Point Road

Gravel shoulders are finished, the paint stripping is done. All that is left is the signage, but what do I know. What an improvement for all of us on Oak Point. This road improvement will add to the value of our properties. Let is hope that the speeders don't find the road to appealing.

Dock Fishing

This is the time of the year that I enjoy just going down to my dock in the evening and fishing for Walleyes from about 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm or so. The fish are coming into the shallows to feed on minnows or insects during this time of the evening. The key to their movement is light penetration. The less the light penetrates the water surface from a slight chop to break up the surface, or we have an overcast sky, the fish will venture in sooner and shallower. Now I have a nice boat and I enjoy using it, but nothing pleases me more then sitting on my dock and catching my Leech Lake limit of 4 Walleyes within an hour or so. My usual presentation is a leaded jig with a minnow attached. Six pound test line is more then enough. A bobber stopper rig or plain minnow hook also works well. Any color jig will do as long as it has some green. I cast out and retrieve at various speeds and motions all to entice the fish to bite. The usual fish are the eater size or smaller and not the bigger ones, but occasionally one in the slot size shows up and needs to be released, but that is rare. I am quite often serenaded by the sound of the Loons as it was this evening. The peace and quiet is real relaxing. Low tech fishing for a relaxing, stress free evening. And yes, you will probably need some bug spray. You usually can be in bid by 10:30 pm or sooner.

May Weather and Garden

The weather has been real warm and summer like all week. May started out cool with snow the first weekend, but it has been warm since. My sister and I have been working in our garden. We went to the greenhouse for the first time this week. I am sure that that will be at least a weekly trip until everything is planted and the space used up. Spring is the time of the year when it feels good to get your fingernails dirty in the soil. I will be writing about our garden as the year progresses. My lawn grass is just popping right now. Lawns need to be cut about every five days now. Plenty of those pesky Dandelions. The warmth has also brought forth tree pollen. Both the Oaks and Basswood trees are doing their annual thing with seeds floating on the water, on decks, driveways and all other services.

Oak Point Road

With the nice weather the road contractor is making up for lost time. They are going early in the morning by 7:00 am to at least 8:30 pm in the evenings. I get tired watching them work. Both layers of asphalt are now down so the driving surface is completed. The contractor still has some finishing up to do, such as gravel shoulders, signage, stripping and things of that nature. It's a real nice drive right now. We did wash both our cars and the pickup this week to get the road grime off the sides and from underneath. I have resumed my morning walks on the new road.

Yellow Lady Slippers

Pictured here are some Yellow Lady Slippers that are wild orchids that grow out here on Oak Point. They show up in late May and early June. They are found in shady hardwood areas with rich organic soils and they like the early morning sun. They bloom early in the spring before the trees leaves are fully out. The flowers last 3 to 4 weeks. They are cousins to the Showy Lady Slippers (pink) that are the official Minnesota State Flower. Showy Lady Slippers will show up in 2 to 3 weeks and can also be found here on Oak Point.

2010 Fishing Opener

Fishing Opener had to be defined as a success. I had two of my grand kids with me, my brother Mike, great weather and good food. We caught enough fish to have a good fish fry, but the numbers were limited. Most of the neighbors that I spoke to had limited success. We had no wind, blue skies and temps in the 70's. We needed a Walleye chop to get them biting. My grandson's 17 inch, 1.6 pound Crappie was the prize fish for the weekend. In two days we caught close to 12 Walleyes and an assortment of other fish to make it interesting. We had many, many boats on Leech Lake on Saturday morning, probably more then I have ever seen. Our neighborhoods here on Oak Point come alive with people and guests. To me the "Opener" is more about family and getting together and enjoying the lake.

Up until Saturday morning we had a wet windy week. According to my rain gauge we had about .7 of an inch of rain this past week. The water in the lake is now above the wheels on my dock which is a good level. So the rain in May is trying to makeup for March and Aprils lack. My lawn is needing mowing once again. Worked in the garden planting potato, green beans and onions. Need more time in the garden this coming week.

Road Progress

With the cool damp week the contractor, Anderson Bros., had limited success in their progress. Asphalt is laid half the way around the loop and has stopped by the "Narrows". The word now is the contractor wants to get done by Memorial Day Weekend. Pictured is a big Bald Eagle that I took today as he stood guard by the "Narrows". I think that the animals will be glad to see the road project completed.

Cold, Snow and Wild Leeks

We had our first snow since the end of February on Friday May 5th. I didn't think we got much snow until I got away from the lake. Up by the Y intersection we must have had 3 to 4 inches of snow and it didn't disappear until Saturday afternoon. By the lake we got snow, but the lake effect kept us warm enough that it didn't accumulate. We got at least 1.5 inches of new rain this past week, which we need. I did mow parts of my lawn on Saturday afternoon just for the irony of it all.

Wild Leeks

Wild Leeks, also called Ramps, are wild onions that grow on Oak Point. They grow in groups in slightly sandy soil in wooded areas. They are called the first edible greenery of the spring. The leaves are light green and each leek usually has two leaves. The leaves are edible as well as the bulb. The roots are strong so use a knife, or hand digging tool to dig them up. Leeks are great in dips, soups, with eggs and potatoes. Use them like you would a green onion. Look for Leeks where Sugar Bush exists.

Oak Point Road

Our road project was slowed by the weather this week. The asphalt crew did get one layer done on both lanes all the way to the Y junction. I am not sure they will complete the project by "Opener" which is next Saturday.

Outdoor News

This sportsman weekly publication had an article featuring Leech Lake: Maintaining a Fishery that is interesting reading. The website for the newspaper is http://www.outdoornews.com/

Spring Work, Midge Flies and More

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday it finally rained here at Oak Point. All toll we got about .7 of an inch by my gauge. Both March and April have been real dry. With the unseasonably warm weather fire danger has been real high. This rain is a welcome relief. You can see the grass green-up right in front of you. My mower blades are sharp and ready to go.

We had our first insect hatch of the season, Midge Flies, this past week. These are bugs that look like big mosquitoes that hover in the air but don't bite. When they are thick they seem to hover over the roads with a low hum. We don't see Midge Flies until the middle of May. But every thing is two to three weeks early this year. So far no mosquitoes, however that will not last.

Got my boat out of storage this past week. Washed it up and vacuumed the interior. Connected the garden hose to the motor and promptly discovered that no water was being exhausted through the engine, so I ended up taking the boat into town to be looked at. Always something. Good thing I checked. The next task will be to work on putting new fishing line on the reels and getting the tackle box ready. Always have to go shopping for the latest tackle inventions.

With the real early spring and unseasonably warm weather it will be an interesting "Opener" this year. The lake water temp is nearly 60 degrees already. It could be more like June fishing then May fishing when the fishing "Opener" happens on May 15th. The "Opener" is more like a Minnesota Holiday with time spent with friends and family. We are making plans for my Grandson Aaron coming and going fishing with me. My brother and some nephews may also be present.

Oak Point Road

All the asphalt has been milled up and added to the road base. With these rains the road is muddy and the sides of vehicles are real dirty. Don't wash your car. Drive slowly. It's like a bumpy wash-board in some areas. As soon as we can get some dry weather the contractor should be able to get the new asphalt down before the "Opener". Lets hope so. What an improvement the new road will be.

Garden

My sister Susan and I are collaborating on a new vegetable garden on some of her back property this year. My sister and brother-in-law have a summer place here on Chippewa Beach Road about a block from my house. Right now we are working on getting the property cleared. Knowing the the growing season will be short and with poor sandy soil our expectations are tempered. But we are looking forward to this project.