Summer is coming to an end

It is Labour Day Weekend. The moon, almost still full lit the lake Sunday evening. A fire burned across the Lake at Gasperinis cabin. A small light shone from the Tibbs’ Cabin. A bright light lit the cabin across the way on Nowhere Island.
Phil Bangert had arrived at the island shortly after lunch. He was spending the evening with us, and headed north to Sioux Narrows before daybreak. There was just enough light across the lake to make your way. He will be fishing in the Sioux Narrows Bassin for Bucks tournament this coming weekend.
Sunday evening, my sister, her husband Rod, Marnie and I and Phil shared a meal with the Griefs at Larry’s cabin. Phlip and Carol would be headed home to Tucson later this week. They have had a great four months on Rainy Lake.
But a week can bring about major changes in colour on the lake. The birch leaves have gone from a solid green to a bright orange. The poplars are following in turning yellow and brown.
The red and white pines are shedding needles. Those that will be dropped have already turned to brown. Even my Manitoba Maples at home are dropping their brown leaves and filling my rain gutters.
It seems much too early to see the trees change colours and begin dropping their leaves.
On our arrival at the cabin Sunday morning, a raft of mergansers was floating across the bay and pulled up on the point of the island. There must have been over 50 of the birds. That too seems early for the birds.
The squirrels have been busy. You can hear their handiwork as they drop cones on to our metal roofs. One can see their handiwork as the wings of the cones are left in piles on the deck and steps and only the stem remains in place. The red squirrels still run out to the end of every stem to make sure that every cone has been dropped.
This year has not seen the same number of cones as in previous years. The red squirrels begin chattering at the first break of dawn and continue to make them heard through to the setting of the sun in the evening.
We finished our remodeling of the sleeping cabin last weekend and hauled all the tools back to town. We are really proud of our achievements. I can hear discussions going on already about the next projects we might undertake to make living at the cabin easier.
But that is in the future. The summer has been great. Already our season at the lake has been longer than ever and we look to continue to be at the cabin for another six weeks. It might even cool down enough that the wood stove might be lit to begin using up some of the many cords of firewood that we cut and split in April.

–Jim Cumming,
Publisher