Into the North Country

We got a lot done while at Brett and Jen’s place, but one of the most important was:

                                              (Success on a 500-piece puzzle)

We had a great time with the granddaughters and look forward to seeing them this weekend when they come to the cabin with Brett. 

Under sunny skies (for a change) we moved north to Duluth where we have Joyce’s house to empty and clean.  We didn’t think our new home would fit in the driveway, due to a low overhead power line, so we have parked for the week near Duluth’s iconic aerial lift bridge.   

This is not a “campground” like most.  It is a parking lot where boats are stored for the winter.  Spring is on the way and the harbor is open water, but only a few powerboats and sailboats have been launched yet. They have a few sites open this early, but more will open up as the boats get launched.  Our windshield is a picture window overlooking the harbor.

After getting parked and set up, we went to Joyce’s new place: an apartment in Duluth’s East End overlooking Lake Superior, beyond the harbor.  Minnesota had a colder than normal winter and Lake Superior froze up even more than normal.  Much of the ice has melted, and the Coast Guard icebreaker has broken the main shipping channels open.  The wind blows the broken ice back into the cargo ships’ way.  Here is a view from Joyce’s new place showing a Canada Steamships laker plowing its way through the ice toward the harbor entrance.

We will stay here for awhile, doing work around the house, and checking out the snow level at the cabin.  Neighbors there are posting photos to Facebook showing the snow levels dropping daily, but the lake still has some ice.  We will slip up there later in the week to look things over.