Friday, May 17, 2013

At the Writer's Lair North

We arrived the other day after a speedy 7 1/2 hour drive north.

The deciduous trees along the shore of Lake Superior are just beginning to bud, two weeks or more after their counterparts in the more temperate Chicago area. This means a repeat of allergy season for me and it'll last at least ten days. Snuffle snuffle.

The place was deserted when we pulled in, but last evening two early hummingbirds divebombed us on the deck, so we quickly put out the red feeders. The first inquisitive chipmunk arrived at the cup of birdseed I put out on the riprap. We spotted a small flotilla of mergansers, both male and female, at Union Bay up the road. Can the deer, bear, wolves and cougars be far behind?

The inshore waters of the lake are still light brown with silty snowmelt runoff from the rivers, thanks to the late departure of winter.

By day it's sunny and in the 60s, by night upper 30s or low 40s. The fireplace gets a good workout starting just before cocktails time.

Obama's troubles seem so very far away.

Later in the day: Before breakfast a trio of buffleheads paddled by just offshore. At lunchtime several goldfinches discovered the feeders. So did a lone pine siskin, if it was that—they are tiny and hard to identify unless you can get close enough to see the yellow wing coverts.

Saturday morning: The eagle from the next property east on the beach just now soared along the shoreline, a fish in its talons.

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