You Won't Believe This!

      Some Minnesota resort owners are skeptical when this truck shows up at your resort....

      We were excited when they arrived today...with several tanks of fish on their truck and trailer!  Our lake gets stocked with walleyes every other year...and this fall we had gotten one truckload of walleyes...but only 90 pounds.....today, we got 560 pounds....and wow, these fish were huge!  Check it out....

      We just stood in awe as the fish started "flying" out of the tanks...look at their size!

This is Gary...our neighbor who works at Fisheries in Bemidji...can you see the giant fish in the water?

We've never gotten walleye stocked that are this size...they have a fighting chance over the winter!

The fish were almost too big for the hole and had to be pushed out from inside the tank!

The Lodgemaster holding up a whopper!  Heck, we can't catch a walleye that big!!

So....do you have a reservation for next summer at Cedar Rapids Lodge?  If not....you're going to miss out on all this great walleye fishing next year!  Look us up...we'd love to have you come and stay with us!  I think even Steve and I will be able to catch a walleye in 2013!

September Musings...October Already??

       The resort is closed....I should have more time to blog...but I seem to find other things to fill my days!  I spent about 2 1/2 weeks washing 48 quilts, blankets and mattress pads!  They are all bagged and back in each cabin for the winter sleep...until next April when we start to get ready for the 2013 season....our 26th year living this wonderful life in northern Minnesota!

       Now that we're closed, we find time for our grandkids, our kids, our church family and ourselves.  Here's a pictoral journey of our last several weeks....

We have time to watch grandson, Calvin, play his first season of tackle football as a 3rd grader!

We welcome visits from our youngest grandchild, Olivia, and her family!

      We have worked hard at our church the last 3 years, raising funds to add on to our building and remodel the existing building.  We held a dedication for the finished work and offered a meal for the community as a thanks for all the volunteer help we received from our church family and other church families in our small town. 

Our existing sanctuary...the only part that didn't need to be remodeled!

Our church hall...not yet remodeled...set up for the dedication meal.

Scott, Dan, Steve and Mary Lea preparing for the dinner crowd.

Our much-needed new bathrooms!

Yummy cheesecake served during the Dedication and Open House.

      Fall continued with time to take lots of walks through the woods, enjoying the peace and quiet.  This picture is for my sister-in-law, who loves her squirrels...this little guy was staring us down as we left for our walk one afternoon...

Red squirrel on cabin #1's roof.

      My passion(besides grandchildren) is sewing and quilting.  Put those passions together and you've got a 3 year old who is dying to sew with her Nana. 

So...we set up the little Janome one afternoon and Jilly was tickled pink to start sewing!

She has this love for minkee fabric...so she wanted to make a sleeping bag for her doll...

Perfect fit....and hopefully the beginning of her love of sewing...with her Nana!

And the love a Nana has for teaching these little ones to sew!

      So that's a look at what we've been up to this fall....we hope to finish some of our fall projects....and make our list of to-do's for the winter and next spring.  We'll replace some carpeting, remodel kitchens and keep some surprises for our guests to see when they arrive next summer! 

      I'll end with a beautiful moon over the resort this fall...