This past weekend the cabin was opened for the season. For two weeks, almost daily trips over the Causeway, we watched as the ice receded from the shores and then turned black. My sister and her husband navigated through ice on Friday to reach Turtle Island. It was not the first time that our family has broken ice to get to the cabin. The ice then drifted into the bay later in the afternoon and disappeared by the next morning. Much the same happened in the north arm of Rainy Lake.
A trail of boat owners travelled down Second Street, all on their way to a landing to also open their cabins for the year. It is a right of passage as cabin owners on the lake get ready for the Victoria Day weekend and the opening of walleye fishing season.
The weekend gave us a glimpse of what we can expect in the coming months. The days of plus 30 C, warmed the water and the land. By Monday we could see the forming blue berry blossoms. For brave youngsters, the water, even with ice building on shoals, was not too cold to jump into.
We have made cabin openings much simpler than the first years the cabin was constructed over fifty years ago. But every year, some new issue surfaces that is unexpected.
Getting the water running to the cabins and bathrooms was always a problem.
That changed after we installed a submersible pump that only required the throwing of a switch. The pipes filled. The hot water tank filled and then could be turned on. This year, we believe that a porcupine occupied an area under the cabin, pulling in branches and gnawing the bark off small logs that a beaver must have created. It chewed on the leg of an Adirondak chair. He even tasted a waterline running between buildings as a source for food. Unfortunately, it left hole in the line which had to be replaced.
We believe it was a porcupine by the pile of scat that was located close to the den the animal had built.
That left us with a new experience, one that will be remembered in future years. Cabins create fond memories. Everyone has memories of opening for the season, or closing at the end of a season, visits of children, suppers with friends and the excitement of grandchildren discovering the wonders of lake life. The season of new memories has begun.
