It was a perfect weekend

The date on the calendar said September 7. But if you hadn’t looked at the calendar, but instead had been sitting on your deck or out golfing, you would probably have guessed that it was early August.
I went for my first real swim on Monday. We call the route the circuit because it has five legs each leg getting longer. If you were a swimmer, you might guess it to be about a 1,000 meters, but I only went a third of the way. The water is finally warm enough to swim in.
A barren rock marks the end of the second leg. For much of the year it is hardly above water level and this year a plant sprouted on it. I swam out to see what was growing and was surprised to see the first stem of a willow tree. I will be curious to see if it can establish itself in future years.
Our friends from Missouri, Phil Bangert and Richard Morris arrived Thursday afternoon to do a bit of fishing. They arrived with two pecan pies that Phil had persuaded a local lady in Camdenton to bake for his Canadian friends. He even managed to preserve one to take to Roger and Dorese Harrison as a bribe for finding some hot spots for the “Bassin’ For Bucks” tournament this weekend in Sioux Narrows.
The weather on Rainy cooperated. Fishing with the two from Missouri on Friday and Saturday, we were successful. Richard who has now seen three-quarters of a century caught a 22-inch smallmouth on Saturday morning.
Brad Johnson wandered across the island Friday night. He introduced us to some island Chanterelles and Boletes. He picks these and others in the woods north of Duluth for some supper clubs that embellish their fall menus with “Wild Mushroom Ragu.”
Our dinner table was filled at the cabin Saturday night as “Phlip” and Carole Grief along with Larry Grief joined the fishermen and our families for an end of summer island supper.
“Phlip” and Carole will be beginning their long trek back to Tucson, by way of traveling the western provinces and then the west coast of the US.
Sunday my young cousin Mark and his wife Marissa arrived about lunch with my mother at the cabin.
I had promised my mother a trip north to Rebecca Island, where my brother has a cabin if the weather was favorable. It was Marissa’s first trip aboard a boat and her first visit to Canadian Shield Cabin.
She and Mark rode in the bow of the boat as we took the 15-mile ride north. We traveled up through the canoe channel.
The temperature was perfect and the two were enthralled with Rainy. I expect that they will come back more frequently. They were amazed at the beauty of Rainy.
Mags and Don are the perfect hosts. You would never believe that you were unexpected company. They were already hosting Dan and Vy Belluz and Brian and Julie Lowery.
Don had commandeered both Dan and Brian to complete the finishing work on the newly remodeled sleeping cabin.
I think that the two conscripted workers were pleased that our boatload of people had interrupted their work for afternoon snacking.
Out came cold, leftover walleye from the night before, crackers, peanuts, cashews, chips, dips, spreads and more. Cold beverages flowed and the sun beat down on the lawn area we were all sharing.
The visit was too brief and we had to come back down the lake. We had supper at the cabin and Mark, Marissa and my mother stayed until the sun had set.
The days are shortening, and the sun had disappeared before eight. The sun used to almost set in the northwest has now dropped south in the evening.
A good thing is that the mosquitoes seem to have dropped in numbers and we have sat out on the deck enjoying the glowing coals of fire late into the evening.
Labour Day often marks the end of summer. This year, it felt like summer had only just begun.