#5: Namekagon River

August 13, 2016August 10, 2016 Shirleyjdietz3 Comments

Hayward started as a logging town in a river valley. The river was and is the Namekagon, now part of the St. Croix National Scenic Waterway. It’s about 100 miles long and has its name from the Ojibwe Indian word for “river at the place abundant with sturgeons”. The lumberjacks used the river to float logs down to the mills for processing, which of course is no longer necessary since we have roads and trucks. All that’s left of this part of history is the logrolling competitions and that championship contest is usually held in Hayward.

My trek to the Namekagon started at Par Place Condominiums where I am staying. These condos are built on the “used to be RoyNona Golf Course” which is also the “used to be Roy Smith farm”. Roy Smith was my grandfather. The river is fairly close to the farm/golf course/condos, so my sister-in-law MP and I decided to bike there. Our route started down a trail on an old railroad bed. I actually remember when trains ran the tracks there and the engineer would wave to me and blow the train whistle. It hurts to say this.

These trails are all over the Hayward area and are used by snowmobiles and skiiers in the winter, bikes and hikers and ATV’s in the summer. The trails circling the town are paved, unlike this one, which is unpaved,peaceful and straight, lined with goldenrod and blackberry bushes. The breeze rattles the leaves on the poplar trees so there is a steady, soft white noise which belies all the motion you see when you glance at them. About half a mile on the trail brought us to Airport Road (another creative place name). Another half mile and we were at a small park on the river, across the road from the small, mostly private airport.

We parked our bikes and walked down to the boat landing. The Namekagon is a great river for canoeing, kayaking, tubing and fishing, although I do not vouch for the fishing part. I have done the other three. There has been a lot of rain this summer, and even some flooding, so the river is high and swift. There are a few white water places but a great deal of it is like this picture – tranquil appearing. Any time we do a river trip we see wildlife, eagles, deer, otters, and bear. And wildflowers are everywhere. Floating down the Namekagon is one of my favorite things to do.

Another one foot dip. The water was cool and the mosquitoes were fierce so we didn’t stay long.

A New Challenge

August 9, 2016August 9, 2016 Shirleyjdietz6 Comments

The experience of going “home” for a visit has several aspects. There are always interesting changes to discover, always some family or friends to connect with, always memories to refresh/rehearse. But I often find myself wanting to make new memories and enjoy the home territory in a different way. Isn’t it commonly the case that we don’t take the time to be tourists in the familiar places? I grew up in Hayward, Wisconsin and have visited nearly every year since moving away so it is familiar to me but I needed to have a fun way of seeing it from a new perspective.

Enter the “Lake a Day” challenge.

Northern Wisconsin, although it is not known as the “land of 10,000 lakes” like it’s neighbor Minnesota, has many of the same features. There is a lot of water. I grew up on one of the prettiest, cleanest, most refreshing lakes in the area and knew it well, but there were many other bodies of water close by that I did not frequent. Every day I am going to find some “water” of a natural kind and get wet in it (not saying how wet, but wet somewhere). You may travel northern Wisconsin someday and want to check out these great spots.

Day 1: Lake Superior

Lake Superior is as close to being an ocean as a lake can get. It is huge – they don’t call it one of the Great Lakes for nothing. Unlike an ocean it is fresh water but like an ocean it is big enough for ships, dangerous storms and currents, and it has a fascinating history.

An unplanned stop at Lake Superior – the one foot dip.

On this day my mom and I were on our way to visit a friend who lives in Duluth, Minnesota, just across the border from Superior, Wisconsin. As we drove close to the harbor at the western tip of Lake Superior we passed a small park where there was access to the water and also a small ship offering tours to visitors. It wasn’t exactly a beach but it appeared that I might be able to reach the water so we pulled in and parked. As I mentioned earlier, the goal was to get some part of me wet so I found a short path with no barriers and went down to stick a foot in the water.

Lake Superior has many interesting coastal towns in Minnesota and Wisconsin but about the only ones I’ve visited are Duluth/Superior and Bayfield. Madelaine Island, near Bayfield is where my brother’s family has camped for years. I have visited them at the campground there and we had an amazing time leaping into Lake Superior from some rock cliffs. Unforgettable.

On this day we had a great time visiting with my friend at her house and at her husband’s nearby business, Lake Superior Brewery. The root beer we sampled was really good, as are their other beers. Must be the local water, right?

How to make four hours go fast…

August 3, 2016 Shirleyjdietz3 Comments

It’s not a statement, it’s a question. I’m all settled in at this big airport, at the place I think I’m supposed to catch the shuttle to my final destination. It doesn’t arrive for another four hours, and when it does we’ll have a three hour ride farther north. I’m tired of sitting which is about all I’ve done since leaving home at 7 this morning.

But, it’s been a safe, uneventful flight. Every time I dig for something in my backpack I’m enveloped in this heavenly smell of essential oil that has evidently been leaking in there somewhere. And believe me, I am so glad it’s the one that does smell heavenly rather than the one purported to smell like cat pee. Small blessings.

Growing up, I had no idea that I lived somewhere called “remote”. We seldom went anywhere farther than our 60 mile trip to get school clothes in the nearest town with a department store. But school away from home changed all that.

And as time wore on, the girl from the north, in school down south (Texas), met a man from the east (Pennsylvania) and moved west (California), before coming back home to Wisconsin for a few years. I live in Florida and am afraid to guess what part of the U.S. is going to be next. I don’t know whether to say the world has gotten bigger or smaller.

When I fly I look down at the land below. Although this is a very big country, it seems to be pretty full of people. All the habitable space is divided up into squares or circles with clusters of dwellings at every intersection. At night, I see towns dotting the darkness everywhere I look. During the day we fly between cities so sprawling and large that it scares me. Our ancestors could not have imagined this. And I cannot imagine the future.

I guess I’ve talked myself into being thankful for a destination that’s still three hours from a major city. It’s gotten bigger (but not much) and there’s more traffic but it is still beautifully remote and it’s home to many family members and friends, making it even more beautiful.

Two and a half hours to go… just sayin’.

Portland Water

April 10, 2016April 10, 2016 Shirleyjdietz7 Comments

20160410_094858[1] — from a Portland street while waiting to be hit by a bus

Morning shower

Washing over me warm

Portland’s wettest from rivers

From mountains and sky

Portland’s germs from

A Thousand hands sharing

And traveling Portland’s water

Making its coffee

Which I take in

Breathing Portland’s air

Touching its soil and

Eating its food

Watered by its rains

Food touched

By Portland hands

Washed in Portland’s water

City of Bridges over water

Over streets

City built by its water

Stand under its warmth

Drink in Portland

All in the Details

October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

Details, details

I know what a gateway and an alcove is. I have an idea what a portico is. Parapet, maybe? But really, trying to come up with a picture that looks like a building from the description in Ezekiel chapter 40, I just can’t do it. They are all mentioned over and over again, complete with measurements, in all four quadrants of the compass, and oh, throw in several sets of stairs, some courtyards and miscellaneous openings too.

Mom and I were sitting in the airport restaurant with some time to spare and this chapter was today’s reading from the Old Testament, NIV Bible. What was troubling to me, was verse four of the same chapter where our prophet Ezekiel was told that all this detail was important for some reason. He was supposed to “listen closely and pay attention” so he could tell people everything he saw. Trying to figure out stuff like this has always been part of what makes Bible reading problematic for me.

Later, on the way home from the airport, I started thinking about it again – which is always a good thing to do if you have asked God to help you understand something. Here was a man who had a vision of some kind. It could have been a dream, but I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone dreaming with this kind of detail and then remembering it. He’s inspired to record it and it is somehow preserved for a loooooong time for people to read later and wonder about the detail in it. I know people who would say there is great significance in all the measurements and numbers and that may be. For me, what jumps out is that God was clearly caring about a lot of details.

You know, just maybe he wanted us to know that about him. Maybe he is a “detail guy”.

Perhaps, when he’s asked to help plan, he is able to arrange events and time them so that over the summer I am able to travel four different areas of the world with just enough energy and finances to suffice.

Perhaps he is able to move people in and out of my life to allow for me to be helpful, but not overwhelmed by all the stress and travel.

Perhaps he can bring me together with family members for some significant relational time, even though the arrangements are complicated.

Perhaps he can make possible a stay at a cottage by the beach for mom and me, when my remodel project isn’t finished yet.

Perhaps he can handle a delayed flight (maybe he even arranged it) that ended up with mom getting a better non-stop flight home, with the window seat she kind of longed for. And maybe he put the right person in front of us, apparently waiting for us, who was able to come up with that idea and make it happen. (Thank you Delta!)

I wanted more pictures of mom and me together and we had time for one more lame “selfie”. (Mom says I don’t really look like that. Would someone please take some candid pics of us doing something besides looking at a cell phone camera?)

And how we enjoyed the extra time that allowed us to eat a leisurely breakfast together and read Ezekiel 40. I’m just sayin’, God is pretty detail oriented and this is not the first time I’ve noticed.

The Inedible Results

August 31, 2015August 31, 2015 Shirleyjdietz2 Comments

Sometimes I travel for a couple weeks at a time. The husband usually stays home. Now if I wanted to hide something from him, I could put it almost anywhere and he wouldn’t find it. But if I really, really didn’t want him to find it I would put it in the refrigerator, in the vegetable drawer. ‘Nuff said.

Walking Seattle the Last Time (this trip)

August 26, 2015July 7, 2020 Shirleyjdietz1 Comment

Charlie seems to enjoy stair climbing. Maybe he does. Well, maybe he doesn't. I don't know.

Charlie and I visited all the stairs we have discovered on the West Seattle slopes. You can’t live here without becoming very familiar with staircases and crazy steep streets. See what I mean…

from Schmitz Park up to Admiral Street, 80 steps

SW Stevens St. with a staircase at the end...

At the end of SW Stevens to the plateau on the top.

Nicely groomed staircase to someone's house

Seriously, some residents park on the street and climb up to their houses...

The slopes rise so steeply that houses are hardly ever on the same level as the street...

a little explanation helps, - at least we know who to blame.

All things considered, I have to say that the stairs of Seattle are more scenic and inspiring than the stair climbers at the gym, and every bit as much exercise. Would you climb these steps just to see what’s at the top? I did.

People Go There in the Morning too?

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 ShirleyjdietzLeave a comment

I go to Alki Beach quite a bit at evening, as do lots of other people, but who knew that people wake up and go there in the morning too? It’s a couple blocks away from the house and I don’t usually want to wait that long for the first coffee of the day. This morning I practiced delayed gratification and walked to coffee. There are four or five coffee shops in the short stretch along the beach (because this is Seattle…) but I go to the one farthest away because my daughter would consider joining me later at this one. She gets coffee that comes from a particular farm in a particular country (more on that later) while I ask if they have Folgers.

All kinds of things were happening this morning, the most interesting being an open water boat race of some sort. I got there just minutes before the starting horn so boats were lining up along some imaginary line which wasn’t very straight. I guess they were going quite a distance so a few feet here and there wasn’t going to matter. Anything that could be paddled was eligible for this trek across the sound to a rock near some island and back again. Naturally, the scullers took off in the lead and the poor guys on paddleboards were bringing up the rear. It’s a cool, gray day with a light chop on the water and mist in the air.

Cyclists are out. Families with children wanting donuts are straggling in. Seattle dogs are out in numbers. The weekend is here. Happy Saturday everyone!

Help! Where Am I Now?

August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 Shirleyjdietz4 Comments

I’m a pretty good driver, really, just don’t talk to me while I’m driving. Lately, out here in Seattle, I’ve been driving a lot in the city – well, it’s all city. Yesterday on our way in to my daughter’s work I noticed we were nearly out of gas which is a scary condition to be in since you never know how long you might be going nowhere on the parking lots they call roads. I decided to drop her off and see if I could fill up before going in the parking garage.

Unlike the area in Florida where I come from, this city has no gas stations. Where do all these cars get fuel? I don’t know. I had seen one gas station on the street we normally took from the hospital to downtown so I headed toward it. That street is called Cherry.

For those of you who don’t know, downtown Seattle’s main streets running perpendicular to the waterfront and two streets starting with a J, two streets starting with a C, followed by two starting with M, then two with an S, then two with a U and finally two with a P. Some bright person made the acronym Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Pressure to help them remember the order. I think it’s pretty obvious Jesus didn’t make Seattle, but that’s just my opinion.

So as I’m driving around trying to get to Cherry Street where I think the gas station is, I am encountering all kinds of unexpected one way prohibitions. There’s nothing more unnerving than rounding a corner and finding all the lanes of traffic full of cars facing you. It’s nice that people start waving their hands at you before you get too far. Just sayin’.

Finding Cherry wasn’t too hard but I thought I’d been transported to a different universe when it dead ended in the middle of a building complex. Nothing looked familiar. I would have stopped to look at my GPS to figure out what was going on BUT THERE IS NO PLACE TO STOP in Seattle, except at stop lights. All the lights are timed to turn green just before I get to Google maps. I have found that when I keep moving, trying to decide which lane to be in, which direction to turn, and how to not hit any of the hundreds of people crossing the street at every intersection I can really cover a lot of ground. So very soon, I had no idea where I was. But not to worry because I hadn’t run out of gas yet and, “thank you Lord”, ahead I saw a gas station.

Such relief. After a few minutes on my navigation app I found out that the Cherry Street I really wanted goes around a slight corner and becomes James Street in the downtown area. ,, I understand one more traffic puzzle now. I learn something new every day in Seattle. Now that I’m getting around pretty good, it’s almost time to go back to Florida…

Back to Race Trac and WaWa on every corner.

Back to roads that are horizontal instead of nearly vertical.

Back to where you only have to wait through one or two cycles of the traffic light to get through the intersection.

Back to where I’m not the oldest person on the road… just sayin’.

Garden in the Sky, Seattle

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 Shirleyjdietz5 Comments

No it's not a mountain meadow, there's more... — No it’s not a mountain meadow, there’s more…

Cities… in spite of everything they aren’t, they certainly are a display of human ingenuity. Daily, as I sit in traffic (going nowhere fast) I marvel at the layering of highways on top of each other and over buildings, the tunnels, the bridges. This morning I parked four levels underground in the garage beneath the Russell Investment Center. When I go places like this, and like the Columbia Tower which is the tallest in the city, I try not to think too long about where I am lest I become anxious or claustrophobic or acrophobic.

So I came up from the parking garage, got my directional bearings again and went up to the 17^th floor of the Russell Investment Center to wait a couple hours for my daughter’s work meeting to be finished. Besides the cafeteria, meeting rooms and lounges complete with TV and fireplaces the 17^th floor has an outdoor area that is a marvel in itself. Calling it a patio doesn’t adequately describe it’s size. Part of this building is only 16 stories high and on it’s roof is the most amazing garden. The rest of the building continues up.

Who thinks of these things? To put mounds of dirt, trees and huge slabs of rock on top of a building probably isn’t any harder than making the building itself, but to think of doing it and making it beautiful is kind of an accomplishment. There is an almost unobstructed view of the city and the harbor in three directions. Today there is only a mild breeze, the sun is shining and the temperature is just right for enjoying the area. You do not need a pass to get there, but it is not crowded since it is mostly the people who work in the building who use it. I’m just sayin’ it is a great place to get a look at the city.