Greenstone Landscaping

This post is for those of you who are interested in what the nursery here looks like.



This is Dale, the owner, moving a tree.
Dale had this warehouse built - a semi truck can drive through it.







Pond and greenhouse above.





To right, entrance to shade garden "Shady Cove". The upside-down garbage can is used for placing a sprinkler on top.

Inside Shady Cove

Perennials inside the greenhouse

Broccoli and peas (in July!)

Lettuce and tomatoes

Zoe

Mackenzie

Dale driving the Bobcat

Sarah and Mackenzie

Zoe and Sarah behind the counter

Sally

Reality Check

Chunky and me at home this winter

It rains A LOT here. They say this summer has been unusual in that regard, but I'm not sure. I thought the thermometer at my house was maybe broken because it always says 60 degrees, but I notice today it says 80!

I've been working a lot since I finally have the opportunity, so I have no new photos of exciting things I have done. I've been able to paddle a lot still, but forget the camera. Yesterday I was in a little cove where there were two river otters swimming around. One was working on something, but I didn't want to get closer and scare it off, so I don't know what it was doing. As I sat still in the kayak to watch, I noticed little turtle heads above water, among the lily pads. I also got a close look at a bald eagle perched in a tree. I've heard there's a nest and two fledglings, but I haven't seen them yet. There was also a beaver swimming around but they are pretty shy.

Following are some differences I have noticed between home (northern CA) and Ely, MN. Starting with food, there is NO Gallo sliced salami! And no other brand. There's only the lunchmeat salami - I don't get it. There is no good bread, but that's no surprise. You can get "Italian" bread but it's very white and airy. The vegetable selection and quality is amusingly bad. Wilted asparagus, rotten eggplant, lots of things on styro trays wrapped in plastic. The fruit is a little better. There is Land O' Lakes brand milk and yogurt besides the usual butter. There's a blueberry festival this weekend (yeah, the whole festival thing is the same as home) and they are setting up all the booths right now. There will be all the typical fair food, which around here includes fried cheese curds.

Apparently I have a California accent. I say stuff like this? And then I went there? And saw this? Also I say "dollar" funny. To them it sounds like "dole-ar".

Sunset, White Iron Lake

The electricity, water, and sewer are all on one bill that you pay to the city. I have not done this and hope to keep renting places with utilities included. The major expense is the heating oil, perhaps $2000 a season for a small house. Not sure about that though. When I moved in here (I've been alone in this 4-bedroom house for a month today) I waited for garbage day, which never came. I finally found out that if you want your garbage picked up, you must buy a sticker at the hardware store and stick it on your garbage bag, and put it out on a certain day. Or, you can go to the dump. So some of the rentals I've been looking at (I need to move at the end of July) have garbage accumulations in them.

There is a lady in town who you can call if you need to rent a place. She takes down personal information, writes it on a card, and then gives you a list of appropriate places to look at. She has been doing this for free since the 1960's, when she and her husband moved to town and needed a house to rent. You can also call WELY, the local radio station, and ask them to announce that you need something (this is called "personal and emergency services") and they do this about four times a day for free. There is a "Trader Craig" half hour radio show every weekday where you can buy and sell stuff. Craig also has a store full of used items. There's a REALLY good consignment shop in town, where I got two nice pairs of pants and a pair of shorts for $26. Not thrift store prices, but really good brands. Also I am a member of the local Freecycle online, called Ely Freecycle. Of course there are plenty of garage sales this time of year. I don't have any baking pans so I am looking for some. Today I got a $1 vacuum and some free hangers.

For clothing I had mostly the right things (except I forgot ALL my jackets!) but you really need to have those zip-off pants. It's because they are made of quick-dry fabric. At home you only need shorts, but alot of times around here you want pants because it is just a little cool, but you still want to go paddling. I only wore jeans here once, and it was on that 90-degree day. It's not really that humid, but those jeans felt too hot that day, and I am used to wearing jeans five days a week in hot weather, so there's some difference here. I listen sometimes to the NPR station in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We call this the twin cities, but if you're in Minnesota or nearby, it's just called "the cities". Anyway on that station I often hear reports of golf-ball sized hail. One time I heard tennis-ball size. They are not being humorous or even thinking that is remarkable. They just need to report the size. I don't believe it though, because I have not seen any cars with little dents all over the top.

Must be a resort

Did you know the latest canoe paddles are bent? They are still wooden, but the new bent design gives you a longer stroke. Also the lightest canoes are kevlar and weigh around 45 pounds (or less?) for a two-person canoe. I have not gotten a boat and have had good luck borrowing so far - mostly kayaks, such as the B&B where I work has boats for the guests, and employees can use them. Canoes are best for two people, overnight trips and portages, and kayaks are best if there's only one person just going for the day.

I got new tires for my (road) bike and those are different here too - the roads are rougher and have gravel in places. The local cyclists meet at the bike shop every Thursday at 6pm - now that I know about it, I hope to make it next time it is not raining! I have only gone swimming that one day, I think it was the 4th of July. That is because there is no NEED to go swimming if you never get hot! I do miss that about home, where I swam A LOT because it was hot! The water is more clear at home too.

Here's the "reality check" I just received: an invoice from the National Health Service of Scotland for 3302 British pounds which right now equals $5457. At the same time I was sad to find out about it, I was happy that I am not going to be a freeloader. I think my karma will be better as soon as I have paid it. (For those of you wondering why Scotland sent me a bill, I had to get my appendix out while on vacation in May!)

I have settled into the work I've found, although I am still searching for forestry jobs. I'm not too willing to move from Ely to get work as I mentioned earlier, but around October / November I will be happy to move to a warmer climate so that's my target at the moment. So this summer, some days I help with landscaping at nice lake houses or work at the nursery, and other days I work at the B&B http://www.blueheronbnb.com/. One day a week I pretty much cook (and clean) all day, starting with breakfast, moving on to desserts and other baking, then to dinner. Yesterday I made gingerbread pancakes for breakfast, then made chocolate molten cakes, creme brulee, lemon sauce, lemon sorbet, and blueberry coffee cake, so I am getting my desserts and baking fix even though I don't have any baking pans at home. I am not super comfortable being in charge of dinner at a nice restaurant, but I'm getting there. On my day, the menu is ribs, beans, coleslaw, and cornbread and so far (two times) the chef has been with me but I am supposed to fly on my own next time. I also do grounds work there. Thanks to Joe's instruction last year when we opened up some roads at Mt. Ashland, I now feel more comfortable with a chainsaw than the other power equipment such as brush cutters.

This evening I have been invited to a cookout. Time to get going!

First weeks in Ely, Minnesota

This is my first post ever! I arrived in Ely, Minnesota on June 18th. It's been a whirlwind since then, and it has been hard to find time and access for the internet. This first one is a bit long, so just read what you find interesting.

Why I am here. Obviously I love being around the water, and I always want more time on lakes than I get. For the past couple years I have felt a very strong attraction to northern Minnesota and surrounding areas, although I had never been here before. My curiosity about this region of many lakes eventually caused me to ask my bosses for a year off so that I could move here and take some time to really explore the area, and of course, work. It's not the first time I have done something like this. Well I got the year off, but it turned out I would have been laid off anyway, due to the economic downturn!

I spent January, February, March, and April looking for responsible renters for my house, and moved out on May 4th. I spent most of May in Scotland, which is a subject for another post. After that I packed up my truck with everything I might need for the next year, and my cats Chunky and Rufus, and on June 9th I left California and drove across the U.S. (also a subject for another post) until I reached northern Minnesota. I had not made any contacts ahead of time to look for work, because I was not sure if I'd like it there, if I'd stay, and exactly where I wanted to land.

Inside camper shell

Upon arrival in Minnesota, I spent a couple days around Voyageurs National Park near International Falls. I liked the park a lot, but this is where I found out that it was not going to be a breeze to get a job working in a park for this season (duh!). I continued on to Ely, which is one of the main places people come to enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). Outside of town I saw a sign for a weekly Farmer's Market, which gave me hope that it was a nice community. I spent the day in Ely, and was bowled over by the helpfulness of everybody I met.

But I had another place to check out: what they call the north shore of Lake Superior. I have heard from several people that this is a really nice area. So that same evening of June 18th, I continued on southeast from Ely toward Lake Superior, with the intention of checking out the town of Grand Marais. I stopped to camp about 5 miles before reaching the north shore, and in the morning continued on. Very soon I hit a wall of fog and by the time I reached the shore, it was so thick I was hesitant to drive there. I was hit by horrible flashbacks of my 26 years living on the California coast. I knew I had to get out immediately or risk severe side effects. I said to myself, "I want nothing to do with this place." I turned around and never saw Lake Superior. I have been in Ely ever since.

What I did when I arrived. In this town of 3700 people it is all about meeting everyone you can, and telling them what you want, which I know from past experience. So I got started immediately. I went to the Chamber of Commerce, the library, the Forest Service, the Junior College, the housing lady, the grocery stores, the outfitters, the laundromat, and everywhere I went, I met people. I could not believe the interest they took and how helpful they were. (Donna W. tells me this is normal outside California, which is probably true, but I have lived in three other states and not encountered kindness to this degree.)

Every evening (it seemed an eternity but was actually only four nights until I rented a place) the cats and I would spend the night at the Fenske Lake campground, and in the morning I would wake up with that dead feeling in the pit of my stomach - I had no home and no job, and the great unknown - and a lot of groundwork - was in front of me. But people were returning my calls, and some would call back with other leads for me, and there was hope. But certainly my dream job of being a naturalist on a boat, was not a likelihood (again, duh!). Everybody wants to live in Ely it seems, and there are tons of applicants for all the good jobs.

Besides the really great staff at the Chamber, and Julie at the Forest Service who was really helpful, a couple people stood out as bright spots and became actually friends of mine. I met them both in unconventional ways. On Friday (second day in town) I came out of the library (internet!) and there was a note on my car, from "Laura". She thought my truck was someone else's, and said to call and come over for dessert. I called her to let her know that the note had not gotten to its intented recipient, and she seemed nice so I said, "I'm new in town. Can I come over for dessert?" She said yes, and we had a good time; she's a native Californian from Santa Rosa area. For the next few days she called me with leads on housing, and we've met for coffee. She knows a lot of people in town.

I heard there was a cabin on Farm Lake for rent. When I called the owner, the cabin had been rented already but he showed me another property. He said, "too bad about the cabin, but the guy who moved into it is also from out of town, about your age, and he does some work for me." I gave him my card and asked him to call if he heard of anything else. That evening, I got a call from that new guy in town Scott, who had convinced his landlord to give him my phone number ("she's from California, she won't mind, they're really laid back!") He called to offer advice and help, but I could not talk long because I was on my way to Laura's for dessert (still my second day in town)! I was feeling like Ely was a great place.

Scott and I eventually met up and we have become friends. He is a very lucky person because he has rented that cute stone cabin on Farm Lake and has his own dock. He moved here from Denver area and has been vacationing in Boundary Waters / Quetico (Canadian version of Boundary Waters) for 20 years. Thanks to him I have made some good contacts, gone on some of my first boat rides, and eaten fresh walleye, not to mention the gift of having a good friend in town. Here are a couple shots of Scott's place. Did I mention he is very lucky? He says waking up there every morning is like Christmas.

I got a job at Greenstone Nursery, where I work with a couple really great young women. One of them, Sarah, and I are going canoeing this weekend. I also have a job on Farm Lake, at a bed and breakfast which is right next to the Boundary Waters. I became interested in the job when the owner offered me a yurt to stay in, on location. I found out later that the owner's husband does not want my cats around, so that is all up in the air, but just working there will give me quick access to the boundary waters. I am doing cooking, yard work, and a little of everything else that needs to be done. These are a couple shots of the B&B:

I am living in town, which means not on a lake. I've rented a room in a house for college kids, but I am living here alone. However, I have to be out by July 31 which is fine with me. I'm sure by then I'll be living on a lake. One can always hope. Here's a photo of my house:

What I have been doing the past two weeks. Working, looking for winter work, figuring out stuff like getting a boat, where to get supplies, maps, field guides, all that logistics stuff. Getting the right clothes. Trying to meet more potential employers. Trying to get on the internet. Where to go swimming. Riding my bike to work as much as possible. It's hard to go to bed early enough because it's light, and then Rufus keeps me up in the middle of the night so I am usually sleep-deprived. I have almost fallen asleep watering plants at the nursery a couple times.

For fun? NO hiking (although I plan to). ALL water. Evening and night motorboat rides, daytime canoe and kayak paddling, swimming, campfires, brewery, dinners, fireworks, even a little guitar playing. All of these things I've done a little bit and plan to keep on doing (except the fireworks). The finest moments so far have been a two-day trip into the BWCA - absolutely magical. All the great aspects of the wilderness we hike in at home, with the added bonus of travel by canoe and water access only. It is a huge museum, limited only by my tendency to rush, instead of look for the wildlife. I am learning where and how to find these wild things; deer, river otters, all the birds, turtles, loons, squirrels, frogs, all the fish, and of course learning the plants. Still waiting to see bear, moose, wolves, which are here in abundance. So far I am in love with the Boundary Waters. I'm learning to paddle and steer and portage a canoe.

Scott with smallmouth bass

Scott with walleye

Snapping turtle

Islands in BWCA

As you can see, it's not always sunny here. It's often just in the 70's even when sunny, but it has gotten up to about 90 degrees, as well as many days of just overcast and rain since I've been here. The water is warmer than at home though. Combination shallower, and no snow runoff, I imagine. The bugs were really bad. Mosquitos are one thing, and there are a lot of them, but these sand flies are the worst. They will leave you looking like chicken pox, and you didn't even realize you were being attacked. Then there are the no-see-ums. Repellent seems to keep all the bugs away pretty well so I carry it everywhere I go. However, the bugs have gotten much better in the last week or so.

So things are somewhat settled, but not completely. I will be moving somewhere around here by the end of July. I don't know which job I will commit most of my time to. I will be here at least into October, I'm pretty sure. I may go somewhere completely different after that, depending on finding work here for the winter, which is hard to come by.