May-June 2006
from www.CustomCabins.com
14663 Vosburgh Rd. Ely, Minnesota 55731
email: info@customcabins.com

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We know it is November and that the subject line in your e-mail says May-June Newsletter, but somehow or other we were terribly sidetracked and didn’t get one newsletter written during the summer season. We were remiss, we know it, and we apologize. So pretend with us that it is last spring, and we will try to get you caught up with life in the northland.

In the early part of May, the trees finally started to bloom. We never ceased to be amazed at the radical differences of color between the pine trees, the aspen, and the various bushes. The pine trees appear to turn more of a green as opposed to the almost black color that they take on in the winter, and the aspens and others demonstrate a rich spring green.

The first flowers to bloom in the spring are the marsh marigolds. They really do not have a fragrance, but after not having seen any colors other than black, grey, and white, they are quite welcome. These flowers bloom in clumps along the sides of creeks and swamps. When picked, they will only last about a day, but in their natural habitat they will bloom for about a week.

The Northerns and walleyes had already spawned, and the bass were getting ready to spawn. Generally, the Northerns reproduce under the ice or as it is going out. The walleyes, however, won’t spawn until the surface water temperature reaches about 40 degrees. The bass, blue gills and crappies wait until the surface temperature reaches 65 degrees. In the early spring, it seems that all of the fish like to eat minnows, but the Northerns are not opposed to eating dead bait such as ciscoes and smelt.

One day when Dennis (my loveable lab) and I were going to town, we had a real “Kodak moment”. We saw a young wolf standing on the side of the Moose Lake Road. For some reason I had the camera with me, but by the time had I grabbed it, the wolf had walked slowly back into the trees and was strolling through the woods parallel to the road along side of us. For those of you who have been here, you know traffic is not heavy, so, I crept down the road trying to get even a poor picture. I took a lot of shots, but nothing to write home about. I finally decided I couldn’t get a good picture, and reached down to get the lens cover. When I looked up the wolf was standing on a rock seemingly striking different poses for me. We were really quite pleased with the pose we present here. We haven’t seen the wolf since then, but neighbors have reported that he is still in the area.

In the middle of May, guests began to come and have a wonderful time playing and catching lots and lots of fish. We will have to add that many of our guests prefer to catch and release, or keep only what they may have for dinner that night.

So, now you have been caught up for last May and June. Stay tuned for July and August’s notes in about a week. We appreciate your tolerance in light of our negligence.

Because you are getting this letter so late, we have to break the past tense mode, and remind you that it is time to think about reservations for next summer. Remember, the lottery drawing for permits is January 15. If you want us to apply to the lottery for you we must have a confirmed reservation. We can almost guarantee that there will not be any permits available after the drawing.

Custom Cabin Rentals
14663 Vosburgh Rd.
Ely, Minnesota 55731

218-365-6947 or 1-800-235-6947

www.CustomCabins.com