Lake Memories

In Northern Minnesota there is a little bit of Paridise. Leech Lake has always been connected to my family for me. The first time I was ever there I rode up with my grandparents (exciting tip my grandfather was driving) and spent a very short time there. I still hve a picture of my grandmother sitting and looking at the lake from a bench on the end of the dock. My Aunt Jean took the picture and it is my favorite picture of Ma (That is what I called my grandmother)> I have never seen her so relaxed. You can read about her here. The entry is unfinished but it tells a little. Perhaps someday I will finish it.
(By the way Bailey's Resort on the map has nothing to do with Bailey's Buddy - Just happend that way.)


My mother also loved Leech Lake. She actually lived for those times in the summer (first one week, then two and finally three) when we would pack everything up and make the 400 + some mile to the lake. We stayed in a resort run by Paul and Germa Bantz and they were great folks. They became true friends and so did the people who came up at the same time we did (usually the first part of August). It was not much of a cabin. No shower but it was enough. Unfinished walls. No ceiling. You could look right up to the roof. It did have a porch and that was where Mother chose to sleep. She loved to wake up in the night and look out on the lake. The cabin was so close to the water that you felt like you were right on the water. There was a table on the porch and that was where we ate and played cards. This picture is looking north right from in front of the resort.




In the early morning you could see the sun rise as we were on the West side of Walker Bay. To see the sun set you had to drive over to Kabekona Bay. I did that many times. If I was upset about something I could always watch the sun go down and get "all better."
Fishing was fun because I went with my Uncle Harold. Don't know why he put up with me but those are some of the best memories of my time at the lake. I once caught a 14 pound Northern (Okay it was only 13 pounds 12 ounces but it hadn't eaten and fishermen are allowed to stretch the truth.) Another thing we love to do at the Lake was to go up to the Lodge and play cards. Mother especially loved to play cards. Her sister Fran, once said "Ruth just can't wait to get up there and start gambling." An it was true. She loved to play cards. At home she belonged to a Bridge club for over 40 years and NOTHING interfered with "Bridge Night." It certainly wasn't for the money. It was for the social time with these friends.

We also got to take boat rides and Leech is a great lake for boating. We met our best friends at the lake. Morrie and Mary Jane Rabinowitz from Ellsworth, Minnesota. They came back every year and Mary Jane's parents came with them. Joe and Esther Shannon. They also brought their dogs. A chihuahua, Mitzi and a St. Bernard, Mojo. Mitzi slept in a baby blanket and Mojo had Morrie's old car for an out door spot. Their cabin was right next door to ours and Mary Jane and her mother would bake and cook and Morrie would go fishing and we would all have a great time visiting back and forth. Eventually we got so we would go to their home for labor Day week-end and Thanksgiving and they also came to Ames for visits. Absolutely the greatest people in the world.

Mother insisted that we leave on Friday night as soon as she got off work. So after months of anticipation and days of packing we would take off and eventually get to the lake. My sister took a friend with her one time and we waited in Brainerd for the sun to come up so she could see the scenery. She sat in the back seat and read comic books the entire time. Ginny took the back bedroom and she was a nester. She had things up and decorated before she could go to sleep. I had the front bedroom and I had to rearrange the room so I could look out at the lake. This is reminiscent of the view out in front. I would bring up a supply of books to read and would sit in the bed room and look out the little window and read and let the world wash away with the view and the books and the water. There is something about a lake that brings peace to the soul.


We would also take little 'day jaunts" to places around the lake. Into Walker or over to Itasca State Park. The lake and the area is surrounded by woods that look like this one. It too, helped bring peace to the soul and the entire experience rejuvenated all of us so that we could deal with Iowa. I always kind of resented being away from the lake but it was fun to visit these places and be able to walk across the Mississippi River.




In the evening, particularly you could hear the loons. Their eerie plaintive calls were comforting and always welcome to hear.


Many time we were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights. I remember one time I was at the Drive-In movie and saw them in red and green. I left the movie and drove to the "Y" intersection and called the resort so others could see them. I don't think cell phones had even been thought of then.


Then, all to soon, we would have to leave and mother and Ginny would begin the tearing up. This usually happened about midway through the trip. And when we left - let me tell you they both cried for at least 30 miles (Right Ginny?) This was one of the last pictures of the Bay as we left Walker and while we would catch glimpses for a few miles we never got the full view as this one.

There are a lot of things I remember about Leech Lake. Mother always wanted to go back up but unfortunately her oxygen tube didn't reach that far. Two of her sisters had cabins up there and my Aunt Jo still goes up (I won't tell you her age but she is an octogenarian now) - She and her husband built and remodeled the "Hill Cabin" and it has the mostest beautifullest view on the lake. Most of these pictures are stolen and if anyone wants me to remove them just let me know. In the meantime I hope you have enjoyed this rather long post. Remember You are loved. Hugs, jcs