The Johnson Journals, Chapter 211

• Don writes that ice begins to melt on Rainy Lake

• Don remodels fireplace

• Don kicks off fishing season

4/22/69 I finally put my Coast Guard inventory in the mail. I can’t figure why it takes me so damned long to get at it - and so damned long to finish it once I do. It must be a good example of Parkinson’s Law.

4/24/69 By 10:30 Layna and I all set for island. Launched Cadillac at Buck’s dock, put on motor, loaded up bunch of stuff and away we went. Very little floating ice and we had no trouble landing right at dock on NWI. Ice on west side but open from North end of island right to Eight Mile. I worked on AlumaCraft most of p.m. Layna raking, burning - happy.

4/25/69 Stopped at Dahlbergs. The mess there gets messier. I am glad it is not ours to clean up.

4/28/69  Our appointment in Duluth with Dr. Moyer at 10:30. We were there. By 1:30 we were both thru with our tests and were told to go have lunch - be back at 3 p.m. We did and we were. We had invited Karen, Robin, Warren, Frieda and Scott for dinner at Sweden House at 5 p.m. We did not see Moyer until after 6:00. Well, maybe it was worth it. He told me I was a healthy old coot and not to worry about my pee pressure unless it got worse. He told Layna she was a healthy specimen but blood pressure a bit high. She got some pills. We hurried to Sweden House and joined group. Laird there too. He is a lost soul at the moment.

4/29/69  To Coast Guard base to pick up supplies. Mr. Banen not there but had good talk with Douglas. He is up to his ears in paper work - and hates it. Reports, reports, reports. Well, it is a full time job with him. I sure hate the crap they send me. Layna called Birkeland from Duluth. It looks like she is getting somewhere with those bastards. We shall see.

4/30/69 Gerry very unhappy with his job. It is cut, cut, cut with BCC. George Ray sent me an article on the company today. It told a lot about the whiz kids and how much they are making for the company. They didn’t mention the men laid off in Fort Frances.

5/2/69 Walk, walk, go, go, shop, kitchen, living room, shop, pump house, dock, on and on all day and a few things accomplished. Eat eggs, meat, cottage cheese - drink water, barrels of it. We have decide to remodel the fireplace end of the living room. I took out a shelf on each side and made a place for the TV on the left and a place for the record player on the right. It will be good looking and functional when we get thru.

5/3/69 To town early and picked up a load of stuff. Many trips from car to boat and from boat to house. This was our fifth day of our high protein diet - eggs, meat and cottage cheese. This p.m. we both felt damned bushed. I said to hell with it. We went to Les Cleveland’s and had a couple of neighborly drinks. Tomorrow we go back to normal eating - and hope to not gorge ourselves.

5/4/69 Stew and Tad Sheldon dropped in and we had a great time reminiscing, mostly about Tad’s experiences as a guide at NWI. Made aerial for TV and it worked good. Too good, we watched it steady from 7 p.m. to 11. A documentary on men’s comradeship during war. Mostly about WWI. I missed both wars and in retrospect, I feel about the same as I do about going through the ice in a car, an experience I can live without.

5/5/69 Picked up girls, Bernice, Joan & Vi at 8:30 and back for Jim & Brian at 9:00. Brian hauled gasoline while Jim and I to town and picked up motor, etc. at Finstad’s. Got Larson in water and running.

5/6/69 6:30 breakfast and by 7:10 we were off for Kettle Falls. Jim, Brian and I. We had everything painted by 1:30 and walked up to Hotel. God - I’m glad we don’t have to get that place in shape! Back on river and got buoys in by 5:30. Strong west wind did not bother us in river but hit us a mighty blow as we came out behind Rabbit Island. We put in #20 - nearly swamping boat. A long, cold ride to Brule Narrows via Kempton Channel. A long, tough day but much accomplished. Put in 15 buoys.

5/9/69 Jim, Brian and I to Ranier early to work on houseboat/cruiser. We did well despite the damnable weather. Gene Monahan invited us in for coffee. That was almost a mistake. She is an interesting woman with much to talk about, especially to Jim about her Indians up north. I am being inundated with Coast Guard literature. What a bucket of red tape in that outfit!

5/10/69 When I picked up our mail there was a letter from “Birkeland Associates”. I wondered what they would use for an excuse not to prevent from paying us. The letter had a check for $2500.00 in it. Paid in full!! It has been a long pull. We paid Lawyer Ketola 10% to collect some of ours and much of Beryl’s. Layna has kept at the bastards via telephone ever since we got home from Mexico. She gets the 10% this time.

5/12/69 Wrote two letters to Coast Guard - also to Beryl, telling about Birkeland. She will be relieved to get that one.

5/14/69 Finstad called to say we could launch houseboat. To town with Jim and all went well. Remer’s boat sits on truck all winter so the whole Ranier fleet tied up until his is out of way. Brian and David took their flying exam. A dead calm, warm evening - very summery. I burned trash down by dock after dark. Sat on steps, listened to ball game and watched flames. Very, very relaxing.

5/15/69  First 2 parties canceled. I told Jim “Let’s pretend a party is coming tomorrow and want to go fishing”. We fixed chairs, put on bumpers, put rods and reels together and fully equipped boats.

5/16/69 Raining and blowing in a.m. Jim, Brian and Bob ready to work and nothing to do inside. At 10:30 we let Brian and Bob go home, Jim staying. I think, and hope, that he feels that he is home when here. At 7:00 Layna and I to pick up Byrne at airport. What a warm feeling I get when he comes! Much good conversation. I understand it all except when he talks about the damned computers, and then I am completely lost. I know I will never get out of that woods.

5/17/69 We have hated the path from the ice house to big cabin for over 20 years. Jim and I stood staring at it this a.m. and he said “At Dr. Smith’s place we built board walks all over.” It did not take long for Jim and I to head for town. We bought lumber and nails and by 5:30 with much good help by Byrne, we were well on our way. It looks good.

5/18/69 We slept in until 8 a.m. but after breakfast got going on board walk to big cabin again. It went well. By noon we were practically done - and it looks good. At 3:30 we decided to run over to Black Bay and visit the Moes. The Burrocks there. A fun time for a couple of hours.

5/19/69 Up at 4:30 so Byrne could catch 6:00 a.m. plane. Sorry to see Byrne go. He obviously would like to live in this area were it possible to find the right job. He is still a Rainy Lake boy at heart. His family feels the same way. I went to #265 and napped until 8:00 when I started my experience with phone. Goddamn such an instrument. On two occasions it took me more than ten minutes to get operator. I finally called Coast Guard. Never did get island. Bob and Brian hauled dirt from Dahlbergs. Much reminiscing about that place at table.

5/20/69 After super, Jim and I took our first run for fish. No one else interested, maybe because it had dropped to about 40 degrees and a cold west wind blowing. We went to Grassy Portage and damned if we did not get our limit. Some of them rather small but all in all a fair run of fish.

5/24/69 Our fishermen not doing too badly in Grassy Portage Bay. Robin and Karen doing much studying but we had chance to visit some. All good there.

5/27/69  Erv Olson’s party all set to go by 9:30 - a miracle for him. He was much relaxed during this whole party and even Jim said it would be OK if he came back again - to me. All hands left for town early except Jim who seems to hate to leave. He finally pulled out after supper. The usual queasy feeling when he leaves. When will he be back? His good humor has been infectious all spring. Hope it stays that way. Made my first inspection trip to light towers. God - what work to be done there!