4/22/70 At 7:00 I attended a meeting (committee) from Sportsman Club concerned with fishing in Rainy Lake. It was by invitation from Tony Mio. Lee Grim, Irv Anderson, Jack Blake, Dan McCarthy, Steve Kosak and Dennis Ernst from Conservation Dept. Much discussion, very orderly. Irv set on a hatchery and for the first time in my life I think there is a possibility that it might do some good. I came away feeling that they were a dedicated group, much more intelligent than the former ones I attended. Maybe I should get interested in something like this.
4/23/70 Layna and I to Sportsman’s Club banquet at 6:30. A full house. The speech was given by Pat Karns from Conservation department, about moose. Not as good as the wolf lecture we got last year. Sat thru the giving of 150 door prizes - got 6 quarts of snowmobile oil - just what we need!
4/24/70 Layna and I to island about 8:30 so she could inspect (and admire) my tile job. A mad rush but we made it to Judys’ on time. They took us to Fort Frances for dinner and back to Falls to see Cactus Flower. An exceptionally good film that they had seen in NC last winter. Walter Matthau (looks like Elmer Smith), Ingrid Bergman and Academy Award winner, Goldie Hahn.
4/25/70 Lisa here all day. She is a honey. Timmy stopped for lunch. I think he will make a good dock boy - at least he cleaned our new Cadillac out good for a starter. Square dancing in Ranier but we didn’t go. Did not have one damned excuse! I am a little blue over deal tonight.
4/26/70 I took off for island without awakening Layna. Ice getting poor around edges but otherwise little change. Pretty sloppy on top, no frost during night. Home by 11 a.m. Timmy & Jayme came to help load Scorpion in station wagon. We put it away for spring.
4/27/70 Coast Guard truck from Duluth arrived at noon with great load of stuff for me. Against my better judgment, we unloaded whole works on yard. I realized fully that much of it was not for me. Called Duluth and as a result put much of it back on truck! What an outfit! We were watching “Laugh In” at 7:30 when Irene MacKellar called and asked us to come over. Nothing in particular bothering her apparently, she just wanted to talk. She is a very remarkable woman.
4/28/70 Damn such weather. We get farther behind as we go along. Took Bertrand Russell’s Unpopular Essays to bed with me. Wanted something to put me to sleep. It did not work. Many of his views, especially about religion, I have arrived at myself, I think independently. It is gratifying to know that someone else does not think that Man is God’s greatest work.
4/29/70 We both have been trying to lose weight but what a goddamn struggle. Layna is working on 750 calories a day and I try to stay below a thousand. This has gone on for 10 days, with a few digressions, but the damned scale won’t drop below the 180 mark. Very, very discouraging. I feel fine!
4/30/70 Tonight we satisfied an ambition of long standing. We had the Stuarts, Moes, Seegerts and Burrocks over for an evening of dancing. It went great. We did a bunch of old records and some not so old. I opened the program with “Too Old to Cut the Mustard” but it wasn’t true. Visited Gina Erickson in p.m. She seemed genuinely glad to see me. Much talk on many subjects. Arden got full coverage from her mother who ended by saying “I think that girl is crazy!” No argument from me.
5/1/70 Met Jim at Rex Hotel at 9 a.m. We went to Ranier, took shutters off houseboat and damn near froze before we got bottom completely sanded. Buck brought his pickup and we picked up trailer in town and took our new Cadillac to landing and launched it on ice beside dock. Don’t know when we will get to use it. Soon, I hope. It will be a late breakup for sure. Nixon sent troops into Cambodia. Now what?
5/2/70 Picked up Jim at bridge at 9 a.m. 20 o so decided to rake lawn at #265. Iced in at Buck’s dock but we got out to open water without much trouble. Jackfish Bay completely covered but our channel had only floating ice in a few places. Made it right to our dock. After supper, Layna and I were watching Cronkite interview ex-president Johnson on how he felt when Kennedy was shot. I said to Layna “Let’s get the hell out of here and go to island!” We did. Clear sailing almost all the way to dock. Big load, went good. Great to be “home.”
5/3/70 Up at 6 a.m. Small birds twittering, loons calling, mallards quacking, crows cawing, ice rustling. Great to be alive. Drove out to Sha-Sha for ice survey. Black Bay completely open. Stopped in at Seegerts. A little dismayed at news that they are buying Cliff’s Spring Lodge. What a goddamn mess from our angle. Maybe it is a better deal than we think, but I am apprehensive - especially when they talk of selling their fine home to finance the deal.
5/4/70 It just won’t warm up. Many jobs - Coast Guard included - hanging fire, waiting for lake to open. We are plugging away at NWI but it is slow. Plumbing all hooked up but we don’t dare put any water in it.
5/5/70 The instructions on glue can said “do not use in temperatures below 70 degrees I figured that would be in July and couldn’t wait. Jim and I went at tile job. Karen called at 5:30. She has a contract to teach at Superior next fall! She had hopes of getting in at Duluth East but we all must realize that was like shooting for the moon. We are very, very pleased the way this is going.
5/6/70 As we sat drinking coffee at 10:30, a fresh batch of ice loosened from area near Lewis Keyes’ house and strong SE wind shoved it against main dock. It shuddered, but held. What a tense moment!
5/7/70 I went after the female help and by the time we were back to island it began to clear. A busy, busy day followed. A series of misadventures when Jim and I hooked up water works. A broken pipe under main sleeping cabin. No pressure after I fixed that and thought it must be pump on fritz. After lunch I went to our Happy Shack to find about 3 inches of water on floor. Intake had broken and full stream came in room. Jesus! Jim and I tore more rotten roofing from fish house and replaced everything. Done at 5:30.
5/9/70 Lake opened! Warren, Frieda, Scott, Mildred and Ed here at 2:30. Karen and Robin and Gene also. Quite a gang. In discussing parent child relationship Warren said, “The trouble with most people is that they try to create children in their own image.” Said Karen, “My parents never tried anything of the kind but there is no one in this world I would want to be more like then they!” How about that! Mildred on cigarette habit to Warren, “Why do you spend so much money killing yourself smoking when you can do it just as easy for nothing!”
5/10/70 Windy, rain, snow, cold 33o all day. No improvement in weather. Picked up Jim & Willie at 9:30 and they went to work on Clark’s dock despite the god awful weather. Karen and Robin home for a while and we had a good visit. Layna and I with them back to mainland when we stopped to say goodbye to Terry who is joining the navy. Damn but I choked up. It is 25 years ago since we sent his father off to war & now this. It is hard to be optimistic about the future.
