7/24/73 Picked up Vivian Sutch at landing at 9:30. Light rain. I got restless after visiting for an hour so off for blueberry search. Landed at narrow place on Dahlbergs and happy to find quite a few berries. Picked a couple of quarts, got soaked in wet foliage, and home at 1:00 p.m. Layna’s efforts to get a phone on NWI bearing fruits. Today they ran a cable across from Keyes Island. Is it possible? Watched N.L. all-stars beat our A.L boys 7 - 1. Don’t know why I stay with baseball.
7/25/73 More rain. Telephone crew back to string wires to building. John Moe in charge. We were impressed by his apparent efficiency. Due at Daveys at 7:30 for George Amidon’s “shower.” About 20 men there, most of them old friends of mine. Some damned sharp repartee. Layna & Bern out for evening but back in time to say goodbye to most guests. George stayed and talked until midnight. We left soon after.
7/26/73 Heavy wind and rain when I went after mail. Not cold, 70o, and I rather enjoyed the rough ride. To Boyds at 4:30 for cocktails. Rays and Gooders , too. Dave, a lawyer, has spent considerable time in Washington lately. He says our government has come to an almost complete standstill because of Watergate. What a goddamn mess. On to Rays for supper. We are always amazed at the Rays way of life on Rainy Lake. Franklin stove striving to keep chill off, a few scattered candles trying to help Aladdin lamp drive away the darkness. What a contrast to their luxurious home in Downers Grove. That evidently accounts for it - for a while.
7/27/73 At 5:00 p.m. Les Cleveland came to be followed by Gooders and Rays in Gooders rented houseboat. Les in fine form, especially when he talks about Cleo. He is a perfect neighbor, as I must have said before. Never calls without being asked - always comes gleefully when he is. An interesting talker on many subjects. We are lucky to have him - and I am sure he feels same about us.
7/28/73 I told Layna “The Lord will punish us if we let all those blueberries on Dahlbergs Island go to waste.” We did something about it. We picked for 3 hours and came home with 15 quarts. Then cleaned and packaged whole works. Did a “first” when we ran Starcraft all way to the Falls to shop. Fun! A far cry from Putt-Putt that took us 1 hour & 10 minutes to get to town from Camp Koochiching. George Amidon’s wedding today and we went over for a few minutes in evening. All family there.
7/29/73 Jane called to say that Dr. Edwards in serious condition. They were off for Florida sending 4 kids to the E.I. house in St. Paul. Would we get them and take them to NWI? We decided to go after kids in our car. Rained almost steady all the way to Virginia where we holed up in Gopher Motel.
7/30/73 We had hoped to get an early start but I overdid it a little. Called Layna at 5:30 thinking it was 6:30. All of Johnson kids at Sally’s when we arrived at 9:30. Said Etta, after a boisterous welcome all around “We were afraid you might be mad at us because we haven’t written to tell you of our plans.” Said I, “We can be mad at you, and we are, but still glad to see you.” We didn’t stay long in St. Paul. Altho Sally didn’t say it, and Jim not there to do it, I can tell they are apprehensive as to how NWI will be with so many kids. Well, we are adaptable and feel that everyone else better damn well be, too. Our grandchildren have matured considerably in E.I. Home at 4:30. Layna drove all of way, 500 miles of it. What a gal! Everyone a bit pooped so to bed early.
7/31/73 Slow getting started but Brad, Sheila and I out for blueberries at 10:30. We picked 5 quarts in about 1 ½ hour on Crow Island. Not bad. To town in p.m. to insurance department of BCC. I am well taken care of. Coffee with Harry and on to Judys. We have hopes of spending a few days with each of these people in August. Rays and Daveys over for short visit in evening. I gave Harry a fly rod. Should peddle more of my junk.
8/1/73 All hands out for blueberries by 10:30. To Deer Island but slow going. Moved to Crow Island. Home at 1:00 with about 15 quarts. All the kids did their share except Etta who has shown a great desire to eat berries but no desire to pick them.
8/2/73 A very busy day for me. 1) Brad and I hooked up second water line. 2) I patched canoe. 3) varnished row boat. 4) patched bow of Cadillac. 5) caulked seam on transom of pram. At 5:30 we had decided that Sally and Jim, who were due at 4:00, were not coming. Made a whisky sour just as phone buzzed. They were in town. Brad and I to landing with 2 boats. We needed them. Moving operation completed by 6:30, had supper and then went after sail boat. A bit pooped tonight. Eleven at table for supper. No big arguments. Etta asked Layna for a couple of jars of blueberry jam. Accused Layna of “penny pinching” when refused. The Lord may take care of the E.I. ers but Don and Layna are on their own.
8/3/73 Everyone to town except Etta and I. Had first chance to talk seriously with her. It was disturbing. All not well in our son’s family. Jane apparently wants “out” of whole deal - E.I., family and all. No wonder Byrne hasn’t communicated with us. What a goddamn mess some people (most, I guess) make of their lives.
8/4/73 To Les Cleveland’s for cocktails at 5:00. Almost didn’t make it. Amidons stopped in at 4:00 - a good visit. A couple of violent rain showers kept us at Les’ until 6:30. We brought him home with us for a fish feed topped off with blueberry pie. I am sure that he enjoyed us as we did him. After being with our 7 kids, he must feel like Shirley Faegre’s friend who said after a weekend at their house “Shirley, there are worse things than loneliness!”
8/5/73 As we grow older, we are supposed to get more philosophical and introspective. (In reverse order). I am finding it hard to be happy surrounded by 7 kids who obviously are not. There is a constant undercurrent of wrangling and bickering which at times breaks out into near violence. The competition for food reminds me of Spike Davidsons sleigh dogs at feeding time. I am sure I will lose weight if this continues. Tonight I ate 2 small pieces of pizza and felt that I was depriving someone. We keep telling the little Johnsons “No not that, wait till you mother comes.” I feel it will be much worse when she does.
8/6/73 Jane called at 8:00 a.m. to say she was at Buck’s. She had left Florida after driving from Fort Meyers to Tampa. Plane to Chicago, then Mpls and arrived there at 1:30. Off for Falls alone in old Ford. What a gal. Her dad optimistic about treatments but everyone concerned and holding their breath. To see Dr. Talsness. He says my lungs clearing up. Come back in two months. Good news. When we got home, Jane and kids all packed up on dock. They left for Canada soon after. I hope they don’t tear one another apart, either physically or mentally. Went fishing on my reef with Johnny. We got 5 WE - good. When we got in, Layna gave me shock of my life. Said we had misread reunion in Hibbing letter and it had been held last Saturday! What a goddamn idiotic, stupid thing. I damned near cried, as did Layna. Hard time going to sleep thinking of all old friends I will never see again.
8/7/73 A restless night, thinking of missed reunion. Up at 5:30 and out fishing. Caught 3 WE. My heart wasn’t in it. Home to find Layna as dejected as I was. We talked it over, no one blaming the other - just one of those goddamn things. We will survive - but oh, what a missed opportunity!
8/8/73 We had planned a blueberry - fishing expedition for this. Rain threatened but held off. Jim, boys and I out for northerns. A few hammer handles but just as we were going over for lunch Jim hooked a good fish and lost it. A few casts later he got another strike and this time landed a 10 pounder. Much excitement. After lunch, all hands picked berries. We came home with about 25 quarts. A successful expedition. Byrne called. Was trying to get hold of his family. He indicated that Etta had written that Grandpa & Grandma had found his 4 kids a “little too much.” Goddamn - what more could we have done for them?
