7/6/82 Richard a willing and capable worker. He piled wood that had tipped over. Then helped me paint Cadillac. He talks just exactly the right amount. A rare quality in anyone connected with the Edwards clan. Jane came.
7/7/82 To Harold Schumacher’s 40th birthday party. At least 40 people there, all had a good time. The wind had gone down, which was a good thing.
7/8/82 The Clarks are back and the BS flows once more. He is talking about a 3 ½ million dollar deal that is about to be swung in the near future. Jim Levene came with 250 gal of gasoline which should last us.
7/10/82 We, Karen, Jane, Jim and Don and Layna to Lynn Myers for dinner. The Cowgills and Loglands there, too. Some high class people ate a good dinner and talked. We left at 9:00 p.m. Etta wants to buy Carl Brown’s store. She did not explain the details. I was not supportive.
7/11/82 I do my exercises every day and at times believe I am showing improvement. Well, it should. 6 months ago today when I crippled myself. Layna says I have been a good patient - which is all that counts. Jane to Fort Frances.
7/12/82 To see Dr. Walter. Told him that the last pills were ineffective. Said he “will cut them out. I have something different in my magic bag.” He gave me 7 pills, the nurse gave me a shot - now what?
7/13/82 I believe that yesterday’s medicine “took hold”. At any rate, I got around better than usual. Clarks picked us up at 5:30 and off for Rainy lake Lodge for dinner. Expensive and not too good.
7/15/82 Moes and Dykers here for dinner. Good company. Lou has become less talkative as the years go by, not nearly as positive in her statements. Very becoming. Cliff almost taciturn.
7/16/82 What a joy to have on Norway Island if she wouldn’t talk so Goddamn much. I mean Jane Johnson. She is a doer. We fixed drain in fish house, hauled dry garbage to Buck’s landing, rolled barrel of stuff from our landing, cleaned shop, put 2 barrels of water on small dock. All the while yak, yak, yak.
7/17/82 Dick Nelson and family - Dorty, Chris and Chinese husband came about 2:30 p.m. An interesting group. The husband of Chris was the first Chinese that either Layna or I had ever spoken with. His English was better than most Americans.
7/18/82 Robin agreed to take the 3 kids while Karen spends a few days in the Cities. She says she needs a change of scenery. How about the rest of us?
7/19/82 Alone at last! To Fort Frances to clear boat at bridge. Back to Woolco where we bought a 10 X 14 storage shed. We hope it will hold Karen’s stuff now in our basement. Note on door said the Rays were here. “Come on over.” We went. Clint with them. A happy reunion. Stayed about an hour.
7/20/82 91o We never left the island all day. I puttered around, favoring my leg. George Amidon stopped for a short visit. He looks great. Gene and Jean E. came with the Monahan kids about 5:00 p.m. Karen due to come back tomorrow night.
7/21/82 To Schumachers for breakfast. Carol’s mother and sister there. Home at noon. Good visit. Picked Les Cleveland up at 3:30 and off for Newharts. Much money talk of which I understood very little. (How about that for a muddled sentence.) Les is still in mourning over his dog, Cleo. Home before dark. Layna the captain. Karen home. Had a good time on trip to Cities.
7/22/82 To Rays at 4:00 p.m. We tied up to their new dock. How foolish they must be to slip around on the old waterlogged dock that they are replacing. Our 53rd year of our relationship - and never a cross word. We invited them for brunch tomorrow.
7/23/82 Rays on time, 12 noon. Layna had the Bloody Marys all set - so too a great breakfast. Clint leaves on bus for Chicago tomorrow. It was fun meeting him again after all those years. Jimmy and Nancy arrived during the night. We did not even wake up.
7/24/82 To Holiday Inn to see Daveys. Much to talk about. It is a long dry spell with these good friends.
7/25/82 Nancy and Jimmy almost in tears when they left at 10:00 a.m. Good kids, their visit all too short. Karen to church with the 3 kids. She brought Rev. Jo Cassidy home with her. They find plenty to talk about, especially when Layna is working. I shouldn’t complain. They brought food from church.
7/26/82 Karen’s birthday and it was well celebrated. Dinner guests Gene Eberle, Sheila Hart. Karen and Layna prepared a 20# turkey by a new method and it was superb. Much hen chattering. It is hard to realize that 36 years have gone by since that morning when Layna gave birth to Karen in the island living room.
7/28/82 Karen to town and picked up Meredith Shifsky. Said Meredith, “I considered bringing my 3 children but decided against it.” I shuddered at the thought.
7/29/82 Bobby’s birthday and Karen took the kids to town. Robin joined them. He came here later. What a Goddamn period he must be faced with.
7/30/82 A new experience and I loved it. Lynn Myers picked Layna, Karen and I at 5:00 and off for Duck Bay where Mary and Doug Logland have their cabin. They have been working on it for 5 years and still not done. The house designed by Cowgill. I have decided that a good design by him has one qualification. Wherever one board will do the job, be sure that you use 3 or 4 or maybe a dozen. Les Cleveland with us to Loglands. Tad and Diane Sheldon, too. Much fun talking to Tad about guiding at NWI.
7/31/82 With Sally, Jim, Layna, Karen and me, we launched the Starcraft. Despite my inward questions, it went very well. A near catastrophe when Karen noticed that the drain plug was out.
8/1/82 Yesterday we had Lynn Myers pick us up and take us home. Today Larry L’Heureux came with the Dykers at 3:00 and took us to Moes cabin in Black Bay. Cliff, Lou, Margaret and Lou’s cousin from Florida. Much food and drinks, also much talk. Cliff - now 81 years old, sat with people gabbing around him and scarcely uttered a sound. Maybe we all should have done the same.
8/2/82 When Sally and Jim came from berry picking, Jim took water pump off of Starcraft and we replaced the impellers. Karen home at 6:00 bringing Jo Cassidy with her. Layna had fixed a white fish a new way and it was great.
8/3/82 Rays and Whites here for dinner at 5:00 p.m. No way could we have assembled more congenial people. Karen and I cried on each other’s shoulders. What a mixed up young woman and a worse mixed up old man
8/6/82 Karen and 3 kids left for Mpls at 11:00. They plan to stay overnight in Duluth. She sure has guts to tackle such an expedition. Sally and Jim to Fort for last minute shopping.
8/7/82 Jimmy Jernberg and 3 friends arrived about noon. They had a good meal, checked the maps and were on their way by 2:00 p.m. A beautiful, calm day until 7:00 p.m. when all hell broke loose.
8/8/82 Strong north wind came about 10 a.m. To Rays for brunch anyway. Sally and Jim along. A good meal and visit. A kayak with one man in it cruised by Rays’ island. When we got home, it passed our island. The waves high enough to hide both man and kayak. Wind blew all night. Where, oh where, are our 4 kids camping.
8/9/82 Sally and Jim with Don and Layna alone on island. Robin and Tony Lynch (and friend) stopped for short visit. They stayed in boat. Robin not at ease. Sally and Jim treated us to fish fry at Grandma’s.
8/10/82 The wind finally calmed down. What a relief for our 4 canoeists. Sally and Jim all set to go by 11:00. We took them to landing and said goodbye. We are alone but somehow I am not too happy. Maybe because we have so many irons in the fire, both at island and #235. We were at 265 when George and Ardys pulled in. They had been preparing to leave for home tomorrow.
