Bob Spry, a community servant/leader died recently, joining two other community pillars, Bob Carter and Dick Swanson, in our memories and among our saints this year. Spry’s service at St. John’s Catholic Church provoked many thoughts. Most obviously, the sanctuary at St. John’s rivals Bethlehem Lutheran’s as the largest religious hall I have been in here in Grand Marais. More... READ MORE >
A family reunion in southern Ohio provided the occasion for us to return home via Lake Superior’s Canadian North Shore. It was a pleasure with some surprises. We were vainly proud here of being what passes for scenic in Minnesota. We expected great open spaces and flatness above the Lake. It turns out that Grand Marais is at the bottom... READ MORE >
I first “met” author and WCCO radio personality Darragh Aldrich when friend Tom Haeg gave me his father Larry’s book, Lady in Law: A Biography of Mabeth Hurd Paige. (Find out more about Paige, a feminist, reformer, and state legislator until 1945, at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabeth_Hurd_Paige.) I write about Darragh Aldrich because she and her husband Chilsen Darragh Aldrich had a cabin... READ MORE >
As noted recently, Charles Hathaway, aka “Chico,” responded to the living greener invitation. Here is his writing, only lightly edited: “I appreciate your recent columns giving suggestions on how we all can do a better job of ‘living green.’ As has been pointed out, there are many different actions we can take to try to reduce our individual impact on... READ MORE >
On the 31st last, my brother Byron, friend and author Dave Saari, and I joined 47 other alleged Scotch snobs at the second annual Scotch Tasting Fundraiser. It benefits the Cook County Community Fund (“CCCF”) and was a most pleasant way to celebrate Byron’s advancing years. The event was limited to 50 people, so if you think your Scotch snobbery... READ MORE >
North Country denizens live in hope this time of year. We know that spring is just around the corner. How? The 2023 Directory of Minnesota Golf Association (“MGA”) member courses arrived last weekend. Be still our hearts! Minnesotans have 400 MGA member courses for our 5.7 million residents to choose from. That is one golf course for every 14,000 Minnesotans.... READ MORE >
You know you are on a loopy track when you see the dedication of The Ghost of Craven Snuggs—it’s to a decrepit International pickup truck. When is the last time you read a murder mystery where the lead investigator was dead 15 years? You will find that novel in the collection of the Grand Marais Public Library. A retired Grinnell... READ MORE >
Warnings to readers: This column relates to Highway 61 only in that— (1) about 21%+ of our residents lived through that longest war in U.S. history; (2) the residue of Viet Nam affects us all; and (3) I have been near 61 reading two books: Neil Sheehan’s A Bright Shining Lie and David Halberstam’s The Best and the Brightest. If... READ MORE >
Our six-plus-month winter season gives us plenty of opportunity to think, read, write–and for many–leave town. For those staying, pickleball and curling provide options for all ages. We’ve written of pickleball enough that a fellow columnist has taken caustic note. So today we focus on curling which you can do all along the North Shore. More on that below. My... READ MORE >
In 1967 Dustin Hoffman’s character was The Graduate. At the party for Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman), his neighbor famously whispered to him, “Plastics.” Indeed, many young graduates went into plastics and made the world more convenient for us. Bottled water, plastic wrap in the kitchen, wrapped useless toys, sweet tea, laundry detergent, and hundreds of other products came in or were... READ MORE >
