Meanwhile, Somewhere in St. Louis...

When is a cabin not a cabin? Probably lots of replies would fit that question. Today's answer is: When it is a recording studio. Back in October, the Erin Bode Group came up and transformed Birch cabin into a recording studio, so that they could work on their latest jazz album. The musicians are based in St. Louis, Tennessee, and California, but they all agree that the Northwoods is a great place to converge for a task such as this. They came with their cars and truck fully packed with instruments, speakers, components, and all sorts of other things of which I don't even know the names. One time, Bill, our local UPS man, delivered a big black set of something, clearly for the effort's success.

This was actually the second time they used Birch for this purpose. A year earlier, they had produced a Christmas album in August. They said that the layout worked well for what they were doing: each musician was set up in a room and all were connected by headphones, microphones, and wires...Lots of wires.

That album, A Cold December Night, ended up with a cabin on the cover, one that resembles Birch in a way, with a bit of artistic license thrown in.

Since I am not able to describe the music of this group, other than to say that it is fantastic, I will quote here from their website:

"The Erin Bode Group creates music forged from the Americana of its members' midwestern roots, infused with jazz grooves and made magic by Bode's bell-like voice. Sophisticated arrangements and attention to phrasing, both vocal and instrumental, further distinguish the band's fresh sound."

We have had the opportunity to hear Erin, Syd, Adam and Derek play live in Grand Marais. They have appeared at the Gunflint Tavern, and they performed at the Jazz Festival in 2008. Erin has longtime ties to the Gunflint Trail, and when we visited the museum the other night, we saw pictures of many of her relatives there.

When Erin called to book the cabin for the second album, my main concern was for the outside noise that would be happening here. Since it was October, it was firewood season. We had to keep working our way through the firewood pile, using the very noisy splitter, as winter was not far off. She assured me that it would not interfere, since things had worked so well in the previous year. Back then, my concern was that Moses the donkey would somehow find a way to get one of his songs on the album. Of course, that didn't happen, thank heavens.

During the latter part of their stay, Erin invited us over to hear a preview of the music. What a delightful time we had, listening to the tracks that they had accomplished. I got a quick look into the creative process of musicians, as they would critique each song as it was playing, notebook and pencil in hand. At the end of the song, they would say things like, "What was missing?" or "I think it needed --this-- in that particular spot." I was amazed that they could identify areas that they wanted to change, when to me, it already sounded spectacular.

So, back to St. Louis. Today happens to be the debut for the new album. If I were able to travel in a blink, I would love to be in that city today, to go to the release party. If someone out there in Missouri is reading this, you should go in my place. I know you'll have a great time!

I love that the album is titled Photograph. Be sure to visit the website, as you will be able to learn more about Erin and her group, and you can catch glimpses of some of the photos they took while they stayed here at Heston's. This one in particular really delights me. And be sure to listen to a few of her tracks. They are amazing!

A Trip to the Museum

Two days of pies and blueberries makes me think that we need to change the subject away from food. All that pie is too much of a good thing!

As I mentioned briefly last night, we went up to the end of the trail for a preview of the new Chik-Wauk Museum, on Lake Saganaga. Words to describe it are hard to find, as it certainly surpassed my expectations. I knew that the team of volunteers had been working hard for five year, and that Chris and his crew were doing a fantastic job, but to see it all come together into such a beautiful place was astounding. If this isn't on your vacation-to-do-list yet, write it down immediately! It is so worth the trip.

Because it was dinnertime, and I hadn't yet made dinner, we didn't spend a lot of time there. But one definitely could do so, as the exhibits alone are finely detailed and contain paintings, photographs and artifacts galore. They cover the full range of Gunflint Trail history, from geology and voyageurs, to pioneers and modern-day folks. In addition to the displays, books and collections line the shelves waiting for perusal. It is not an exaggeration to say that you could spend a whole week there, and still find new things to see.

One activity that we didn't venture to are the hiking trails right on site. They are marked, and I imagine a map is available to guide you. Last year, Greg and I were assigned to plant trees at Chik-Wauk for the Gunflint Green-up. Someday when I am hiking up there, I plan to check on the progress of the little seedlings. The bay that the museum overlooks is quite picturesque, and it looks like it would make a terrific picnic spot.

The museum also hosts a lovely little gift shop, with a wonderful selection of shirts and handmade gifts. I recognized the work of some of my fellow fiber guild members, so you can definitely find items that are locally produced.

The grand opening is Sunday, July 4th. That also happens to be the eleventh anniversary of our blowdown storm. How lucky for us that we are all still here, able to acknowledge the history, both old and not-so-old, in such a great manner. It will be an amazing legacy for years to come.

Greg's Five Minute Adventure/The Berry Update

Wow, sometimes the day just gets away from me. Cabin cleaning in the morning, a trip to town in the afternoon, a quick run to the end of the trail to check out the new museum....and suddenly it's time to make dinner and the blog post isn't done. I wanted to share the goodness of the blueberries with you all.

Greg had his own five minute adventure on the way back from work yesterday. He stopped on one of the forestry roads near Seagull Lake, and scouted out the berries for this week's blueberry update. Within a few minutes, he had found several nice ones, but he said that most of them are still green. But what was most impressive was the size. It looks on par with the blueberry crop of the summer of 2008, one year after the Ham Lake Fire. He feels that it will still be about a week to ten days before the harvest is in full swing. But for hardy, intrepid pickers, you could probably find enough for a batch of blueberry muffins or to sprinkle into your pancakes in the morning. Time to start picking!

Pie Time

Friday was Pie Day here at Heston's. Following the success of the blueberry pie on Father's Day, I decided to experiment with baking a run of similar pastries. I wanted to tweak the temperature a bit, as much as is possible with a wood-fired oven. And I got brave and invited our neighbor Shari to join me. I still have a moment of pause when putting other peoples' baked goods into the oven, especially when it is an experiment like this was. What if I burn them? That always runs through my head.

Shari was game and willing to trust me, so she came over with a rhubarb cream pie, and an apple pie. I had prepared two strawberry-rhubarb pies, and with the left over crust scraps, I made a blueberry tart. When I checked the oven, the surface temp averaged about 500 degrees. We bravely put the pies in, and then sat down to wait with a cold beverage and some chips and salsa. The day had been rainy, but the evening was pleasant. The moisture was done, and the temp held enough to sit outside comfortably. Other neighbors had stopped by, too, and so we enjoyed some lively conversation while keeping an eye on the clock.

After about twenty minutes, we checked the tart. Since it was a smaller, shallower pan, I figured it would be done first. It needed just a bit longer, so we left it in there. Some of the pies were showing signs of quick browning on the crusts. We covered those with foil tents, so they wouldn't get burned. Fifteen minutes later, the blueberry tart was done, and the apple pie, too. Not long after, the strawberry-rhubarb pair was ready, and finally, the rhubarb cream pie was puffing up nicely, and so we pulled it out, too.

My main concern was that the heat from the oven's hearth might burn the bottom crust of the pies. Since we needed to check on that right away, we tried the blueberry tart. I needn't have worried, for it was dry and flaky, and just the right color. We cut the tart and ate it in no time. The blueberry filling was done to perfection.

My rhubarb pies waited til the next day to be sampled. I have to admit that I've never been much of a pie baker....One time, Robert went over to Sharlene's to learn how to make them. I wasn't making pie often enough for his taste, so he took the matter in to his own hands. He came home with a beautiful apple pie and presented it to me as a birthday gift from him and Gramma. Wasn't that sweet? The rhubarb pies from the bread oven were great--just the right balance of sweet and tart that we expect from that particular fruit.

Future plans include a pie day at least once a month, and hopefully a pie social sometime this summer. I'm on the lookout for other interested bakers to join me. I'll do my best not to burn anything...so far so good. Care to join me? Just drop me a note or leave me a comment. I'll let you know the next time the oven is ready!