Working the Bread Oven

Some years back, in the time after the bread oven was built, Greg had cause to email Alan Scott, the builder/instructor who taught the class for our oven. Greg was asking about the thermocouples that are embedded in the firebrick and concrete. He told Alan that we still hadn't insulated the oven. Alan was surprised, and said that when we did finally do that, we would be quite pleased with the efficiency of it. Now that it is insulated, I can't agree more.

Through the years of baking and pizza making, it seemed that the ciabatta bread I make would always turn out the best. I guess I had nailed the recipe, and since it was the one that the family asked for most, that is what I continued to make. But last week, I ventured out and tried a different recipe, one that I have made several times in my inside oven. It is a honey wheat bread, with some beer in it, and has always been a good one. In the bread oven, it turned out even better.

My biggest challenge in the past, it seemed, was to get a decent crust on top of the loaf. I was looking for one that had a good "tooth" to it, but didn't make my own teeth hurt when biting into it. I found it in this recipe and the insulated oven. On Friday, we baked off a few loaves, and some cabin guests baked up some whole wheat bread. It all went quite smoothly, with no burnt crust, and the bottoms were a perfect golden color. Hooray for good bread!

It's probably time to start planning another pie-baking day, especially given the tremendous berries out there. If you are interested in joining us, leave me a comment, and I will pick a day that works. If your are staying with us sometime in the next month and want to bake something, let me know, too! This oven is much better when shared with the community.

Our final shot is our two little bread-baking helpers, as we took photos of each other. It was a fun time!

Sunday Photos

Time for the Canoe Races!

The canoe races are just around the corner, and I feel like I am in a race for time. I'm not training to paddle, but I am trying to finish a project. In addition to racing, the evening of fun includes a raffle and silent auction. I am working on a pair of hand knit socks to donate...and they are not done!

But that's not important. What is important, though, is to tell you about all of the fun of the races. This is a fund-raiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, and it has been happening for more years than I have been around the trail. In my early days up here, the races were held every other week, and hosted by different lakes. In the last several years, the Gunflint Lake homeowners have teamed up with the Seagull-Sag homeowners to put on a full evening of entertainment for the whole family. There are minnow races and games for children, a delicious sloppy joe dinner, some contests, and of course, the action of the races themselves. Three categories of races are included: the regular paddling, backwards paddling, and the broken paddle race. After those have concluded, there is gunnel-pumping, where the racer stands on the back of the canoe's gunnels and propels the watercraft forward by pumping with the legs. It's a hilarious race to watch, with many people ending up in the water. Overall, the whole gathering is a great time to socialize, cheer on the racers, and support the fire department.

But back to the raffle and auction. Each year, the organizers collect many donations of prizes, from gift certificates to handmade items, and put these all on display for the attendees to peruse, and possibly win. The collection is amazing. Sometimes we've been fortunate enough to win a few of the items. It's a lot of fun to hear the names of our friends and neighbors called out, and to watch them go up to collect their prizes. The evening is capped off with the big raffle, a Wenonah canoe.

Tickets are available now at several of the businesses, and you can purchase them on the night of the raffle as well. Put it on your calendars to attend, this Wednesday, July 21, as it is a wonderful evening.

A Very Windy Day

To my ear, Gunflint Lake is one of the most quiet places on earth. Most nights, the sounds melt away, leaving us with only an occasional loon call or owl hoot. The days, while busy with many different sounds, still don't come near to the amount of audio stimulation I have when I am away from here. Even in Hawaii, I noticed it was much louder. The sound there that I noticed most was the ocean and the wind. The surf and the pounding of the waves were always in the background. It reminded me of a dull roar--the term my dad used to say to us when he wanted us to take things down a notch. "Hold it to a dull roar!" Yes, Gunflint Lake is one of the quietest places, except when the northwest winds blow.

Today is a very windy day. It came along yesterday, that sneaky west wind, relatively mild in the morning, but in full swing by early afternoon. It blew all day, calmed for a bit in the late afternoon, and then resumed while the pizza-making was at its busiest. The night was a blustery one, and by the time we got up, it was kicking up well. It's really not a problem for me, since most of my day is land-based. Heck, all of my day is such, since I've only been on the water about four times so far this summer. For the folks who are supposed to be out on the lake, today is a bad day.

Before the morning had fully started, we could hear voices down by the shore. I figured they were canoeists, trying to take advantage of the early hour in order to make it to the landing before the big waves rolled in. I've heard of people getting up and paddling at four a.m. sometimes, just to get the big water behind them before the winds became too strong. Sometimes folks will pull over on our beach, and call it quits here. We are about two-and-a-half miles from the public landing, and when you are fighting a 15-20 mph wind, that can feel like forever. These four canoes were determined. They soon were pulling past our main dock, making some decent headway, but wisely sticking close to shore. They definitely had their work cut out ahead of them.

Another group came by around eleven. These folks were still on land, with a plan to put in at our landing and head on east towards South Lake. But by that hour, the wind was really in full fury, with several large waves knocking on the dock and soaking the ramp. They consulted and contemplated, and finally compromised. They decided to find an alternate route east of here, one that would still allow them entry to South Lake, but didn't put them into harm's way. They likely evaded a good soaking by that choice as well. Not everyone was happy, but at least they could continue their trip.

It's interesting how the vacation we plan isn't always the one we face when we reach our destination. But with Mother Nature in charge to some extent, we must take what she sends our way. Plan B is a good thing to have, and in the process, those changes can sometimes bring the most unexpected surprises. We just have to be on the watch for them.