Shutting down the cabin

We frequently visit a lake cabin owned by my wife's uncle Russ. It is situated near Ely, Minnesota on Lake Vermillion. If you don't have an atlas handy it's not all that far from the border between Minnesota and Canada, on the edge of the BWCAW.

This weekend we went up there to have a little R&R and to get the cabin ready for winter. It was our first time to help shut the cabin down for the winter.

Shutting the cabin down for the winter is a melancholy sort of exercise. The cabin is so full of summer memories; catching loads of crayfish, catching northern and smallmouth bass, taking my niece and nephew camping, entertaining relatives and friends, watching a spectacular display of the Aurora Borealis for hours, and much more.

My kids in particular loved going to the cabin this year. From the moment there feet hit the ground they wanted to be outside on the dock or in the boat, or just running around catching squirmy things.

The crunch of leaves underfoot and the chill that accompanied a small snowfall made it clear that winter is approaching fast and we'll have to wait out the bitter Minnesota winter to feel the same skinny dipping--shoes off freedom again.