Black’s Cliff Resort’s Birch Bark Blog

I have been so busy with painting this week it was nice to have Rob Moore up at the resort.  When he is here I am always gaurantteed some beautiful pics for the blog.  So today’s pics are all thanks to Rob!  Kudos Rob.  I loaded the pic above bigger than normal for all the screen saver gurus out there

Rob and Doug fished for 3 days.  I heard the perch were biting big time.  They also thought they saw 2 pairs of loons on the lake which would explain all the hooting and hollering I heard as I was varnishing Norway yesterday.

Rob caught this picture back in the bay showing our usual pair nesting

This is my favorite pic, as Rob caught something I never have.  Do you see the bird in this picture taken by the boat docks

I never would have thought of looking for an owl in the middle of the day.  I forgot to ask Troy before I left what kind of owl this is, I am sure out in blog land there is an owl identifier.

Thanks again Rob

Ok it is busy time of year so I just inserted the last pics of putting in the big swim docks.  The swimming area is looking like summer minus the raft that is still floating down at Holiday or Norway and the big pontoon that is in for a new paint job.  Hopefully all make it for Memorial Day Weekend.  Stay tuned

It is a cold day in the Da Nort woods not fit for fishermen or guinea pigs to be outside.  Type of day for book work and paying bills.  Junior has been put in charge of the desk work and reservations while we all take a day and go up to The Waters to jump in the pool.

Of course today is the day the Azailia bush chooses to bloom how long will the blooms last, it is 39 degrees, going down to 27 tonight.  It snowed at 9 am but I did not have the heart to take  pic of the snow blowing across the lake with white caps in a 40 mile wind.  It is not a day to move the raft.  Eagles Nest had its water turned on for spring cleaning 2 days ago, tonight we will be leaving the water dripping and the heat up.  I am sure the Grady’s would not mind broken water lines next weekend.

One of these things just doesn’t belong in this picture.  Identify which docks these are and you have the answer…. Paul I think has a pretty good idea what happened since he has first hand knowledge of the situtation

Missing picture is Troy and Steve towing the raft out to its home location out from the swim docks in a stiff wind.  Raft is in the perfect location, anchor of 3 cement blocks is pushed off the raft, old rope left out all winter snaps leaving a drifting raft in a 30 mph wind.  They were lucky to get it into shore and tied up

Think this anchor will hold it til we have time to tow it back and get a new anchor….. stay tuned

Warm spring day a new pair of wadders and that means time for the white dock to go in

Straight nails are a must

Craig with the new wadders using all his engineering skills and experience to get the dock in.  Few foul words about large rocks in the way and all went in.

You know even though neither of these wadders leak how come I am still the one who got wet, wonders Troy.  Lesson learned never listen to Craig when he says that the lake drop off is farther out.

In other news the windows at Eagle Nest are getting a touch up.  3 generations of wood putty repairs and varnish from Maynard, Craig and now Jenny keep these windows going.  It is a learned skill to use wood putty and make the corners.  If they are not right I blame it on Craig who would blame it on Maynards technique

Our first big fishing trip.  Troy had to pull out the big net for this one.

Somebody else caught this one….  Fishing was a little slow, we were after crappie and whatever bass were to be found.  The bass season does not open til 3rd weekend in June so this one was thrown back til later.  The lilly pads are just coming up so snagging hooks and bobbers in the lilly pads was not a problem.  i think one more week for the crappie to really start when they head to the spawning beds

Found the loons in the back bay.  Looks like they are back to nesting in the shoreline this year.  last year they picked 25 feet off a dock back in the bay, which seemed strange and did not work well for them.  The chicks last year did not make it.  Looks like they stand a better chance this year.  Troy was the loon photographer this time and took this single pic as I was busy searching out the bass

What is the difference between The Hilton and Black’s Cliff….  At the Hilton they pretend that everything works and is completely clean nobody pees in the pool, TV reception is always perfect, nobody drops trees and hits things and for heavens sake they don’t put it on their website.   Ohhh and I almost forgot they have Paris with her little chihuahua’s , we have Craig and Poe.  Craig and Poe are much cuter

Keep this in mind as the attempt is made to launch the pontoon boat

Pontoon boat cleaned and ready to go, Poe very excited can’t you tell.  Pontoon boat cleaner than Paris’s bathroom

Pontoon boat heading off the trailer and everything looks good just like an add for the Hilton minus the bikinis

Poe waiting for the engine to start.  Drifting closer to the exit creek by Hilltop…  What is that strange smell in the air…..  Motor is sputtering…..

The above blob is what Troy pulled out of the engine when he took the cover off.  A mouse had made its nest in the engine and left behind the nest and a winters worth of excrement which was creating the smell that was mixing with gas create a truly foul stench

Not in his swimsuit like Paris Hilton but still willing to dive in and rescue us…. until the smell made him think twice…

After finally firing up the engine and burning off the remaining mouse pee off the engine we finally made it back into the dock for Troy and Craig to check the motor over

Picking out the remaining parts of the mouse nest out of the engine.  Looks like no major damage done that an air freshener will not fix.  Few foul words said about rodents not fit even for Paris Hilton to say

Burning off the remaining mouse pee on the way back to the resort with a breeze blowing in back of us.  Perfect way to end the first pontoon boat ride of the year… grumble grumble.  Really got to figure out how Paris manages to pull off all those motels without dealing with mouse pee, but I bet she does not have nearly as much fun doing her job

Geo Cachers have a motto, cache in and trash out.  Translation as you are traveling to a geo cache grab any trash you see on the way to clean up the place you are

Last weekend every cacher was asked to do this and here is an article from Wausau Daily Harold about Geo Cachers doign their part

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20090503/WDH0101/905030557/1981

3:30 am this morning we heard the garbage cans go bang, bang…..   We shot out of bed to see what we would see and what to our eyes should appear……  The biggest Black Bear ever with his hands in our sunflower seeds.  Of course the camera chose that moment to have the flash not work..  Where was the 2nd camera… stumble stumble, swear, stumble some more..  don’t ask

Poe was enjoying all the good bear smells this morning around the can

I am sure this is not the last we shall see of the sunflower burgular.  Maybe the flash will work tonight and the 2nd camera has been found

I took these pictures from our beach.  The loons were fishing right in front of the resort.  They could have cared less that I was there.  Enjoy and grab a cup of coffee insert sound of loons

If you look at the back of the loon I think you can see one of the leg bands on this loon.  Our loons are banded and we have had the same loons for the last few years.  The loon researchers put unique combinations of color bands on each leg that is unique to each loon in order to keep track of them.  I do not know the exact color combination of the Lower Kaubashine loons but I will see if I can forward this picture to the loon guru and see what they have to say

Diving for fish.  I have never caught them mid dive before.  If you take 50 pictures you are bond to catch the right shot with one of them.  The secret to photography is not necessarily knowing what you are doing but take a lot of pictures and use the crop board

Gone……