9/10/10 – We received house calls today from a few members of the extended Sawbill family. Vivian and Willard Stevens stopped in for a short visit before lunch. Viv and Willard camped at the Sawbill Lake Campground most summers over the past 50 years. Former crew member Jeff Thompson (’95-’98) also dropped by with his wife Lyn and daughter Elsie, who was making her first visit to Sawbill.

Willard and Vivian Stevens.

Jeff, Lyn, and Elsie Thompson keeping the Sawbill office entertained.

Jeff shows off the toilet paper holder he built, which is still in use in the Sawbill store bathroom. Elsie contemplates keeping the TP in good supply when she works on the SAWBILL CREW 2028.

9/7/10 – Nature photographer Jonah Westrich sent us some gorgeous photos from a trip he took earlier in the summer. He says he had a great time, as proven by his shots, and hopes to come up again next year.






-Kaj

9/6/10 – Labor day weekend is winding down here at Sawbill and we are saying goodbye to many Sawbill campers today. There is a very special group of campers who have come to Sawbill every year for the last 28 years. They are loose group of musical friends who meet in the campground each year for “fishing and picking.” They are very talented and can play hundreds of songs together, with voices in harmony and hot instrumental solos in the bluegrass style.
Since the beginning the group has traditionally sung “Happy Birthday” to Mary Alice Hansen, whose September 1st birthday usually falls on or near the Labor Day weekend. Mary Alice lives in Grand Marais now, but the musicians still celebrate her birthday with singing and cake. They sent Mary Alice the picture below to let her know that they are still thinking of her. – Bill

Musicians, friends and family wishing Mary Alice a happy 87th birthday.

9/4/10 – Fall arrived with a bang yesterday. We had 1.2″ of cold rain along with 35 mph winds blowing from due north. I’ve observed over the years that when there is a major hurricane on the east coast, the weather is wet and cold here at Sawbill.
Many canoe parties had to wait for the wind to moderate before starting their trips. Groups leaving the wilderness had better luck, but told wild stories about riding the waves down Sawbill Lake.
Today has dawned sunny, breeze and chilly. For the first time in many months we are seeing a lot of fleece, down vests and stocking caps. The weather service is calling for possible frost tonight. – Bill

8/31/10 – Driving home from town last night, we saw many eyes shining back at us from the road ahead. The headlights quick illuminated four bears – a mama and three cubs. The mother headed off the road pretty quickly, but the curious cubs kept peeking out at us. A stern word from their mother got them moving into the dark woods. – Bill

8/25/10 – Better late than never! Sawbill crew veteran Marc Le Voir returned a few days ago for his third summer of canoe outfitting. Marc spent March through July studying in Magdeburg, Germany, where he studied the German language and sampled a fermented beverage commonly known as “beer” for the first time in his life. Marc will be with us through the Fall season and into October. Welcome back Marc!

Marc, known for his skill with ropes, preps a canoe for departure.

8/23/10 – I figured I would give the few of you who have not been out in the Boundary Waters during the last couple weeks an update on how busy it has been. The lake was full of many delighted paddlers this past weekend. The weather was excellent and everyone was trying to enjoy it. Despite the great weather, things are still starting to slow down, as people start to head back to school and their jobs. It is definitely enough to make all of us here on the crew very envious. -Marc

Liz, Luke and Carl show us just how busy it was on Saturday afternoon.

8/19/10 – In order to not be outdone by the ladies, the Sawbill guys recently took their own evening off to relax. We decided to do something monumental and conquer both Eagle Mountain, Minnesota’s highest point and swim in Lake Superior, Minnesota’s lowest point. After summiting the peak, we went down to enjoy some tasty pub burgers at Lutsen Resort and went for an evening dip in the big lake. The elevation of Eagle Mountain is 2,301 ft. and Lake Superior is 601 ft., a difference of 1,700 ft. One state down, 49 more to go. -Marc

The beginning of our ascent.

Men ’10!

Standing on the lake shore after our swim.

8/18/10 – After Frank Hansen’s funeral this past Saturday, Sawbill hosted a get together and dinner for friends, family, and former crew members. The menu was a collection of Frank’s favorite foods; for a main dish there was good, old fashioned spaghetti (recipe courtesy of Mary Alice) and for dessert strawberry pie, peach pie, and huckleberry cheesecake made with berries handpicked by Clare Hansen from Missoula, Montana. The meal was followed by a campfire with much chatting and guitar playing. All in all, the food was delicious and the company cheerful. Frank will be missed by many. -Meg

Freshly baked strawberry pies.

Roy and Phoebe, tracking down the source of deliciousness.

A few of the many dinner guests.

8/15/10 – A few days ago, the Sawbill ladies deserted the outfitters for an afternoon in search of a night away from wilderness and men. We began our escapade by donning the nice clothes we never can find an excuse to wear at the outfitters and heading to Grand Marais. There, we ate a delectable dinner at the Angry Trout Cafe consisting of pasta, salad, corn on the cob, shrimp, walleye, and, of course, cheesecake and a chocolate tort for desert. After stuffing ourselves full of delicious food we moved on to mini-golf in an attempt to work off some of the calories we had consumed. Here are some pictures featuring all the Sawbill Ladies and the night’s events. -Meg

Sawbill Ladies by Lake Superior. Featured from the left to the right: Jessica, Meg, Ellen, Sarah, and Liz.

Food, glorious food.

Probably one of the more dressed up groups to have ever played this course.