4/10/13 – The long break since the last entry is explained by the annual Hansen family vacation. In the past, we’ve posted from where ever we were staying, but given the long winter this year, we felt like it would be cruel to post from the Caribbean.
Thanks to Karl Hansen, who watched the business, the dogs and the complicated energy system while we relaxed on the beach.
We returned to the classic bad news, good news scenario. The bad news was the passing of Sawbill icon, Larry Wilbers. Larry was a favorite customer and friend for many, many years. We first bonded with Larry when he flew his small private plane from his home in Ohio to the airport in Grand Marais. He asked us to pick him up and when we arrived, he offered to take us for an airplane ride. The airplane ride became an annual tradition and great fun for the whole Hansen family.
Larry, his son Steve, and many of Larry’s friends and family enjoyed Sawbill canoe trips over the years. This family tradition was lovingly documented in Steve’s books, “A Boundary Waters History: Canoeing Across Time” and “Canoeing the Boundary Waters Wilderness: A Sawbill Log.”
Larry’s granddaughter, Meg Simon, is a current Sawbill crew member.

Larry and Cindy in August of 2010 during his last Sawbill visit.
The good news was the birth of Mia Rose Casper. Mia is the daughter of Lida (Storch) Casper, former Sawbill crew member, who now teaches in rural Alaska.
The two events remind us, of course, how the wheel of life keeps turning. Just like spending time in the wilderness, the big life events remind us to keep an eye on the big picture and remember what is important in life. – Bill

Welcome to Mia Rose Casper! She is planning her first camping trip in the Sawbill Campground this summer.