7/10/07 – Former Sawbill crew member and cookkit washing efficianado Alison Behm was married to Patrick Bents, Saturday (7.7.07). The wedding, held in Rosemount, MN, was attended by Sawbill crew members, past and present, near and far. Super-wicked dancing followed the ceremony.

The crew makes its presence known at Alison’s wedding

Alison shows off her new Mrs. Crocs at the reception

Cindy and Lida kiss the bride

Pat Hughes and Pat Nash get their turn to kiss the groom…Pat Bents

7/8/07 – In keeping with Sawbill tradition the whole crew headed down to the shore of Lake Superior last Wednesday to watch the fourth of July fireworks. After some ominous clouds early in the day the night cleared up providing perfect weather for the fireworks show. -Kari

Clare, Tim and Liz enjoy the dazzling show

7/2/07 – Carl Hansen has returned from his school year in Norway! It took him two days to navigate the airline maze from Oslo to Minneapolis, but he made it, in spite of jet lag. After a couple of days off to shake off culture shock, Carl will return to his position on the Sawbill crew. If you speak Norwegian, you can look forward to chatting with Carl when visiting Sawbill this summer. – Bill

Adam, Bill, and Clare Hansen wait for Carl at the Minneapolis airport. “Baerga” is Carl’s baseball nickname.

Carl emerges from arrival area proudly bearing his Norwegian colors.

Happy to be reunited.

6/29/07 – Yesterday evening a few of the Sawbill crew were lucky enough to have our own fly fishing lesson with certified master casting instructor John Breslin. Mr. Breslin is the father of one of our crewmembers, Molly Breslin. This was my first exposure and I must say it’s a beautiful and artistic sport that is a wonder both to watch and to practice. The line arches through the air, whistling, then settles quietly in the water just to be snapped out again, leaving a line of ripples behind. Fly fishing is the oldest kind of angling, dating back about 500 years. Of course our casts were “noodly” at times and it was a very good thing we didn’t have any hooks, but Mr. Breslin’s smooth and perfectly timed movements were a treat to watch.


To top it off, Mr. Breslin just returned from a canoe trip on the Lady Chain lakes with Molly. And the fishing was excellent with pictures to prove it. – Caitlin

Mr. Breslin proves his expertise with a beautiful Small Mouth Bass.

6/28/07 – We are, inexcusably, almost a month late in announcing Pat Nash’s arrival at Sawbill-always a much awaited event. Nash is from Middleton, Wisconsin and a Sawbill crew veteran of five years! Below you can see a then and now shot, documenting the transformation from shy and unblemished Patrick to hardened wilderness man Nash.

Patrick, 2003.

Nash, 2007.
Lee Noble, our newest crewmember, hails from Indiana. Among his many qualities endearing him to us are his wicked crossword puzzle skills, his paddle balancing grace and the fact that he passed up a trip to Hawaii to work at Sawbill. Looks like a keeper. – Caitlin

Lee and Nash hard at work.

6/26/07 – I took a few pictures during a late afternoon paddle around the Kelso loop this week. It turned into a perfect summer evening with a warm breeze to keep the skeeters at bay. The unusual Pitcher Plants, Wild Irises and Bullhead Lilies are everywhere in the marshy areas.

Kelso River.
Pitcher Plants’ nectar entices insects into the pitcher where slippery platelets coat their feet. The downward facing hairs inside the pitcher then prevent any escape attempts so the doomed insect slips into the pool of liquid at the bottom of the pitcher and is dissolved and digested by the plant. Yum. – Caitlin

A shy Pitcher Plant.

The sun goes down over Alton Lake.

6/23/07 – A big congratulations to Sawbill customers Jeff Theisen and Rebecca Oberton! They became engaged this week during their canoe trip on Cherokee Lake, and with a perfect sunset in the background no less.

Jeff Theisen and Rebecca Oberton, recently engaged.
Another congratulations goes out to Roger and Judy Pedersen on their 48th wedding anniversary. Roger and Judy honeymooned at Sawbill 48 years ago today! This year they made the trip all the way from Cape Coral, Florida to celebrate in the BWCA once again.

Roger and Judy Pedersen, celebrating 48 years of marriage.
What better setting for these joyful milestones? Thank you for sharing your stories and we wish you all the best. – Caitlin

6/22/07 – Happy Solstice! The Sawbill crew rang in the official start of summer with a Crazy Hair party this year. The looks ranged from mohawks to up-dos accessorized by tree branches. An impressive showing as always. – Caitlin

Sawbill Solstice party.

6/19/07 – Sawbill has many customers that unfailingly make the trip up The Trail each year to spend a few days enjoying the wilderness. This week it is the one and only Team Fubar, Team Norski and Team U-Boat that have congregated up here to fish themselves silly. Jack Brenegan of Team Norski brought this picture with him this year of him and Doug Redsten and the 3 walleyes they caught on Alton in 1987. All together their catch weighed in at 28 lbs! Jack was quick to point out that now they would release any fish that big.
Jack and Doug were the first ones to start coming to Sawbill around the late 70s. As they returned each year their numbers began to grow. Sadly, Doug passed away in 1995 at which point the rest of the group of friends and family that had by then made the Sawbill trip a staple of their summer schedules decided to set up the three Teams. Team Fubar is led by Darrel Parker and Fred Escher. Team Norski (named for their Norwegian heritage) is captained by Jack Brenegan and his brother Duane Brenegan. Team U-Boat (named for their German heritage) is Jerry Keiser and Willie Schweffle. While this core has remained the same each year, from time to time they convince a few other friends and family to join them.

Jack and Doug, first cousins, with a fantastic walleye catch in 1987.
The arrival of Teams Fubar, Norski and U-Boat and their matching hats is now a much awaited event by the Sawbill family. Not only do we love to catch up with returning customers, but this particular group enjoys themselves so thoroughly and their sense of humor is so easy that we can’t help but be infected by their good spirits. – Caitlin

6/17/07 – Another new Sawbillian to introduce! Tim Rinden, a native Minnesotan, was bestowed with his nickname, in true Sawbill fashion, before he even arrived. “Tiny” is currently a student at the University of Minnesota. His first catch of the summer, seen below, further cemented him as Tiny around here.

The other two fish caught last night (by our very own Clare Hansen) were a bit more impressive. Unfortunately, an intimidating Snapping Turtle was also quite taken with them.
She was spotted near the Forest Service dock on Sawbill last night while Cindy, Johnnie, Clare and Tiny were fishing. As the story goes, she “appeared from out of the depths.” Unfazed by the now four shrieking people on the dock, she made a beeline for the fish on the stringer and feasted at her leisure. As Cindy Lou put it, she went at the walleye “like it was corn on the cob!”
While she did provide a fantastic photo opp, she has also weakened the swimming enthusiasm I mentioned yesterday. Even though according to all the books, Snappers won’t snap at you unless they are approached while on land. It’s hard to believe the books after looking at her though. – Caitlin

Going in for the kill…


Snappers are the largest turtles in the North Woods and are most often seen in June when the females come to shore to lay their eggs. The average lifespan in the wild is around 30 years.