7/26/05 – Sawbill Head Cheese Bill Hansen and his children Clare and Carl recently completed a week long canoe trip in the remote waters north of Atikokan, Ontario. They reported seeing few travelers, abundant wildlife and heavy airplane traffic (the main difference between this unprotected area and the Boundary Waters). Fishing, especially for northern pike and smallmouth bass, was excellent.

Where is the portage?

Clare keeps calm while landing Carl’s monster (OK, medium sized) northern.

Muddy shoes build character and enhance family togetherness.

7/24/05 – Fishing has remained steady despite constant heat and high pressure. Small mouth bass are probably biting the best right now, but we continue to receive favorable reports about northerns, walleye and lake trout.
Former Sawbill crew member and fishing enthusiast Jeff Thompson sent us this picture from a recent canoe trip he took with fellow Sawbill alums Jason “Jase” Morse and John “OB” Oberholtzer, and current crew member Adam Hansen.

The lake trout are still biting on the remote Raven Lake. Great photography Jeff!

7/22/05 – I proudly present to you the Sawbill Crew of 2005:

Top (from left): Alison Behm, Tess Dornfeld, Shannon Grace, Kirk Dornfeld, Carol Winter-Dornfeld, Adam Hansen, Molly Breslin, Kari Anderson-Hermann, Dave Freeman, Mary Alice Hansen, Bradley Rysdahl, Bill Hansen. Middle (from left): Jeff Green, Lida Storch, Carl Hansen, Clare Hansen, Jasmine Hanson, Cindy Hansen, Frank Hansen. Bottom (from left): Pat Nash, Sonya Hansen, Sunnie, Laura Smith, Homer.

7/21/05 – OK, take a breath. This is momentous stuff. Longtime Sawbill family friend Tess Dornfeld, seen below flanked her parents Kirk and Carol, began a 10-day internship here early last week.
As Sawbill closes in on its 50th anniversary next year, Tess has become Sawbill’s first ever second-generation crew member. Mom Carol was renting canoes and outfitting camping trips here from 1977 to 1981. I hope this makes some of you feel as old as I do!

Kirk, Tess and Carol take a family breather during last Monday’s Dome Dance.

Carol Winter, highlighted, together with other members of the legendary crew of 1980.

7/19/05 – The annual Sawbill Dome Dance lived up to expectations last night with an evening of hot music, sweaty dancing and cold home brew (Jock Mock Porter, courtesy of Sawbill crew members Pat Nash and Jeff Green).
Thanks to dance caller Terrence Smith for another great year!

Sawbill crew members Jeff Green, Clare Hansen and Tess Dornfeld “turn the dish rag.”

Everybody circle left!

Dance caller Terrence Smith and his daughter (and Sawbill crew member) Laura swing down the line.

The sound of stomping feet resonates through the dome like a giant echo chamber.

7/17/05 – The blueberries are ripe! The unseasonably hot weather of the past two weeks has transformed the bitter green berries into heavy pink, blue, and deep purple morsels. Sawbill crew member Shannon Grace and former crew member Missy Peschman went on a blueberry harvesting mission today, returning after a few hours with berries by the bucket load. Pies and pancakes may be in our immediate future.

2005 is shaping up as a banner year. The blueberries are ripening fast, but plenty of green berries remain for the coming weeks.

7/15/05 – Some of the baby loons of a few months ago are turning into adolescents, still reliant on their parents but gaining small chunks of independence. This mother and child loon were spotted on Agamok Lake–Mom paddling along and junior catching a quick nap under her wing.

You’re never too old for nap time.

Sensing danger, Mom abruptly ends the siesta with a piercing call.

7/12/05 – Our outfitting department is undergoing some redecorating with the help of local carpenter Don Noyce. Yesterday’s big move was to take the paddle storage cabinets (known as the “paddle racks”) outside, where Don will weather-proof them. The two racks are so large that, after shoving aside all mobile shelving, a team of crew members and one very dedicated customer had to maneuver them down the stairs to the store, out the front double doors, and all the way around the building to the canoe yard. What an operation! Only a few people were squished into corners and impaled on merchandise.

The paddle rack in action. Count the pairs of feet: there are seven in all.

7/11/05 – Sawbill customer Troy Vegel of Ham Lake, MN, had a big Memorial Day weekend this year…he caught his first walleye while camping on Smoke Lake with his dad Jim. He and his brother Erik also took their first turn at doing real work on the 100-rod portage from Sawbill to Smoke. It’s not often that we see the phrase “carrying their own weight” quite so literally interpreted. We hope Troy will be back for another walleye soon.

7/10/05 – Have you ever read the Shel Silverstein poem titled “It’s Hot!”? Something about taking off your skin and sitting around in your bones in an effort to cool off. That poem could have been written at Sawbill this week. With afternoon temperatures topping 90 degrees Farenheit in the sun, the crew is doing everything possible to stay cool. Four swims a day has become standard, lights are always off when not in use, and every meal is a salad. After the Grand Marais Summer Senior League baseball team, featuring Carl Hansen on first, defeated Duluth Central in a pair of resounding victories today, much of the team joined coaches (and Sawbill crew members) Jeff Green (right) and Adam Hansen (below) in a swim in Lake Superior. For once, the lake’s icy chill felt refreshing.