August 29, 2005
Bemidji KOA
Bemidji Minnesota

Crazy 24 hours…
After leaving Sal’s we headed north again on HWY 2 and arrived in Bemidji Minnesota in late afternoon. Of course we stopped at the statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox. Then off toward the Red Lake Res. The countryside is so great and I was excited about finding a camp site unhooking and getting out on some back road to shoot. Stopped at a few places on the res. but no camp sites so we headed back toward Bemidji and the KOA. More than centrally located enough to head out and explore. BUT after one of our stops we realized my wallet was gone! Knew right where it fell out of the car and rushed back but no wallet. After speaking to motor vehicles and the other ID producing outfits, that seem to have a great control over our lives, it looked like after all the time trying to get up here we were going to have to burn rubber so to speak back to New Mexico to get outfitted with new ID before we could continue the trip. Okay won’t bore you with the details of the last 24 hours but we ended up driving back to the res and posting reward signs and one right by the side of the road where I lost it. Sure enough tonight Lisa Stayely and Darilyn Cloud called and had found it. So off to Ed’s gas station we rushed to retrieve it. It was my wallet with everything in it. Hooka Hey! Lisa and Darilyn thank you!

So tomorrow thanks to these two lovely ladies I can start work.

Side bar: before we left Grand Rapids I had the opportunity to meet Mike Kenjlo of the Grand Rapids Barber Shop and the Grand Rapids Leather, Boot and Shoe Repair- both at 313 NE 3rd. Street in Grand Rapids
http://geocities.com/shoeboy_4u/
218-326-1569
I called Mike at 11:30 on Saturday to see about having my boot healed, Literally.
He told me he closed at 12 but to come on in and he get em done. Spent an amazing 2 hours with him. First as a barber while he finished up his Saturday regulars and then as my shoe repair man. Let me tell you his shop is old world and he’s proud of his vintage barber chairs as well as the vintage tools in his leather/shoe shop. Never have I seen such care and quality work all done with great conversation. Almost cut my hair today…….

Darilyn Cloud DMK and Lisa Stayely
Aho, Mitakutye Oyasin

Mr. Mike Kenjalo

Mike’s workspace. It’s interesting how different all our workspaces are!

Mike’s shop in Grand Rapids MN

Paul Bunyan and Babe and Heather and Henery and David

you know your in Minnesota when the ice boxes look like this but where are the leaches????

August 25,2005
Pattison State Park
South of Superior WI

Arrived at Arne, Mary Anne and their daughter Phoebe’s farm yesterday afternoon. Such a great place! Lots of beautiful land, forest and meadows, with a view of the lake and a trout stream nearby. Both Arne and Mary Anne are working artists. Arne is a painter, sculpture and maker of fine art rugs while Mary Anne is a weaver and rug hooker. This description really is inadequate though, as their art is reflected through out their lives and you see it everywhere from the cement castings that are placed around the property to the details within their home. Arne is also working on five Spartan Travel Trailers from the 50’s and will someday have them all full restored and parked around the property.

Would of liked to of stayed on longer but Mary Anne is working on a major show and Phoebe heads back to school in a few days. Additionally they have a foreign exchange student on her way over from France so their plates are quite full. You should check out their websites:

http://www.maryannewise.com
http://www.arnenyen.com/

Do look forward to being back in the area someday soon Western Wisconsin have definitely become one of our more favorite places. So after a great lunch and a beer run to town we headed out again going west and found we where headed back toward HWY 2 and Sal’s camp.

Arne, Phoebe, Mary Anne and Cookie

Mary Anne’s Studio

Mary Anne at Work in Her Studio

Arne makes our photograph

One of the Spartans and Arne’s Studio

Arne and the Fleet behind his Studio

The Bird Bath

Cement Work

Henry gets a new ball

The three of Us by Arne

Mississippi River Lock #6

Swimming in the Mississippi River

August 18, 2005
Sal’s Camp
Warba, Minnesota

Up at 7 am yesterday for a full day of scanning. Took a break around 9 am and fished off the dock for a bit caught- one Northern. Then called it a day around 5 and hit the lake, fished deep for Walleye but no action. Hooked a couple more Northerns- no Walleye to be found. Perhaps the Northerns have taken over this small Minnesota Lake. They sure are an aggressive fish, but not much of a fighter.
Was able to photograph Mr. Clarence Paul Eiynck Sr. of Warba, MN. this afternoon. Clarence is a local boy, grew up here and had a small farm, not far from the camp. A triple by pass, last year, put an end to that and now he helps out around the camp and is “retired”. Had some good stories about serving in the military in North Africa and Vietnam. Another good photograph.

Also photographed Mr. Dwight (Ike) King and his dog Sissy. Ike, as he is known to his friends and fellow campers run’s Sal’s when she is out on the road as a long haul trucker. Sissy and Henry became fast friends and ruled the camp.

Still amazes me how many folks just say sure when asked if I can photograph them. Not many even question why.

Almost have all the images scanned from March through July, hope to be able to finish them before we leave Sal’s. Then I just have the Polish Portfolio to scan and I’m not caught up. Now that we have the redesign done in the airstream I hope it will be easier to scan as we travel and not get as big a back log before we scan again.

Ike at Work

Ike and Sissy

Clarence Paul Eiynck Sr.

Clarence Paul Eiynck Sr.

August 15, 2005
Sal’s Camp
Warba, Minnesota
Sal’s Campground is a great place. The bathrooms ain’t quite perfect but the folks that are here running the place are great as is the peace and quite and the lake. Two small rowboats with electric trolling motors are for rent and the lake and fishing are great.
Lots of shade trees and not many folks at the camp. Also just across the street is the gas station and country store with bait, movies for rent and lots of stuff to eat not to mention the best ice cream!

Sal’s is at
21420 US HWY 2
Warba, MN
12 miles east of Grand Rapids
218-492-4297

As will all perfect things they are not what they seem. The plan is to stay here a few days and process all the film and scan the images shot since our last scanning session. Also to do a little fishing.

We forgot about cold water from the ground. All summer we’ve been getting 75 degree water from campground taps, right out of the ground but now up north and getting into fall the water is 40 degrees. The airstream water heater works great for washing dishes and bodies but not for extended time flow to wash film. Water less that 70 degrees will not guarantee all the gelatin will come off the 4×5 p/n film. We had picked up an electric in line on demand water heater, which also works great for washing dishes and bodies BUT does not have enough gpm heating capacity to wash film. Lusting after that 25 gallon water heater in the bus……
But as Heather reminds me I might not have as much film to process as I’d be working on the bus not shooting.
Last winter we rented hotel rooms once a week or so to run film and it looks like it’s time to start again, at least until we get west and south and find warm water again.

Do have lots of scanning to do and will be able to fill the time here but sure would like to see the new images. Have to rent a hotel room sometime next week. It helps a lot to see the work as it is progressing. Keeps me on the right path so to speak.

Hit the lake around 5pm and headed over to the old dead birch tree across the lake. Had a few good hours and both landed Northerns- okay small Northerns but still Northern. Let them both go and headed home just after dark. Henry is quite the fishing dog. Just sits in the boat and watches. Gets so excited when we pull in a fish.

Working on birch bark painting

Work in progress

First Northern

Heathers First Northern

DMK first Northern

Loon Sand LAke

in the boat

Sunset

August 13, 2005
Buffalo Bay Camp
Red Cliff Chippewa Reservation
Red Cliff, Wisconsin

Great little semi-modern camp on the shore of Lake Superior. It is run by the reservation and has all that one would expect from Reservation Life…. Yep the hot water is in the right knob position. It’s right on the lake and Henry just has to climb down a hill to swim. Our site is an isolated one, away from other rigs and we can not see anyone. Feels like we just pulled off on a dirt road and happened to find an electric hook up, fire pit and picnic table.

Excellent time here. Last night we won $100.00 at the casino so tonight we had a treat- dinner out at the Greunkes Inn. Heather dined on the local white fish boil and I had to go for the prime rib. Both quite good. Then a stroll down by the marina and good fun watching the local wedding photographer at work. Very reminiscent of Maine but no lobsters to be found anywhere!

Today was spent at the Apostle Islands National Park under the extremely helpful and watch full eyes of Volunteer Ranger Jeff Dickey. Jeff is another full time RV’er who has landed here for the summer working for the Parks Service. The Head Ranger at the Park was kind enough to have Jeff open the building for us and with Jeff in tow we spent a good part of the day exploring and photographing the Hokenson Brothers Fishery, which is part of the Apostle Islands Park. The three Hokenson Brothers operated a family owned commercial fishery at Little Sand Bay for over 30 years closing it in 60’s after the Sea lamprey invaded Lake Superior in the mid 50’s.

Made some strong images in Twine Shed as well as in The Herring Shed. The building have been left as the Brothers left them, many tools in place. It feels as if they are just having a shift change and at any moment they will return to begin work. Quite amazing to see the tools they used, many homemade, to cut ice and catch fish.

All the while Jeff was filling me in on the history and life that the Hokenson Brothers lived. They started out as dairy farmers but could not support three family that was so they move into fishing and dairy farming.

Enjoy staying in one place for more that a night and we hope to be doing it a good deal more.

Bufffalo Camp

this glass ain’t half full

Dinner out!

The Wedding Shot

Heather and Jeff

Pound Net Detail

Windows Twine Shed

Junior Ranger Heather

Blacksmith tools Twine Shed

More Blacksmith stuff

Fish (herring) Cleaning Station

Herring House Barrels

Hether and Jeff in Herring House

Detail of old Glasses

Henry Swimming Lake Superior

Cloverdale Community Center and King School

Henry at King School Cloverland WI

DMK shooting outhouse

Cloverdale Hayrolls

Fishing Boat Bayfield WI