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We stopped at Trestle Inn for a late lunch of burgers and onion rings, washed down with a cold beer. It was good to see Neil eating with gusto again.

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And we couldn’t just head for home now. Our grandson Robert, age 7, was joining us at Fenske Lake Cabins on Saturday for a week of fun in the Ely area. It was Monday. We now had time to spare, and no place to spend it. So we had to come up with PLAN B!

Fortunately the Spruce Cabin, which we had reserved for our week with Robert, was available for this week as well. It was pricey, and Neil gulped when I agreed to it, but we did rent it for the five days until his arrival, and moved right in.

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The cabin is very comfortable, with a nice view of the lake, a lovely screened porch, and some creature comforts we didn’t need (like a bubble-type bottom-jet bathtub and a dishwasher!) but did enjoy. We unloaded our stuff, decided what we needed right away—towels and supper—and took off for Ely.

Made a quick stop at Shopko for a set of towels, something I had forgotten to bring for the cabin, and got quick sandwiches at Subway. Hurried back to the cabin to shower and get ready for sleeping in a bed again. Much sooner than we had planned, but it did feel pretty good.

Tuesday we were back in Ely, doing laundry, buying a few essentials for the cabin time, getting groceries, checking out the Farmers’ Market and having dinner at Sir G’s.

In the evening we had a quiet time of reading books and enjoying the Maker's Mark that we had planned on imbibing beside our BWCA campfire. It wasn't all bad, actually. ;-)

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Wednesday was a rainy day. Perfect for staying in a nice, warm cabin and being dry. We got an invitation to come to Bill (Ho Ho) and David’s home for a get-together of friends, so I baked a cherry cobbler, and in the evening we joined them for brats, other delicious food, beverages, and conversation. Banksiana was there, and also Zulu, and some other folks, but I don’t think they are on bwca.com.

Thursday we slept in, had a nice breakfast, and took the canoe out to explore Fenske Lake before lunch. Nothing too exciting, but it is a pretty little lake.

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In the evening we treated ourselves to dinner at Burntside Lodge—probably my favorite place to dine in northern Minnesota. We had a lovely evening, shared a bottle of nice wine, stopped to visit with a friend on Pine Tree Trail for a few minutes, and on the way home I took a few photos of Shagawa Lake in the glow of sunset.

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Fenske Lake was smooth as glass that evening.

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On Friday we were cranky. I decided that we were getting bored and needed more activity.

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How about shopping? (This is really a joke, as I am famous for NOT liking to shop!) So we headed in to town, explored the Kess Gallery and bought some souvenirs. Went to Piragis and exchanged something we didn’t need for a drop-in seat for our canoe, which we did need, and then had lunch at “Taste of Ely”. Finally we bought a few more groceries, and got hot dog buns at Plum Bun Bakery for our cookout when Ed, Wendy and Robert arrive tomorrow evening.

After supper we paddled again on Fenske Lake, Neil fished a bit with no luck, and I took a few photos (ducks, mainly.) Reflections, too. I sat down on the dock to photograph the sunset but it wasn’t worth the bother, so I just gave up on that.

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And Saturday was the big day! It was finally getting warm in the Ely area, and it was gloriously sunny. We went back to town so that I could do another load of laundry, and Neil bought the beer we had forgotten. We had our lunch at the Honeybear Bar-be-que wagon in Zup’s parking lot—really very good—and topped that off with some pistachio custard at the Red Barn. Yum!

Our family arrived about 6 PM, remarking that it was a “long drive” from Omaha. I guess so!

We had a cookout. It was the first time Robert had ever cooked a hot dog on an open fire. Fun. And my three guys went out for a paddle together on Fenske Lake.

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Robert’s parents stayed the night and left him with us in the morning for a week of fun exploring Fenske Lake and Ely's "attractions". That’s another whole report. Perhaps I’ll write that one later.