Taking a Wee Hiatus . . .

Sometimes Life Just Gets the Best of You . . .

I have nothing for you today - sorry. Seems an acute case of Sinustis has morphed itself into an acute case of Bronchitis. I am down for the count . . .

It's Fish Fry Friday!

It is the end of another week. The weekend looms, with its change of pace and flexible ambiance. You’ve grown tired of dispatching quick and efficient evening meals. You don’t have the heart to produce grander fare for a celebration. Hey, it’s Friday night! Time to take a break and go out for fish!

Friday nights on Drummond Island translate to “let’s meet for fish.” You know you can go just about anywhere on a Friday night and find a delicious, reasonably-priced meal of fish. But from my perspective nothing compares to Fish Fry Friday at the Northwood. Especially if Celia is in the kitchen cooking!

Windy and raw, the late, wintry afternoon sinks into dusk. You gratefully seek refuge from the dark and cold, opening the tavern door. Warmth, happy chatter, and the moist aroma of stale beer mixed with frying fish invite you in. The immersion in the familiar excites and soothes. For a moment you wrestle with the anticipation of a cherished meal and fears of a long wait.

Fish Fry Friday is not just a tasty meal, reasonably priced. It is a socially-charged atmosphere where friends, family, and neighbors mingle, exchange stories, share comfort food and drink. All the while partaking of the Island’s famed friendly ambiance. It is an Island event. And it doesn’t matter how long you have been away – on a Friday night sharing stories and eating fish – you are always folded back in to the community.

Woe to unsuspecting Friday travelers arriving at mealtime expecting a fast and easy fish fry! The line may be long, but the wait is part of the festive sequence: strangers break into conversation while friends share camaraderie, sometimes at the bar or over a lively game of pool. Impatience is uncool. Bracketed and bolstered by companionship, the meal will eventually arrive.

When it is over you levitate back home – sated and warmed by food and spirit, the weekend officially opened.

If you head Up North be sure to stop by - the beer is always cold, the fish is always fried to perfection and you won't find a better selection on the juke box anywhere else!

The Northwood Restuarant and Bar

29944 E Channel Rd Drummond Island, MI 49726

906-493-5282

No Winter Lasts Forever . . .

Just remember in the winter

far beneath the bitter snows

lies the seed

that with the sun's love

in the spring

becomes the rose

The Rose - lyrics and song music by Amanda Mc Broom

The Rose was recorded by Bette Midler in 1979. Other popular recordings have been by Conway Twitty in 1983 and Leann Rimes in 1997.

Olympic Dog Sledding . . .

Yes - Dog Sledding - an Olympic sport. Well not officially, but during the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Dog Sledding was an exhibition sport. The Olympic sport featured five Canadians and seven Americans with six dogs per sled.

Olympic Dogs.

Canadian, Emile St. Godard, and his team - led by Toby - won both 50 mile races held at the Games that year.

St. Godard, obviously a dog lover, called his team “my family.” He once stopped mid-way through a race (one he and the dogs were winning) because the ice encrusted snow was injuring the dogs’ paws. It is understood his dogs were fed a steady diet of Lake Winnipeg goldeneye fish to enhance their stamina and boost their energy. Toby, the lead dog, was a husky-greyhound cross and held a very high status as lead dog. But he also held the place of top dog in the heart of St. Godard.

When Toby was no longer fit for racing, St. Godard gave up the sport as well. What a pair they must have been. St. Godard was well respected for his concern for the dogs. A true ambassador for the sport, he remains the only dog sledder to be inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and the only Gold Medalist for Olympic Dog Sledding. Emile and Toby – Canadian Olympic Heros!
 
You can read more about Emile St. Godard - now in the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame at the following link:

http://www.halloffame.mb.ca/honoured/2007/egodard.htm

 

To get a taste of what the world of dog sledding and dog sled racing is all about, head on up to Drummond Island this winter. Several dog sled races are held throughout the winter with the next one scheduled for the weekend of February 27 - 28, 2010. All events are held at the Drummond Island Resort and Conference Center :

 http://www.drummondisland.com/

For more information on the race schedule for February's contest, competion rules, and other dog sledding tidbits go straight to the source:

http://www.midunionsledhaulers.com/races.html

Fishing on Hard Water . . .

Starting in late December, the waters around Drummond Island ice up and enthusiasts take to the frozen playgrounds on snowmobiles and pickup trucks in search of fish. Basing their operations out of small shacks, the fishermen walk around the frozen landscape periodically, checking tip-ups, breaking up ice buildups and drilling new holes. These men and women (yes, the girls Up North take to the ice too) approach their fishing responsibilities seriously - not even sub-zero winters can bar them from enjoying the great white outdoors.

Ice Fishing

by W.J. Mallory

As a fisherman I'm not dumb;

But fishing at 10 below makes me numb;

Not to say it isn't nice;

Many fish from chalets on ice;

My experience has left me thinking;

Most guys out there are just drinking;

To Little Bay De Noc;

The ice fishermen do flock;

For whitefish and walleye they stay;

Sometimes a pickup sinks into the bay;

This winter has been balmy;

We should be watching for a tsunami;

35 degrees yesterday afternoon;

Noodle rod and waders will come out soon;

40 today, at last;

I'll be in the lake real fast;

Over the ice and into the lake;

As agile and lithe as a cold snake;

Finally fishing among the floes;

Bouncing from cube to cube my lure goes;

45 minutes before the cold sets in;

Zero caught, but at least I was fishin'

Sturgeon Bay Charters owner Meade Gable has been out on the ice surrounding Drummond Island just about every day this winter. His Fishing Reports are as entertaining as they are informative. To read a few for yourself head on over to his Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/#!/pages/Drummond-Island-Sturgeon-Bay-Charters/309123188202

It's Hockey Night in Canada . . .

A great song written from the perspective of a girl (Lynn Miles) growing up in Canada, where ice hockey takes over the airwaves and the minds of men from October till May. Lynn's father was a hockey coach. The song is about memories she has of walking home through the snow and seeing television sets glowing blue in living room windows.

It's hockey night in Canada

There is a blue glow in every window

And I am walking home alone again

In the freshly fallen frozen snow

With my heart beneath my duffle coat

My dreams turning to icicles

I wish there was a sunny summer sky

And I was cruising on my bicycle

And I would wait

For all the lights to change to green

And I would race right through

And take it down the afternoon avenue

That's what I would do

But there's just these skating rinks

And the boys always get their way

It seems like it's hockey night in Canada

Almost every single day

They are clearing my street again

Trying to deny the season

And I want so much to disagree with them

But they refuse to hear my reason

There is a zamboni of sorts in all our souls

And the streets of old Montreal are cold

Equal ice time is all we need

To catch our breath and build our speed

And we would wait

For all the lights to change to green

And we would march right through

And take it down the afternoon avenue

That's what we would do

But there's just these skating rinks

And the boys always get their way

It seems like it's hockey night in Canada

Almost every single day

What are you watching tonight . . . ?