For some reason, the acorn harvest is almost nothing at Beaver Lake this year. I think it is because of one or all four of the following: 1. A late frost this spring. 2. Lack of rain. 3. Weather too hot. 4. This is the year of a natural smaller crop (every other year’s crop is less than the previous year).
Kayla Bruder is a 14-year-old young lady bored with summer, loves school and is a very good fisherlady. Genie and I promised to take her fishing at Beaver Lake to see if she is really that good or if she just talks a good talk!
Kayla lucked out, as it was windy with black clouds and forecast rain, so she didn’t have to prove herself.
The three of us decided to go to the Spam Museum in Austin instead of chancing the weather fishing. The museum was very interesting.
We hadn’t seen everything by 1 p.m., so we decided to go to Johnny’s Restaurant in Austin for lunch. It was a very nice, clean place with a pleasant waitress. The main reason we went to Johnny’s was because Spam items are featured on their menu.
After lunch, we toured the rest of the museum, including the many Spam items for sale in the gift shop (clothing caps, earrings, you name it). A tired Kayla was home napping by 3:30 p.m.
Genie had a very busy 70th birthday. She celebrated with family at the Willows in New Richland for lunch. She was the reader at our church the day of her birthday, plus she served birthday cake at the coffee hour in church.
We also went to Trumble’s in Albert Lea for lunch on her birthday. She received many telephone calls, birthday cards, presents, and well wishes. Our children sent cards and presents plus telephone calls. As Genie said, it was a lot of work to turn 70, but it was very enjoyable.
Three summer residents of Beaver Lake have joined the latest trend. Susan DenHerder, Paula Hanson and Paul Hanson are the trendy residents. Their vocation and avocation are one and the same: namely, grandchildren. This trend is called “Retirement” by some!
Technology has caused many changes here at Beaver Lake. It used to be that I just put a chalk “X” on the side of the boat to mark the spot where I caught all the fish. Now GPS takes me right to the hot fishing spot.
Another change is how I fix pizza when fishing. It used to be that I had to quit fishing, go up to the cabin, fix it, eat it, and then go back to fishing on Beaver Lake. Now, I just use my cell phone to order a pizza, which is delivered to me at the boat landing. This way, I only miss about 15 minutes of fishing.
It used to be that when I caught a big fish and wanted to take a picture, I did so and hoped it would turn out okay after getting the film developed. Now, I take the picture on my smart phone, instantly look at it and decide whether or not it’s O.K.
An interesting use of the smart phone was when I was watching two bass fishermen taking pictures of a nice bass they caught. A motorized boat of water skiers drove through the lily pads close to them. Then, the bass fishermen started taking pictures of them on their smart phones.
Assuming the bass fishermen forwarded the pictures onto the DNR, some boat owner is going to be in for a surprise, as the boat license will show on the pictures. Because going through the lily pads in their motorized boat is breaking the law, this could be a prime example of that old song, “I Fought The Law and the Law Won.”
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. This is the Hanson’s 37th summer at Beaver Lake. They leave the lake in mid-October to go south — to Albert Lea — and return in April. Bob says if you enjoy his article, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of Wisdom: There is always room for God.