Switching Gears - Moving into Art & Deeper into Wilderness

Things have really slowed down in this neck of the woods along with resort life.

The sorry state of the economy nationwide and locally is a big reason.  Then there are changing tastes by demographics.  All of our old customers have aged even more. Many are changing their patterns and interests accordingly with less distance in travel and/or more service-oriented travel such as cruise-type experiences.  Rustic adventures are no longer in their wheelhouses.  The 20-30 somethings have pretty much traded in all things wilderness for all things digital.  You can tell this is true by noting the big lines around the block every time Apple launches yet another iPhone.  The 40-somethings are struggling with the economy, debt, and family.

Who does that leave us in the resort business?  Independent, single, 20-something & 50-something women and older.

How do I know this?  Women in their 20's and 50's tend have no kids at home.   The youngin's may not yet be married with no interest in getting married soon or if ever, and respectively, the 50 YO's tend to be divorced, separated or hopefully at a point in their marriages where they are seeking to independently try something different after being "relegated" in a more custodial life role for so many past years.  Their hubbies know how to cook, won't burn down the house when they are gone, and they can actually do something for themselves with spousal blessings.   Both groups have some money and can afford doing things.  They also want to experience something "interesting and useful" with the time they have left being in reasonably good health.  And where are the young males in all of this?  Good question. They used to be on canoe trips by the car load.  Don't even see them any more in just 5 short years.

Tie all of that together with the fact that I have the need to "switch gears" in my business for survival plus the fact that I, too, like to do different things as well.  My bus man's holiday is art and I'm willing to share and want to encourage it.

I know how to paint.   I enjoy painting but left it almost entirely for about 33 years.  During those paintless years, I attempted to get back into painting but I struggled with my artwork.  I was unable to find the mojo to make it go for a broad variety of actual reasons.  Well, the same reasons above that have caused our regular business to falter somewhat have opened the door to painting for me and the mojo is back in  full force.

Time and priority did it.  I have more time available in between customers plus I have a lot of orders for commissioned works.  I'm now painting at level much higher than when I was young as far as volume.   Also, after 40+ years of teaching people how to do many different skilled activities, I'm confident that I can share my abilities in a productive way with people who are interested in learning and having fun while doing it.  Paddle a canoe correctly, ski up a hill, set the hook on a walleye,  sweat a copper joint, ride a mountain bike, and now how to paint - they are all very similar in end result and I have taught them to many people.

Another reason I decided to pursue a painting instruction program is in my real concern and alarm for the falling off of wilderness use in general.  America is aging.  Fishing and hunting license sales are dying in Minnesota.  The canoe parking lots in the BWCA are 25% full when only 4 years ago, they were 110%  full.  With the exception of the Blueberry Arts weekend time slot which used to be just another event in summer (and is now the peak of summer), the parking lots at all the Boundary Waters Entry Points are too big for the numbers of cars there.  Something drastic has happened and for inexplicable reasons, a lot of people up here are not noticing it or are simply in denial.

For employment, people moved into metro areas and have left the trappings of rural and wilderness living.  After going soft, they are not only turning their backs on wilderness as being too difficult, and too rustic to do, they are forgetting all about it as well.  How do I know this?  In 2014 an advisory panel of 21 Minneapolis "experts" were hired by a local organization up here to solve Ely's decline.  After 3 days of study, they suggested putting a footbridge over Miners Lake in Ely as an "attraction".  Most notable of their expert foibles was the installation of "pocket parks with free WIFI" throughout downtown Ely Minnesota.  Ely is the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Canoe Capital of the World and almost surrounded but one million acres of undeveloped wilderness.  The expert panel forgot all about the actual real wilderness in Ely MN located 5 minutes from town.  Instead they want to give visitors to Ely "a secluded wilderness experience of sorts" while they wander among the "for sale" signs of all the abandoned and closed businesses on the streets.   People actually DO come from the metro areas now to walk around in Ely, never venturing outside.  It's like a sci-fi movie where the aliens surround the town but never bother anyone who doesn't venture beyond the city limits.   If YOU can't figure out how messed up that is, there is no saving you.

Even a complete fool would question pocket parks in a northern Minnesota town surrounded by a massive, real, gorgeous, wilderness canoe-only park with thousands of clean lakes, good fishing, and wildlife.  You know we are in trouble with "saving the wilderness" if this is how low city people can go.  They are seeking out "fake" wilderness and can't see the forest because of all the trees.   Un-friggin'-believable!

The truly sad part is that the expert panel was most likely correct in the pocket-park idea.  We now live in a world of internet "pretenders" who want to be in a "safe space wilderness" and feel like they have actually accomplished something by sitting in one and looking at their iPhone.  With this attitude and practice will come the decline of wilderness in the future.

And that is why I started  Into The Brush.   Learn about wilderness and how to put in on canvas for the whole world to see.  Painting is one part the skill of the hand and eye, and one part the inspiration of one's soul put to canvas.   No stupid pocket parks with free WIFI will bring this about true inspiration compared to REAL wilderness in a nice cabin in the woods with NO concrete side walks and park benches upon which to sit.   Somebody's gotta do something in this world gone mad.  I can paint, I can paddle, and I can do a whole bunch of other stuff quite well.  Do you want to learn how to begin?  Click the link and read the program:

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New for  2016!

PAINT ABOUT IT – INTO THE BRUSH

Have you ever been outside experiencing something spectacular for the day?  Say you were out on a hike and witnessed the a 3 o’clock sun setting on a distant tree line of a lake with dark clouds of a thunderstorm brewing behind those trees?  Or how about the way the sun lights up a rock?  Take a closer look at it sometimes.  The most mundane of objects carries the most fascinating details that I would venture 98% of the world simply overlooks.  Is it the rock that is fascinating by its mere existence, or the shadow produced by the natural light hitting the rock?  And if it’s not that exciting of a rock, what can you still learn from it while it basks silently in the  light?  Do you really want to come home and talk about it?  “I saw a rock today!” Or instead, what if you came home to “paint about it”?  A picture is worth a thousand words.  How exciting can you make that rock appear?

Now, I realize this somewhat bizarre opening paragraph might indicate that I have a penchant for the healing powers of crystals and donning a saffron robe while smoking weed with my head shaved but for a little tiny braid off the occipital ridge, but none of that is me.  I’m pretty ordinary and rather nondescript.  Where I differ from a lot of people lies in my interest for observation.  I have a friend who once marveled at my observatory interest telling me that I was the most observant person he knew.  Now, if he only knew two people, that wasn’t much to go with and since I don’t know how many other people he knows, I’m not going to let it go to my head.  The main point is that I naturally tend to notice details.  I make it a point to pay attention and look for things that make other things notable.  Many, many people do not do this.  And, it drives me up a wall. “How could they not see that?” comes to my mind.   But, everybody has a set of their own rules that they live by that are not my set of rules, which is a good thing.  I have to keep reminding myself of that.   So, they don’t pay attention to the things which I observe.  And, some of them also get into trouble for it which explains broken bones, fallings, drownings, getting hit by a bus,  and other depressing thoughts, but realities of life, nonetheless.

My upbringing was very much based on wilderness observation through being taught to hunt, trap and fish by my dad when I was very young and in those formative years.  Spending a lot of time in the woods or even out just outdoors, really helps with one’s focus on details.  Given the absolute fact that I have friends (Connie Edwards, et al) who have become excellent artists later in life, plus knowing my own abilities and what it took to get there, I am convinced that everyone is capable of painting about what they saw.  I also believe they can do an astonishingly good job of it.

I’ve heard countless people who view my  artwork and then feel compelled to tell me that they never could draw and struggled through art class in school.   Some of them are convinced that there is “no hope” for them, but I have always maintained that everybody can paint and do so with effect.  It’s especially helpful if someone can tell you what you need to do to start.  That is half the battle right there.   When you were a kid in school, maybe the teacher wasn’t right for you, maybe you were distracted  by that good-looking 8th grader at the end of the table.  You had focus issues.  Who didn’t?  We were kids.  But, as an adult you already have a set of observational skills of which you are not even aware.  Once you figure out how to section apart what you are looking at and then identify the colors and tones as they sit before you, painting becomes a whole lot easier.  Still sounds a bit challenging?  It is.  But it’s also a cerebral fun unlike any other activity that you might enjoy.  At least that is what I think, anyway.

Painting is “yoga” without all the stretching and breathing.  Now, you should probably do all the stretching and breathing because the extra oxygen to the brain will improve your painting, but my wife is the yoga teacher and I’m going to stick to what I know.

I suspect that painting lowers blood pressure and reduces stress.  I suppose there are studies out there, but I prefer to guess.  Painting, and the act of focusing on it, offers a great escape for one’s mind.  The sky is the limit in what you decide to paint.  There are no boundaries, no edges, and no end of the lines for you as long as you hold a brush with some color on it.  The only limits in painting are in your imagination.  Painting, unlike most team sports and even individual sports and activities, can be done into very old age even with disabilities.  Plus, the other absolute beauty in painting is that nobody, and I mean nobody, can take it away from you so long as you can pick up a brush.  The other cool thing about painting is that you don’t need a formal education to do it.  While having an art degree is helpful perhaps as I’m sure such a degree broadens one’s horizons in all forms of art, to paint on one’s own requires nothing but the will to do it. Pick up a brush and find something to paint on.  For the record, I have a degree in business and I took several art classes in college thinking I would learn something of value.  Man – did they suck!  30 years later and I’m still talking about how crappy those so-called art classes were in college.  I didn’t need them and neither do you.

That being said, getting started is still a bit more daunting to many and for that reason, I decided to put together a northwoods program for newbies to painting from a perspective of experience, observation and application.  Mine is a multi-faceted approach to getting you started and stuck deep in the world of painting and fine art.

NOW – don’t get all excited when you look at the scattered wineglasses and mugs that I painted.  We are going to start simply and keep it that way.  I’m not expecting a Mona Lisa in your first hour and the beauty of art allows you plenty of room to explore, test and most importantly, have fun!  Check out the links below for lots more info.

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Please Note:  When you click on the links below, you will be teleported to our Northwind Lodge main website where you can also see this new art program in it's entirety.  

Paint about it – Into the Brush

Into The Brush – How I Started Painting

Into The Brush – I believe you CAN!

Into The Brush – Painting & Wilderness

Into The Brush – Goals

Into The Brush Rates & Dates

Get A Big Larry Light from Nebo at our store, Red Rock

Red Rock's Big Winter Pre-Buy Sale is on at redrockstore.com.  Find out more about getting a FREE Big Larry Light by Nebo.  You'll torch your retinas - don't look at it when you push the button!  You've been warned!

Take part in our Pre-Buy Sale - Click Here to get to the page that explains the freebies and priceing packages.

Unique Gift - only one of these on the planet

Art business has been picking up at Northwind Lodge!

Ripping a Hook Outta Paul

I guided people for over two decades and we handled fish and hooks - lots of them.  In all those years, not a single one of my guests was ever hooked.  We had a couple of "close ones" but luckily never had a barb go below the surface of the skin.  

That being said, I have now ripped the hooks our of quite a few people in recent years.  One time, Pete Edwards came in with a hook buried in his thumb.  Pete wanted it removed and wondered if I could help.  I proceeded to snip the two points off of the treble hook which were not stuck in Pete using my bicycle spoke cutters.  My cutters were back from my bike shop days and I kept all my bike tools - just in case I decide we need to go back into selling bikes.  These spoke cutters would snip through 12 gauge, stainless steel spokes with ease and they work really well on hardened fish hooks.

So, the first step is to carefully snip any potentially threatening hooks along with the lure so we only have the remaining hook stuck in Pete's thumb. I know from experience, that a finger/thumb injury hurts all the way up to one's neck, so I carefully removed the points trying to not wiggle the main hook.  Pete was understandably wincing.

After I isolated the hook to just the part stuck in his finger, I found some 50 lb. test fishing line and a screwdriver.  I put one loop around the base of the hook where it was sticking out of Pete and took the two ends and tied them around the screwdriver handle to fashion a MacGuyver-esque starter cord like you would find on a lawn mower.  With the ripcord handle in my left hand and my right hand thumb in position, I told the "braced" Pete, that I would push down on the eye of the hook and rip at the same time to cause the hook to roll out in one swift motion.  This maneuver allows the hook to open the skin and give a place for the barb to go that is not catching on skin.  It rolls out in a quick flash of pain that ends usually pretty quickly with very minimal damage.  It sounds terrible, but it does work.

Pete was going to be the first person I've ever done this to, ever....

I was ready, Pete closed his eyes and braced his aggravated thumb solidly on the counter right next to the cash register.   I said, "On three.  One, Two, RIP!"

The hook flew out of the thumb and pinged off the ceiling and walls at least three times.  Pete roared in agony, "Jesus, Jumpin' Jehosphat! Oh MY GOD tell me it came out because that hurt like HELLL!" to which I quickly replied "Oh sorry, Pete - we're gonna have to try it again. It didn't work!"

Pete groaned like a dying lion at the thought of attempting it again and I  quickly added that I was just kidding.  It came out just fine.  He opened his eyes, smiled and said "Whew!".  We both had a laugh and Pete back out fishing.

Well, this is his brother Paul:

I'm really getting my technique down.  LOL!

Sometimes I Get a Chance to Go Fishing

I don't like to leave too often during our season because invariably, somebody needs something or something breaks when I'm gone - at least it feels that way.  But, I do like to sneak away to Wood Lake every now and then.  Here I am with my friend Paul from about 10 days ago.  

It was a good day of fishing.

Visit our website for Northwind Lodge

Put down your iPhone and Drive Straight Ahead

Well, it's been a moderate summer but there is an endless supply of things to keep one really busy at a resort.  When something doesn't need a repair, someone has a question, or needs help or is lost.  The "lost" ones always fascinate me.

In today's world, so many are completely addicted to their iPhones and the like that they can't do even the simplest task without them.   In my opinion, that is a really compromised way to be, but nobody's listening to me as they line up for blocks to buy a new iPhone when their old iPhone (which was new last month) was perfectly good from an operational standpoint.  I live in the woods.  I can't figure out the obsession/addiction.  However, I can see what it does to people's ability to think and navigate and it ain't good.

Since iPhones really made their way into the America psyche, we experience at least 20 lost souls per year who, despite having the ability to read our instructions to find us, toss those to the wind and wing it with their smart phones.  This inevitably takes them to Winton MN which is just three miles out of Ely on the way to us and their phone then tells them that they have landed at Red Rock/Northwind Lodge.   They usually end up at Brandau Plumbing in Winton or the driveway of Veteran's on the Lake which is a veteran's retreat.  Then they call us up (because they still have cell coverage) with mild panic and irritation in their voices. It says right in our website how to literally drive your car pebble by pebble in the road to Northwind Lodge/Red Rock but that holds no meaning for many. Knowing this, I instruct them on the phone how to get to us from Winton, Minnesota.  

It goes like this:

Me: Are you ready?


The Lost:  Yes

Me: Take your phone and go outside the car.

The Lost:  OK

Me: With your left hand, place your phone on the ground, approximately 1 foot in front of the driver's side tire on your car.

The Lost:  Errr..OK

Me:  Now get in your car and drive ahead one foot.  Go get a real paper map.

At this point, there is usually laughter from giggles to guffaws OR the occasional snort of derision on the other end.  I then assure them that they are to continue forward on that same road for 12.1 miles and they'll hit our driveway RIGHT across from the Ojibway Lake Public Access.  At times, even this doesn't work and they shoot right past ending up at Lake One, the "default" end of the road.  They then turn around and find us on the way back.

 Many times, they walk in TOTALLY confused as to the fact that our location is wrong in Google or on their Tom-Tom and tell me all about it.  I know.  I've tried for years to change it and I've just given up.  Computers and the internet are not as smart as everyone gives them credit.  In fact, your smart phone is dumber than a bag of hammers, so don't rely on it so heavily.  We're living proof that it can be completely wrong and very unreliable.

Now, I, too, have been lost in big cities and had to re-trace my steps but that was back in the day when we took notes and looked at a map.  Well, actually I still use maps.  Being lost is aggravating and unnerving when you end up in a bad neighborhood, so I understand it well.  The part I don't understand is that the Fernberg road is a dead-end road that terminates at Lake One which is a Boundary Waters Canoe Area entry point.  You can't get lost looking for businesses which are right on this road, right?   There is no where else to go, right?

Sigh...

Here's our website's instructions on how to get to find us:  Click Here  It has worked well this summer with many positive comments.  I prefer "blunt".