January 27, 2015 - Tuesday
22 degrees/calm/cloudy
Pentoga Road

I think I'm going to take a break from writing and taking pictures for a bit. The I and K keys on my new Chromebook computer decided to quit working yesterday. It's under manufacturer's warranty, but I found out that it has to be shipped from a Best Buy store. Thankfully, Neighbor Mike is coming down this way tomorrow for a couple of days of ice fishing and will drop the computer off at a store in Marquette. They'll ship it out, then have Hewlett/Packard send it directly back to the house. It all works, it's just frustrating.

Work continues on the Mac.Vince shipped out the logic board to a person who re-solders those things. It seems it had run so hot that some of the circuits had come loose. The long and short of it all is that I hope both computers show up at our door about the time we arrive home from our vacation. 

 I'm getting by with this very small Toshiba that runs Windows 7, one of the most worthless pieces of software ever developed. But, it's doing what it was purchased to do many years ago... it's a good backup and right now, it's doing its job. I will do the majority of my grading on the big 38 inch monitor on my desk using my old desk top computer... that still runs Windows XP. Hey, it works. The only difficulty with using the big screen is that I have to turn my head back and forth to read each line. It's like sitting in the front row at the movie theater.

Pictures are difficult for me to see on this small screen and the print is even more difficult. I have it enlarged as much as possible, so much so, that the page goes back and forth, much like a typewriter carriage used to on the old manual models.

There's not much to write about anyway these days. We're buried right into the heart of winter in the North Country. Need I say more? 

So, I'll be back, but I'm fairly certain it won't be tomorrow or the day after; maybe when I get a computer or two back and running on all cylinders again. Just know that there's a high probability that I'm either out in search of meat for the table, grading assignments, or thinking deep thoughts, often directly after lunch with my eyes closed. It's the way I roll.

Time to throw a log on the fire.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

Sargie's getting ready for a meal of fresh crappie and bluegill fillets with sweet potato fries.

January 25, 2015 - Sunday

10 degrees/cloudy/calm

Pentoga Road

The past three days have been mostly about going fishing. As Dad used to say, you have to make hay while the sun shines. The moderate temperatures have seemed almost springlike and sitting out on the lake has been a pure pleasure. I consider anything I pull through a hole in the ice a bonus.

As the wind was howling Friday morning, I decided to make use of the time by cleaning and sorting one section of the basement. I pitched, packed, moved, stacked stuff, and even carried a few boxes to the storage unit. 

Finally, the basement is becoming more than a storage space. It's been full of possessions I'd acquired in my former life. Added to that was what I brought in from Alaska, plus anything attained since purchasing the house on Pentoga Road. Now, double that with everything Sargie brought in and we've had a basement where there was just enough room to walk down an aisle of stacked boxes. The addition of the new storage unit last summer has really helped and made our basement situation quite manageable.  

With the winds dying down Friday afternoon, I headed out to the lake where I caught several nice crappies and bluegill. Fishing wasn't great, but it's been a lot worse.

Saturday dawned cloudy and warm. Sargie had the day off and wanted to sleep in. I decided to get up early to head back to the lake and found myself downstairs sipping coffee well before daylight. As soon as it was light enough to drive, I putted down the road and was fishing shortly after first light.

Crappies, bluegills, and several bass were pulled through the hole over the next couple of hours and I lost several larger fish, probably northern pike. The small panfish jig I use makes it difficult for a hook to stay lodged in anything very big. 

There's a sink full of fish... all in preparation to be cleaned.

I'd caught enough. It was only 9:30 AM when I began the journey back across the lake. 

Sargie was up and rarin' to do something by the time I arrived home. While she did her morning thing, I cleaned fish. 



Between Friday and Saturday's catches, we had two large mixing bowls of fillets. We put some back for Saturday night's supper and placed the rest into gallon freezer bags filled with water to save for our Mighty Milligan Family fish fry this coming spring.  



It was a fairly nice day, Sargie was off, and I was suffering from a severe case of wintertime Pentoga Roaditis. I wanted to go somewhere... anywhere. A meeting was conducted of family corporate holders and it was unanimous that we take a road trip to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. What for? Who cared! No excuse needed.

Trails often parallel the highways in northern Wisconsin. We must have seen snowmobiles numbering into the hundreds if not more.

Snowmobile riders stopping at a restaurant along the trail.

While in Rhinelander, I purchased a pair of sunglasses that fit over my prescription glasses; you know, the type that old people wear who are sensitive to the sun. My old ones have become scratched and the lenses are somewhat hazy.

I try to convince myself that these new glasses look like normal wrap around, cool-guy, shades, but I think they are what they are. Trouble is, if I don't wear them, my eyes feel as though they are going to burn out of my head. After too many years of looking into bright sunshine bouncing off the snow, much of that in the arctic, coupled with whatever other problems there are with my eyes, sunglasses have become mandatory, even on cloudy days.

We arrived home towards late afternoon and I fired up the propane cooker in the garage. Sargie mixed the secret ingredients to ensure the fish had just the right amount of flavor, crust, and texture, and I began frying. 



The fish were fresh and delicious. They'd been swimming beneath the ice a mere eight hours earlier and we purposely fried too many so there would be leftovers. Warmed-up fillets don't last too long in this house. It's one of our favorite food groups.

Crappie, bluegill, and sweet 'tater fries

Saturday night was spent grading assignments while Sargie read the weekend paper. Both of us had an ear listening the television. There's not much worth watching or listening to on a Saturday night.

I'm not sure what today will bring. No doubt, we'll take our usual ride into town, but otherwise, it should be a fairly mellow day.

It's time to pour a cup of coffee and think some deep thoughts. 

After all, a man's work is never done. 

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

No wonder we were all freezing last winter, spring, summer, and fall. It was the coldest year on record; also the third snowiest.  

A beautiful sunset. Taken from our driveway Thursday night.

January 23, 2015 - Friday

27 degrees/cloudy/very windy

Pentoga Road

Thursday was a gorgeous day, one of the nicest we've had this winter. Highs were in the upper 20's with little breeze. Perfect.

And with that perfect picture, I headed out onto the lake bright and early. 

Fishing has improved, but oh, what a long hike. As usual, I was the only person on the lake.

Fishing was good for the morning hours. I caught several decent crappies and some nice bluegills. It feels good to have the ol' angling mojo back.

I quit shortly before noon and began the long walk back to the parking lot pulling the sled. It's quite the hike, from one end of the lake to the other. 

It took well over an hour to clean Wednesday's and Thursday's catch and ended with a large bowl of boneless fillets, more than enough for a fish fry tonight for Sargie and me.

It was too nice of a day to stay inside. I brought in wood then spent the rest of the afternoon working in the shop, putting tools in large rolling chest Sargie gave me for Christmas.

A multi-generation collection of screwdrivers. There's one in there that belonged to my Grandpa Reinhardt, several were Dad's, and I seemed to have collected fifty or a hundred over the years.

Sargie had an appointment with her beautician Thursday after work so our evening was short. She opens today, but should be done early and has the weekend off.

I was hoping to go for the hat trick today and see if I can make it three successful fishing expeditions in a row, but the wind is howling and freezing rain is forecast. We'll see what the day brings. Hopefully there'll be more fish to clean this afternoon. 

Assignments continue to pour in. So far/so good. Most of my students are in the graduate program and will finish their year-long internships this semester.

It's time to pour a cup of coffee, think some deep thoughts, and figure out a Plan B if going fishing doesn't work out.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

A bit of summer from days gone by.
Taken two-and-a-half years ago when Pat Sheahan and I hiked the Picture Rocks Trail along Lake Superior. We celebrated the end of a long day's hike with good cigars. And just like Bill Clinton, I didn't inhale.

January 22, 2015 - Thursday
18 degrees/cloudy/calm
Pentoga Road

It appears there's been little change with Baby Caitlyn. Sargie's sister, Trish, Caitlyn's grandmother, reports that the baby is sedated and on a regimen of antibiotics. We're looking for a miracle here and continued prayers are appreciated. 

The name of the game on Wednesday was learning to read and use the new sonar, and in the end, hopefully catch a few fish. It worked. I caught more by far on Wednesday than at any other time this year.



I followed Sargie out the drive on her way to work. The first two hours of fishing produced very little. I was used to reading a sonar where the lure and fish are displayed in one long vertical line. The new unit reads horizontally with both displayed as flowing lines.

The depth is 19 feet and the water temperature is 31 degrees.
The long line on top is my lure. You can see it slope from left to right where I'd just lowered it down. The thick long line under represents a fish. Where they converge shows the fish rising to my lure.

I arrived home late Wednesday afternoon and buried my catch in a snowbank to be cleaned along with today's catch later this afternoon. I'm being optimistic, but there's no sense in making two messes. Now that I once again have eyes, fishing seems to be picking up. I'm excited.

It's too bad bass are out of season. I must have caught twenty or more.

Sargie was home early last night and we had a quiet evening. I spent most of it grading assignments. As with yesterday, I plan to follow her out of the drive on my way to the lake this morning.

But then are we surprised? I'm not. After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road... 

Oh yes, Jimmy is still alive and well.

The new sonar/fish finder is ready for action

January 21, 2015 - Wednesday

18 degrees/cloudy/calm

Pentoga Road

All assignments are graded. Check

The weekly test has been uploaded. Check

The wood stove is full. Check.

Minnows and grubs are packed and ready. Check

I think I'm ready to go fishing as soon as Sargie leaves for work. Today, I break in my new sonar/fish finder. 

Before I get too deep into anything, I ask for your prayers for our great niece, Caitlyn, who is very ill and on a respirator in Texas. Only two months old, the baby has a very serious virus and is staging a brave fight for her life. Please keep this little jewel in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers. Thank you.

Sargie was off Wednesday and it was a wonderfully lazy day. I finished canning the pike in the morning and can now go out in search of more meat for the table; get the larder stocked. 

The UPS man brought my sonar mid morning and I was like a little boy opening his big present on Christmas Day. I lay out each part and in my mind, designed the system that might convert it from a unit meant to be used on a boat to a more stationary one for fishing through the ice.

Sargie and I went to town for our usual day-off drive. I purchased what few electronic parts I needed for the conversion. Sipping Cokes, we made a tour of a local lake or two and were soon home.

One thing I forgot to purchase in town was a wing nut to fit the long bolt that goes through the transducer (PVC pipe.) What to do? I found a wall anchor that worked just fine. 

The rest of the day was spent working on the sonar. I wanted to utilize the box I made for the old sonar, yet I didn't want to remake it as I believe I've found another that will be used for ice fishing and at that time, I'll reconvert this new one for boat use.

Sargie LOVES for me to use our living room couch and coffee table as a work bench. Even Grandma was looking on in excitement.

It took some doing, a new wooden brace, an in-line fuse, an addition, a subtraction, multiply here and divide there, but in the end, I turned on the power and the sonar powered up in display mode. I'm ready to go fishing.

The PVC pipe used as a through-ice transducer came from a factory floor stand that I didn't use on the solar panels. The wood was salvaged from the remodel of the fish shack.

Then there're those all-important zip ties that hold the electronics onto the end of the pipe.

Sargie's back to work today. I'm heading out the door shortly.

The hole on the opposite side is for the transducer of the older unit; the one I hope to fix and get going again in another couple of weeks.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Mike #2 pulling out a northern on Monday afternoon

January 20, 2015 - Tuesday
17 degrees/cloudy/calm
Pentoga Road

I awakened a couple of hours ago with a headache that made me think my heart had moved to my eyes. No matter how I lay, the throbbing continued, so I finally got up. 

I slept sound through the night, foregoing my usual 2 AM trek downstairs to fill the wood stove. Maybe I slept too hard. At least the migraine pill I took is beginning to work it's magic and I think I'll live to see the sun rise. 

After cleaning the coals from the wood stove, I put the metal pail, half-filled, outside on a snowbank.

I went to retrieve the pail Monday morning and it had disappeared. Assuming the Gremlins carted it away during the night, I finally gave up. 
Brutus actually found it. The pail had melted the snow and sunk four feet straight down to bare ground.

The past two days have been fairly busy. Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri came over Sunday to watch the Packer's playoff game. I'm not even going to comment other than to say the 2015 preseason will start in roughly six months. Live by the Packers/die by the Packers and the conclusion to Sunday's game was a slow death.

Earlier in the day found me in the barn working on the eight northern pike to process. 

I'm grateful I was wearing these leather gloves as I inadvertantly sliced the tip off the end of the little finger. Better the glove than my pinkie.

I discovered those that were frozen solid were the easiest to clean. 



They could be cut lengthwise, down the middle, and have their insides removed in one big frozen piece. No smell, no mess, no slime. After, I could bring them in the house to peel off the skin after running a bit of water to loosen it from the frozen body.

Monday was processing day with two-and-a-half quarts canned. 



For all the work involved, it doesn't sound like much until one considers how many cans of tuna would be the equivalent. Another three quarts or so should see Sargie and I through the year. We enjoy our canned fish which we make into "tuna" salad.

Pressure cooking not only seals the jars, it's dissolves all the bones.

At the halfway mark in the heating season, it appears we're not going to have to resort to living in cardboard boxes over the steam grates in inner-city Alpha this winter. Actually, with the temporary warming trend, I'm beginning to burn some "junk wood," that which is too good to leave in the woods, but doesn't really generate that many btu's. Mostly, it's white birch or dead maple that had become somewhat pithy. I've got a stack of the stuff that I generally use when boiling maple syrup, but it's in my way, so I'll use it now. Unless a glacier comes barreling down on top of us, we should be in good shape for the rest of the winter.

I went ice fishing with Neighbor Mike, and his friend, Mike, yesterday afternoon. The Mikes and I put out a few tip ups and then sat together in a row, jigging and talking like three junior-high boys. The guys each caught a nice pike. I missed one and managed to snag a decent bass. It was a good time.

Sargie was home early last night and we had a pleasant, quiet, evening. 

Sargie's off today and I have no idea what we'll end up doing. She told me if I wanted to go ice fishing this morning, to go ahead, so I take that as a strong indication she wants to sleep late. According to the UPS tracking, my new sonar is supposed to arrive today sometime between 9 AM and 1 PM. I'll probably spend the afternoon rigging it for ice fishing.

I found an old unit like the one that quit working on Ebay yesterday for $20. It's just the head without the transducer, exactly what I need. If I am the winning bidder, I'll use that one for ice fishing in the future and keep the new one to use in the boat for open water fishing. 

So, with all the high-tech talk, I think I'll get this uploaded, grab another cup of coffee, grade a paper or two, write this week's quiz for class, and possibly, solve world peace. It's what I do.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Freezing fog and mist

January 18, 2015 - Sunday

26 degrees/cloudy/calm

Pentoga Road

With tropical temperatures descending upon Pentoga Road these past couple of days, activity has definitely picked up.

The name of the game has been fishing, running around to a couple different lakes, drilling holes, and hoping there's something swimming around under the ice that finds our small grubs and minnows too tempting to pass up.

You've heard of crop circles? These are mice circles made by alien mice that visit during the nighttime hours.

Neighbor Mike and I tried a new lake on Friday, one where I've had success during the summer months. We might as well stayed home. All we got in return for our hard effort was copious amounts of very bright sunshine, fresh air, and lots of conversation.

Saturday was a new day. Mike had gone home and I started with my usual five-mile hike. The fog was thick and I found myself walking defensively, listening for oncoming cars and trucks. I usually listen to a podcast or music while trekking. Saturday's walk was spent sans headphones. I don't trust my eyes, but there's nothing wrong with my hearing.

It was cloudy, foggy, a bit breezy, but the temperature was hovering around the freezing mark and the pull of the local lake was strong. I loaded the Clam tent and fishing gear and headed to our local lake.

What? I had the lake entirely to myself. A warm Saturday in the middle of ice fishing season and there wasn't another angler. Perfect.

I jigged lures and put out flags and for the first time in my UP fishing career, I limited out on northern pike. 

Double flags, what every ice fisherman dreams of.

Though the pan fish remained elusive, I caught a dozen bass (out of season) and six northern, one of which I had to throw back. We're allowed to keep five.

No matter how hard I try, even using pliers, it seems my hand always ends up in a northern's mouth.

I made it home in time to do a couple of loads of laundry yesterday afternoon, carry in wood, and play fetch with Brutus.

Sargie's off today. Yooper Brother Mark and Sheri are coming over later to watch the Green Bay game. There'll be no small amount of yelling and cheering on Pentoga Road. 

But first, I have some fish to process. Though they taste wonderful, northern are slimy and smelly to clean. I'm going to man-up, put on a pair of old leather gloves, and make most the mess in the barn. It's going to be cold and sloppy, but better in the barn than at the kitchen sink, especially when we are expecting company later today.

But then, are we surprised? After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

The Mansfield Pioneer Church.
Not far from here, we visited while on our drive Thursday afternoon.

January 16, 2015 - Friday

2 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

I'm having a rough time clearing the cob webs from between my ears this morning and my fingers seem to be suffering from a severe attack of dyslexia. The letters want to scramble, to come out backwards or in the wrong order. I need coffee. BRING ME COFFEE NOW! Oh wait, Sargie's in the shower and the bulldog is sound asleep. Think I'll have to get my own.

The past two days have featured nonevents. I've mostly sat on my backside and looked at fish finders on the internet, graded an occasional assignment, played a bit outside, or otherwise stared off into space.

It seemed as though spring arrived on Thursday. That's the first time we've seen bare pavement on our local county road in several weeks.

I walked my usual five miles Wednesday morning. No problems there and I found myself wishing there were a few more hills so I might get more of a cardio workout.

I cleaned the house and did laundry during the day, told a telemarketer to quit calling here or I'd sic the Obama Administration on him, and even took a nap. Pretty exciting stuff.

Sargie was off Thursday. While she was doing her thing, I spent part of the morning cleaning the back deck and scraped most of it down to the bare wood. 

Hopefully, it will get warm enough in the future to melt whatever is left.

I had to shovel the piles as they were so high that the snow couldn't be blown from the deck over the tops when close.

Sargie and I took a long drive around the area Thursday afternoon. 

One thing is obvious, no one is ice fishing. Lakes that are normally dotted with multiple ice shacks have only a few or none. We went to lakes yesterday where there were no signs that anyone had been out at all.

Michigan DNR (Dept of Natural Resources) keeps talking about how the number of fishing licenses being sold has declined over the years. It's becoming obvious. 

I forget that we are now into the generation of those who grew up with computers and digital electronics and it's for the same reasons that public school extra curricular activities are on the decline that interest in the outdoors is on the wane. It's simply too much physical work. 

I feel sorry for this digitally savvy/outdoor challenged generation. They may be fairly intelligent when it comes to social media, but so many are ignorant, even stupid, when it comes to interests outside of their electronic realms. 

The snow sliding off the roof of this camp is almost to the ground.

Neighbor Mike called from Marquette yesterday afternoon saying they were on their way down. After arriving home from our drive, I plowed their lane, opened up the camp and started a fire in the stove. Mike called last night saying they made it in good shape.

I spent last night shopping for an inexpensive fish finder and finally decided to save several hundred dollars and purchase one that is meant to be used with a boat in open water. I believe I can rig it for ice fishing in the winter, then mount it on the boat during the summer months. It should arrive around the middle of next week. Stay tuned.

Sargie's back to work today. I think I'll walk this morning then see if Neighbor Mike wants to do some fishing later today. I guess they are heading back north tonight, so maybe we can get some guy time in on the ice.

The Menominee River flowing through the ghost town of Mansfield.

Other than that, there are papers to grade, wood to carry in, and possibly, quite possibly, a short afternoon nap to take.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Taken from inside Neighbor Mike's camp, looking out at the sunset.