Saturday, August 18, 2012

Gunflint Family Diamonds

My wife and I just had our prayers answered in an unexpected way.

When we travel on vacation, one of our prayers together is:
"Lord God, help us to see and appreciate all that you have created."

His creation was abundantly on display near the end of the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota and the adjacent Canadian Boundary Waters.

We were delighted by the Loon calls, wild flowers and crisp clear water. The comforting rustle of pine boughs that scented the ever present breeze.  All recognizable as God's Creation.

But like I said, our prayers were still to be answered in an unexpected way.

Our hosts were Barb and Greg Gecas, 3rd generation proprietors of Heston's, a rustic resort along the shores of Gunflint Lake.  We drove 500 miles to enjoy their lovely "Diamond Willow" cabin situated among the pines, within arms reach of the stunning granite rock shoreline.

There was much more to appreciate than nature and a cabin in the woods.

We were cheerfully greeted that first day by their college age daughter. Confident, kind and knowledgeable, she directed us to the Diamond Willow cabin ("down the road, take the Y to the left, canoes are ready to go on the beach").
Mom and Dad were out for the evening, but she is evidence that the next generation already knows how to make visitors feel at home.

Next day, mom Barb warmly added ideas to our itinerary for hiking and fishing, including maps and trail tips. One of those included a visit to Chik-Wauk museum at the end of the Gunflint Trail.
It's a jewel of a museum, chronicaling the pioneer spirit and resort life from the 20's to the present.

While there, an elderly gentleman quietly pointed to one of the historical captions about teachers in the then remote wilderness' school. "That was my mom," he humbly said to my wife. Bill Boissenin proceeded to tell us how his folks had started Trout Lake lodge and helped to build others in the area. That's him beside his folks in the picture.

He looks just like his dad now! After 28 years serving our country in the Navy, Bill is back home to the area he loved with his parents.

Just a few feet away in the museum we met Harriet Boostrom (Taus), one of 10 children who grew up at the Clearwater Resort her parents founded in the 1920's. Harriet lovingly described the hard work and fun of those days. This included sinking their potatoes in the lake during the winter...so that they wouldn't freeze. No "cellars" in that granite terrain!

And a real treat for me was to see the actual 1934 diary of Justine Kerfoot, a much loved and respected owner of the Gunflint Lodge, as well as a respected outdoors writer. One of Justine and husband Bill's children, Bruce, still helps to manage the Lodge since her passing in 2001.

The memory of Justine and her Gunflint Outfitters' partner, Janet Hanson, brought me full circle back to my own Dad. An avid outdoorsman and fisherman, Dad's trips had been outfitted through Justine and Janet's Gunflint business through the late 50's and early 60s. It was a glad day when I was finally old enough to join him on weeklong forays far beyond the "end of the Gunflint Trail."

Now, as Bill Boissenin, Harriet Boostrom-Taus and my own father move gracefully through their 80's, I was back with my own bride of 30 years to renew and share our love for this portion of heaven on earth. I felt it as we navigated our boat past hidden boulders in the river between Gunflint and Little Gunflint Lake.  I heard my dad's voice as I tied the 3-loop slip knot and tossed the red and white spinner.  Then again as I eased each fish we caught back into the lake so they could continue the cycle for future dad's, son's and daughters.

All this comprised the unexpected answer to our prayer. To see and appreciate what God has created. Not just nature.

Family.

It struck us both during the final Thursday night meal with Barb and Greg. Its their tradition to gather guests, neighbors, family and workers around the outdoor wood stove.  While there we talked to our next door "cabin neighbors" and their two young daughters.
It encouraged us that they take time to read books and say prayers together before bedtime. We smiled as our other dinner mates laughed over the week's events and previous years' memories  - memories that may be fondly shared by an 80 year old gentleman or lady at some distant Chik-Wauk reunion - there at the end of the Gunflint Trail.

I marvel at the creative brilliance of our Lord God. It is often in terms of what I encounter in nature. Crisp, clear water slapping against a rocky granite shoreline. The sweet smell of pine and the quick flash of a Blue Jay through the woods.

This week I marveled at God's creative artistry for family.  Love. Nurture. Strength. Foundation. Continuity.

I have deep and abiding respect for all that He has created.

"The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family."  Acts 16:34

What do you believe?