On The Road Again

Friends, I apologize for the lapse in writing. My shoots in northern Wisconsin have offered minimal opportunities for accessing internet or phone coverage. Luckily, there is a free WiFi cafe in Hayward.

Chetek, Spooner, Hayward, Drummond, and similar surrounding towns are where I find myself as of late. The shoots have gone well, the weather has been a mix of rain and beautiful sun and I've taken in sites that are a mix of local and tourist flavor. Where to begin...?

After shooting in Chetek I had a chance to swing into the town of Spooner. Like the surrounding communities, it is a haven for resorters. The many lakes are famous to fishermen. The result is a shotgun-spread of resorts nestled throughout the shorelines of Wisconsin. The most iconic of all fish in this region appears to be the Muskie. As Hayward boasts the largest Muskie ever caught, weighing in at 67 some pounds (and which I just took a gander at in the Mocassin bar), you can find the grand-daddy of all fish statues at the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

But I have a small connection to Spooner, as its where my Italian side settled after immigrating through Canada. Like many immigrants, the Italians found employment in the railroads and the Railroad Memories Museum is a testament to this bygone era. I've heard stories of my father's childhood. From the floor heating vent he'd listen to his grandparents Italian voices floating up from below. Each morning the relatives would stop in for coffee on their way to work in the rail yards. He remembers his grandma regularly giving food to the homeless wanderers and heard tell of his grandpa shooting the kitchen table when he had had a bit too much to drink.

I decided to eat at Nick's instead of Tony's and to come back to explore in more depth on Friday.

The Hayward shoots have brought me all around! Each resort seems to be about half an hour from Hayward and from each other. Like one owner put it, "five minutes by water, 20 minutes by road." The resorts run the full gamut, from simple, ramshackle structures, to bed and breakfasts in the sturdiest of log construction. Many families are proud of the tradition which they carry on. Some boast that their families have owned the properties since the 20's and uphold certain values, forgotten by the newer owners. Regardless, I have learned a bit from all of them and find the perspectives fascinating.

As I was adrift with one owner on the lake before his property he told me his perspective on the muskie 'craze.' He said he didn't care for it at all. He mentioned that the muskie were a weaker fish and you do them no service by catching them. When you pull them from the water, he said, their insides rip and gravity pulls them down. Besides, why not catch a fish you eat? To the Indians, he said, this sport fishing is like playing with your food. I met another woman, proud of her leadership in the Quiet Lakes Association. They try to promote a speed limit no greater than 10 miles per hour, shun the use of jet-skis and take special pride at the non-existence of invasive species in their waters.

Many encounters I have from a duty to civility and politeness. Though I'd often rather be tucked away in the woods or roaming by myself after a day of social interaction, sometimes its just thrust upon you like anything else. After one longer shoot, being driven through hemlock groves supposedly 500 years old, on a property with a golf course in addition to its lodging ammenities, I found myself invited to dinner. They were expecting their other lodge guests as well. As it ended up, it was just the owners and I! I got to hear about their boarding school experiences, British background (told in a British accent), and the politics of the area. What did I have for dinner? As I couldn't decide between beef strouganof and quail, they gave me both!

Now for some Hayward details. I've had dinner at Coopers, a very good local diner across from the more famous pizza joint called Coops. The Muskie Capital brewery and restaurant is something worth checking out. I got a Belgium Trippel with my chicken parmagiana. Wow, that's the equivalent of about 3 beers, isn't it? I've been able to sample some local diary in the form of an ice cream cone or two. I've also eaten at the very first Famous Daves! Dave Anderson, who came from the Lac Court Oreilles reservation, established the restaurant in mid-nineties. Since then, he became the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and has had great success with his restaurant chain. A true local success story!

The downtown area of Hayward is full of the typical tourist shops. The Celtic shop is somewhat unique. The lumberjack village has a good pancake joint and is set in a little log village of other shops. I remember taking fly-fishing lessons with my aunt there, a few years back. The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame is worth a visit if only to stand in the mouth of that great big fish. You really will chuckle and get excited when you first see it. Unlike many a fish statue, it is kept up quite well and even shines in the sun. There are many display cases of fishing-related items throughout.

If you want to see that world-record muskie, then you head to the main downtown drag and enter the bar called Mocassins. In addition to the taxidermied fish you'll also see stuffed racoons, foxes and beavers having a grand ol' time playing cards and boxing. Heck, if they would of known they would be having that much fun being dead and stuffed...

I also stopped at the Al Capone Hideout in Couderay. (What's up with naming the town that? Isn't it supposed to be Court Oreilles?) Al Capone once retreated to this house. Today it is well-maintained and the grounds are beautiful, overlooking the lake below. The trees were no so well grown way back in the 20's, but you can imagine what it was like during the high-tide of his reign. A tour guide brings you around and hokey narration is played through speakers at different parts of the tour, but its cool to look around and think of this as Al Capone's home away from home. Some things I found unique were the pump-house down by the lake and an odd mystery structure. Apparently, Al Capone feared fires and wanted to be sure they would have sufficent response should such a think occur. The mystery structure, was this small brick cell, set within a larger brick structure. The cell had a roof, but the larger building did not. To this day, they don't know its purpose but they call it the 'jail.' It's worth a tour, but you'll see what I mean by the hokeyness and its a bummer you can't take any pics inside! I also found the old International truck they used to bring booze down from Canada in. I would imagine this is the same that my great grandfather would use when running for Yarusso?

On a more bizarre note, I made another visit to the ER. As you may remember, last time I was hit with the nasty symptoms of Lymes disease. The antibiotic seemed to wipe out my symptoms and all was well again. The very day I left for this journey by thumb felt as though it had been hit with a hammer. It was enough to keep me up at night and make we wonder just what was going on. I decided I would just monitor it and hope it went away. As days progressed, the pain remained and numbness began to overtake my hands. My thoughts contemplated the advanced neurological symptoms of Lymes and I began to worry more. I decided, if on the next day symptoms did not improve, I would go to urgent care to save me the cost of the ER and the like.

That late afternoon, I had myself a little nap. When I awoke, I discovered that my arms and legs were numb, my muscles in pain and numbness was spreading to my face. That made me more concerned. As I had no phone coverage, was in a cabin remote to the main lodge and worried about my ability to drive myself somewhere, I thought it best to do something. I cursed the amount of money the ER would cost, but after encouragement from a friend, I went in.

To make a long, frustrating, experience short. They didn't find anything and did not know what could be causing it. The blood test did show that I had Lymes but that all indications were that I was healthy. They wanted to perscribe a muscle relaxant but I thought that unnecessary.

How are things now? Things appear to be much better. The pain is gone though some weakness remains. The hand does that shaky think when you lift your coffee cup to your mouth, but most odd symptoms appear to fade by the day. What was it? Well, either a pinched nerve or a brain tumor I would gather. Unless there is something inside the ol' brainbox amiss, I really think it must be some pinched nerve.

No need to worry, this just appears to be a hassle. I'm in a great frame of mind and my thoughts dwell upon working for myself, as me own boss! Any projects you'd like done? Independent contractor sounds good to me!

I'll be swinging into town briefly to pick up a new videographer. I'll be training him in next week. It will be nice to see my garden albeit briefly.

I hope your days find you well. For our northern hemisphere peoples comes the turn of the leaf and the clear nights. For our southern hemisphere cousins, the promise of warm winds and brightening skies.

P.S. I've been able to stay my first night and (will be spending) the upcoming night at my aunt's cabin. It offers a great amount of peace from the social and musty-tinged evenings of late. Here's a shot of the prayer flags...