The Land of Beyond

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This is one of my favorite poems. I first heard it in 1999 on vacation in the Canadian Rockies when one of our tour guides read it when we were having lunch at the top of Sentinel Pass.

The Land of Beyond by Robert W. Service

Rainbow in the Canadian Rockies

Rainbow in the Canadian Rockies

Have ever you heard of the Land of Beyond,
   That dreams at the gates of the day?
Alluring it lies at the skirts of the skies,
   And ever so far away;
Alluring it calls: O ye the yoke galls,
   And ye of the trail overfond,
With saddle and pack, by paddle and track,
   Let’s go to the Land of Beyond!

Have ever you stood where the silences brood,
   And vast the horizons begin,
At the dawn of the day to behold far away
   The goal you would strive for and win?
Yet ah! in the night when you gain to the height,
   With the vast pool of heaven star-spawned,
Afar and agleam, like a valley of dream,
   Still mocks you a Land of Beyond.

Thank God! there is always a Land of Beyond
   For us who are true to the trail;
A vision to seek, a beckoning peak,
   A fairness that never will fail;
A pride in our soul that mocks at a goal,
   A manhood that irks at a bond,
And try how we will, unattainable still,
   Behold it, our Land of Beyond!

Joe’s Pasty Shop

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a traditional pasty

a traditional pasty with beef, potatoes and onions

In the last week of October I went “up north” with some friends for an extended weekend; really just an excuse to get out of town and get away for a few days. We rented a cabin in Boulder Junction for the weekend. On Saturday we drove to Hurley and Ironwood for the day. When I was younger I was a frequent visitor to Ironwood because my grandparents lived there – my mom grew up in the area and graduated from Hurley high school.The last time I was there was in 1973, so it was kind of interesting to visit again after so many years. A lot had changed, but a lot has remained the same. St Paul’s Lutheran church is still active in Hurley, my grandparents houses are still standing in Ironwood, and the big statue of Hiawatha is still in Hiawatha Park in Ironwood.

Another one of the things that is still there and apparently thriving is Joe’s Pasty Shop in Ironwood. We stopped there for lunch and it was just as good as I remember. We had the traditional pasties, with the filling of beef, potatoes and onions, although there are several variations on the menu now. I always eat my pasties with ketchup, though I’m told that some prefer gravy. We had a great lunch, and I also bought a few frozen pasties to enjoy when I got home.

So, if you’re in the area, stop in at Joe’s Pasty Shop and try a pasty. They’re located at 116 W Aurora St, Ironwood MI 49938.

Joe's Pasty Shop

At Joe’s Pasty Shop

Joe's Pasty Shop established in 1946

Joe’s Pasty Shop – a tradition since 1946

 

Lutefisk Dinner

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Lutefisk dinner 2012

Lutefisk dinner in all its glory

On Friday, November 2, I did my annual Norwegian thing and went to the lutefisk dinner at Lakeview Lutheran church in Madison. This is the third year that I’ve attended the dinner, yet I still have the same two questions when I open the door: first, what is that smell? The after I remember that it’s the lutefisk, the second question is: how do they get the smell out of the church in time for the Sunday services? I’m still not sure what the answer to that one is – do they open the windows and use fans to move the air? Do they burn a lot of pine-scented candles?

In the photo above, starting at 12 o’clock and moving clockwise, we have: home made lefse (very good as always), Swedish meatballs and gravy, lutefisk with melted butter and coleslaw. Thankfully the smell of the lutefisk is much worse than the taste. In fact is doesn’t taste like much of anything; it’s like a grayish-white fishy jello. The approved way of eating it is to put on some melted butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Lutefisk is mentioned in the Wisconsin statutes, please see section 101.58(2)(j)2f where we are told that toxic substances do not include lutefisk.

 

Blizzard!

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front yard at 3:30 - over 12 inches had fallen at this point

front yard at 3:30 – over 12 inches had fallen at this point

We had our first major snow storm of the winter today – it started snowing last night around 9:00 and continued through this evening. As the snow fall decreased, the wind began to pick up so we have a blizzard warning until midnight tonight.

The snow was heavy and wet this morning so it was a pain to clear the driveway even with a snowblower. I think when I buy a new snowblower in a few years I will spend the extra money and get a two-stage one. My single-stage works fine but it requires me to push it pretty hard in these kind of conditions. Still, I can’t complain – it’s a lot easier to push a snowblower than it is to shovel.

Most schools in the area canceled classes for today – some even made the call last night before any snow had fallen.  My employer chose to keep the office open, though I spent the day working at home (when not pushing the snowblower). It just would have been smarter to close the office – the advice from local governments was to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

this was the second time today that I had cleared the driveway

this was the second time today that I had cleared the driveway

back yard view

back yard view – i won’t have to ask the neighbors to trim their trees next summer

Sunday with Jasper

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Last month my friend Jasper was at my house on a beautiful Sunday – his mom was out of town, so he came to stay with me for the day. Jasper is 12 years old and is a black lab and beagle mix. He is very well behaved and we had a fun Sunday together, going for walks, doing yard work and watching the Packer game – he fell asleep on the couch during the second half.

Jasper relaxing in the backyard

Jasper relaxing in the backyard

Jasper keeps an eye out for squirrels and rabbits

Jasper keeps an eye out for squirrels and rabbits

Jasper on the patio

Jasper on the patio

Jasper found a comfortable spot in the sun

Jasper found a comfortable spot in the sun

First snowstorm

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first snow storm of 2012-2013

view from the front yard as the storm begins

Today we had our first snowstorm of the season. We wound up with over 3 inches of snow before it turned into rain. Many places to the north and west had much more snow – we caught only the southern edge of the storm. It was kind of a mess, especially with the fog we had in the morning. Traffic was snarled in a few places at the peak of the storm, as people have forgotten their winter driving skills. The snow turned into light rain by the middle of the afternoon, so it was a heavy mess by the time I got around to shoveling. But we really can use the precipitation because it’s been such a dry year.