Bringing a little love to Brainerd

There aren’t too many things we’ve been able to save from the deconstruction at Loveless, but Chris had the good sense to keep this ice scooper out of the trash heap.

It came in handy this weekend as we headed up to Brainerd for the $150,000 “ice fishing extravaganza” on Gull Lake. We joined Gov. Mark Dayton and 10,000 other souls braving 20-below wind chills to have some fun and maybe win a big ole truck.

Despite my jiggin’ and Chris’ bobbin’, we didn’t even get a nibble. But the bright orange scoop -- which Chris stuck high in his bucket the few times we wandered off -- was our beacon among the masses, guiding us back safely to our fishing holes.

Loveless has a truck

More good things are flowing toward Loveless. In a tidy three-way, I bought this truck from my friend Bill who bought a car from our friend May who was selling everything and moving out of the country.

Chris is on his way to adding a minivan (with trailer hitch!) to our fleet. After a fine season pinch-hitting, I'm benching the VW Golf.


Let the serious work begin.

The boats

I’ve got a couple more months to figure out an exit strategy for these boats. They’re plopped right by the side of the road, on the only flat spot on the property. It’s the only logical place to put a dumpster, if it comes to that, when we drop the cabin this spring.

The fiberglass runabout seems like the bigger obstacle. There’s no rehabbing it to make it lake-worthy, and I’ve yet to find anyone who will recycle it or take it as scrap. One person I contacted suggested I use it as a flower pot.

Actually, I told her, that’s currently its most endearing feature. This fall, ferns were flourishing among the bottle tops and water toy remnants. 

As for the pontoon, at least scrappers would value the aluminum. And if the pontoons actually float (how do you figure this out?) a resourceful soul could rehab this baby and have some fun with it.

I'm noodling with the idea of turning it into a floating patio:

After I bought the land this fall, I put an ad on Craig’s List:  “Free boats: Handyman Special. U Haul It.”

No takers.


My mother suggested I try again, and this time put a price tag on them.


That way, she said, people will think they’re worth something.

OK, Six Funky Things

Can’t believe I didn’t mention this loft in my previous "Five Funky Things" post. Chris and I didn’t give it much thought at first.

But when it was time to take a look at this loft, we got to thinking. Hmm. There's no way to get up there. No stairs, no ladder.


Once Chris pulled his own ladder up to it, we realized it’s a Good Thing he’s a skinny guy. A Santa-sized person could not squeeze through these openings.

We found lots of kids’ things up there. Sleeping bags, toys, cots. Maybe they shimmied up here and crashed after a night of board games.

At any rate, Chris has now pulled all the insulation out of the Loft From Nowhere and from most of the cabin. Walls are down to concrete and studs. Here are some before-and-afters of the living room.  



Rear wall of living room, wood paneling, and picture.



Goodbye paneling.



Goodbye Pink Panther.



The kitchen is the next frontier. 

Ah, maybe I'll just snowshoe around Loveless Lake.