Falls and Dinking

 

It was an overcast morning

We had a relaxing morning, with breakfast of cereal or Tobie's rolls or both.  When we were all ready we headed out, we went to Kawishiwi Falls.  It is a "must-see destination for visitors to Ely.  In the Ojibwe language the word Kawishiwi means 'river full of beaver or muskrat houses' "  The road that Jeanne and Jay live off of is the Kawishiwi Trail.  We took the Thirteen Corners Trail shortcut.  I am not sure about the 13 but it was very curvy.  

The trail is about 1 mile total but the path is rocky and has a lot of tree roots.  So it is not a wheelchair accessible path.  It was very pretty.

The trail did get a little rough in some spots

Luckily, it was not too muddy today but we did have to be careful.

The other direction

Sharon taking pictures of the wildlife.

I sent my drone up for this aerial picture of the dam (not). The Kawishiwi Falls has a 67 foot drop. You can see the dam in the background. It was completed in 1924. In 1996 it was converted to being automated.  So they no longer needed a full time crew. It was upgrade again in 2016. It now manages the water flow between Birch Lake, Garden Lake and Farm Lake. 

That rough path was also a portage trail.  I can't imagine carrying a canoe and all the gear over that trail between Farm Lake and Garden Lake.

Time to head back to the car.

First stop was the Ely United Methodist Church. The is Jeanne and Jay's church.

They have a functioning pipe organ.  Their choir director plays the piano for the choir but plays the organ for the congregation

This sign conveniently covers the coffee service supplies.

Since Covid they have put in a camera and sound system so the service is available online.  Jay pretty much runs this.  He does get others to help when he is out of town.

We left the car at the church and did a walking tour of downtown Ely.  Jeanne led the street art tour.  

We went in the Art and Soul Gallery.  This is one of my favorite stores.

This is done with beads.

Dinking is exhausting work.

This is a new location for the Crapola Company.  They make several varieties of granola.

The newly renovated theater

They recently repainted the sign and changed the logo.

It was this.

We had a fabulous lunch at Insula.  It was nice of our street art tour guide to give us a sit-down break.

Wonton pork tacos

Brussels Sprouts

Margherita flatbread

Baked feta with crostini.

I had a delicious hard honeycrisp cider.

We asked the waitress how the restaurant got its name, Insula.  It is the name of a lake around here.  Jeanne said that it is a beautiful lake.  But why pick that for a restaurant name. The waitress did not know but she went to ask.  She came back to say that it was also part of the brain.  I looked it up.  

• It is used to mean a building that provides a service for the elite.
• It is the inner structure of the brain (insular cortex), which integrates sensation and feelings into motivation and cognition. 
• It is used in a Moses Somney song "Insula" to mean isolation.
• It is a local, pretty lake
• It is latin for island

  Take your pick

We continued our street art tour.

We did get to Mealye's, which is my favorite store.

By this time we were running out of steam.  Kris and Sharon sat in these chairs which Jeanne and I went to get the car. We drove to see this last mural.

It is my favorite.

We had a couple of stops that we had to make on the way home, coffee beans at the Log Cabin, cold medicine and groceries at Zup's, essentials at Zup's Warehouse Liquor Store.

We got to Jeanne's a little after 4 pm. Kris and Sharon were able to lie down for a much needed nap.

Jeanne and Jay had quite the dinner planned. 

Shrimp cocktails at 5:30 pm with Piesporter wine.  (Piesporter Michelsberg is a beautifully fragrant, medium-bodied wine with upfront fruit that continues to develop on the palate. Made from Riesling and Müller-Thurgau grapes, hints of peaches and green apples are balanced perfectly with crisp acidity to provide a clean and fresh finish.)

It is a German riesling 

This is a fish that Jeanne caught one year and Jay's brother, Gordie, mounted it.  Gordie is a taxidermist.  He does a very nice job.

This squirrel was very persistent and was able to get into the squirrel proof bird feeder. 

It is fun sitting on the porch and watching the wildlife.

We had a delicious dinner of steak, baked potatoes and broccoli.

Birthday cake

Sharon and Kris headed off to do some packing and to go to bed.

Jeanne, Jay and I stayed up and watched The Bookclub.   

We ended the evening with a nice nightcap of Key Lime Rum Cream.  Jeanne did not like it much, but I enjoyed it.  

It has been great to have this relaxing time in Ely.  Now when I talk about Ely to Kris and Sharon they will be able to have a mental picture of the place.