Cabin on Jamie Thingelstad

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:30:00 -0500

Today is that sad day when I take the boat in to be put in storage for the winter. Until next summer Magic Waves!

Sun, 24 May 2026 07:50:23 -0500

Morning sauna time. 🔥

Sun, 17 May 2026 22:19:33 -0500

It took all four of us about an hour to get the canopy in the boat cover. The wind was borderline and three different times we got it on just to have it blown off. After finally getting it on we gave the boat the best cleaning ever and it is looking really good!

Sat, 16 May 2026 10:54:06 -0500

Mazie and I taking the boat out for the season. Beautiful day!

Fri, 01 May 2026 16:00:00 -0500

Unwelcome surprise to have water ponding around the well head at the cabin. This isn’t good. 😬

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:01:09 -0500

There is a fox that has been mostly living at our cabin property for a couple of years now. This year she had pups and they sure are cute to see scamper around.

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:02:54 -0500

Dock is in!

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:55:14 -0500

Crisp morning with light snow. Perfect time for a soak. ❄️🔥💦

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 19:25:29 -0500

Much needed sauna time. 🔥

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 16:25:37 -0500

Soak in the hot tub while the sauna heats up. ❄️🔥💦

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 13:19:48 -0500

The cure for sub-zero temperatures. 🥶🔥

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:17:52 -0500

It is cold enough again to fire up the sauna! 🔥

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 13:53:21 -0500

Very happy that I found out you can get 12” firewood. This fits perfect in the sauna oven. Let it snow! 🥶🔥

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:31:30 -0500

Taking my (very dirty) boat in for the winter.

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 20:30:00 -0500

Sunset on Sugar Lake.

Sat, 05 Jul 2025 19:24:28 -0500

Quiet evening on Cannon Lake.

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 20:44:40 -0500

Delightful evening at Magic Pines.

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:25:24 -0500

I am upgrading the charging infrastructure at our cabin for us and guests and decided to get this Anker Prime Charger. The thing is substantial and can output 250 watts. I was surprised to find out it has WiFi and, to my delight, I even got to update the firmware on it. 🤩

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 21:45:11 -0500

It seems we have a fox that has taken up residence under our shed at the lake. 🦊

Sun, 25 May 2025 07:42:07 -0500

I created my very first location-based POAP. Our “Peanuts Tree” is a popular spot on Cannon Lake and you can now mint a POAP if you visit it. I’m going to place a QR code by it so visitors can get more info. Will anybody do it? I don’t know, but it is fun either way. See screen recording of mint.

Sat, 24 May 2025 12:27:13 -0500

Boat Day 2025! Got the boat out just in time to get on Cannon Lake for Memorial Day.

Sun, 18 May 2025 08:56:12 -0500

Sauna fired up for a morning sweat.

Sat, 17 May 2025 15:24:05 -0500

Getting the pool ready for summer!

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 07:53:12 -0500

Finland the happiest country for the seventh year running.

Yet some argue that the real reason is that the Finns sweat out their negative thoughts. Finland has roughly 3.5m saunas, more than one per two Finns.

I enjoy sauna and it is notable that it is extremely meditative, which we know has benefits, and notably you phones and mobile devices don’t even work in them. Coincidence or part of the benefit? 🤔

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 14:02:00 -0500

View from the upper seat in the NorthUp Sauna while the fire is getting started. The translucent walls make it very bright and warm inside — it was 70 °F from the sun before I started the fire. Added a hygrometer, a second sand timer, and trying Eucalyptus Sauna Scent for the first time.

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:35:24 -0500

Arrived at the cabin tonight and were greeted with a two-foot-high snow plow line to shovel through. Cleared enough to barrel through.

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 11:31:05 -0500

Morning sauna session. 🔥

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:24:00 -0500

This view of my NorthUp Sauna is still super pretty for me. Sauna up to 180 °F and ready to sweat.

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 17:41:10 -0500

High winds this week blew two of our neighbor’s dock sections into our yard.

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:48:47 -0500

Beautiful day out. Time to heat up the sauna.

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 16:14:34 -0500

A sauna session is naturally meditative since nearly all distractions simply cannot take the heat. They must be left outside. It is just you, your breath, and the heat. 🔥

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:36:58 -0500

Nice winter afternoon for the Magic Pines Sit & Soak. This is my new happy place. 🔥💧

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:35:30 -0500

Mazie and I had a nice walk around the cabin loop. I forgot my hat and she was nice enough to borrow me hers. 🌈🤩

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 21:41:26 -0500

Christmas tree is up at the cabin. 🎄

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 21:40:58 -0500

First time for the kids and I in the newly renamed Magic Pines Sit & Soak. Awesome. 💧🔥

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 12:52:09 -0500

The Magic Pines Retreat is up and running. First time getting to use the spa and sauna.

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 11:36:55 -0500

It is only 11 °F but it was the best day for me to fill the hot tub and burn in the sauna. Plan is next time we can use them. 💧🔥🥶

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:17:00 -0500

Added the Bullfrog X8 hot tub to pair with the NorthUp Sauna. Happened to get it installed on the 10th anniversary of signing the purchase agreement for Magic Pines. Looking forward to some delightful time this winter! 🌨️ Now to get everything ready to use!

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 21:00:00 -0500

The NorthUp Sauna was delivered today! Darin and crew did a great job. It fits in the spot just right. I love how bright it is inside. Can’t wait to fire this up and have a good sweat soon! 😅 🔥

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 22:20:21 -0500

Nice evening for a fire at Quarterdeck Resort.

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 17:15:00 -0500

The sauna at Quarterdeck Resort is incredible. Enjoyed a couple of cycles through here on our stay.

Sauna on the way!

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 17:27:08 -0500

For many years I’ve had the desire to get a sauna. Usually this has two peaks — one predictably in the winter when I think it would be so nice to have a good sweat, and the other time is during the Minnesota State Fair when we invariably end up looking at multiple sauna on display and even talking through the logistics with some of the builders. This year at the fair was no different and when we walked into the Dairy Building to see the Butter Heads and get our official American Dairy Association of Minnesota Ice Cream we happened upon NorthUp Sauna.

They had two saunas on display and they immediately caught my eye. They didn’t look like other saunas with their translucent walls. One was built on trailer wheels and mobile, the other was on a skid like an ice house. We went inside it and I found the design great, and those translucent walls meant that a lot of ambient light came in easily. My sauna desire was steadily climbing, and fast.

I put myself on the mailing list and grabbed the website address so I could check it out more, which I did.

When we returned to the fair for the third time we again saw the Butter Heads and this time on the way back we stopped and talked to Darin, the owner of Urban Wing, for a while and got a bunch of questions answered. The sauna desire was climbing even more. Uh oh. I scheduled a call with Darin for later in the week to learn more.

Long story short after a couple of calls and detailing the specific sauna configuration that I wanted for our cabin I took the leap and placed the order! The sauna will be delivered in November or December, with plenty of time to get ready for winter saunas. I’m super excited to take the leap.

Now I have to decide if I’m going to do the “sow-nah” or “sau-nah” pronunciation. Darin is a “sow-nah” guy. I may just go with the Old Norse of Baðhús.

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 15:16:02 -0500

I took the pontoon back to La Canne’s for winterization and storage. I got it out on May 10th this year for 127 days on the water. With the flooding this year we have done very little boating. I tried to avoid the rain but ended up getting pretty soaked on the ride in.

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:24:13 -0500

First challenge for my lake camera was getting it off the ground to keep the raccoons from playing with it.

Second was protecting the cable from water and making sure that the cords were waterproof.

Now the third issue is keeping the lawn guys from shredding the USB cable with the weed whipper. 😬

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 16:35:27 -0500

Floating down Minnehaha Creek in South Minneapolis.

Tubing Minnehaha Creek

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 16:00:00 -0500

It was a nice hot day to enjoy a float down Minnehaha Creek today. Tiffany and Andrew were visiting so we got the tubes inflated, drove to Utley Park in Edina to put in and floated right back to our house taking out in Minnehaha Creek Park. This was the furthest we’ve gone on the tubes going 3.7 miles and took just over 2 hours. 💦

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 12:39:50 -0500

My Mom and Mazie (I chipped in too) decided it was time to reclaim the completely wild garden plot at the cabin. It took a couple of hours but is restored! We even caged volunteer tomatoes on the paths and put down straw for winter. First picture shows the before situation. 👩‍🌾

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 07:08:50 -0500

Only 52 °F on Cannon Lake this morning. The air still clings onto summer humidity as the sun gets up over the trees. But crispness of the cool air suggests of the impending arrival of autumn.

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:23:04 -0500

Due to all the flooding this year we just now got out on the pontoon!

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 19:25:18 -0500

The marine batteries in our pontoon are completely dead and my ancient car charger wasn’t doing the job. I had no idea they had these waterproof onboard marine battery chargers! Ordered one and will be happy to put this on both batteries and stop worrying about their condition.

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 23:09:10 -0500

I realized tonight that with fiber at our cabin the very old Apple TVs I have are limited by their Ethernet ports — can’t exceed 100 Mbps!

Ordered two new Apple TVs to put in next weekend. 🎉

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 18:30:00 -0500

Absolutely perfect evening for a cruise down the St. Croix River on the Lady Chateau.

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 22:08:58 -0500

There is a gondolier on Lake Saint Croix in Stillwater!

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 11:52:58 -0500

I made it out to the pontoon to get the cover back up, replace a cover pole, and get the ponding water off the cover. Mission successful. There is still a bit over a foot of water above the dock. The boat still is floating and not on the Sea Legs yet.

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 11:50:59 -0500

I picked up four of these Weatherproof Electrical Connection Boxes to keep connectors safe outside at the lake, power and USB. Seems like a great solution.

Fiber Installed at Cabin

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 21:23:20 -0500

I met with Bevcomm on July 1 2023 to give them the go ahead to install fiber at our cabin. They thought it would take about a year and today — one year and two days later — it was installed and activated! Bevcomm sent two technicians out and everything went very smooth.

I had made several upgrades to the network infrastructure in preparation. I don’t have ethernet here and was using ethernet-over-power adapters before with Eero infrastructure.

I knew I wanted to switch everything to UniFi. I use UniFi at home and am very pleased with it. I decided to use the existing coax wiring for the backbone using MoCa adapters. Each of the four MoCa adapter then has a little 4-port switch. I’ve also got 2 WiFi 6 LR access points and a UniFi U6 Mesh access point that is installed outside. I’ve now got direct line-of-site for my external network devices. External WiFi signal is way better!

Today the last part clicked in with the fiber getting turned on. I provisioned 500 Mbps service. I didn’t think full gigabit made sense. Speeds look great and response times are very snappy.

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 16:53:17 -0500

I find it incredible that Pump 1 in our sump pump system has run 324,989 times. Pump 2 has only run 15,179 times. It also indicates that Pump 1 flow rate is 59 GPM and Pump 2 is 81 GPM. I would guess the extra 309,810 times it has run has reduced its rate a little.

Lake Cam Properly Mounted

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 16:47:21 -0500

Last week when I repositioned one of the UniFi G4 Cameras so that I could keep an eye on the flooding and the pontoon I didn’t consider raccoons getting interested in the camera. I had just put it on a 2x4 on the ground. The 2x4 was to keep it from being on any pooled water. That didn’t even make it 24 hours.

Luckily I had a yard stake and some scrap wood. Problem solved! Additionally I’m now looking closer to eye height instead of having a view from the ground. Stay away raccoons! 🦝

Wondering about all that green stuff on the water? That is floating algae that collects in the little alcove that our dock sits.

Cannon Lake Flooding Update

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 16:41:14 -0500

We stopped at our cabin yesterday to check on the flooding on Cannon Lake. Lucky for us the only real situation we are managing is our pontoon and dock. The water was down a few inches from last week but still very high. The lake association also sent a warning that the water may be contaminated due to all the flooding upriver from us.

I also replaced the sump pump discharge line. Usually the sump pump there doesn’t run often but it is running every minute to two now and I noticed the discharge line had several holes and it was spraying water all over the place. I figured with all the flooding I may not be able to find a replacement but Faribault Ace Hardware had our back. Our sump pump didn’t have a threaded connector but I was able to make it work and got the new line in place.

We drove along Cannon Lake Trail and the water had receded a few inches but still a lot of flooding and even more debris after a week. We also looped through Dodge Court and most of the really big houses there were still okay but there were a few that were badly flooded. In Warsaw I was surprised that bridge that crosses the Cannon River on Farwell Ave was still open. I thought it ould be flooded too. The Channel Inn was not flooded, but Doc’s Dock was flooded and several of their permanent RV spots were as well.

Raccoons v Webcam

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 21:54:17 -0500

With Cannon Lake flooded I had repositioned one of the UniFi G4 Instant cameras so it was pointing right at the boat.

I’ve also been battling with raccoons at our place. This summer I had 6 of them trapped and taken away. But there are still more.

And on the very first night of having this camera in position the raccoons decided to play with it.

Thankfully later in the day the lawn care folks showed up and amazingly one of them put the camera back in place for me. Thank you! We’ll see if the raccoons leave it alone.

Cannon Lake Flooded

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 20:26:01 -0500

In September 2016 we experienced a major flood on Cannon Lake, and now in 2024 we are going through an even more severe flood. I’m going to use the completely unscientific gauge of the seating at the end of our dock. In 2016 the water was right up to the seat. This year, only about 3 inches of the upper part of the seats is popping above the water.

I wasn’t sure how bad the flooding would be this year. I have cameras mostly for keeping track of weather and storms and things were generally looking okay. Tammy went to the lake on Thursday to check on things and reported the lake was a couple inches below the top of the dock. Given there wasn’t much rain in the forecast I sort of thought it would be okay.

Then today the lake association sent an email that there were sandbags available at the Channel Inn for homeowners that needed them, and the lake was probably going to rise another foot. I got into the car immediately and went drove there.

As I got to Faribault I started to see how bad the flooding was. There was a road on the periphery of Faribault that was flooded and impassable. As I drove toward Cannon Lake I saw that the water was up very high. Shager Beach wasn’t there at all, entirely under water. The public docks along the south side of the lake were all badly damaged. As I got closer to our place I saw that some of the houses had as much as 100’ of lakeshore underwater.

The good news for us is our place is on a bit of a rise. We are at least 20 feet higher than many other places. Happily our basement is still dry. The biggest issue is the pontoon, which was why I was there. Unfortunately the sumac trees along our shore have gone nuts and the camera I can usually watch the boat from showed nothing of value.

When I got there I could see right away we had some problems.

What to do? I had to think on it a bit. There is no chance of getting the pontoon out from under the canopy. I didn’t like the look of the back of the pontoon. It was much lower and the back of the canopy was visibly higher in the air. I don’t want the motor sinking. After some consideration I switched into swimming shorts, put on a life jacket, and got a single aluminum paddle. I wasn’t going to repeat walking off the dock like I did in 2016, so I use the paddle and very carefully made my way step my step down the stairs and along the dock. I was about waist high in the water.

Once I got to the boat I lowered the ladder and used that to climb into it. The boat was pretty high up to get into otherwise. My goal was to make the boat as short as possible. The bimini was on its lowest setting, but I could drop it all the way down and get another foot. This was not easy. The boat was holding the canopy up and there was a lot of weight. I gave it a lot of muscle and finally lifted the canopy off enough to get the bimini down all the way.

Then I crawled into the boat and noticed that one of the cover poles was bent into a C-shape. I knocked out all of the poles to again lower the profile of the boat. After doing this, I could tell the boat was floating a little bit. It wasn’t pinned in place anymore. I then carefully grabbed a tie down and went back down the ladder. I loosely tied the boat to the canopy support. It cannot go anywhere, it is totally trapped. But when the water lowers the rope could be useful.

I don’t think there is anything else I can do. I definitely bought myself some room. I think the lake could raise another 6" or 12" and it would probably be okay. We’ll see. 🤞

After I took care of this, I repositioned the lake camera and put a new access point in place outside to make this work. Now I have full eyes on the boat and know what is going on. 👀

After tending to my situation I looked around a bit and took some photos. I’ve got it pretty easy. Some folks have their entire houses flooded. It was sad to see.

I also took a video as I drove along Cannon Lake Trail, which is the small road on a strip of land between Cannon Lake and Wells Lake. Feel for these folks. 🙏

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 15:23:23 -0500

Just heard the water level on Cannon Lake is expected to increase another foot. Time to head to the cabin to make sure things will be okay. 🛟

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 16:18:41 -0500

We had an amazing time with Dux and Gap of Dunloe Traditional Boat Tour today going from Ross Castle to Lord Brandon’s Cottage to then hike the Gap of Dunloe.

Fri, 24 May 2024 16:40:30 -0500

POAP 7132736 at Magic Pines Summer of 2024.

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 17:37:28 -0500

Mazie and I got a barn selfie on our daily Lucky walk at the cabin.

Sat, 28 Oct 2023 16:31:56 -0500

Excited to see the optical fiber connection installed to the outside of our cabin! Still won’t be setup until spring but this is a big milestone!

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:57:04 -0500

We had a great fall cruise on the Lady Liberty at Big Cedar. I live boat cruises. Fall colors are a little late this year. 🍂

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 08:59:00 -0500

Thanks to Paul’s Fireplace Wood I’m ready for fall and winter fires! I love that they have the domain firewood.com. 🔥

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 10:46:00 -0500

It is always a bittersweet day when we take the boat in for the fall. This summer was so full of travel, graduation parties, and other celebrations that we only got out on the water twice! We only got it out on June 10, only 98 days!

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 12:17:05 -0500

My neighbors dock is not in good shape.

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 08:28:53 -0500

Current POV.

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 07:50:10 -0500

Bevcomm is the Internet provider for our cabin and I met with the tech yesterday to help with the site assessment for installing fiber! It is likely still a year away, but we will be getting a massive jump from DSL with speed choices up to 1 Gbps! I’ll be upgrading the network in preparation. ⚡️

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 10:46:07 -0500

Boat Day! Got the pontoon in the water. Annual voyage up Cannon River to Wells Lake and finally Cannon Lake. First time after Memorial Day.

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 14:42:58 -0500

Project “Float the Boat” is successful! Dock crew attached cables to the pontoons and pulled it back into the water with the winch. Once it was moving the front SeaLegs came free. Smart that the SeaLegs fold up towards the front of the boat. 🎉

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 15:41:24 -0500

Project “Float the Boat” has gotten harder. Cannon Lake is down another couple inches. The rear SeaLeg is up, but the front is stuck in the muck. Spent 30 mins trying to clear it with no luck. Tomorrow the dock guy comes. Hoping for a breakthrough. 🤞

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 19:55:00 -0500

Beautiful night for a campfire with a nearly full moon.

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 15:34:13 -0500

The water level in Cannon Lake is down a lot. The first wheel on our dock is usually under water. The water level is so low that I cannot get the pontoon to float when I raise the SeaLegs. The boat rests on the lake bottom. Uh oh. Now what? 😳

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 17:47:00 -0500

I always like to see all the American Flags flying on the north-western shore of Cannon Lake. 🇺🇸

Magic Pines Summer of 2022 POAP

Mon, 30 May 2022 15:28:00 -0500

I’m doing what I consider another fun Proof of Attendance Protocol, or POAP, token! We greatly enjoy our summers at the lake and we have a lot of people join us there. We call our lake place Magic Pines. I love finding ways to commemorate these fun times and I thought it would be fun to give people a POAP token each summer! From that, the Magic Pines Summer of 2022 token was born!

This token celebrates the Summer of 2022 at Magic Pines, the Thingelstad’s lake house. The token can only be claimed in-person by visiting Magic Pines between Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 28 and Labor Day on Monday, September 5th. The token image was created via a Poapathan competition by kavishsethi#2327. A larger version of the image is on IPFS at CID QmZXjAZvNSP8z4N4f1HzfJFhDvG1TdVLZLsHHqJp96kgLZ.

I love the custom artwork via Poapathon. I’m going to print out “claim sheets” that have instructions for people that have never done this before, which is most everyone. I think it could be cool to issue a new one of these every year with new artwork for that year.

I realized when doing this that Magic Pines itself should have one, so magicpines.eth is all setup now! Maybe it will become a DAO for the family at some point. 😊

Sat, 21 May 2022 13:50:44 -0500

Boat Day Selfie

Cold morning requiring hat, jackets, and gloves on May 21.
This may the most Minnesotan picture of me.
I think I look a bit like my Grandpa Ardell.

Sat, 21 May 2022 13:47:56 -0500

It is Boat Day 2022! Got the pontoon from LaCanne’s, went under I-35, up the Cannon River, through Wells Lake, and then home to Cannon Lake. Cold morning.

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 14:44:27 -0500

The dock crew is so fast to put in docks I didn’t even see them doing it! We did wave as they left. 👋

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 17:17:07 -0500

Tammy’s grandparent’s cuckoo clock is ticking again at our cabin thanks to Blackstone Manor Clock Repair.

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:17:00 -0500

We debated for a long time if we were going to setup Christmas at the Cabin this year given the big project and related mess. We decided that Christmas must go on and put up the tree! We all love the cabin themed ornaments.🎄

Sat, 20 Nov 2021 16:22:09 -0500

Firewood delivery moved and stacked. 🔥

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 18:20:37 -0500

Time for s’mores! 🔥

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 22:31:43 -0500

Our garden at the cabin has gone a bit wild on us. We haven’t been around enough to keep it well managed. The tomato plants are seemingly everywhere. I had no idea what broccoli does when you let it seed out. There was some giant stuff. We did get one of the beds cleared of everything except strawberries and the runners are going crazy. We are hoping for a big bounty of strawberries next year. We also got the blueberries with room to grow. The squash and tomatoes we are letting run free for now.

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 22:26:22 -0500

Today was that sad day when I take the boat out for winter. I got 134 days on the water since I took it out. I went across Cannon Lake, across Wells Lake, and then down the Cannon River to La Cannes Marine for storage. Until next spring…

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 19:40:19 -0500

Nice cool evening for a campfire and sunset on Cannon Lake. 🔥

Donut Boat

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 21:01:47 -0500

After arriving in Saugatuck from Rochester this morning we went straight to Retro Boat Rentals to get our 4pm reservation for our Donut Boat. Only Tammy really knew what we were getting, but we all had an awesome time once we got into our pink Donut Boat and tooled around the Kalamazoo River and Kalamazoo Lake. The donut boat is all electric and extremely quiet and incredibly easy to use. It tops out at a leisurely 4 mph. Perfect for enjoying a beverage and great company.

We spent an hour a sand beach just before the Kalamazoo River enters Lake Michigan before returning the donut to the rental shop. If you ever get a chance to go out in a donut boat, do it. 🤩

Sam Patch on the Erie Canal

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:09:57 -0500

We took a 90-minute river Erie Canal cruise today on the Sam Patch. We got to go to Lock 32 and experience that and then went back the other way to see where the canal is actaully 70’ higher than the houses in the area.

Some fun stats:

There is a 568 foot elevation change as the canal goes from Lake Erie to New York Harbor.
The original canal was 4’ deep, 40’ wide and 363 miles long. The canal has been lengthened and widened three times.
Doors to the locks weigh 40 tons!

Enjoy some photos.

*Sam Patch at dock before we take off.* *Family selfie inside the Sam Patch.* *Approaching Lock 32 in preparation to go up.* *Lock doors closing behind us.* *Lock doors closed and the water going up. It takes 9 minutes for the lock to fill on the way up.* *Lock is at height and we are released.* *Coming back the other way with the lock doors open.* *Preparing for the lock to go down. Watch [my time-lapse video of the lock lowering](https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/08/11/timelapse-video-going.html).* *Cruising along the Erie Canal and this sailboat wants to pass.* *One of many maintenance stations along the canal. Each section is maintaied from a station like this.* *Boats docked in the canal in Pittsford.* *Canal shoreline in Pittsford. I also got this [same view from shore](https://www.thingelstad.com/2021/08/11/erie-canal-at.html).* *Canal approaching an emergency damn location where the canal is higher than the neighborhoods around it.* *Family selfie on the canal.* *Bridge over the Erie Canal.*

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 22:15:01 -0500

Interesting to watch this weed harvester working to clean up Cannon Lake a bit.

Sat, 10 Jul 2021 08:44:10 -0500

This is one of my favorite weekend hangouts before the family gets up. Very calm and peaceful. Serene.

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 21:12:42 -0500

Gorgeous evening boat ride on Cannon Lake before fireworks.

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 11:48:19 -0500

I love mornings at the cabin with the Tour de France in July. 🚴‍♂️🇫🇷

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 06:59:10 -0500

Enjoying a gorgeous morning on the deck with Lucky. Sun still low. Cool breeze.

Sat, 08 May 2021 16:41:31 -0500

We’ve had our pontoon for a few years and the hassle of taking the cover off and on each weekend was resulting in less trips on the water. This year we got a canopy! I’m so happy to put the boat cover away for the summer and we will definitely get more time on the water!

Sat, 08 May 2021 16:36:57 -0500

Today is Boat Day 2021! I got the boat out of storage from LaCanne’s Marine and took it back up the Cannon River for the summer! This is such a fun tradition for me. The kids both made me cards to celebrate Boat Day!

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:32:53 -0500

Called up Bevcomm today and upgraded our DSL connection at the cabin to the fastest that we can provision. Hopefully this resolves the lag I’ve been experiencing in Zoom.

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:54:05 -0500

Incredible night for a fire on Cannon Lake.

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 18:40:18 -0500

Nice day for a campfire. 🔥

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 20:12:51 -0500

S’mores! 🔥

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 15:18:48 -0500

My boat motor won’t run and its been a saga. The shop is coming to fix it, or tow it, later this week. In the meantime, snowy boat. 🤦‍♂️❄️🚤

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 22:34:14 -0500

The final thing we needed to do for our pool project was replace the septic system at our cabin. I think it’s good that I wasn’t there when they did it and cut through gas and water lines, irrigation lines, and even low voltage lines. I just checked in at times on the NestCams. Hard to dig a giant hole out and put a big thing in it without disturbing a bunch of stuff.

Sat, 05 Sep 2020 19:47:56 -0500

Good night for s’mores! 🔥

Sat, 22 Aug 2020 16:49:34 -0500

These lanterns are very fun to watch fly. This one soared high above Pokegama Lake.

Sat, 22 Aug 2020 16:33:10 -0500

Enjoying a Lift Bridge Mango Blonde from my brothers dock on Pokegama Lake. 👍🍻

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 09:05:00 -0500

Short video tubing down the Madison River.

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:00:11 -0500

I’m sure that there are people that can look cool with a GoPro attached to their forehead. However, I am not one of them. 😬

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 22:31:37 -0500

We had a fabulous afternoon tubing down the Madison River today outside of Bozeman, MT. We went with Madison River Tubing and they set everything up perfect for us. The water was gorgeous, we had perfect weather, and the cooler with beverages was a nice addition.

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 23:17:00 -0500

The fireworks on Cannon Lake were even more amazing than usual this year. Our neighbor launched more big fireworks than many cities do! 🤩💥🧨

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 07:36:36 -0500

The southwest dogleg of Cannon Lake is already extremely weedy with a lot of floating algae. The boat lanes look like roads. With July and August still ahead of us, this could be a pretty bad year for algae.

Sun, 24 May 2020 13:03:35 -0500

Little snippet of an in-process project. Fun watching this take shape.

Sun, 24 May 2020 06:49:57 -0500

Heavy fog on Cannon Lake at sunrise.

Sun, 17 May 2020 07:47:33 -0500

Had to go out and raise the Sea Legs up a foot and adjust the pontoon cover poles in the middle of gale force winds and heavy rain. How did you start your Sunday morning? 😬

Fri, 15 May 2020 20:29:21 -0500

Such a pleasant evening on Cannon Lake tonight.

Sat, 02 May 2020 19:56:43 -0500

Lucky and I on the pontoon.

Sat, 02 May 2020 09:52:00 -0500

Boat Day! Beautiful morning to get the pontoon from storage. Heading up Cannon River to Wells Lake and finally to Cannon Lake! 🙌

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 09:36:13 -0500

As great as yesterday’s weather 🌤 was, that is how not great today’s weather 💨🌧 is. Brrr! 🥶

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:51:27 -0500

Gorgeous day — enjoying some time outside with a fire! 🔥

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 17:27:01 -0500

Cabin is decorated for Christmas now! Tree is cabin themed. Christmas at the lake is one of our favorite family times. 🎄

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 18:52:29 -0500

Campfire and S’mores! 🔥🍫

Sat, 26 Oct 2019 20:40:38 -0500

Great night for a campfire. 🔥

Sat, 19 Oct 2019 14:20:00 -0500

We had a fun quick trip to my brother’s place on Pokegama Lake. Too late to be on the water, but we got a family selfie on the dock before heading out!

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:59:52 -0500

Last time on the boat for 2019. Heading in to storage for the winter.

Sat, 12 Oct 2019 09:00:11 -0500

Noting that I may be the very last person on Cannon Lake to get my boat in for the winter, as an early snow falls. 😬❄️

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 19:41:46 -0500

Rainy day at the lake so playing Rummikub. I won on the next turn. 😁

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 15:45:40 -0500

Delightful afternoon pontoon ride with lunch stop, and a couple heavy rain showers to keep it interesting. 🌧

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 22:43:56 -0500

Burned through a big pile of scrub today. A lot of pine tree branches! 🔥🔥🔥

Sun, 26 May 2019 22:20:07 -0500

Airboat out bow fishing for carp at night.

Sun, 26 May 2019 21:04:31 -0500

S’mores time! 🔥

Sat, 25 May 2019 09:43:24 -0500

It’s boat day! Taking the pontoon out of storage and heading up river to the lake! 😃

Fri, 24 May 2019 20:53:45 -0500

Nice spot to get tomorrow’s Weekly Thing ready! 😊

Sat, 22 Dec 2018 22:58:50 -0500

One of my favorite places to be.

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 20:08:10 -0500

Cabin Christmas Tree up with cabin themed decorations! 🎄

Sat, 27 Oct 2018 22:51:00 -0500

Awesome campfire tonight. 🔥

Sat, 29 Sep 2018 20:00:15 -0500

Campfire. 🔥

Sun, 23 Sep 2018 19:14:19 -0500

Power just got restored at our cabin on Cannon Lake after Thursday nights huge storm. Was out from Thursday at 6:32p to Sunday at 5:28p, at total of 71 hours. That is a long time, but given the severity of storms it’s impressive work from XcelEnergy.

Sat, 15 Sep 2018 19:02:53 -0500

Sun setting on Cannon Lake.

Sat, 15 Sep 2018 17:19:20 -0500

Our deck project is progressing — and big!

Sat, 18 Aug 2018 20:33:31 -0500

Campfire. 🔥

Sat, 18 Aug 2018 16:39:24 -0500

Very happy with the new stone steps down to our dock! 🤩

Sat, 11 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0500

Flag in the Wind. 🇺🇸

Sun, 29 Jul 2018 16:31:23 -0500

Great fun this afternoon tubing down Minnehaha Creek across the street from our house. 🙌🏻 😄

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 18:28:43 -0500

Chase on the boat today.

Sun, 17 Jun 2018 14:21:58 -0500

Apostle Island Cruise this afternoon.

Sat, 09 Jun 2018 01:00:00 -0500

Sunset on Cannon Lake.

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 14:05:14 -0500

Took advantage of cool weather this morning and spent 2 hours clearing brush from the lakeshore. Nice before/after from the Dropcam.

Sat, 02 Jun 2018 22:49:48 -0500

Was a great evening for s’mores! 🔥

Sat, 26 May 2018 21:37:55 -0500

First tubing of 2018 today! 💦😁

Fri, 25 May 2018 18:16:09 -0500

Officially summer now. 👏☀️

Sat, 07 Apr 2018 19:37:27 -0500

The ice is coming off of Cannon Lake! ☀️

Sat, 28 Oct 2017 16:17:30 -0500

Pretending I’m a rancher and burning brush.

Sat, 14 Oct 2017 09:55:03 -0500

Last boat ride of the year. 🙁

Sat, 23 Sep 2017 22:01:52 -0500

At cabin, kids in bed, Vodskey Moscow Mules, cribbage, tunes. 👍🏻

Sun, 17 Sep 2017 11:18:03 -0500

Learning how to play cribbage so I don’t lose my Minnesota cabin license. 😊

Sat, 16 Sep 2017 19:16:38 -0500

Campfire! 🔥

Sat, 16 Sep 2017 16:35:46 -0500

Clouds and Water.

Sat, 16 Sep 2017 16:12:57 -0500

Sailboat on Cannon Lake. Not a typical sight.

Fall sailing. ⛵️

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:55:00 -0500

Me on sandbar on Pokegama Lake.

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:54:00 -0500

Houseboats on sandbar. Pokegama Lake condos? 😊

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:12:28 -0500

Tried canoeing again. Not sure that is for me. 🛶🚫

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:10:26 -0500

Mazie having fun on paddle board.

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:09:26 -0500

Tyler trying paddle board!

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 20:50:01 -0500

Chinese Lantern being launched.

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 20:21:00 -0500

Campfire 🔥 and Pokegama Lake.

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 16:38:41 -0500

Commute by plane to the lake! 🛩

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 14:52:39 -0500

Mazie and Tyler tubing!

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 13:06:00 -0500

Relaxing afternoon with my brother Isaiah on Pokegama Lake.

Sat, 02 Sep 2017 13:03:17 -0500

Tammy and Tiffany out for a quick canoe 🛶 on Pokegama Lake.

Sat, 26 Aug 2017 17:51:34 -0500

Quiet, rainy day at the cabin. Burgers on the Big Green Egg. 🔥

Sat, 22 Jul 2017 21:25:32 -0500

Found a lost and very hungry kitten 🐱 when we got to the cabin. Gave some ice cream and will check in the morning.

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 21:15:00 -0500

Sunset on Lake.

Sun, 16 Jul 2017 13:17:45 -0500

I’m sure there is a prop somewhere in those weeds! 🚤😕

Sat, 15 Jul 2017 13:42:57 -0500

Boat ride is a nice escape on a hot, hot day.

Sat, 27 May 2017 22:45:30 -0500

Today was a 10 out of 10. Way to go everyone!

Sat, 27 May 2017 17:22:13 -0500

Nice afternoon on Cannon Lake.

Horseshoe Pits Completed!

Wed, 17 May 2017 21:30:04 -0500

Last weekend we finished putting in the horseshoe pits at the cabin and I’m very pleased with the result!

We have a lot of yard games at the cabin and I though it would be a lot of fun to add horseshoes to the mix. I honestly didn’t think that much about it and put a horseshoe set on my wishlist for Christmas. After getting the set I realized I had bit off more than I realized.

I found a great site for horseshoe plans. My brother-in-law helped me get the wood and cutting done and unfortunately the winter came before I got it all done. We finished digging the pits into the ground this spring after the ground thawed.

I really like the throwing platforms and the backboard. This is a more complex pit than you absolutely have to have, but it’s really nice to play on. Now I just have to work on my game!

Sat, 13 May 2017 17:32:36 -0500

First afternoon on Cannon Lake for 2017! Cooled off at the sandbar.

Sat, 13 May 2017 14:34:42 -0500

Got both horseshoe pits in!

Fri, 12 May 2017 19:05:19 -0500

Nice night.

Wed, 03 May 2017 20:04:37 -0500

This weekend we got the pontoon out and as has become tradition the kids celebrated “Boat Day” with a small present to me. This year the boat got an official name. Magic Waves is now christened and officially named. Love it. Disclaimer: the font choice was entirely theirs. 😁

Sat, 29 Apr 2017 10:47:04 -0500

Chase.

Fri, 28 Apr 2017 18:32:27 -0500

Excited to have the dock in. Get the boat out tomorrow!

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 20:55:00 -0500

Went on a boat ride on November 4th on Isaiah’s boat! Gorgeous day on Pokegama Lake with Tiffany and Tammy!

Cannon Lake Flooded and Boat Floats Away

Sun, 25 Sep 2016 17:00:00 -0500

Cannon Lake flooded bringing the water level well above the dock. I was very happy that we had a Floe aluminum dock and it is fine being completely submerged. When we arrived at the lake everyone was shocked at the level of the water. What shocked me was the fact that our pontoon was nowhere to be seen! We keep it on Sealegs and the water had risen enough that it lifted up and floated away. I was panicking and went into the water and thought I was walking along the dock and proceeded to walk right off the dock and go all the way in the lake. Yuck.

After regaining my composure we spotted the pontoon. It had floated all the way across the lake and was on the other side along the shore. Now to get it back. The first thought was to drive over, bushwack through the land and get to the boat. I made it about 50 feet and realized that wasn’t going to be easy. The ground was muddy and sloppy, and impossible to get through. We needed a different plan.

This time we were smarter. We got the kayaks out and paddled over to the boat. Once there, boarded it, raised the legs and drove it back to shore to wait out the flooding.

Sat, 13 Aug 2016 23:28:27 -0500

Great conclusion to today on Cannon Lake.

Sat, 02 Jul 2016 22:46:00 -0500

Super fun day at the lake with friends & kids from the neighborhood at the lake today!

Sat, 21 May 2016 22:06:00 -0500

Sunset.

Fri, 20 May 2016 18:59:25 -0500

Friday night at the lake.

Sat, 07 May 2016 12:18:10 -0500

Searching Craigslist for “Seadoo” jet skis. Need to stop doing this. 😀

Sat, 23 Apr 2016 15:30:18 -0500

Summer can officially start now!

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 08:53:00 -0500

Morning on Cannon Lake.

Sat, 19 Mar 2016 18:57:14 -0500

First boat I’ve seen on Cannon Lake this year! Goodbye ice!

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 21:43:28 -0500

This summer I’ll have Basketball, Kubb, Horseshoes, Bags, Ladder Golf and “home” disc golf course at the cabin. Outside all day! 👍🏻😀

Sat, 05 Mar 2016 18:02:39 -0500

Grilling on the Big Green Egg like it is summer!

Sat, 05 Mar 2016 14:54:07 -0500

Fastest download speeds I’ve ever gotten at cabin. Nice Bevcomm!

Sat, 05 Mar 2016 14:02:45 -0500

I spy open water! Ice will be gone soon!

First Big Snow of 2015 at Cabin

Tue, 29 Dec 2015 01:00:00 -0500

We got a nice layer of snow over the last 24 hours at the cabin. We were all set at the cabin so we just had the fireplace going and hung around inside watching it get whiter and whiter outside.

Look close in this picture below and you can see a portable ice fishing house in the little dot in the middle of the lake.

Fri, 25 Dec 2015 13:26:00 -0500

Skittles and Mini Shuffle Board!

Fri, 25 Dec 2015 12:43:45 -0500

Christmas present for cabin…

Thu, 24 Dec 2015 19:41:00 -0500

Horseshoes coming to the cabin this spring! National Horseshoe Players Association approved!

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 10:20:29 -0500

Taking the pontoon to storage for the winter. Biking back to lake.

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 23:05:48 -0500

Great night out.

Mon, 07 Sep 2015 14:10:47 -0500

Six boats on the sandbar today. Awesome.

Sun, 06 Sep 2015 21:01:05 -0500

Gorgeous night on lake with foreboding clouds.

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 17:32:43 -0500

Family selfie!

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:41:00 -0500

Fun on the sandbar at Cannon Lake.

Sat, 15 Aug 2015 08:07:00 -0500

Gorgeous morning boat ride with the kids. Lake is super calm.

Fri, 14 Aug 2015 22:49:00 -0500

Pretty happy with how these JACKYLED lights are working on my dock. Hard to get good photo.

Thu, 13 Aug 2015 20:25:12 -0500

Doubled the seating and added 64 sq ft to my dock!

Sun, 09 Aug 2015 19:56:06 -0500

Two boat things I was most concerned about with pontoon.

Docking: done!
Getting the cover back on: done!

Sat, 08 Aug 2015 20:20:00 -0500

Got Tammy driving the boat.

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 16:37:00 -0500

Day off today included nap in the hammock. Now this.

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 16:35:00 -0500

Got my new pontoon for the lake! Premier Sunsation 230DL with 115hp Suzuki and Sea Legs.

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 19:29:05 -0500

The business end of my new toy. Get it next Friday!

Sat, 18 Jul 2015 23:07:00 -0500

Liking these JACKYLED lights for my dock. Got two to test, will get more.

Sat, 18 Jul 2015 06:59:09 -0500

Learned my lesson on leaving loose things on the dock overnight. Shaking fist at weather!

Fri, 10 Jul 2015 20:11:02 -0500

At the cabin with brother-in-laws with delicious Big Green Egg dinner!

Sat, 04 Jul 2015 23:01:00 -0500

The people of Cannon Lake are serious about their fireworks! Very impressed. Will have a complete viewing plan for next year. Fireworks behind our cabin with reflection in the lake from the dock.

Sat, 27 Jun 2015 18:00:00 -0500

Big Green Egg. Beer. Lake. This works.

Mon, 25 May 2015 13:00:00 -0500

Have a good Memorial Day holiday!

Sat, 23 May 2015 20:55:00 -0500

Great evening on the lake.

Fri, 22 May 2015 15:05:44 -0500

… will be here this weekend.

Fri, 22 May 2015 00:00:00 -0500

We put a new dock in at the cabin. Love it.

Sat, 25 Apr 2015 21:20:07 -0500

Cabin next door decided to have a fire. Wow. 🔥

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 18:00:54 -0500

Ready for some campfires!

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0500

Tammy and I played our inaugural game of Kubb at our cabin. Seemed appropriate to do so with an official USA Kubb set!

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 21:59:53 -0500

I’m a little too excited about ordering a Pedal Boat. 😀

Fri, 27 Mar 2015 19:31:29 -0500

The ice is off of Cannon Lake!

Magic Pines

Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:00:00 -0500

After years of talking about getting a cabin we have finally made the big leap! Tammy has been looking at cabins for a while now and we found one that really fits what we were looking for. It’s close to home (45 minutes from our house!) has a great, warm feel and is on a good sized lake with just over an acre of land. Great spots to play outside, setup a Kubb pitch, hang a hammock and have a fire pit along with a dock to get on the lake. It already has a name, Magic Pines.

We close in January and are excited for fun weekends away. This is completely new territory for us. It’s going to be a fun adventure!

Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:58:41 -0500

Think we may have found our cabin.

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 21:14:43 -0500

Tammy is in full force cabin shopping mode. Not sure how this happened.

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 21:51:26 -0500

Fire.

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 18:33:27 -0500

This works for me.

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 13:14:32 -0500

First wood project of the day done.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I am being reminded of the incredible ferocity of thousands of mosquitos in the North Woods.

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Lake Time.

Stacking Wood, Exhausted

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Today I turned this “fireplace cord” that I got the “special” delivery of the day, about 20% more than I ordered from Firewood.com.

Into this, 5 feet in the air and there are two rows deep:

And this, for the Big Green Egg Chiminea that is on the way, and maybe to try cooking with some wood in the Big Green Egg:

And this, for ample fires over the next few months:

Whew, tired out!

2007 Olson Family Weekend

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500

This year was the 4th annual Olson Family Weekend! This year was Angie’s turn to plan and there is only one more year before we loop back around for the next round of trips. It was a great weekend and Angie did a great job putting it all together.

We had a great weekend up at the Lundeen’s cabin (huge thanks to Lundeen Sr. for allowing us to overtake their cabin!). The cabin was cramped with 11 people and 3 dogs, but it added to the fun actually. The weather was sketchy but that didn’t slow anyone down either.

Rather than reading, go take a look at the pictures from the weekend, or ~~watch a couple of videos of Mazie from the weekend (thanks for the videos Angie!)~~ [I removed the videos from YouTube].