JULY 17 - the group this year consisting of Mrs A R Congdon, Dorothy Huffman, David Walcott and three of our family, Ruth Robert and their mother arrived at camp at 6PM. Sunday July 14, 1938. This time without a dog and HOW WE MISS HIM (Teddy). Roads up about the same but we got lost outside of Virginia on 169 going south on it toward Grand Rapids before we realized that the sun was coming through the wrong window.
Drove new Buick "Special". Six inside with lots of baggage in trunk. Too much for lights if we have to drive at night. Found TP ready to occupy. Fred met us at the dock which had been damaged by the ice and high water. I bought a new boat and hired a motor with privilege of buying it. Quite hot here yesterday - bathing quite popular. Water a bit too cool for us old ones to stay in long. Bought new preserver cushions (red). Both boys and girls fine help. Mrs C and I doing the cooking.
A big bear is on the island but we have not yet seen him. A porky visited us last evening but I did not 'waken the kids. Will next time. Daddy was badly missed this year - result, the ice box water pan flowed over and the kitchen was a lake at 6:30 AM. Temperatures at 6 and 7 not bad. 54 at 6:30AM Warmer later, but very beautiful sunsets for each of our evenings. Took pictures of one of them. Also Dorothy and David tried out the surf board!
July 18- Monday; washday and all done. Boys fine help. Done in double quick time. Rain came when work was done. Children tried out Jerrys surf board. Tonight Mrs Cushman came over looking for a man in a red canoe whom we'd seen about two hours before. Hope nothing has happened. All well and happy...(Next day - man found)
July 21 - HMF: Trip to Tower, Jasper peak and the Soudan Mine. Shopping at Tower "Founders Day" at McKinley Park, but we found some stores open. Boys bought some beaded things at Doc Lackeys. Trip up to Peak was fine. Iva and I climbed only the first flight of steps-it was enough for me. The 4 children climbed all the way. Met 13 boys and an instructor at the top from Minnesota University. Studying geology., etc. Interesting boys. Brought home a car load of pretty stones from the peak and the mine. Home at 4:30PM. Fine day. Temp at 7AM was 59.
Sunday July 24, 1938: Cool, windy, no sun, pleasant and warm enough not to have a fire. Late breakfast...too much noise last night. Up a couple of times for the source of the noise. Thought is was a porky. Saw a beautiful gray wolf hide at Idlewild yesterday - winter hide - shot last winter. New 16HP Evinrude motor goes beautifully. Letters from Dad and Libbet indicate they are getting along well. Eunice Larsen is going to help with the work. From the letters guess Elizabeth is going to be much better for the operation. We will all be so thankful. Painted the front stoop and steps yesterday. They needed it badly. Had to paint a mar on the Gar Wood where a nail on Grubens dock bit into the boat while we were in Tower. All's well and happy! Scribe: HMF
July 27, 1938 Lot's of fun. Big wash day monday. Fine day cool to warm. Boys writing volumes to all of Lincoln and vicinity. Big outgoing mail at Grubens in coming by Aronson, not so big. News paper coming more than ordered. They make good kindling. Tuesday was grand day for our go-'round the island picnic. Took two boats and two cans of gas. Boats went along fine after we got Minneshappa started. After picnic lunch we picked blueberries. Got a large jar-full. Went all the way around the island through the narrows..a small loon came up under the motor and was hurt...sorry. Saw more loons in Big Bay..some to close for pictures. Minneshappa had to be started again. Last two times Robert had to try. Ruth all tired out. He succeeded later by leaving the big boat and jumping into the other while slowly passing.
All hands went swimming including "Aunt" Iva - at home
by 3:45 PM. Water was warm. Am teaching Iva how to get into the water.
Rake came! It looks like rain now. Everybody well lots of fun! Dave is
a howling scream! I never laughed so much! Scribe: HMF-
SUNDAY- July 31, 1938 Scribe: HMF
Foggy but warm night and morning. Temp at 8AM 68 degrees.
Sat all evening last night with windows and doors open. Visitors at Peanut
Isle..stayed until 11PM. Not too noisy.
Went to Tower Friday and children climbed Jasper Peak again and then to the mine which wasn't working again. This is the first time the mine has been shut down on Sunday. They are working only 3 days a wee now. Henry Olson called yesterday - he is taking over Albert's insurance business Company at Virginia- Letters from Dick say he will be in Lincoln Aug 29th so we must go home a little earlier-about the 26th - Dad sent a code message. Don't know if the kids can figure it out. Lowest temp for the month was 52 degrees. Paid George Gruben for the new boat and motor.(ROF NOTE: That would have been the 18 ft wooden strip Peterson with the 16 HP 4 cyl Evinrude outboard a neat rig) Both very satisfactory!
August 1938: On August 1st, Iva (Mrs A.R.Congdon-we called her "Aunt Iva") had a letter from Allen (her husband-math Prof at NU) that changed everyone's plans. He has to be operated on for a hernia. So Iva had to go home. I drove her to Tower on August 2 (Roberts 18th birthday) to get time tables., etc. Found a fine quick way to go to Virginia- Lvg Virginia and going Duluth, Mpls, Omaha, Lincoln on the Aksarben...we got back to the cabin at 1 PM. Had lunch, made birthday cake and churned ice cream (choc). At dinner we had the celebration. Robert received a blue tie from Iva, a leather pouch from Ruth and Dorothy, I gave him a box of candy, an initialed handkerchief, and another pearl handled "stick" knife...from home Libbet sent a book "Ends of the Earth by Chapman, Dad sent Mobey Dick, from Gramma, a card and check for $1.00, cards from Uncle Frank and Aunt Nora, Ray Hope Quinby..and many others!
Wednesday was rainy and a poor day to go to Virginia so we postponed it until Thursday which turned out to be a beautiful day. and arrangements for Iva's trip, found times all correct, bought Fred a shirt ($2,00)...got home in time for swim and mailboat. HOT day!
Friday early AM was a big blow. Minneshappa was loosened and banged against the dock. Woke the boys up and we all ran down in our night clothes to the rescue. Blew great guns. water dashing all over everything and everybody. Robert lost one of his tennis shoes for good, I guess, as we cannot find it...I have raked and looked for 2 days now.
Weather has be fine. No big fires in the front room for 2 weeks. Word from Dad and E that the might come up. Also word from Dick and Dorothy and the baby (now in Omaha) will come to Lincoln for a few days - coming the 7th (today)
Temperatures at 6-7AM at middle to low 60's but climbs to the 90's during the heat of the day. Elizabeth wrote that Mr. Bunting may be in Lincoln during September coming to America from Italy in August. Would like to meet him.
Today is a glorious day..warm with a heavy shower about 3AM, but short. Listening to the Mormon Choir on the radio and the Catholic Hour also. Fine Organ! These radio batteries are new last week. (450 hours). These may last all this year and next too as others last over-!...HMF
Sat August 13-1938 - For the last three days weather has been threatening - showering and clearing a bit. But today clouds and wind have been gathering and the water is wavy until about 7PM. Then it "broke" and we had an electrical and wind storm. Kids made boats fast and everything movable was anchored. Then the kids stayed down front to watch it. Pretty severe storm but no damage. The kids came in soaked to the skin. All the clothes are now hung and "drying".
Later it rained hard again with hail and we found that the roof leaks and the side wall in Ruth's room also. This morning the boys (ROF NOTE: Robert and David) went to see a small "sea-plane" (ROF NOTE: Mom's "sea plane" sounds like an airplane..NO! It was an 8' long, flat bottomed Sea-sled racing hull..with aprons on the stern. It was owned by Ross Clemens son-in-law, "Mr Capps"). Boys tried it out this afternoon but Robert did not know how to handle it. Nearly had a bad accident. He misjudged the distance, speed, and "turning" qualities of the small boat and grazed the end of the dock while hurtling by. The boat is a risky thing to play with! (ROF NOTE: It was really a fun boat. Mom let me keep it and I had a lot of fun with it with my 9 HP Evinrude outboard on it. It would do 30 mph)
Kids are playing "MOVIE MART"...seems to be funny. Letters from home are quite definite. No one will come up! So we will close up the place by ourselves in less than 2 weeks. Our new little grandson has red hair I gather. (ROF NOTE: That would be Dick/Dorothy's son, Richard Dennis Ferguson...now called "Denny") Family writes us from Lincoln, but they are mailed from anywhere BUT IN LINCOLN!
Ruth wanted to go swimming in her regular clothes, so Robert carried her to the end of the dock and threw her in. That, with the evenings wet clothes makes it somewhat like the wet night and day so many years ago! HMF (NOTE ROF: That last reference is to the "camp out" that Dick, Bill Congdon, Libbet and Caroline Beach had in 1924 or '25 when they had a terrible rain storm and dragged in late at night soaking wet! Clothes and bedding hung on the rafters in old Tepee Nopah for days getting dry!)
Monday August 15th, 1938: Washday again! A beautiful
day, windy and warm. I find grasshoppers are eating my silk everything
when they are hung on the line. Will have to keep them inside next time.
Took ride up to Cooks Island to see the stone house..SOME PLACE, but looks
dark! Lake rough and splashy, sun hot. We got some more sun burn..look
like a lobster. Made chocolate ice cream. It was
good! Lots of letters today and Ruth's pictures which
were good! Temperature at 7AM was 60 degrees. Yesterday was 56!
(ROF NOTE:..That ended the notes on 1938 except the monthly calendar with temps recorded. Highest AM temp was 69, lowest was 48. BUT during the days the highest shown was mid afternoon Aug 1 at 98..and on mid aft Aug 4 it hit 94.