Above It All: Sometimes it's good to just get way, way up there, out of the fray. To that end, we're starting you off with the NOAA/Great Lakes Modis satellite image of how Lake Superior looked yesterday. Lots of open water with a few seriously snow-covered spots on shore. It is a Great Lake.
Purple Power, Peopleless Piers: The city of Duluth turned the new LED lights on the Aerial Lift Bridge to purple Wednesday night and posted this photo by Alex Jackson, explaining: "Officially sharing a new kind of #DuluthLight tonight and for the foreseeable future. The Aerial Lift Bridge will be lit in Minnesota purple in an effort to bring joy to our community. We know things aren’t easy right now Duluth, but we’ll get through this together one light at a time." (Enger Tower is all decked in purple light, too.) The new lighting project on the bridge was completed late last week, and the new lights could save up to $5,000 annually. Meanwhile, nearby, Paul Scinocca took a photo along the Duluth piers on Monday, noting a very rare view with something missing: "Not too often you can get a shot of the lighthouse without people on the pier."
Port Passion: Interlake Steamship Company gave a shout out to another one of the passionate local maritime photographers, Gus Schauer. The company does a #SaturdaySalute noting "freighter fans," written by its media person, Chrissy Kadleck. Of Gus, Chrissy writes: "Gus Schauer has been photographing Lakers for half of his life, seven years to be exact. The 14-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota, is easily one of the most talented shutterbugs on the North Shore regularly capturing spectacular shots and enviable vantage points of the boats that sail in and out of the Twin Ports. 'My dad would bring me down to the Canal a few times, and once I started hearing those ship salutes, I immediately got hooked,' says Gus, who is in eighth grade at Stella Maris Academy in Duluth. 'I like when the bridge responds and then all the people get excited when they hear it. I just think that's a cool tradition that's kept on the lakes throughout the years.' He has continually upgraded his skills and equipment since then, following in the photography footsteps of his dad and boat-and train-chasing buddy, David Schauer. 'Then I had this little camera that I would bring with me and I started taking some pictures,' Gus says. He now shoots with a D750 Nikon. The pair also flies a Mavic 2 Zoom drone to catch unbeatable aerial shots. Gus’s pictures are always big hits on Facebook and have been featured in the North Star Port, Duluth Seaway Port Authority’s quarterly magazine."
We're big fans of both Gus and David, who are generous with allowing reposting of their images on our Facebook page, too. These photos show Gus posing with his port magazine cover shot and grabbing a few images of the Paul R. Tregurtha. Read the full story, plus a Q&A with Gus on Interlake's website.
Meanwhile, Downstream: The Montréal/Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence Seaway opened Wednesday (Apr. 1) this week, officially unlocking the seaway to domestic and ocean-going vessels when the CSL Baie St. Paul traversed the St. Lambert Lock. “The St. Lawrence Seaway provides an essential transportation service that literally feeds nations around the world, including Canada and the U.S., and supplies the inputs which keep many of our industries operating," Terence Bowles, president and CEO of the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, noted in a release about the opening and addressing the global pandemic. "We will strive to do our part during this difficult period.” Usually the Welland Canal, which opened March 24, and the M/LO section would have opened simultaneously, but the International Joint Commission wanted to move record volumes over the dam there, trying to help with the high-water levels in Lake Ontario. That meant it was not safe for vessels to travel through at that time.
Flags of Honor: U.S. military veteran David Beeksma of the Red Cliff Chippewa has donated two American flags that flew over Kabul, Afghanistan, to the the tribe. One was flown in honor of the People of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa during Operation Freedom Sentinel, and the other was flown for the Red Cliff VFW, reports the tribal weekly newsletter, Miisaninawiind. The newsletter added, "These flags represent the will and resolve of the American people to protect those who cannot protect themselves and to stand strong and defeat all who attempt to bring us harm." In the story, David says, "We’re a family of families. That’s what a Band is. These flags are a representation of Red Cliff coming together in support and acknowledgement of veterans who have served.” David, who spent about eight years in Afghanistan, served 20 years in civil service and another 15 years in the military. He currently lives in Tuscon, Ariz., and owns the consulting business Nordin Solutions that works with groups and businesses trying to make a positive difference in the world. David (on right) shows the flags here with tribal Chairman Rick Peterson.
Happy to Stay at Home: Bill Purnis and Flo MacLeod would love nothing more than to "stay at home" right now. For nearly a month, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, couple has been stranded first on one, then transferred to another, cruise ship off South America. You may not know Flo or Bill, but you've likely heard about the ships – the Zaandam and the Rotterdam (seen here) – of the Holland America Line. They were trying to find a place that would allow them to dock. The couple boarded the Zaandam early in March, but after multiple confirmed cases of Covid-19 – and ultimately two deaths because of it – they were moved to the Rotterdam after testing negative for the virus. But they and the other passengers were not able to leave for home until this week when the two ships were granted permission to dock in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Thursday. Some 1,200 of the passengers (likely including Bill and Flo) will be taken from the ships directly to chartered flights to be returned to their countries or states of origin. The remaining passengers who tested positive for the virus either will stay shipboard until they are symptom-free for 72 hours or a few were taken for emergency care. Back in Canada, flights between Toronto and the Sault have been cancelled, but the couple might be able to link up through Thunder Bay. The two retired Algoma District School Board employees were cautiously optimistic in emails earlier Thursday with James Hopkin of SooToday, anticipating the chance to return home. “We have been extremely well cared for, and have highest praise for the captains and crew with various countries slamming doors in front of them,” Bill told James. “We also thank [the] email service which connects us with Sault Canada and the world – and most importantly, our positive attitudes during these days at sea have helped weather the storm.” Just a note, too, Algoma Public Health issued this statement on a site with information for those returning home to Algoma Country: "Are you or your friends and family returning to Algoma from vacation or other travels? Welcome home! And please stay home. Avoid contact with others for 14 days." Bill told James he's ready for home, even with an additional 14 day quarantine. “I want to make my own pasta sauce and pasta, and enjoy giving special thanks for being delivered home safely,” he said. “Usually we have 10 to 14 family [members over] for my pasta, but although there will only be the two of us, we will know that the others are within 40 minutes of us.”
Great Lakes Still Cruising?: A story by Ian Wendrow for GreatLakesNow notes that cruises scheduled for the Great Lakes later this summer have not yet been cancelled or postponed and tickets are still being sold. Cruises on the Great Lakes have several advantages to those larger ocean trips, including much smaller sizes (maximum passengers generally is 500 or less) and the majority of their cruises scheduled later in the season, most June through August. Currently, of course, the U.S.-Canadian border, which many of these ships criss-cross, is closed to non-essential traffic, including on the water.
And There Is No Place Like Home: Lake Superior provided its own version of a rainbow this week near Baraga, Michigan, and "Nathan Paula Taisto" posted a video of it on Yooper Adventures with Nancy and Friends. Check out that Big Lake smile and make sure the volume is on to hear the Lake waving at you, too.
Book Hawking: Mike Savage's Savage Press in Superior has been publishing books for a long time. Plus Mike is an author himself and has for more than two decades been churning out Alphonse "Dave" Davecki mysteries – Mike's own version of a North Woods hard-boiled detective. Mike (whom we've known and enjoyed for a long time) can be quite the scallywag and his writing reflects that bawdy, occasionally questionable spirit. In other words, Davecki mysteries are not for everybody, especially those of delicate (or one might say thoughtful) sensibilities. The one thing Mike (and his writing) has in abundance, though, is a grand sense of off-beat humor, and this week as he's worked to hawk his latest Davecki mystery, Death on the Brule River, we've loved to see his creative posts, including a video of "Music to Read DBR By" and another couple of which we're sharing here with you.
What Kind of Egg Are You?: The folks at Locally Laid (aka LoLa), the egg company based near Duluth, have been scrambling to provide enough product for the stores that carry the eggs of the pasture-foraging hens at the eight Midwestern farms under their brand. "Egg demand is at an all-time high. We're working overtime at Locally Laid Egg Company to find new supplies of high-quality eggs and rush them into stores. The sight of empty shelves is not good for the public psyche and creates avoidable anxiety." So true, but what is good for the public psyche is seeing the new stickers LoLa has adhered to some egg cartons: "In these uncertain times, remember to be a good egg." That's great takeaway advice … and perhaps a gentle reminder that one dozen might be enough this time so others can have eggs, too.
Photo & graphic credits: NOAA/Great Lakes Modis; Paul Scinocca; Alex Jackson; Interlake Steamship Company; St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation; Miisaninawiind; Holland America Line; "Nathan Paula Taisto"; Mike Savage; Locally Laid Egg Company