August 2, 2011

We had another great Floyd Lake reunion of the Biedenbender, Reiner, and Schubkegel families. Cathy, Dave, and Hannah came up last week Thursday. Grandma, Jean and her kids (minus Mitch - work), Tim, Tyler, Levi, Jenni, and guest Mariah S. came up Sunday. Andrea, Krissy, and Gaylin drove up late at night.

The past few days have been spent tubing, relaxing, and enjoying the latest Paige/Hannah cabin spa under the theme "Where Beauty Meets the Lake". Jack enjoyed hanging with his male cousins. Dave and Tim caught some bass and panfish while out on a few trips. Topwater action was slow but the largemouth were hitting on purple and black plastic worms. The weather was warm - upper 80s - despite some needed rain and t-storms on Monday. Andrea gave Levi and Tyler a buzz cut, and blew a circuit when grandma's 50-year-old electric razor got stuck in Ty's long locks. Note to self: If the circuit in the porch trips, reset switch is on the outlet behind large blue couch on porch south end.

Tuesday night featured a brat and fish dinner, followed by the adults watching "the Bachelor" and the kids watching a video while having tickle fights and "buckin' broncho rides" with the monster in the sleeping bag (usually Tyler or Levi). The Duberowskis (Dot and Roger)from Lake Havasu visited, had lunch, and had a quick fishing trip to the weed bed. Dave and Tim hit the lake one more time with high success in Mud Lake, straight across by the large house dock - with surfacing bass and crappie hits. The Madison Schubkegels headed for the Mall of America on Thursday but Dave, Andi, and her bud hit the lake for some topwater bass action in Mud Lake at Al Stelljes' bass point (in and to the far right). They had plenty of action, complete with a "large marge" throwing Dave's poppin' plug with a might jump.

Thanks for another great time!

July 5, 2011 Tuesday

Dave and Tim hit the lake at 7:00 a.m. Top water bass fishing resulted in about a dozen hitting near the entrance to Mud and other locations near the lily pads and reeds. We switched to vertical jigs with black rubber worms and hit sunfish, crappies, and more bass at the weed lines. A last stop at Al's point weed bed produced many more sunfish and the largest bass (over 3 lbs) of the morning on a plastic worm - Texas rig. We returned after 11:00 a.m. to great weather again - sunny, a light north breeze, and warm temps in the 80s. The girl cousins took the canoe out for a ride with Luther swimming close behind. The plan for mom was to get another queen size bed for the extra downstairs bedroom, since it currently has two blow-up mattresses - accomplished at Menard's, along with the return of the Johnson 25 hp, as J & K fixed the once again busted recoil. Mitch fixed the hyper-extended hinge of the lower house window, replaced curtains and grounded the surface of the painted cement steps to the old cabin. Dave took the troops on many a tube ride. Mitch took some kids to Al's point for one last fishing trip. A final campfire, smores, sparklers, and awards ceremony (1st annual best cousin of the year award: Levi; Best grandma award: grandma S), followed by a 2002 summer video viewing of the 40th anniversary trip to Duluth. Our last evening at Floyd was great, as everyone will be leaving tomorrow. Thanks mom and dad!

July 4th, 2011, Monday

Dave and Laura left early to head back to Hudson, WI. Levi was up earlier than the other kids and went out to the dock to check things out. He was startled and amazed to view a bald eagle swoop by the large cottonwood tree and drop a half-eaten bullhead near the boulders - a great start to the 4th of July! (bald eagle sighting). He canoed out to the reeds on his own and got up close to a family of loons. The weather was great again - sunny, temps in the 80s, with a southwest breeze. There was heavy lake boat traffic, much use of the Checkmate, and general laying around enjoying the lake time. Cathy and Sarah left around 4:00 p.m. to get back to work. After dinner, Dave, Sarah, Mitch, and Megan headed to the Al's point weed bed for some pan fishing action and got it - often a fish every catch. The rest of us watched a major storm front approaching from the northwest with lightning nearly every second. They came back with a basketful of fish near sunset. After cleaning, the dudes played some Yahtzee (which Jack won handily). Near the end, the storm hit with a mighty blast, sending the tubes (stored on the deck) flying down to the road. After some heavy rain and wind it was over by 11:30 p.m.

July 3, 2011, Sunday

Dave made a delicious French toast - bacon - fruit breakfast for everyone to start the morning. More trips were made to WalMart and other stores. God blessed us with another sunny, relatively cloudless day with temps in the 80s and a south wind which gave us the calm side of the lake today. Levi and Tim took princess Andrea (it was her birthday today) on a special canoe ride to the bay and back. She said "it was the best birthday present she'd ever had!". There was a lot of action with the Checkmate today and quite a few boats and jet skis on the lake - it was buzzing with excitement on a great day. We had a casual lunch of fried Floyd fish. Bob R., neighbor, came over number of times asking if we'd like to try the sailboat. Later on, near dinner time, Bob and Mitch launched the doomed vessel in an attempt to see if it still worked. Although riding low in the water, the two made it 1/3 way to the point with a light breeze and tried to turn it around. Riding lower yet, the boat heaved and took on more water. Levi from shore noticed Mitch trying to bail water. Tim got out the binoculars and verified Reiners furiously attempting to get the water out with his hands. The alarm was sounded, and Tim & Levi ran for the 9.9 Johnson/Lund to save them. When they reached the failing ship, Bob was in the front, ready to go down with the ship. Mitch had jumped out so as not to bring the boat down further. We helped Bob into the lifeboat (Lund) and resolved to tow the sinking vessel into shore with a rope. Bob was late for a dinner date, but we hoisted up the salvaged craft on the boat lift in an attempt to drain the water. It was then realized that there was a large crack/hole on the bottom of the boat, which was why so much water came in.
After a delicious dinner of brats, steak, and chicken (thanks to Dave, Laura, Dave, Cathy), Andrea's birthday was celebrated. She received many nice presents but really enjoyed the Selena Gomez gifts. More Checkmate action and a spectacular fireworks display by the Floyd Lake neighbors until near midnight. Dave B. enjoyed new joke material as the result of Jean's comment about putting jeans in a freezer to keep them fresh. He also relived some memorable Fran comments from past years. Thanks to mom for a great cabin time - praise be to God for keeping us in His care!

July 1, 2011, Saturday

Dave B. and Tim headed out early fishing in Mud Lake, catching a large variety of keepers for a fish fry including sunfish, crappie, bass (18 inches the largest), and a walleye by Dave. Upon returning we met Dave and Laura, who arrived the previous evening around midnight - later than they expected, due to an accident they were in just outside of Minneapolis (rear-ended by a car behind them who was hit by a car behind that one). Dave was OK; Laura went to the hospital to get checked out with neck problems. We're glad they were kept safe by the Lord!
Numerous trips were taken to WalMart and local stores for supplies. The weather was in the 80s, sunny, with a north wind. The annual Floyd Lake boat parade took place in the early afternoon. At that time we also had the first LLC meeting, discussing future plans for the cabin lake property. After the detailed but productive 1 1/2 hr. meeting. Sarah B. arrived to complete the Biedenbender family. After Jean and Mitch's delicious dinner, Dave, Mitch, and Tim tried some walleye fishing later in the evening. None could be caught, although Mitch hauled in a nice northern and Dave had a big bass hit at sunset. The new Johnson 9.9 had some gasoline flooding issues when the tank was switched (apparently don't pump the ball). After a gorgeous sunset, the group played Andrea's unique but exciting mind -memory game, where each person had a picture card matched with their name. The object was to turn over two cards, trying to match them up. Thanks!

June 30th, 2011, Thursday

Happy anniversary to Joyce and Fran, 49 years ago today. Tim fished early on - some bass and crappies in Mud Lake. Most of the day was spent sanding the back deck, with a quick trip to Menards and WalMart. It was hot in the mid 90s. Thompson's sealant went on before dinner, which was fish, corn on the cob, salad, and cold beer. I took mom out fishing while Levi and Jenni wanted to stay back to scrape the old shed, ready for painting. Right before sunset they took a quick tube ride around the bay. "Shoot the Moon" ended the day, with anticipation of everyone else coming tomorrow to Floyd. Another great sunset!

June 29th, 2011, Wednesday

Fishing in the morning with Levi - slim pickins. Egg & sausage breakfast, followed by back deck work most of the day, reversing the boards and sanding. It was windy and temps in the 80s. We also put Thompsons sealant on the dock and front deck, but worked on the back deck most of the day, but had time to visit the Olsens and a few rounds of "Shoot the Moon" in the evening.

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

5:30 a.m. fishing with Levi and dad - a bit slow, but some nice bass on topwater poppers. Upon returning to a pancake breakfast, news that the Check-Mate was being delivered. Jenni and Levi put on the boat canopy and the boat was returned. The kids cleaned the paddle boat, cleaned the sailboat, then Bob (neighbor) helped us put together the sailboat components. Mom and Jenni worked hard on the rocks and weeds by the cottonwood tree. Jenni power-washed the deck and shed. We put the canoe on the lift, trimmed some branches, cleaned gutters, put on the tire swing, filled the Check-Mate with oil and gas, fixed a bouncy dock, worked on the back deck, and more. After a fish & home-grown salad plus watermelon, we had an afternoon nap. Levi got up on skis in the afternoon and is now a pro. Brats for dinner, then a campfire with mega-marshmallow smores with a spectacular sunset and a few rounds of "shoot the moon" cards. The weather was great - sunny, calm, with warmer temperatures to follow.

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Fishing cancelled at 5:00 a.m. (rain) but went back out at 7:00 a.m. The Johnson 25 hp did not start (recoil again); neither did the back-up old 5 hp. Levi and dad took the trolling motor out to the weed bed and caught a few panfish, northern, and bass. Eggs and sausage for breakfast. More rain, so we drove to J & K Marina to check the status of the CheckMate and to take the disabled Johnson in for repair (also with the intent on shopping for another motor). After some searching, they had a 9.9 hp 1997 Johnson for sale which was purchased with the intent on fixing the Johnson 25 hp for a back-up. Mom made a deal with the dudes at the shop and they agreed to deliver the Check-Mate to Floyd Lake free of charge the next day. We shopped again at WalMart, then off to Papa John's for some free cookie dough. Home-made vegetable soup from mom, an afternoon nap, pot-roast dinner, then evening bass fishing with Jenni, Levi, and dad. We kept six dandy bass and a northern, then fried up some for an evening snack.

June 26, 2011

Levi, Jennifer, and Tim Schubkegel arrived at Floyd Lake with a canoe on their car to meet Joyce Schubkegel. We shopped at WalMart that evening during heavy rains. Mom enjoyed gluten-free pancakes that evening.

June 17-21
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Joyce Schubkegel came up with the Markgrafs to Floyd Lake. Trip summary by Mr. Markgraf:

I thought that I would give you an update of our time at the lake. I was not successful in catching crappies, but managed a few others fish - 14 nice bluegills, 8 small northerns, and four small bass. There was an east breeze quite often which may account for my slow fishing.
I spent the quite a bit of time slow trolling for crappies along the weed lines and into deeper water in Mud Lake just as you come out of the channel. I mostly used 1/8 ounce beetle spin and a split shot sinker with various colors/sizes of twister tails. I didn't catch one crappie. I never did get any minnows.
I found some bluegill spawn beds in about 3-4 feet of water just on the edge of the reeds on the west side of Floyd Lake several blocks to the left of the channel entry into Mud Lake. So, the before the next time out I picked up some panfish leeches and did some bobber fishing. I only got 9 bluegills out of these beds, so there should be some left for you! I didn't find any eggs in them when I cleaned them. In case you look for the beds, they are out from a small light colored fallen tree on shore. The distinctive feature of the tree is that three of its larger branches protrude toward the water at the lake's edge. There is a fairly large rock on shore not just too far to the left of the tree. I caught the bass and a few bluegills while casting the edge of the reeds along this same shoreline.
I trolled back and forth in deeper water off this shoreline hoping for crappies or walleyes, but I only caught 3 small northerns. One day there was a good walleye chop so I dragged a jig with a Berkley Power Bait 6 inch pearl colored minnow around, but I didn't have any strikes.
I caught the other northerns in Mud Lake - three of them while trying to catch crappies and two of them when I switched over to a larger jig and twister tail. I fished a dare devil and a Rapala for a while, too, but no luck on those baits.
Dave and Jeff caught some bluegills in 2 feet of water way down to the right on the west side of Mud Lake where a creek enters the lake. I think I found the spot. I didn't have live bait along but I tried a few casts with the Beetle Spin. It was breezy so I couldn't hold the boat in a good position to fish amongst the lilly pads. Another day I made my way toward the public boat landing one day to check for spawn beds, but a boat was anchored and two guys fishing in the place I had expected to find some so I backed off.
Battery
I was not able to get the trolling motor battery to take a charge. I tried three nights using the 10 amp setting. I put 3 gallons of mixed gas in the motor gas tank before we left so it should be good for you to go for a while.
Boat Motor
There was a coat hangar-like wire hanging along the right side of the boat motor just behind the shift lever. I discovered that if you pulled the wire to the left, away from the motor, I was usually able to shift the motor into to neutral. Because of my lack of arm strength I was not always able to get the motor started in gear. I usually had to have the throttle wide open and that was a bit unsafe because the boat took off like a shot when the engine kicked in! So, I was glad to be able to start it in neutral.
Sail Boat
The screw holes were stripped out for the screws that hold a metal collar that the mast pole goes through. I purchased four dry wall anchors and new screws at L and M which worked great to secure the collar. There were also some stripped out holes for screws that held two brackets in the sailboat cavity where you place your feet. I bought screws a size large than what were there, and they tightened up pretty well, too. When I tightened them I had a screw driver with a fairly short blade. Later, your mother found a screw driver with a longer blade that might have allowed me to get an extra turn on the screws, but it was just before we left and I didn't get to try it.
Although I could have used your services of a guide, we really enjoyed our time at the lake!
Thanks much.
Dale Markgraf

June 2011

Dave Biedenbender and Jeff Schoenherr opened the new cabin. Dave and Jeff came up on Friday, June 3. Jeff Schoenherr cut the lawn while Dave B. got the new cabin up and running by getting the water going and turning on the water heater and electricity. After that, they tried to get the Checkmate up and running. While trying to attach the battery, something went wrong and there was some smoking near the motor. Dave called J and K Marine and a guy named James came out and took a look at the motor. He determined that something was wrong with the voltage meter. He said the Checkmate would have to be taken in for repairs. Dave and Jeff went into town to get a bite to eat. On Saturday morning, Dave pulled the Checkmate to J and K Marine and left it there to be repaired. Late Saturday morning, Dave and Jeff went out fishing in the Lund. They didn't have much luck. However, they went out fishing again in the early evening and caught tons of fish in the back lefthand corner of Mud Lake. They came back and Jeff cleaned the fish with his electric Rapala filet knife. Dave and Jeff left on Sunday, taking some tasty fish home with them. Dave went over the lawn one more time to clean it up a bit on Sunday.

May 2011

Joyce Schubkegel and Arlon Koestler opened the cabin

Labor Day Weekend, 2010

Biedenbenders, Reiners, and Joyce Schubkegel closed the cabins up. Everyone arrived late on Friday night and got settled. On Saturday morning and afternoon, the Biedenbender and Reiners kids did some skiing and tubing. Dave B. cut the lawn one last time. Mitch R. and Dave B. started closing down the cabins on Saturday. They started by closing down the new cabin (Swiss chalet). While doing that, Mitch decided to make some alterations to the plumbing near the water heater in the new cabin. Once that was taken care of, they blew the water out of that one and closed it up. On Sunday, Mitch and Dave took care of bringing in the boats, adding stable to the gas in the Checkmate, and changing the oil in the lower units of the motors. Also on Sunday, the dock pieces were brought in along with all of the outside furniture, toys, and stuff. On Monday, Mitch and Dave blew the water out of the pipes in the old cabin and the big cabin. Then, everyone headed home. We all stopped at Applebee's in St. Cloud for a celebratory meal. The 2010 Floyd Lake season had come to an end.

February 9, 2011

Dad's two year anniversary date when the Lord took him into heaven.

"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLH9vwnTSA8