The next 2 days we had lots to do. 2 things were on our schedule, and there was some preparation involved. Much of the first morning was dedicated to leisure ready. Lesley was glad we came back early because now she had company that night for a drive down he Gunflint to Tuscarora Lodge where Jerry Vandiver, known on this website as "One Match," would be performing. This was a real treat for us and I did not realize that our plans changing made possible an amazing part of this year's finale to my trip. But there was an afternoon of stoking to do before that evening's delight. George and Leslie were beginning to prepare their backyard brick pizza oven for a pizza party that would be 2 nights away. The Northhouse Folk School had a class in their back yard a number of years ago and built the most wonderful brick oven. George and Lesley were truly experts at this kind of party prep. Lesley had been making pizza dough for 16 pizzza crusts, as well as preparing all the fixings for a party of 12. George now had to start this 2 day process of warming the layers of bricks so that the inner layer and outer layer were both about 600 degrees F. George and I painstakingly threw logs in the brick fireplace for about 4 or 5 hours, talking about everything we felt like talking about, and drinking a few Bent Paddle beers while doing so. It was tough work, but it had to be done. And we would have to do more of it the next afternoon! We finished our work at about 4:00 and got ready to drive about 30 miles up the Gunflint. Beautiful late afternoon for a drive. We arrived at Tuscarora Lodge and enjoyed a brief walk around the shoreline - the lodge is a very beautiful place. Jerry Vandiver, "One Match," had been out canoe tripping, finished his solo paddle, and was ready to perform for the community before continuing his short summer tour of the north country. As we finally went into the dining area where Jerry would be performing, we met Jerry and talked a bit. What a great guy! We quickly found our seats as the dining hall was being transformed into a music hall. Not as nice as the Gand Ole Opry, but Jerry would do his thing regardless. For the next few hours I was just in Country heaven. Jerry sang a number of songs as he talked and explained to us how he was driven to write many of them. His paddle songs really tell the story of what we all enjoy so much on our paddling trips. He then introduced 2 college-aged young people who were going to jam with him for the rest of the evening. The young man was an excellent mandolin player and just loved what he was doing. The young lady was a concert violinist who had not done country before their afternoon rehearsal. For the next hour or so we were treated to a jam session that I can't say enough about. They played together like they'd been together for years. Please pardon me for not remembering their names, but I'm pretty sure we'll be hearing more about them. George and Lesley and I headed back to their home that night with the contentment that has to be felt and not explained. I was also thinking about tomorrow's last day in the north country and the work we'd have to do again sitting around George's campfire circle warming that brick oven and drinking more Bent Paddle. I was confident that I was up to the task!
So I retired that evening and read in bed for awhile. "White Fire," a Pendergast mystery, was getting very exciting and it would be fun finishing it when I got back to St Louis. The next morning we got up late (at least I did), and had some fruit and toast on the deck for breakfast. The party was to start at 6:00, so we had the entire afternoon to get that brick oven perfect for cooking those pizzas. I also finished packing my car for the next day's drive home. Lots of good conversation, a good beer or 2, and I also prepared George's fire pit for a party campfire. His in-ground pit is simply a semi tractor-trailor wheel that is buried and lined with some rocks around the edge - a very novel idea and looked perfectly in place inside some split log benches that surrounded it along side the brick oven. Lesley had prepared tables on the huge screened-in deck for everyone to make their pizza and take it out to the oven, where Lesley would then cook it. As everyone arrived that evening, the pizza-baking process began and worked like clockwork. 3 people at a time went up to the deck and got their pizzas fixed up with about 2" thick of goodies to bake on Lesley's prepared crusts. Lesley then had 3 pizzas baking at a time, and one looked more scrumptious than the next - works of art they were. Pizzas were done in about 5 minutes. We filled up and enjoyed our conversations for the evening. Some folks had driven all the way from Chetek, WI for the party. They parked their big camper in George's driveway and spent the night right there. I went to bed earlier than the rest, as I had a 4:30 get-up time and was driving on the road by 5:00 am. It was an uneventful safe drive home and I was back in St Louis by a little before 6:00 pm to get into Club Fitness just before they closed to the $10 a month members.
This year's trip was one I'll never forget, and throwing the Jerry Vandiver night and the pizza party night into the wonderful canoeing and fishing experience will keep me content for another long winter and also looking forward to my next visit to God's country. I have to give a public holler to my wonderful friends and hosts, Geroge and Lesley, for having me in their wonderful home again. God bless them!