Duluth Again

What with one thing and another, Patrick and I have not taken a drive in the country for a couple of months.

Yesterday we went to Duluth. There was fog in the Cities. That lifted as we drove north. The sky was covered with high, thin clouds which turned it bluish-grey. The snow is mostly gone, so we drove past brown fields and mixed forest, dark pines and mostly bare hardwoods. The oaks are still holding their brown leaves.

Lake Superior is still partially frozen. A coast guard cutter had to cut a six-mile channel in the ice, so the first ships could leave Duluth; and we could see the channel, a white trail across the grey ice.

We hit our usual shops. Patrick bought a Filson vest on sale. Why not have the best? as the Filson company asks. As the weather changes, Filson looks better and better. The company is based in Seattle and knows how to make clothing for a climate with rain rather than snow.

I bought a print of a giant squid attacking a lake boat, while flying saucers beam the crewmen up. The letter set text says in part, "Horrifying Tales of Superior. Mighty Steamers dragged to a Watery Doom by The Great Kraken. Entire Crews Vanish with Intergalactic Visitors."

Very nice, and exactly right for me, since I love squid, science fiction and Great Lake freighters.

We listened to Tom Waits and Stan Rogers on the way up. On the way back we talked about Patrick's new job and other things.

This morning, as I woke up, I had an idea for a new story, based on an incident from the Egils saga Skallagrimssonar, which is about an ancestor of mine. I got the story roughly plotted and then realized it had no fantastic element. I couldn't sell it to my usual markets. So I am going to throw in elves.

I can't start it today. Today I am doing my taxes.