Floating Bog

     In the book "Brothers by Fire" we talk about the Big White Oak area of Northern Minnesota. One of the key elements that make up such a large area is the floating bog. Time and water combine with floating plants to make a carpet of plants that is sometimes a couple feet deep. In some areas, it can be walked on but occasionally, you sink deeply and wind up swimming.

   An invention perfected here in Minnesota was the bog shoe. It looked almost like putting a small canoe on each foot. They were hard to use and few had them.

  You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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To build a canoe.

   
   A while back, I tried my hand at building a canoe. While it may not been the traditional birch bark style, it was quite similar. The project started by building a form, a place to start laying up the cedar ribs and keel. The keel was laid and bent up fore and aft to make the familiar shape of a canoe. Strips of cedar were cooked in a steam cabinet until they were pliable which took several hours. Then the strips were bent across the form and spaced evenly. The gunwale was built and formed over the cedar strips. It's starting to look a lot like a canoe.
   After a few days of drying, the canoe is removed from the form. The bow and stern were finished and the complete form of the canoe is there to admire.
   Now the canoe is covered with canvas and stretched tightly. Then several coats of lead paint cover the entire project. Light sanding finishes the project and a final coat of marine paint is applied.
   After a further week of dry time, the canoe is set gently into the water. Not even one leak was found. The canoe was a bit heavy compared to birch bark, but it was a sight to behold. It paddled straight as a die. 
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated frequently. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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Campfire and Fish

  
   In the book "Brothers by Fire" I talk about camping by the rivers and cooking a fish dinner over the coals. I've eaten fish prepared in exactly 3,219 different ways, but there's nothing like over a campfire. I don't know if it's the anticipation of a great meal or maybe the company of a good friend, but it sure does taste good.
   As a kid, we cooked many good meals of fish. Sometimes we got real elaborate and used some flour, salt and butter. Sometimes it was just put on a stick and held over the fire.
   We had a favorite place as most kids did. There was an old beaver lodge that we sat on. As quick as the fish was caught, it was being cooked. We had a big cast iron frying pan but nobody knew who it belonged to. When we were done, we scrubbed it out with gravel and hung it on a nail driven into an old pine tree.
   Time has passed and my friends have all gone in different directions. Sometimes I wonder if that old frying pan is still there. I guess way too many years have passed now. I could never get back there without a horse. But some days when the summer winds churn up Hale Lake, I get to wondering.
   Maybe some day.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about "Brothers by Fire".   

Good Reading,
Ron

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The Oregon Coast

   
   We have quite a country here. From coast to coast the beauty is unbelievable. Along the coast of Oregon, you don't have to look far for breathtaking scenery. And then if you can stay put for a while, it changes. The smooth beauty of morning can be replaced by crashing waves in just a few hours. For those of us who think Minnesota is best, we need to remember that rarely can we see over a mile. On the Pacific coast we see for many miles, many miles. The eyes that grew old in Minnesota have a hard time absorbing it all
   What a country we have. From sea to shining sea it's quite a place.  
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

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Men of Steel

 In my book "Brothers by Fire" we speak of the lives of the men who walk the high steel. Now there's a job that's exciting from start to finish, each day, every day. I've seen these men of steel walk six inch beams as if they were on a wide sidewalk.
   A man I knew was one of these brave workers. He built the big IDS building in Minnesota's Twin Cities. He had a few friends help him, but in my eyes, he did it all by himself.
   As the project neared completion, these brave men placed an American flag at the top floor. My friend was photographed standing on a wooden plank, flag in hand, millions of feet in the air. I can't think of a more dangerous place in the world.  
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

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Elk

In "Brothers by Fire" a chapter is devoted to an elk hunt in Colorado. Any time you can spend time in the Rocky Mountains, it will be memorable. Our main character takes a huge elk and the next morning finds their camp nearly covered by snow. They nearly lose their lives while trying to get off the mountain.
   This is an all too common situation in the mountains in the fall. Weather is completely unpredictable. What starts as a cloud free sky can change to a terrible blizzard in just a few minutes. The services of a good guide will make for a memorable hunt and ensure your safety. It's money well spent.
   "Brothers by Fire" is a story of two brothers separated at a young age. I take the reader on two life journeys across several continents. It's adventure reading on a grand scale. I hope you'll take a look.
  You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,

Ron

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For the Birds .....

  Here in Northern Minnesota, things run at a frantic pace during the summer months. Long before the snow has left the darkest parts of the woods, the buttercups are already in full bloom. There isn't much time to get everything done.    The deer have their young early in the year and by the time of the next snow, they can easily fend for themselves.
   Colors play a large part in Northern Minnesota. The birds that spend their summers here are sometimes unbelievably colorful. They have to arrive from the south, stake out courting areas, build nests, mate, lay eggs and fledge their young in a relatively short time. Before you know it, time has passed and they head south again to avoid our harsh winters.
   It's now getting towards the middle of June and the leaves on the maple trees are just getting their full size. In about three months they will change color and fall to the ground. Such a short life for something so beautiful.
   But for today, let's all get outside and fill up our senses with the sounds, smells and sights that will carry us through the next hard winter that could be in a little over four months.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron


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