Well, the 28th episode of the Lyle Luchterhand-led Canadian expedition is over. Five hardy souls, including the undersigned, departed from the Luchterhand castle at 3:40 am, June 14th and began the trek north to Superior, WI, and the Perkins restaurant.
There we used the facilities and refueled ourselves for the most grueling stage of our journey. Duluth. Construction. Detours only civil engineers employed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation could dream would keep da nort-bound Saturday morning convoy of fisherman moving smoothly. Nevertheless, with dogged determination we persevered.
So we got to the border early. On the US side we fueled up, exchanged our US currency for Canadian money-eh, and then got in line at the Grand Portage—Pigeon River Border Crossing. There we waited. And we waited. Cobwebs formed on our rear-view mirrors, while we waited. I proof-read seven Bible Classes, wrote my next four sermons, and did a quick review of my will while we waited. Ahead of us, every truck with a boat was directed off to the side.
Then came our turn. The heavens opened. The sun shone down. Birds chirped merrily, and a young lady, likely of Indian heritage, welcomed us. Her tone was dulcimer. Her questions, however, were thorough. I’m not quite sure why she needed to know the names of the last three dogs my family owned, but after the questions, we were on our journey again.
From the border, it was a restful 2-hour drive to Open Bay Lodge, Upsala, Ontario. A restful drive for the most part—albeit punctuated by a blithering idiot who passed us despite oncoming traffic. However, the stress of the incident was soothed by a stop at the Odena Foods Store in Kakabeka Falls. There we cheered our fearless leader when he emerged from the store with 2 gallons of vanilla ice cream, soul-food reserved for the weary after long days battling the monster fish of the Canadian wilderness.
We arrived at Open Bay Lodge by 2:10 pm Central. Or maybe it was 3:10 pm Eastern. I’m still not sure. The great 2025 Time-Zone Debate will rage on for ages. Some will argue the Lodge has always been in the Central time zone. Others will argue for the Eastern. Still others (including the owners of the Lodge) will tell us their office at the top of the hill is Eastern, while the cabins just down the hill are Central. Since the clock in our cabin was set for Eastern time, here’s what I believe. The west-end of our cabin’s 70’s-era kitchen table was in the Central time zone. The eastern-end was Eastern time.
I should know because it was that kitchen table that became ground-zero for our activities during the entire week. Not Lac de Mille Lacs. Not Old Baldy, Honeymoon Bay, the Rock Pile, or Sunken Island. Not walleye up to 26 or 27 inches long, one so gargantuan it snapped one of my fishing rods as if it were a toothpick. So many walleyes that by Friday, we were forced to catch and release one 17 incher after another. (Oh, my breaking heart!) Nor was the week’s focus on Northern Pike so gigantic they could pull you over the side of the boat into the briny deep, unless you lashed yourself to the mast.
That’s not what this 28th edition of the LL Canadian trip was all about. Not even close. Shall I tell you? Even though sharing this decades-long, closely-guarded secret will likely get me voted off the island? Yea verily, I must! For my conscience to stand clear, I can do no other! Only full disclosure will suffice! So here goes.
This trip is actually a Week-long Deep-Dive Sheepshead Immersion Experience. Just as immersion experiences in the foreign languages (German, Spanish, Portuguese, Esperanto) work best, so also the best way to learn how to play cut-throat Sheepshead is by being immersed in it for 40 hours minimum, in the span of one week. By week’s end you’ll have gained the ability to keep a precise mental database of all the trump played, suits played, and fail played. Within 0.81 seconds you’ll be able to spot the stupid partner. And you’ll reach your mountain-top goal of taking one trick after another, winning one hand after another, and piling up the chips for bragging rights. (I delighted to take a very, very long time to count up the 35 chips I was ahead one day.)
After just 2 years in this Week-long Deep-Dive Sheepshead Immersion Experience, I reckon that I have attained the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in the game. Others who have been going for decades have gained multiple Doctorates.
My point? It is two-fold.
1. I hope to brighten your day with a few moments of light-hearted banter.
2. My main goal is to share how refreshing it is to get away from everyday schedules and be immersed in the friendship of brothers in Christ. Solomon got it right when he observed, “Olive oil and incense bring joy to a heart, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his sincere advice.” (Proverbs 27:9; even if the advice may be, “You should have played trump in that trick.”)
Solomon also observed, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. If one of them falls, his companion can lift him up. Pity the person who falls and has no one else to lift him up. What’s more, if two lie down, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm alone? Though an attacker can overpower one person, two people together can stand up against him. A rope with three strands is not quickly snapped.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Friendships that last a lifetime have been forged around that kitchen table in a cabin at Open Bay Lodge. I pray you will take the time to forge your own friendships with fellow believers and treasure the moments spent with them. Even if once in a while, they mauer.
Privileged to serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
There we used the facilities and refueled ourselves for the most grueling stage of our journey. Duluth. Construction. Detours only civil engineers employed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation could dream would keep da nort-bound Saturday morning convoy of fisherman moving smoothly. Nevertheless, with dogged determination we persevered.
So we got to the border early. On the US side we fueled up, exchanged our US currency for Canadian money-eh, and then got in line at the Grand Portage—Pigeon River Border Crossing. There we waited. And we waited. Cobwebs formed on our rear-view mirrors, while we waited. I proof-read seven Bible Classes, wrote my next four sermons, and did a quick review of my will while we waited. Ahead of us, every truck with a boat was directed off to the side.
Then came our turn. The heavens opened. The sun shone down. Birds chirped merrily, and a young lady, likely of Indian heritage, welcomed us. Her tone was dulcimer. Her questions, however, were thorough. I’m not quite sure why she needed to know the names of the last three dogs my family owned, but after the questions, we were on our journey again.
From the border, it was a restful 2-hour drive to Open Bay Lodge, Upsala, Ontario. A restful drive for the most part—albeit punctuated by a blithering idiot who passed us despite oncoming traffic. However, the stress of the incident was soothed by a stop at the Odena Foods Store in Kakabeka Falls. There we cheered our fearless leader when he emerged from the store with 2 gallons of vanilla ice cream, soul-food reserved for the weary after long days battling the monster fish of the Canadian wilderness.
We arrived at Open Bay Lodge by 2:10 pm Central. Or maybe it was 3:10 pm Eastern. I’m still not sure. The great 2025 Time-Zone Debate will rage on for ages. Some will argue the Lodge has always been in the Central time zone. Others will argue for the Eastern. Still others (including the owners of the Lodge) will tell us their office at the top of the hill is Eastern, while the cabins just down the hill are Central. Since the clock in our cabin was set for Eastern time, here’s what I believe. The west-end of our cabin’s 70’s-era kitchen table was in the Central time zone. The eastern-end was Eastern time.
I should know because it was that kitchen table that became ground-zero for our activities during the entire week. Not Lac de Mille Lacs. Not Old Baldy, Honeymoon Bay, the Rock Pile, or Sunken Island. Not walleye up to 26 or 27 inches long, one so gargantuan it snapped one of my fishing rods as if it were a toothpick. So many walleyes that by Friday, we were forced to catch and release one 17 incher after another. (Oh, my breaking heart!) Nor was the week’s focus on Northern Pike so gigantic they could pull you over the side of the boat into the briny deep, unless you lashed yourself to the mast.
That’s not what this 28th edition of the LL Canadian trip was all about. Not even close. Shall I tell you? Even though sharing this decades-long, closely-guarded secret will likely get me voted off the island? Yea verily, I must! For my conscience to stand clear, I can do no other! Only full disclosure will suffice! So here goes.
This trip is actually a Week-long Deep-Dive Sheepshead Immersion Experience. Just as immersion experiences in the foreign languages (German, Spanish, Portuguese, Esperanto) work best, so also the best way to learn how to play cut-throat Sheepshead is by being immersed in it for 40 hours minimum, in the span of one week. By week’s end you’ll have gained the ability to keep a precise mental database of all the trump played, suits played, and fail played. Within 0.81 seconds you’ll be able to spot the stupid partner. And you’ll reach your mountain-top goal of taking one trick after another, winning one hand after another, and piling up the chips for bragging rights. (I delighted to take a very, very long time to count up the 35 chips I was ahead one day.)
After just 2 years in this Week-long Deep-Dive Sheepshead Immersion Experience, I reckon that I have attained the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in the game. Others who have been going for decades have gained multiple Doctorates.
My point? It is two-fold.
1. I hope to brighten your day with a few moments of light-hearted banter.
2. My main goal is to share how refreshing it is to get away from everyday schedules and be immersed in the friendship of brothers in Christ. Solomon got it right when he observed, “Olive oil and incense bring joy to a heart, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his sincere advice.” (Proverbs 27:9; even if the advice may be, “You should have played trump in that trick.”)
Solomon also observed, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. If one of them falls, his companion can lift him up. Pity the person who falls and has no one else to lift him up. What’s more, if two lie down, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm alone? Though an attacker can overpower one person, two people together can stand up against him. A rope with three strands is not quickly snapped.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Friendships that last a lifetime have been forged around that kitchen table in a cabin at Open Bay Lodge. I pray you will take the time to forge your own friendships with fellow believers and treasure the moments spent with them. Even if once in a while, they mauer.
Privileged to serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
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