“Where the coffee’s hot, the lakes are cold, and all the children are above average.” — Serving the Chain since 1897.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 · July 21 Edition · 2 stories item(s) in this section.
The Fishing Report
Tim Brevik on the first clear week: walleye sliding toward the deep August program, panfish generous, one unexplained rise near Bass Lake, and a word about fishing a lake you can suddenly see all of.
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The Loons of Big Pelican
Sunday morning, clear air, no audience to speak of: the second juvenile flew — farther than the first, straighter than the first, and landed better than the first, a fact the first has not been told. The log has closed the chapter.
Read the full story →Wednesday. The wind turned at mid-morning, as promised for nine days, and delivered the sky it had been holding. The far shores reported in by noon. The town opened its windows in a coordination it will deny was coordinated.
Thursday–Friday. Clear, warm, blue of ordinary quality. The sunset drew a crowd anyway, out of habit and principle, and was applauded (see Letters). The taco line reached the trailers.
The weekend. High summer without an asterisk. Saturday for the anniversary, Sunday for the second flight, both under a sky that had the decency to stay out of the story.
Verdict. Above average, unfiltered. The children, it goes without saying, never required the filter. — T.B.