Legalectric

Homeward bound! It was a short month as camp host at Frontenac State Park, a regimen of stocking toilets, and minor cleaning, firepits garbage free and ready for use, in my May domain:

On the way in, the pelicans were gathering on the “lakelette,” hundreds, there were probably thousands on Lake Pepin.

After last year’s flooding in the Wawona 6, because there was no bathtub floor, no floor at all, in the vestibule… not to be repeated!

I got a 2 room inflatable tent for a month-long DRY stay. It worked. Even though a branch blew out of a tree and popped through the tent, gorilla tape did the job and it was DRY. Comfort was the goal, and this was essentially a hotel room or studio apartment!

The tent was perfect. It’s not the super expensive Russian one ($1,700+). I confess, IT’S FROM TEMU! I did a lot of youtubing, and figured out some features, like needed to be a double unit, plexiglass skylights, and a good tub floor. I picked the heavier of material, 400+ v. 200+, and yeah, that sucker is hard to move around, but for long term camping, that’s the best. It inflated so easily, took less than 5 minutes, and what took most time was that they MUST be guyed out thoroughly, so it was, and in that entire month, it never needed more air. The doors are kind of awkward, doors on both ends, and the zips aren’t too well thought out. There also should be at least a little awning, but I did get a 2nd tarp though didn’t get around to putting it up. The floor seems too light duty, even with tarp below, and a pad on top to protect — there may be teeny holes from all the rocks. When it’s hot, it’s HOT, so a fan would be good, but mostly this May, it was COLD, and a little space heater did the job. It just wasn’t weather to hang around outside, and way too windy for cooking, despite the stove table with a tall windbreak.

It does have a stovejack for hot-tenting, though I don’t think I want to camp in the snow in a TENT.

The last week was a very long week, well, 10 days, VERY LONG poison ivy days. Yeah, I’m whining… this was NOT fun. The hit to my immune system was intense, not really able to function. Started the 22nd, and it’s still grim today. I guess another week or two.

It was an “interesting” time. There was a fire, a stump smouldering behind a campsite, a bit into the woods, and then leaves starting to burn, flames jumping up. The camper brigade put it out, and the Lake City Fire Dept doused it thoroughly just to make sure:

Another day, a guy put his trailer into a tree and couldn’t get it out. Sometimes too many years with a CDL pays off — I got it out of the tree and backed into the site. The tree and the trailer were damaged a little, but survived.

There were very well attended public hearings for Xcel Energy’s Mankato-Mississippi River transmission project in Waterville one evening, and Nancy Prehn got to weigh in:

The next night it was Zumbrota, and the VFW was packed:

It was at the Zumbrota hearing where we hard from the first of the 1,341 landowners who did NOT receive notice that their property may be affected until just 2 weeks prior to the public hearing. He was rightfully pissed off, and I hope that he was heard by all.

Prior Legalectric posts — note that no other intervenor was concerned about this — UNREAL:

Public Hearings & NO NOTICE to 1,341 newly affected landowners May 11th, 2025

More on the 1,341 Landowners May 14th, 2025

And an otherwise busy month too, with appearances by A.G. Ellison in Red Wing:

A meet & greet with Jake Johnson for CD1 in Lake City — we really need to get rid of Brad Finstad:

A good Indivisible meeting in Cannon Falls, and a follow up on the Data Practices Requests I’d sent to the City of Cannon Falls about the TRACT Data Center scheme (not a peep yet):

Alan’s every Friday protests growing strong in Red Wing, and then there’s Wabasha:

Overland 1 – Wabasha Police 0 May 24th, 2025

A cool evening with Miletichs’ Clearwater Hot Club at the Widespot Performing Arts Center

Catching up on postcards:

Lots of days literally attached to Maisy, working away her reactivity, teaching her “mat” and how to walk around and assist with cleaning fire pits ,and she NEVER emitted in the tent…

And for sure I didn’t cook enough. I was SO COLD and WINDY that it was impossible for too many days, and then hit by poison ivy, and not in the mood. Corncakes were high on the agenda though, and obviously… GONE!

IT’S GOOD TO BE GOING HOME! Right Maisy?!?!