1990 - 4 - Siirtolaisuusinstituutti

early in spring, everyonc asks the same
question: IIow did your dock come
through the $ inter?
[-et's turn now to the region's fauna -
the beasts of the forests and fields, the
birds ofthc air, the fish ofthe sea. Without
question, it is the black bear that evokes
lhe greillc:l surpri:c. -[l]c!
re not,
however, uncommon; we eDcounter some
every summer! occasionally at close range.
lt was supperlime, a Saturdry in August
I1)86, when we bclrd a noise at the kitchen
door, a.s thorrgh someone - no doubt one
of the neighbors, we thought was attempting
to come in (there are no doorbells
to ring). I went quickly to the door,
whose small nindow was curtained, and
srvung it open. Therc, standing upright,
pl*s stretched high against llre outer
screen door, u,as a huge black bclr. It is
hard to saywho rvas the more sLrrpriscd, for
a moment it was an eyeball-to-eycball confrontation.
'l})en my defeDsive instrncts
look over: I slanmed the door shut, yelled
tr.r Astrid "Mv GOd, jt's a bear!" She rushed
(o the window above the sink, us t did:
there was a female bear with two cubs ambling
up our road. After I calnted down, I
observed to my wife, "Bcars surely are becoming
bold herelthey cvcn conre 1o supper
uninvited".
My chief summcrtime activity was not
lrunting nor hirding nor fighting insect:.
but in following Izaak Walton's footsteps.
It rvas a rare dry that I didn't get into a boat
to try my lucki Astrid joined me frequently
()r wcnt h) hersel[ (no conncclion lrr muritrl
discord).
Salo hke, of course, was rny favorite
fishing spot, not only because of its
manageable size (a mile and a half long, a
half mile wide, and some twenly feet at the
deepest point) but for other reasOns which
u iil not remain undisclosed.
'lir
begin with, the lake is almost
completely encirclcd by federal forest-
10
lrnds, which have no habitation. There are
only five private-orvned properties: the old
Uksila homestead, now owned by a surviving
daughter, Viena Nikula; the Salo
honrestead, presently occupied by Saima
Salo, a daughter-inJaw;the Helin cabin on
a tiny bit o[ ]and, owned by Toik and Bill
LIelin; the one-time John Viita
homestead, modernized and enlarged by
Edwin and Elsie Whitney; and the Kolehmainen
log cabin. Only one, the Salo pJacc,
i{ (,(cupied yelr-lrrruIld; lhus. privrc}. a
rare thirlg these days, is cnsured.
I began to fish Salo Lrke as soon {ls we
settled ir the region. Astrid's parents had
a small shed on the lake, the reader may
recall, rlhich was reached by walking a
mile or so from lhc cnd of the township
road. I often used John Viita's homenrade
boat; it frcquentlv haPpened that my fishing
ended at the very moment when Aunt
Ilulda's coffce and pulla (biscuit) were
rerdy. Both thcsc loving persons have
plssed on; I shall not forget their irnlte
hospitalitv. l-ater on, fjshing turned into il
tlaily passion.
Salo l-ake is home for many kinds of
fishes. Bluegills, sunfish, and other panfish
are numerous; when they are in a biting
mood, they are fairlv easy to catch (chjldren
hJVe great firn fishing for them off thc
dock). They arc boncy, but tasty. We like
them prepared in a Swedish llxme-top
smoker. The perch population has
dwindled over the years, and walleyes have
nol been reproducing. A relatively few
monsters survive antl are occasionallv
caugh t.
Before we take le:rye of precious Salo
Lake, we wish to emphasize one important
matter: it is iar more than a food
source. IIow varied and meaningful have
been its aesthclic contributi('n\, ils
powerfulimpact upon oursight, our h€aring,
our emotions, our treasure-house of
memories. How clearly they come to
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