Up North in the Land of the Pastie

Greetings from Ely, Minnesota

That’s Ely. Pronounced EEL-lee. Looks Jewish, but nope. I did see a pastie [pronounced past-EE, to distinguish it from ornamental nipple ornaments] in the supermarket. It’s pretty knish-like, but with pork and beef. And it’s the size of, say, half my face. So nope, I didn’t buy one, but hope to cop a photo on the way out of town.

So here I am on a lake, Tofte (the e is not silent), 15 miles out of Ely. Good for early morning and sunset kayak rides, dips in the lake and trips to the local house of 250,000 lures. This is not an exaggeration. And, very good for writing. Up in a screened in cabin called Osprey, or in a lakeside library. I like this unbridled sky thing. And nature.

Walking to a kayak last night, I recalled the words of ” Eli, Eli,” lyrics by Hannah Senesh:

I pray that these things never end:
The sand and the sea
The rush of the water
Lightning in the sky

(Better in Hebrew.)

If you’re curious about the state of the knish in the Holy Land, have a look at this article,  just out from Alef Next.