Lake Vermilion, Minnesota: My Favorite Place On Earth

Pardon the lateness of the post, my internet was mysteriously inoperative for most of the day. I was going through some old belongings when I found a digital camera of mine from years ago. Out of curiosity I popped out the micro SD card to see what was on it.

To my surprise, it was full of pictures I took four years ago, the last time I went to my family's cabin on Pine Island, Lake Vermilion. My dad and grandmother built it in 1973, and the land has been in the family since 1910 or thereabouts.

The cabin, a 13 sided roundhouse.

My kittor, Jenny. Nobody loves the lake more than she does on account of having total freedom to roam the island. I worry about bears, but she's kind of a bad ass. There's no way to keep her inside all the time either, she wouldn't stand for it.

One of the natives. "Unhand me, brute!" Perhaps later he'll tell his friends that he was abducted by hyperintelligent giant pink creatures and they'll laugh it off because there's booze on his breath.

I have become a cat bed. There is no fighting it, I instead embrace my fate. This is my life now.

Another smol froge felowe. Their numbers have been climbing after years of decline, a good sign that water pollution is diminishing thanks to stricter regulations on boat engines.

Toads too. This one looks grumpy as fuck. I would be too if I was outside singing my little ass off trying to get laid with a bumpy lady toad when some asshole picked me up and started taking photos of me. No wonder he peed on my hand.

My sweet 1993 gaming rig. I keep this beauty up there for nostalgic purposes. It has all my favorite old games on it, most of them by Apogee.

Blake Stone 2: Planet Strike. Also have Commander Keen 4, Rise of the Triad and a bunch of other goodies.

Tyrian 2000. One of the best shmups ever made, and all you really need in that genre. This old machine struggles to run Doom 2 smoothly, but anything less demanding than that is fine. This is the sort of thing I spent my time on as a young lad instead of girls. I have no regrets.

Home made diving helmet. The visibility in the lake is perhaps 5 feet, but where there is water I must dive. I have spent a good deal of time sitting in a chair I took with me down to about 15 to 20 feet deep, just sitting in the chair and watching the occasional curious fish swim by.

What it looks like on the surface when I'm down there. It's a still image so you can't really make out the continuous bubble plume. One of these years I want to build either a small dry ambient submersible or some sort of diving bell using the same life support solution as the helmet.

Bonus pic of me at depth, contemplating the wisdom of the life choices which led me to be under a lake with a diving helmet I made out of a plastic jug:

Anyway that's all for now. I'd have liked to get more posted today but technology wouldn't cooperate. I hope you've enjoyed this insight into what I get up to when I'm not shitposting on Steemit.

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^{Stay Cozy!}