THE STORY OF THE DONNA BELLE

THE FISHING TRAWLER DONNA BELLE..

...HER STORY

MOTHER  EARTH ALWAYS RECLAIMS HER OWN

Sunday, 8:30 AM.  37 degrees F, wind W, calm.  the sky is overcast, with the sun trying to break through.  The humidity is 72% and the barometer is trending up, at 30.25". If it stays dry I may be able to get the rest of the leaves mulched this afternoon.
   Rocky Acres Berry Farm is located on Hwy. J, near its intersection with Torbick Road, in Bayfield's orchard country, just outside of town.  For many years it was run by Jack Erickson, a one-time Bayfield fisherman.
   There has always been a close connection between earning a living on the land in Bayfield and earning a living on the sea.  It used to be said that when a berry farmer had a bad year he would threaten to sell his land and buy a fishing trawler, and when a fisherman had a bad season he would threaten to sell his boat and buy a berry farm.  Jack actually did the later, and a lot of other memorable things as well (for more on Jack, use the blog search engine to find "Jack and the Eagles" and "Requim").
   Jack died a couple of years back, and I thought it might be the end to for one of Bayfield's remaining farms.  But, not to worry, Jack's daughter inherited the farm and it is prospering, old declining berry patches being replaced with more productive plants, and all looking prosperous. The new owners retrieved The Donna Belle and retired it to Jack's Rocky Acres, where it is a suitable memorial to the hardy Bayfield folks who have toughed it out, on the land and on the big lake.