Oppel's Point, Villa Road, Ely, Minnesota
I was having internet issues while I was working on this post. When it finally came back online, this picture popped up on my screen:
It's a panoramic view of the sun setting over tranquil White Iron Lake in Ely, Minnesota. I feel like it's telling me not to sweat it. So what if the internet is down. It's Labor Day weekend. Relax.
Appropriately enough, that image goes with a remote cabin for sale; a place where you'll be glad if you don't have an internet connection. You won't even miss it.
The cabin was built in the 1930's, I believe by this couple, William and Nellie Oppel:
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The Oppels were the local storekeepers and, according to the real estate listing, lumber barons. Their store was across from the Section 30 iron ore mine (named for its spot on the survey map), although there were also lumber mills in the area. When the Oppels weren't busy shopkeeping or lumber baroning, they would retreat to their 1.3 acres and their cedar cabin among the pines.
It still has the original handmade doors, but most of the cabin has been renovated, including the metal roof and windows.
When you're not out on the lake or on the wraparound porch, you can gather in the main room for puzzles and cozy chats.
If it were mine, I'd leave you to finish the puzzle, because I'd be busy antique shopping and decorating like this:
I might also take advantage of the long weekend and do some painting, too, if I could get Mr. If It Were Mine to go along with covering some of those knotty pine walls. You know how guys are about natural wood. Then the room would look more like this:
{Susan Zises Green}
Meanwhile, the cabin's kitchen is pretty much just what you would expect, perfect for prepping things to take out to the grill:
and then scooching in for supper on the built-in benches:
If you're sleeping at the cabin, you'll want to call dibs on this bedroom that overlooks the lake.
If you don't get your first pick, you can sleep in the bedroom that's just off the porch. It's got a great view, too.
The guy who picks last gets the bedroom that's just off the bedroom that's just off the porch,
which is also the laundry room:
It's also the bedroom that connects to the only bathroom. (The first bedroom also connects to it.)
But, just like all the other rooms, it's got a terrific view, too. The cabin has 1,210 square feet.
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That sounds pretty perfect to me.
In the words of local author and fellow cabin owner Sigurd Olson:
"Wilderness... is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium."
He also said:
"Joys come from simple and natural things; mists over meadows, sunlight on leaves, the path of the moon over water. Even rain and wind and stormy clouds bring joy."
If you're looking for a simple and natural cabin to bring you joy, the listing is here.
