Photos of the year: 2025 edition
I’m pleased to share some of my favorite memories from the 2025 cabin season.
It was a year of some sadness with the loss of several close friends and family members, but also a year of welcome, sweet surprises, including the return of the elusive pink lady-slippers near the cabins, and restoration of my grandfather’s tractor. The sound of it running again was a reminder of the beauty of old things and the people in our lives, past and present, who make it all worthwhile.
Thanks to all who visited the cabins in 2025, our 89th season.
Cabin guest Zachary Steele painted a stunning image of the Neljä cabin; and the pink lady-slippers, the largest orchid found in Michigan, reappeared in several places around the cabins.
Restoration of my granddad’s (and dad’s) 1945 Allis Chalmers Model WC tractor was completed; before and after shots are shown.
In August, the cabins hosted members of the Finnish International Choir; and three generations of the Steffen family enjoyed Otter Lake in June. The photo was taken with a drone!
Goldens enjoying their time together; and a lucky angler reels in a rare Lake Sturgeon in early September.
The Stand (lending library) got a fresh look; and the Yksi (No. 1) cabin continued to be the most popular, with the Nelja (No. 4, honeymoon cabin) being a close second.
A tiger swallowtail butterfly flutters over a bucket of lilacs; and a fledgling broad-winged hawk seen just 50 yards from the cabin entrance. Apparently the gutsy ones often jump the nest too early and don’t quite know how to fly yet so they spend a few days hopping around before they lift off.
Photo credits: Manninen archives, Lynn Eberhardt, Brian Steffen, Phoebe Thompson, Pat Tierney.