Robert Frost famously penned a poem proclaiming good fences to be good neighbors. But we don’t really “do” fences around these parts and the fences that we do have are usually attempts to keep rabbits and deer out of our veggie gardens.

We kind of think that Robert misspoke when he wrote that poem. Did he mean benches? We’re pretty sure that’s it. Benches. He meant benches all along!

Case in point – just a couple weeks back, we got a really good bench from a really good neighbor.

We’d noticed that bench on the office front porch had done its job well, but was ready for a replacement. Andy mentioned that maybe Bob Sr. over on Gunflint Lake could make a couple new benches for Tuscarora. Ada and Bob know each other pretty well from their time working for the Gunflint Trail Historical Society and Chik-Wauk Museum. (You might also have bumped into Bob if you’ve ever been down to Gunflint Pines.) In fact, you’ve probably seen some of Bob’s benches if you’ve ever stopped in at Chik-Wauk. But we weren’t really sure if Bob was still in the bench making business, so to speak, but figured, hey, it never hurts to ask.

When we floated the bench building project past Bob, he said, “Sure!” and called it a “win-win.” He got to use up some materials that had been clogging up the back of his workshop and we got a brand new bench.

We weren’t sure of Bob’s timeline with the bench project, but we figured he’d give us a call in the next few months when it was finished and we’d trundle down to Gunflint Lake to pick it up. But just 10 days or so after we’d initially asked, Bob and grandson came rolling up with a new bench in the back of the truck. Such service!

After spending a little time in the Tuscarora workshop getting varnished, the new bench is now ready to be enjoyed by you as you wait for the rest of your group to finish up in the office. It would also be a good place to have an ice cream or cold pop (or beer) at the end of your trip.

Thank you Bob for the beautiful bench and thank you for being such a good neighbor.