Thanks for a great season!

We are now 5 days into our close down, which will end on the 30th of the month. Already Pat and the boys have taken the Lund fleet out of the water and they are securely stored for the winter. Denis has been boarding up windows and screened-in porches. Lorraine and Monique have already closed down the Bait & Tackle, the Northstar, and several of the guest cabins. All the while, Leo is still hard at work on our new dock... or should I say pier (newsletter item to follow on this in the next week)! Things are going along very well. Last night, we went fishing and had a great shoresupper of butter-fried walleye and grilled New York Strips (courtesy of Leo!). The moon was shining brightly on a crisp and clear September night. A s we get the chance to reflect back on our season, we can't help but smile at the thousands of great memories that we have from the 2007 season. It already seems like May is a distant memory, but it wasn't that long ago that we first stepped off the plane with the prospects of a new season ahead of us. The new office (aka the Ursa Major), was only a shell... but by the end of June it would become the new nerve center of the camp. It seemed like only yesterday that we greeted the first three groups of the season on May 26th (Ingerson, Chism, Gillispie), along with a throng of new staff members with huge smiles and hugs. It seemed like only yesterday that we were hauling in monster fish... 42" laker, 31" walleye, and the new lake record 49" pike! It seems like only yesterday Big Molly's Bar was a bustling meccha of tall tales and hearty laughter. The season certainly got behind us in a hurry, but as we think back on it we accomplished more than we thought possible coming in to 2007. We had a lot of people come off the planes this year! We would like to thank our staff for their hard work both in helping out our guests and in helping us continue our vision for the lodge through construction. We have just completed a rigorous three-year overhaul which has brought a new attitude, functionality, and a higher level of comfort to our lodge. Our boats and accommodations now rank at or near the top in the industry. Our service, which was never in question, remains the best you will find anywhere. It may sound cliche, but when you read our customer testimonials you will know it's true. Our young and vibrant staff is truly special. They are a fun bunch to hang out with, but even more rewarding is to watch them mature and get their careers off the ground once their Aikens years are over. They will use Aikens as a springboard into careers as accountants, nurses, teachers, businessmen and women, computer geniuses, chiropractors, tradesmen, and much more. Thank you so much for making Aikens the special place it is! However, it always comes down to our wonderful guests... and in most cases our friends. On behalf of the Turennes, our partners at Aviary Group, and all of the wonderful people in the "Aikens Family", Thank you so much for choosing Aikens Lake as your fishing destination of choice year in and year out. Without you, we wouldn't be able to earn our living doing what we do in such a spectacular and pristine setting. We truly are a blessed bunch, and we love nothing more than to share the incredible bounties of Aikens Lake with you. Have a great winter season and we will be in touch to set up more "Aikens Experiences" for you, your family, your friends, and your businesses in 2008 and in the future. Our prospects are shining very brightly, so you know we aren't going anywhere! We'll be there to answer the phone whenever you want to plan your next "Aikens Experience"! Have a great offseason. note: Keep checking in as we will continue to update the newsletter throughout the winter months... albeit with less frequency.