I haven’t written anything at all in almost a year since we returned from Alaska. Now it is nearing the anniversary of the start of our trip. I have thought occasionally about some of experiences and subjects about which I might write, but that is as far as it goes. Today, I have some blank space. Not that blank space is unusual in my life now but instead of puzzling, reading or moving the laundry around, I am here at my keyboard.
A New Car
We sold our Buick Enclave. It was somewhat unexpected in
that we had just begun talking about replacing the car as it was getting a
little tired. We cleaned out the glove box, and at the bottom was a handmade
mask, a gift from my friend Karen Campion. The print is of the Stars and
Stripes with wear and tear marks, like it was in a fire or run over. At the
time, back in 2020, that seemed like an appropriate design for a COVID mask. It
has little stretchy lace elastic for the ear straps, the only thing she could
find at the fabric store. I think this mask should be a museum piece in the
Vintage Covid 2020 section.
It just happened that our next-door neighbor in Minnesota
had a low-mileage Toyota Highlander in his garage that he didn’t need and since
that was one of the models at the top of our list of cars to look for, we
offered him a good price and he accepted.
Then we drove the car to Kentucky and back at the end of
May. It was a trip to connect up with long-time and old friends. Most of our
long-time friends seem to be getting a little age on them. We stopped in Hannibal,
MO to see Vivian who was married to Don’s boss from 1974-78 at the Tempo Store
in Jacksonville, IL. Vivian and Dennis, who passed away in 2021, helped us in
many ways and we enjoyed many holidays with them. She has 2 children, 7
grandchildren, and 15 greats. Talk about rich.
Then we went to St. Louis where we met up with Kay and Max
Klinkenborg and Kathy and Jon Edwards with whom we used to ride bikes with the
famous NOBEs (Numb on Both Ends) club back in the 90’s. We stayed at an old
brick 2-story Air B&B in the Forest Park area where we went to the
Botanical Gardens and spent an afternoon at the Zoo. We ate good food and
enjoyed a couple of card games as we caught up on each other’s lives and
remembered our good times together.
We spent a night in Springfield where we met up with a couple
of other Tempo-era friends for dinner one night with Dwight Reese and breakfast
the next morning with Chris Holloway.
We stopped in Lincoln, IL where was able to locate Mary
Krusz’s grave and spend some time with her. What a privilege that I was able to
share a friendship with her since we worked together in 1990.
Then we headed for Lexington, KY where we celebrated Graeme and Nancy Wilson’s 50th Wedding Anniversary and got reacquainted with their children Chase and Drew, who are now middle-aged men. I still referred to them as “the boys” and we got some pictures that I will share here. The boys are close to my children’s age. We met Graeme and Nancy in Jacksonville when Don was selling radio advertising and Graeme worked for Sears. We celebrated Thanksgiving with them for many years as they moved around Illinois and Missouri following Graeme’s job.
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| Us with the celebrating couple |
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| Graeme & Nancy with the boys |
The Highlander traveled very well.
Camp Deer at Effie, MN
Way up North is a rustic resort with cabins built to house lumberjacks
back in the 1930’s that still stand. In the 1950’s, my Uncle Harold who wasn’t
my uncle yet, left the Air Force after fighting in WWII and purchased the place
for a fishing camp. He advertised to find someone to clean cabins and my Dad’s
younger sister, Aunt Ivy came to work for him. Ivy had been in California
working in an airplane factory (Rosie
the Riveter) and came back to Minnesota after the war with a baby, my cousin
Jim. She then married a lumber jack who took her up North and she had my cousin
Kathy in 1948. Aunt Ivy then found herself the sole provider for her children
so she was looking for work. She was a very hard worker and kept the place
spotless as well as providing freshly baked bread for Harold and the campers.
She became indispensable and of course Harold asked her to marry him at which
time he became my Uncle Harold. They had a child together, my cousin Norman. Most of this story I never knew until I was an adult. Uncle Harold adopted Jim and Kathy and to me he was always their Dad.
These are all old pictures. I didn't get any this year.
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| Norman |
The resort is still in business and looks much like it did when I visited as a young child. It is a beautiful place situated between Deer and Pickeral Lakes with the road running through it. The cabins on the Deer Lake side look out over the beach where they are provided with a splendid sunset almost every night. The cabins are rustic, meaning they have no running water. They do have electricity and a propane stove for cooking the fish that you catch out of the lakes. A bathhouse with a shower for Ma and Pa is a short walk from the cabins. The “Office” where Uncle Harold and then Norman held court and told stories is still there but there is no story-teller anymore. The coffee pot is set up to go in the morning and there are all the things you need: night crawlers, ice, pizza, ice cream and water for purchase on the honor system. You make a note on a paper when you take an item and it gets added to your bill when you check out. It is a good system.
Jim’s widow Em is now running the place along with her sons.
One son, Jeff comes up every weekend from the cities and mows the grass and
helps with whatever needs to be done. Not sure how much longer this place will
continue as a resort. It is just this last year that we lost both Kathy and
Norman.
We went there with our boat and rented a cabin for the
second week of June. My brother Dick also rented a cabin and we had visits from
2 other brothers, Mark and Doug. It was a good week. Did a little reading,
fishing and enjoyed a glass of wine watching the sun set over Deer Lake several
nights.
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