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It appears the changing of plans midway through Minnesota confused me. It takes less and less to do that. So even though I call this post the end, that is a lie. I will return in a day or so with two of the absolutely favorite parts of the journey. Cousin Terri in Roseau and a logging camp in Grand Rapids. Scott and I were tired by the time we reached Duluth,… Read More
I was a sentence or two into yet one more sentimental note about my ‘glorious’ Minnesota childhood. A perfectly fine childhood in a better than average place…but it is possible I get a bit carried away with it all when the place I’m in is faraway New Mexico and my distance from childhood is about a hundred years. Well, not quite 100, but closer than seems possible! Last photo album of the… Read More
This summer in Minnesota is already distanced from me in ways I don’t like. In miles and climate and that feeling of homeness (whatever that means). But however long I live in New Mexico, whenever and wherever I’m out in the world, I will never miss it in quite that same childish/childlike (?) way as Koochiching County, Minnesota and our own spot in the northwoods. This time I visited the ‘old place,’… Read More
(Judy, Ray, Me) Old friends, old friends… Can you imagine us years from today… How terribly strange to be 70 [80] [90] … Old friends, memory brushes the same yearsSilently sharing the same fears … Old friends. I’m an introvert…often thought of as avoiding or being less connected to people than the average human being. Not true. Introverts simply aren’t fond of groups, gatherings, crowds, masses. We are happiest with one, or… Read More
Summertime. Family. We gather. Here and there, now and then. Our positions defined in the usual way. Moms and dads. Kids and grandkids. Uncles and Aunts. Siblings. We like and love each other, mostly all at the same time and all of the time, with only the rare flash of irritation or misunderstanding (my sons will claim the latter is mostly on my part…nah…). This summer’s week of most togetherness came in… Read More
Plans represent possibilities, right? As in Plan A/B/C. And, if I may advise, from what seems like a hundred years of both successful and thwarted plans, you need at least three backup plans for a satisfactory outcome. I had big (stupid, but initially beautiful) summer plans for a two-month Minnesota road trip with benefits (as in many days and nights with various family and friends). First mapped like this: Before getting even… Read More
This summer vacation my friend Celia came to visit my Minnesota visit. We played: talking arguing teasing touristing eating. What a nice time it was. Here’s an album to prove it. Above three photos: Naniboujou Lodge & Restaurant north of Grand Marais, MN Sven & Ole’s Pizza is a most popular Grand Marais landmark…and since my dad’s name was Sven I find the pizza delicious. Lake Superior island from the walls encircling… Read More
There is an old hymn/country song called “This Old House” by Stuart Hamblen? A few lines may jog old-old people’s memories. “Ain’t gonna need this house no longer/Ain’t gonna need this house no more/Ain’t got time to fix the shingles/Ain’t got time to fix the floor…” As I prepared to make a post that’s mostly an album of photos of my old home, it started running through my head. Yes, I know,… Read More
Growing up, we didn’t refer to the tree-filled acres around our house as the forest. We called it the woods. So even though forests blanket other places and regions, to me it always sounds presumptuous to label our miles of northern Minnesota trees so grandly. Anyway, I’m home in the Northwoods as I write and cannot decide whether ‘home in Minnesota’ blog posts should be considered part of the Decades series I… Read More