Pockmarked skies and lakes w/ carp. It's easy to forget just how many stars are out there - It was a gorgeous night last night! I almost drove right off the road looking at the black sky illuminated by thousands and thousands of little sparkling dots. The cool summer breeze blowing thru my unbrushed hair.
My itinerary thus far has included swimming in the Mississippi River (Hudson, Wisco) Swimming in a gravel/sand pit called Hiniker Pond (Mankato, Minn). It's so clear you can see your feet when you're in up to your shoulders. I have memories of this HUGE place from when I was four - turns out it's not that big really!
Mississippi - Wisco Side
Hiniker Pond - Mankato, MN - How Tropical!
Fox Lake - Chris's Gparents Dock
Went boating yesterday on Fox Lake (Sherburn, Minn) - Windy as hell but fun too. It's so funny to be out on the boat and all you can see is the tree lined banks and the occasional silo peaking out from behind the cottonwoods indicating that a near by dock most likely belongs to a farm family.
Please note Silo in background. Anne makes it look easy!!
My grandma was telling me all sorts of stories about when she was growing up in this area. Growing up in the roaring twenties must have been so much fun. There were diving boards on the lake, a wooden slide that would catapult you out into the water, an actual beach area to swim and a swim suit squeegee thingy that she somehow busted a loaned suit while using it.
I was reminiscing with friends about how decadent and populated our community must have been and how sad and unfortunate that we missed out on it, but...then I got to thinking and it feels like we could be one of the last generations to know this way of life. I can only describe it as "Americana" or the very old and out of date "American Dream"? Farming a handful of fields and being able to make ends meet. Knowing every neighbor on your road, driving a pickup truck, knowing which fields families farmed, having church picnics and Fourth of July's at the lake - or in our case the gravel pit. A true sense of community!
The Gravel Pit - Where I learned to swim!
North Side (Aka - Shallow Side)
South Side (Aka - Deep Side - diving board hidden behind trees)
I learned to wake board yesterday FYI!
I went into the bar yesterday around 5:30 to grab some brew - Bad Idea! Local drunks out in full effect. Everyone stared as my friend and i entered. We're just off the lake and unidentified youngsters with tans! Somebody asks me who I am and all I have to do is say Ruth Dahlke is my grandma. Half if not almost all the people in the bar had her as a teacher. Everyone nods - Oh....you're Debbie's daughter - you look just like her. I ask if I really do? and the grey haired lady sitting next to me snaps back "Damn Straight".
My town is dying - only cars on main street are outside the bar. The movie theatre closed, the one hardware store is going out of business! I've reached the point in this trip that I start getting sad and nostalgic.
Came up with a magical plan though. About seven of my friends and I all have land somewhere in the area that if we're lucky our families won't sell! Perhaps some day it will be our jobs to move back and revive our county with some organic farming and community building. We can all dream right?