October 15, 2020

I think I was somewhere in my 20s. I belonged to the Sierra Club and our group took a trip to Northern Minnesota, to Lake Windigo. And it’s in the boundary waters area of Northern Minnesota. And there was a little romantic, I don’t know what to call it, just incident. This fellow and I were quite attracted to each other, we sat by each other on the bus and talked. And then later on, I got some awareness that he was being a little twitchy. And it turns out that he was dating a woman who wasn’t there, but her friend was there. And every time the friend was around, you know, he just changed like, his face and everything. And I finally learned what was going on when the trip was over and we were coming back on the bus. And it was fine.

It’s just, it was so interesting to me how fast we were attracted to each other. Anyway on that trip, in the lodge, we were not only the Sierra Club members but a snowmobile club. Now talk about not opposites but kind of different. You know, the snowmobilers we’re out there revving up their machines and we were out there. It was the first time I did cross country skiing. Oh, Lord. And our little group got lost temporarily, but then we got found. In the evening, one of the snowmobilers I had been talking to, and he was a singer, he sang a song about Joanne. There was a song and I don’t know when this was … the ’70s, ’80s, and I can’t sing it, but he sang it for me. And then another time, the owner of the lodge asked me to dance, and he was singing Sweet Violet in my ear. It was off. It was just so sweet, and I enjoyed that thoroughly.

The second trip I’d like to talk about was with my family, with Gabby’s father, Wendell, and Gabby, and myself. We took a trip up to Camp du Nord, camp of the North. It’s a YWCA or YMCA, one of those CA’s camps. And it had a kind of a Christian emphasis or family emphasis. Anyway Gabby was 9 or 10, I’m blanking on the exact date. But she got to learn to canoe, she was so proud of herself. She took us out, both of her parents, in a canoe and canoed to this little island that wasn’t very far away. She also got to experience a sauna and to run out in the snow afterwards, which is what some Scandinavian people like to do. I did not do that. And then she was involved in a lot of activities with other children her age, things like climbing up a rope and just various games that tested your physical skill as well as…oh, and then there were campfire stories and so forth. But I really enjoyed the feeling of family and hiking and the beautiful terrain. I wish we had done more of those trips. I think it would have been a lovely memory. But Gabby, Gabby had a great time and I did as well. So yeah, I’ll think of more stuff later. But that’s about it for now.

Back then I think Gabby was … oh I’m guessing, I’m just guessing 9 or 10. I have some beautiful pictures of her ever-smiling, grinning, and just having a happy time there. So you know, it’s always … looking back I worked too much, blah, blah, you know? And got to balance work and play in the end.