A Visit from the Past

A half a lifetime ago, one score and sixteen years, in 1976 this Twin Cities Irish/German/French boy moved to a north home near Northome, MN on the Koochiching/Itasca County line. I was accompanied by a long-time gal friend, Rozanna, of Mexican/Italian heritage who like me was an army brat, and hailed from California/Alaska. We lived in a log cabin on Island Lake and went to college at BSU. 

Later we bought 7.5 acres of land near Gemmel on Dark Lake and began to build the home that I reside in today. I had it lifted from it's posts by one Skinny Mohler and moved to a lot on the Big River's First City. But alas, I've out run myself. Pretty easy to do these days, I'm so slow, even I can beat me.

Four years later - as sometimes happens - things change. Rozanna moved to Alaska, later met Ernie and have now been married for more than two decades. I found a job in Bemidji and met Barbara, and we have been married for a similar period of time.

Rozanna and I kept in contact somewhat the first five years or so, but then lost the connection. Along comes Facebook, and a search now and then for a woman who didn't take her husbands name pops up. Lengthy letters follow rehashing old times - what we learned and what we taught. It was positive. 

So come last September Rozanna and Ernie traveled to Minnesota, her sister Sharon living in the Twin Cities as well as niece Felicia, and decide to spend a couple of days with Barbara and I.

While you're away, don't forget to write

See you in September

See you when the summer's through

Here we are... ~The Association

Here we Are. The ones at the top are in the middle and in the proper order.

The One on the Right is on the Left 

Now, the one on the left works in a bank

And the one in the middle drives a truck

The one on the right's an all-night deejay

And the guy in the rear got drafted. ~Johnny Cash

It didn't take too long to realize that Ernie is a bit of a scamp. Here visiting some friends while re-aclimating Rozanna to Bemidji, Ernie pinches a tomato...a round and red one boys...well, maybe that doesn't help.

Barbara quickly falls to the temptation of the forbidden fruit being part scamp herself, whilst Rozanna feigns surprise by the antics.

And Barbara said: The man, whom thou sat next to me to be my companion, gave me of the vine, and I did eat the fruit." (or is it a vegetable she wondered)

Well before long everyone in the Garden of Eatin' was imbibing in the fruit of the vine sans the bottle of wine.

Quickly they made their escape before they would be found out, apparently not realizing that there are less conspicuous escape vehicles than black Mustang convertibles with the top down.

Only to reassemble in another garden at Benny TwoToes. Ernie wanted to be served an Italian dish by an Italian dish, but he had to settle for a Norwegian.
Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
'Cause I don't think that I can take anymore.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you. ~Stealers Wheel

And Rozie said much to the bemusement of Barbie "I once wrote a poem this wide", and Barbie said "oh my, I thought you were going to say something else."

You make me laugh
'Cause your eyes they light the night
They look right through me, la, la, la
You bashful boy
You're hiding something sweet
Please give it to me, yeah, to me, ya
To me
Ooh, oh, talk to me some more
You don't have to go
You're the Poetry Man. ~Phoebe Snow

Now we ain't makin' stories,
and we ain't layin' plans.
Don't you know that a man still loves a woman,
and a woman still loves a man
just the same, though.
Ooh ooh ooh
ooh ooh ooh ooh.
Sisters are doin' it
for themselves. ~Annie Lennox

Kodachrome, they give us those nice bright colours 

They give us the greens of summers 

Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah 

I got a Canon camera, I love to take a photograph 

So mama don't take my Kodachrome away ~Paul Simon

Every little swallow, every chickadee
Every little bird in the tall oak tree
The wise old owl, the big black crow
Flapping them wings sayin' go bird go. ~Bobby Day

I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor. ~Brian Wilson/Beach Boys

"Of all beasts he learned the language, 
Learned their names and all their secrets, 
How the beavers built their lodges, 
Where the squirrels hid their acorns, 
How the reindeer ran so swiftly, 
Why the rabbbit was so timid, 
Talked with them whene’er he met them, 
Called them “Hiawatha’s Brothers.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Song of Hiawatha

So Ernie is a fly fisherman, he's got more rods than Daytona and none are hot, he paid for them all and they're all reel.

Ernie told Barbie, how to drop the fly, in the weeds where the fish are, the answers how not why.

Matty told Hatty
That's the thing to do
Get you someone really
To pull the wool with you


AHHHHHHHHHHHH
Woolly bully
Watch it now-watch it
yah girl---watch it. ~Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs

While Barb 'n Ernie practice casting, Rose and I take a dip. I'm sure if anyone had seen us we'd be dealing with a bathing suit.  

Now it's Barb's turn to try what Ernie has taught.

Looks like she's got a pretty good arc to me, but I ain't no noah.

I always thought a tackle box was a section on the field where football players practiced.

Not so says Ernie, as he displays his collection of colorful flies and their storage cases of all types and sizes, some opening up like an accordion, boxes within boxes nesting like a Russian Matryoshka Doll.

If I only had a telephoto lens I'd put this eagle in your lap.

Eagle eyes the river.

A surprise. Barb showed just enough interest for Ernie to recruit her as a future fly fisher.

He presented her with a fine fly rod, complete with reel and a big long tube to keep it in, it's not a case is it? Nice thing about her new tube/case, Barb can pretend to be a river fisher or a pool shark.

Ernie not only shows Barb how to take it out but put it away. Here she tries a fishers knot, NOT!

Gotta get a photo of me in here once in awhile, how's this for a segue?

Winding down, Barb shows off her relatively new hobby of nature photography to Rozanna who has somewhat of a history of photography herself. Rozanna and I used to work together making photographs.

And now 35 years later Barbara and I are sharing the hobby

An ahhh haaa moment. I think the four of us knew the reunion would be fun and that we'd all get along, friends are forever aren't they? My daughter chose the following for the Father/Daughter dance. As time goes by the words go deeper.

There are places I'll remember

All my life, though some have changed

Some forever, not for better

Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments

With lovers and friends, I still can recall

Some are dead and some are living

In my life, I've loved them all. ~John Lennon/The Beatles