There are times when I almost feel like I enjoy, too much, looking back at my days as a youth. They were not always as rosy as I sometimes portray them in my writing. The truth be told, they were maybe even a little better than what I have written in my columns. That’s not to say that I didn’t have a lot of alone time. I did indeed have my fair share of that, but I also had a lot of quality time with my childhood friends. When thinking about my time in the service, I like to look back at the past like most folks, and like most, I tend to remember the good times and find a place in the back of my mind for the bad. The same goes for my youth experiences, not that it was a bad time, but when my good friends would go on vacation, I was left with a void to fill for a week.
When my good friend, Kim Dilling, would go on vacation with his parents, I always looked forward to his return and of hearing about the fishing at Hanging Kettle Lake and what kind and how many fish were caught and how they caught them. After hearing the story of their trip, I would dream of going on a family vacation one day myself.
We never did vacation much as a family. I believe that my dad got two weeks of vacation a year and he would usually spend half of the first week resting. I believe that we only went on a couple of vacations as a family over the years. One was to visit my dad’s cousin, Alfred, in Battle Lake and the other to visit my mom and dad’s good friend, Verne Johnson and his wife who owned a bar/gas station by Onamia. We never fished while visiting Dad’s cousin Albert, but when we visited the Johnson’s, Vern took us to the Rum River where we caught a ton of bullheads and a few dogfish for good measure. I was a little disappointed because we were “Up North” and all we fished for was bullheads – I could’ve done that at home. I didn’t let my disappointment show because at least we were in the North country and fishing.
One summer after I had gotten my driver’s license, my mother, my sister, Judy, and I packed up the old “52 Ford Viki and headed north for a week’s vacation at Leech Lake. We were the guests of our old neighbors, Lyle and Florence Rupp, who had bought a resort on Walker Bay. Their daughter, Sherry, was a good friend of my sister’s so they spent their time playing and her older sister, Jeanette, took my mom and me out fishing. The northern were really biting and she told us what lure was hot. It was a little red and white plug called a River Runt and, although it has, over the years, faded, I still have it. I never did catch much on it after that week, but maybe I just didn’t want to take a chance on losing it and the good memories that go along with it. That old Ford would get what they used to call “vapor lock.” When the engine got hot and you turned it off, it wouldn’t start. The only fix was to let it cool down, and then it would fire up again and you’d be on your way.
I am not feeling sorry for myself, because my Uncle Benny (us kids called him that) and my Aunt Marcie took me up north for a week of fishing with them a couple of different times. Ben also took me fishing in the Elysian area a couple of times and to the Mississippi River and, when I got into my teens, he took me with him and his friends up north a few times. One time I went with Ben and his brother-in-law, Sam Katzung, to Lake Lily by Alexandria. I also got to go with them and a couple of their fishing buddies to Big Toad Lake by Bena a few times. Those were great memories and a great learning experience, which was one of the main reasons that I fell in love with the North Country.
After Jean and I married, we had two sons and I wanted to make sure that they had annual vacations. Maybe I was being a little selfish, but I believe that they always enjoyed camping and everything that goes along with it. They both have sons who enjoy fishing, hunting, camping and the outdoors. This is what it is all about for me – the ability to pass it on to the next generations
Until next time: After a little setback in the weather, the warmer temperatures, along with the sunshine are, once again, brightening our day. It’s a great time to go for a walk and soak up some of that sunshine and the fresh spring air.
Please show your support for the troops that are serving our country. These servicemen and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may enjoy the many freedoms that we have today.