The beach, with lifeguards on duty daily from 1 to 6 p.m., opened Saturday, June 11th. Everything was ready for the season opening except one thing. The weatherman had used all his warm days earlier; thus, a cool opening!
Don Ingram, the summertime resident Assistant Postmaster at Beaver Lake, is celebrating his 90th Birthday. There will be an open house from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hormel Nature Center in Austin with lunch being served. No gifts please (I think postal regulations ban the legality of gifts). If you so desire, a card would be great (if you’re unable to attend, mail the card to Don at 525 2nd Street SW, Pine Island, MN 55963). This great event is Saturday, July 9th. Can 90 candles fit on a cake? Attend and you will find out.
During my early morning walks, the wild turkeys hold gobbling practice at the east end of the parking lot at Beaver Lake. If you’re in the car and you hear turkeys gobbling, honk your horn and watch the turkeys put on a display.
Just east of the volleyball court in the park at Beaver Lake, a purple figure is hung in a tree. I think it’s a Viking football player that has been hung in effigy. Do you suppose this has something to do with the Vikings being invited to leave Minnesota if a new stadium is built as bait by the inviting group?
Water, water everywhere. Almost three inches of rain at Beaver Lake Wendnesday, June 15th. Fishing was very good the evening before. I caught 14 nice sunnies off the dock.
Genie was at a long weekend ladies retreat in Jasper, Arkansas. I’m supposed to mow the lawn while she is gone. She comes home and the lawn is really long. I tell her it was either too warm or too cold or too wet or too windy to mow. She “politely” tells me the real problem was I’m too lazy. (The lawn has now been mowed – by me!)
How bad are the cracks in the road on Highway 30 from Ellendale to New Richland? They are so bad that there was a major traffic jam in front of the Alan Dobberstein farm on Highway 30 last Thursday morning. I was on my way to New Richland when I saw all kinds of flashing lights ahead. I parked and walked up to the lights, where I saw Andy Mucha, John Schultz and Barb Dobberstein directing traffic. I looked closer and saw a “cooper” car hung up with the car dangling in a crack in the road. Barb told me that son Luke was on his way with a backhoe to lift the Cooper out. I talked to the driver and he told me he was from Blarney, Ireland and touring the US (the last few days he has visited his Irish cousin, Patrick Ahern, a summer resident on Beaver Lake).
He suggested the U.S. initiate a user tax to better maintain our roads. His idea was that citizens pay the user tax every time you put fuel in the gas tank. With a very thick Irish accent, he thanked Luke and proceeded onto Highway 13 via the Township gravel road to see the windmills by Hartland.
What do you think? Does a user tax on gas to maintain our roads sound feasible?
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. This is the Hanson’s 36th summer at Beaver Lake. They leave the lake in mid-October to go south — to Albert Lea — and return in April. Bob says if you enjoy his article, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of Wisdom: There is always room for God.