On Thursday, Nov. 7, Genie and I headed north from Albert Lea on our annual sabbatical in the north woods. Genie calls it “extended socializing.” I call it “deer hunting.”
After staying at the Palace Casino Hotel, outside of Cass Lake, yearly since 2007, we stayed at the Cedar Lake Casino Hotel in Cass Lake. (Cedar Lake is a new property that replaced the Palace.)
It was our pleasure to see and be greeted by many former Palace employees and now Cedar Lake employees.
On the extended socializing side of the trip, we were very busy.
We attended Sunday church service and coffee hour in Cass Lake two Sundays. One Sunday, three young men singing and playing the guitar brought joy to all with “I Believe” and “What the World Needs Now.”
We attended the armistice breakfast at Cedar Lake honoring veterans. (I was a guest speaker.)
We attended the Veterans Day dinner in Cass Lake.
We drove to Baudette, Minn., to visit with Carol Edstrom while enjoying the noon meal at the North Lake Café in Baudette.
Genie, along with Janet from Walker, attended the Ladies Bubbles and Bling Holiday Champagne Brunch at Patrick’s in Longville, Minn.
Genie attended the Monday Bible study and crafts in the a.m. followed by a light lunch at Trinity Lutheran in Cass Lake the two Mondays we were there.
Genie enjoyed lunch and reminiscing with Sandy (formerly of Albert Lea) at Benson’s Pizza Parlor in Walker.
As in previous years, we enjoyed an evening meal with Fr. George Ross and his daughters.
Genie and I enjoyed a lunch at Shingobee on the Bay of Leech Lake while watching diving ducks, a loon and an otter playing in the water.
On the deer-hunting side of the trip:
I hunted from my old ground stand as all other years beginning in 1958. I hunted morning, noon and evening hours, but no deer were seen. My old buddy Fritz, the small moose, never put in an appearance to eat the seeds I put out for him. The only visitors were blue jays.
The only excitement was when I got to my old stand about 9 a.m. one morning. A buck had made a scrape, broke some overhead branches and urinated right in the middle, with steam still rising. No buck did I see!
Two local tribal residents accepted the responsibility of finding an appropriate name for the new casino hotel. After talking with many people, they just couldn’t find a befitting name. They were about to give up when they recalled the old curmudgeon with wild hair and tobacco juice in his beard. They went to the small lake where he usually fished and got there just as he was leaving with a nice stringer of walleyes. In making polite talk, they asked him where he caught the walleyes. The old curmudgeon pointed to a body of water and said, “See dar lake.”
Now you know the origin of the name, “Cedar Lake Casino Hotel.”
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. 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. Bob says if you enjoy his column, 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.