On Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, Genie and I headed north on our annual fall sabbatical, staying at The Palace Hotel in Cass Lake, Minn. For the entire season of socializing (deer hunting), this sabbatical was a bit different as one of the “Ritis” brothers (Art) went along while camping in my left leg calf.
Because of Art and the weather, I didn’t spend as much time as I would like to on my same deer stand (the first year was 1958). It rained the first two days, turning to wet snow followed by record-low temps with days below zero (the coldest was —12). This caused Art to rebel and I had a tough time getting him to settle down.
All my featherized friends visited my stand on a regular basis for their favorite bird seed. Fritz the 34th dropped in for his favorite sunflower seeds. He is a beautiful, friendly little mouse who will sit on his hind legs while watching me as he eats a seed.
No dumb deer came by during my stay on the stand (I guess I was the dumb one).
Genie attended the Does’ Champagne Brunch at Patrick’s on the Lake in Longville with Sandy Roscoe, a former resident of Albert Lea. Genie and I met Brenda Bauer, a former resident of Clarks Grove, at a bistro in Park Rapids for lunch.
We drove to Baudette on Lake of the Woods to meet Carol Edstrom at the Holiday Craft and Vendor Extravaganza at Lake of the Woods School. She taught Vacation Bible School with us through Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots at their First Nation villages in Canada.
While there we enjoyed reminiscing over lunch at the North Lake Café in Baudette.
We attended Trinity Lutheran Church in Cass Lake the three Sundays we were there. A very, very friendly church. They had one of us be a reader each Sunday. On Sunday, Nov. 19, the ladies of the church led the service. Joanna Aamodt did an excellent sermon job of telling why Trinity is important to her, even referring to Wayne (the organist) as “a humble genius on the keyboard.” (I wanted to clap at the end of her sermon but Genie held me back.
Rev. George Ross from Cass Lake welcomed us with a handshake and…a bag of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Natural Wild Rice. He introduced us to his grandchildren.
Once again the employers at “The Palace” showed us true hospitality. They welcomed us when we arrived and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable, even seeing that I got a ride to meet Genie after speaking at the Veterans Day brunch in Walker, Minn. Genie and I also attended the Veterans Day activities at the American Legion in Cass Lake.
On the way home we stopped at McDonald’s in Garrison (the smallest U.S. town to have a McDonald’s). You “must” stop there to meet employee Jean S. Her job is resident “lobby engineer.” She even served this old Norwegian her Italian Biscotti with my coffee.
Short shorts:
A. The Leech Lake tribal college was named the best community college in the U.S.
B. Must-see is the igloo ice at Lake of the Woods’ Zippel Bay. For a fee you can fish while having a warm meal.
C. Promises, promises, that’s all I give LeRoy instead of a real deer.
D. 3,276-acre farm for sale along Highway 72 going to Baudette (all tilled).
E. The telephone number for the young and young at heart is 951-262-3062.
F. Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season.
G. My best wishes to all my readers of “Fact or Fiction — You Decide.”
H. My prayer: “There will never be another Pearl Harbor Day.” Amen.
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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.