What I Did On My Summer Vacation

"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." –Gene Fowler, American journalist, author and dramatist, 1890-1960

Wonderful summers at Toad Lake in the 1950s.
From left: Maude, Helen, Veronica and Verne.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Actually, writing is easy. Open your mind and let it dump. Story creation is the hard part. You know, where you’re given an idea, a germ, and told, make something of this. That’s a hell of an exercise. I’ve fallen into that little trap by accident or fate. I’ve lamented my inability to conjure storyline on my own, so my dad has shared his ideas. He’s particularly fond of British mysteries (thank you, BBC) so he once suggested I task a Boy Scout troop on an outdoor adventure with solving the mysterious death of their scoutmaster. Maybe I’ll tackle that one someday.

My dad gave me another germ Monday night at dinner. No, not from his cough. He offered up a “find” of his own, proudly noting that he didn’t even have to run to stumble upon this little treasure trove. You see, Dad’s an old photography buff. He’s got loads of photos and slides stored in envelopes and boxes. And a couple years ago he was in need of another box for some slides. Well, with the transition to digital photography, such archaic equipment is hard to come by. So Dad asked a friend to be on the lookout for one in his frequent trips to area auctions.

Verne by the shore of Toad Lake.

Long story short, this acquaintance returned one day with said box. And it was full of slides from the previous owner’s summer vacations to one or more resorts in the vicinity of Toad Lake, Minnesota, in the late 1950s. (I chose that link for info about Toad Lake because it was from a site called ePodunk - hilarious.) Now, I think all Dad was looking for was a mention of this collection of vacation slides, which resembled those taken by his father, my granddad, on vacations during the same era: family among scenery, the cabins where they stayed, the dinner table, the women preparing dinner, etc.

Well, this could easily become a grand research project into the life of an unknown family. But honestly, fear of research is probably the single greatest reason I didn’t go on to graduate school. Grad school means research. No thanks. I appreciate research and its revelations. I wonder respectfully at the people who do it and I think they’re amazingly dedicated folks. But I hate to do it.

So now I have this expectation to live up to. Dad’s given me this idea and I’m sure he expects great things. Maybe that’s the son talking. Maybe our parents don’t always expect too much from us. We just think they expect more than they really do. They may hope for us and they may expect us to reach certain heights. But I think we set the bar ourselves, based on where we think they want it.

Betty, left, and Maude dish up dinner. Looks
like mashed potatoes and barbecue chicken.

Well, I’m throwing out the bar and just seeing what happens. I make no guarantees and have no idea what I’m gonna do with this. Dad already did some basic research based on names of resorts and places he saw on signs in some of the slides. We have:

* Tchibegumigo – House of the Dead (ref. Dead Lake Township)

* Sweet Tooth Bar

* Duggers Resort

* Rogers Resort

* Ostrem Resort

* BambiResort

* Toad Lake, Minnesota

Must be nice to be retired. Guess that’s when I’ll head back to grad school.

Today's Stats (Sunday, Feb. 24)

Temp: 37 degrees F

Distance: 5 miles

Weekly Total: 11.9 miles

Treasure: Nada

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Hear You Me – Jimmy Eat World

Never Surrender – Corey Hart

St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) – John Parr

Sometimes a Fantasy – Billy Joel

Downbound Train – Bruce Springsteen

Every 1’s a Winner – Hot Chocolate

Sweet Love – Commodores

State of Shock – Jacksons (with Mick Jagger)

Mama Can’t Buy Me Love – Elton John

Disease – Matchbox Twenty

Burning Down the House – Talking Heads

Missing You – John Waite

New Way to Fly – Garth Brooks

I think that's Betty in a boat. Silly, you have to push off.

Today's Stats (Wednesday, Feb. 20)

Temp: 17 degrees F outside

Distance: 3.5 miles

Weekly Total: 6.9 miles

Treasure: Nada

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Looking For The Next Best Thing – Warren Zevon

An Innocent Man – Billy Joel

Broken (New Version) - Lifehouse

Never Gonna Give YouUp – Rick Astley (Linked because everybody loves this one!)

Ya Ya – Lee Dorsey

Be Still - Storyside: B

She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (Anthology 3) – The Beatles

Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) – Quindon Tarver

More Than This – Roxy Music