‎63 Years of Memories....

‎63 Years of Memories....
that's what I have now. The photo below shows the chair on the point which for so many years was my father's favorite after-supper place to contemplate and cast for walleye. As much as I feel guilty about what's happened, I know he would understand and even say there's nothing to forgive. He lived life fully and moved on many times. I'm the one with the unique experience of being attached to a beautiful place for my whole life. And despite all my best efforts, yesterday the 'cabin' was sold. I signed the papers and, truth be told, a weight was lifted. A new life lies ahead without the obligations, but with all of the wonderful memories. My unrelentingly positive attitude says this is truly how it is, but my heart is still sad.

There are some things in life for which the balance between the obligation and the joy of ownership often cannot be sustained forever. It became clear that I was no longer up to the task of taking care of the place quite a while back. However, knowing what needs to be done and doing it are often far apart. Finally, no choice was left. It had to be sold.

Now it's gone. No more worrying about how long the grass or how deep the snow is up there. No more sublimely pleasurable early morning cups of coffee sitting on the dock when the color of the lake is like pale blue glass and the air is completely still. No more endless repairs, high taxes, and utility bills. No more late nights around the fire pit with friends and family - warm from both fire and friendship. No more frozen pipes or emergency calls to the furnace guys. No more saunas and midnight skinny dipping that make you feel like you'll live forever while your connection with nature is confirmed by the gazillion stars of the milky way and the loons calling out in the dark. No more concerns with low well water levels or water so hard and full of iron the clothes turn yellow and your newly washed hair feels like brillo. No more finding the way home by boat in the dark after a long day on the lake feeling like this is the only place you really, really belong. No more praying that the boathouse will make it another year without collapsing. And ultimately, no more making new memories with friends, family and loved ones. No new memories, that is, at Half Bay, Lake Vermilion, Tower, MN. New life... here we come!

How do you thank a place for memories?

Saturday, June 27, 2009

disappointment

NASA is now 50 years old. They are planning on returning to the moon and maybe even on to Mars with a new rocket they are calling constellation. The constellation project uses all the old tricks that NASA has learned over the past few decades. It will use the same design as the Saturn V rockets that powered the Apollo project along with the solid rocket boosters from the shuttle. We are losing the edge, and we have lost the drive to be leaders and innovators. The space program is dwindling, we are letting it die.
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1 comment:

Lottie Dah said...

I agree. We should be way beyond where we are now. Space exploration isn't a hobby. It generates tremendous amounts of innovations and great ideas to use for all kinds of non-space-related things. We should be mining comets! And driving air-cushioned-jet wheel-less cars. Making money on the same products by making them so they break and must be replaced is the way we do things - instead of making new and better products. I feel like, despite what looks like lots of innovation, I've lived in a stagnant age. Where are all the innovative things the Jetsons promised?

9:49 AM

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