Valerie's Voice – Page 59 – Musings on Life

A Childhood Memory

For my writing group we were assigned to write about a childhood memory and here is one of mine.

When I was in 5^th grade I went to my girlfriend’s birthday party. I would have been about 11 years old. My friend’s mother took us to a popular, children’s, live television show in Minneapolis. I don’t remember the name of the TV show…could it have been Clancy the Cop, Axel and the Tree House, or maybe Casey Jones, or Captain Kangaroo or Howdy Doody?

Cheryl was the birthday girl’s name, but I do not remember any of the other girls at the party.

I remember sitting on a bench as part of the live audience in the television studio. It was exciting. I’m sure it was unexpected, but on this particular show the main character asked for volunteers to participate in a hula-hoop contest. I could hula-hoop so I volunteered. I liked to hula-hoop and I must have done it often since I thought I’d have a chance to win if I entered the contest.

We started with one hula-hoop, next we whirled two hula-hoops and eventually it involved three hula-hoops. I managed to keep those three hula-hoops going around and around the longest time and won the contest.

My prize was a Betsy McCall doll. I kept that doll for a very long time and I don’t remember when or how I departed with it. Today there are several smaller Betsy McCall dolls for sale, online, but mine ws a large doll. There are a few 29”, so I believe that was the size of the doll I won. I left the party a very excited and happy little girl.

Several years ago, after I told Gary this story, he went out and bought me a hula-hoop. We still have it. I couldn’t quite make it work for him back then (to prove myself) and I still can’t make it work today. HA

The hula-hoop was invented in 1958 and this party was in the early 60’s.

I did a little research and found out Casey Jones aired for only one season in 1958. Howdy Doody aired 1947-1960. Captain Kangaroo was on for 26 seasons: 1955-1984. Axel and the Treehouse aired 1954-1966. Clancy the Cop: 1963-1977. There were no video clips of any hula-hoop contests!

However, when I told my friend, who is a Twin Cities native, this story, she told me it was likely the show Dave Lee & Pete. It aired live, in the afternoons, and the local program was always bringing kids on stage for different reasons. I do think we went in the afternoon so it makes sense to me, but I have no recollection whatsoever of Dave Lee & Pete (the Penguin).

This Morning’s Sky

Whenever I see red in the sky I am reminded of this quote:

“Red at night, sailor’s delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning.”

And this one: “The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

Northfield Shares A Dinner

About six years ago, I was at Kew Gardens in London and there was an outdoor art installment that I have thought about many times over the years. As I remember it…it was a long rectangle table, with sturdy, straight back chairs around it. The table was set with china, bolted down, and edible plants were growing from the teapots and cups and serving bowls. As I stood on one end of the table and looked out beyond it, there was a grassy area lined with tall, leafy trees on each side. Later, as I walked up that grassy area towards the table and between the tree canopy, I was enthralled with the whole scene and it felt very inviting.

That scene came to mind when I first heard of Northfield Shares A Dinner. A dinner: outside, along our town’s main street, with continuous tables set for 1,000 neighbors and friends… wow! The idea was fascinating to me, and I was excited.

The tables were full all along Division Street.

And it happened last weekend…with the help of hundreds of volunteers through Northfield Shares, a non-profit organization in Northfield that promotes volunteerism.

Registration area to pick up your wristband.

I reserved tickets right away. Reserving a spot early was crucial because the 1,000 tickets were quickly dispersed. A wait list began…people wanted to participate. At the registration table a wristband was your ticket and indicated your seat assignment.

The weather during the week prior to the event was almost perfect…cool temperatures, dry air, still days. The day of the event turned cloudy and threatened rain, but only a few drops fell, until after the meal was finished. We were all grateful.

When I arrived downtown the tables and chairs were set up and the tablecloths were on.

I went downtown to Bridge Square on Division Street a few hours before the 5:30 p.m. serve time to help get things ready.

The tables were covered in colored plastic table clothes with a white runner down the middle. Two tables were pushed together and eight chairs were set on each side.

The brown paper bag containing the eating utensils.

A brown paper bag was placed at one end, which contained paper plates, cups, flatware, napkins and name tags, enough for sixteen.

On each table were two tri-fold cards that were menus…one in English and one in Spanish. These had to be taped down due to the slight wind that afternoon.

Beautiful flowers, grown and donated by the local garden club, adorned each table…and not just a few flowers in a vase but a beautiful bouquet in mason jars.

Water pitchers were filled and placed on each table too. The organizers thought of every detail.

Flowers, menus, BBQ sauce, salt, water and tongs on each table.

The food was donated. A cook was hired to smoke turkeys from Ferndale Market and pork from Holden farms. Corn on the cob, donated by Grisms, was grilled and salad greens from local CSA farms in the area were tossed together by Bon Appetit, the food service used by both colleges. There were dinner rolls from the Brick Oven, BBQ sauce from Kahlo restaurant and Johnny Pops was our sweet treat after the meal. It was all served family style by youth in our community. Everything was delicious.

Musician groups at each end of the street.

As I write about this I’m in awe of what a wonderful event this turned out to be.

It was intended to bring community together and it did. Every table was full and everyone seemed to be having a jolly good time. There were music groups playing before dinner and costumed Hispanic dancers on the main stage on Bridge Square. Piped-in dinner music played in the background as we ate.

Another view of the full tables. Photo by TA.

What a great idea. What a great community event. What a great get-together.

Northfield, what a great place to live.

Houston, Minnesota

Southeastern Minnesota is a beautiful part of our state. Recently we drove through green forested, rolling hills, along winding roads, dotted with small farms and small towns, to a cute, little camping cabin in a state park for a camping weekend.

One of the small towns we passed through was Houston, population 979. It is the trailhead for the Root River State Trail. The recreational trail (bicycles, walkers, runners) begins in Houston and has 42 miles of paved trail that leads through Lanesboro and on in to Fountain, MN. It connects with the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail, which adds an additional 18 miles of paved trails, and makes for a great trail system.

One day we drove to Houston to begin a biking adventure, and during our brief time in Houston we discovered a few interesting things.

First, outside the trail center was a wooden bench carved in the shape of a mother owl spreading her wings over her owlets. It is a beautiful piece of art…and functional art for all to enjoy.

A beautiful carved bench outside the Houston Trail Center building.

Then, right in the back yard of the center as we started down the trail we passed two sandhill cranes in the park. On our way back the cranes were in the same area so we stopped to take photos. Sandhill cranes are big, beautiful, sleek birds and are always a delight to see.

While looking at the cranes we noticed something else in the grass…a sundial of some sort. We quickly found the sign that explained it: an Analemmatic Sundial. We had never seen a “clock” quite like this…

On the ground is a cement square plaque with roman numerals indicating different hours. There is a rectangle plaque within the square with the twelve months etched in certain places. You step on the month and notice where your shadow falls and it indicates the hour of the day….and it was accurate! How does that work?

I had never heard of this word analemmatic. I looked it up and it means: a plot or graph of the position of the sun in the sky at a certain time of day at one locale measured throughout the year.

We enjoyed seeing these different sightings in Houston and we had a great bike ride on this end of the Root River trail.

Rocky Mountain National Park – Take Two

A view in the park…below the alpine ridgeline.

I had the opportunity to go to Colorado for a week to help take care of my two adorable two grandchildren who live there. Their mother went to her sister’s wedding while my son and their two children stayed behind. So I gladly offered my assistance.

While there, my son and grandkids and I took a day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. Our son’s new home in Colorado is about an hour from the park. My husband and I visited the park when we drove out to Colorado in late April so this was my second trip to the park within six months.

The beginning of the Old Fall River Road, and the beginning of snow (late April).

In April, the Old Fall River Road was closed to vehicles. It is only open for traffic July through September so Gary and I decided to hike along the popular, historic road to Chasm Falls, a couple miles up the road.

Old Fall River Road – hairpin turn in late April.

As we started hiking… it started snowing… so we had a peaceful hike up and back down the hairpin-curved road, with snow-globe style snowflakes gently falling.

The beginning of the Old Fall River Road in RMNP, in August.

In August, the Old Fall River Road is open to traffic so my son slowly drove along the winding, nine-mile dirt road to the Alpine Visitor Center, one of the highest points you can drive to in the park.

I love this photo of Ezra…he is color coordinated with the colors surrounding him in nature. Photo by TB.

We parked the car at the Alpine Center and continued hiking up a trail to the top – 12,005’.

It was a beautiful day and the vistas were fantastic, at the top and all the way up the mountain.

My son near the sign designating the altitudle.

We drove down the mountain on the Trail Ridge Road since the Old Fall River Road is one-way only.

The Trail Ridge Road is a wonderful smooth, paved road that crosses through the park. We stopped for a picnic supper part way down and continued to enjoy the beauty surrounding us.

A colorful wildflower in bloom, the Indian Paintbrush.

During both visits to the park, in April and in August, we saw elk.

I’m grateful I was able to be in RMNP with my son and my grandchildren. I’m grateful to have a senior pass that gets me, and the passengers in the vehicle I’m in, free admittance to national parks. I’m grateful we have so many national parks in the US to explore.

The Grand Rounds

Last week, on one of those gorgeous Minnesota summer days, Gary and I decided to head to Minneapolis with our bikes and take off on the terrific trail system called the Grand Rounds.

The Grand Rounds has over 100 miles of paved walking and biking trails that meander through urban areas connecting different city parks and lakes.

This system has been around a long time. It was conceived by Horace W. S. Cleveland in the early days of the Minneapolis park system and has been well maintained. It has been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.

We started our tour at Minnehaha Falls and rode our bikes along Minnehaha Creek, past Lake Nokomis, then along one side of Lake Harriet, continuing around the loop of Lake Bde Maka Ska…..(formerly known as Lake Calhoun).

The new name for Lake Calhoun – Lake Bde Maka Ska.

We stopped for lunch back at the Bread and Pickle on Lake Harriet. We ate a delicious egg salad sandwich, which we were surprised to see on the menu, and then surprised at how tasty it was. It was lovely setting: looking out on the lake, seeing sailboats, and watching people.

After lunch we finished the Lake Harriet loop, rode past Lake Hiawatha and back to Minnehaha Falls. We treated ourselves to ice cream at the pavilion in the park, after clocking 20 miles.

Minnehaha Falls…I had to take the picture looking into the sun so the colors are distorted.

We viewed Minnehaha Falls – the falls were full and beautiful – encompassed by lush green trees and shrubs. There were many folks out enjoying the gorgeous scenery, and weather, on this weekday afternoon.

I had a great time riding my pedal-assist bicycle. We did stop at one garden…because… well, it’s just hard to resist gardens.

It is also fun looking at all the houses along the Parkway and the lakes. There are so many charming homes and biking past them is a great way to see them.

Wabasha, Minnesota

Many scenes in the 1993 Hollywood movie Grumpy Old Men were filmed in the small river town of Wabasha, Minnesota. It put Wabasha “on the map” and was their claim to fame for a long time. However, there is another cultural highlight in Wabasha…it is home to the National Eagle Center. The organization began in 1989 and built a beautiful building along the scenic Mississippi River in 2006.

Our book club took a field trip to the center one day in July, and it was very interesting.

The bridge in Wabasha, between Minnesota and Wisconsin, over the Mississippi River.

After taking a coffee break at the Chickadee Cottage in Lake City, we happened to arrive at the Eagle Center right before an eleven o’clock presentation. The presenter was very interesting and informative, an educator, and part entertainer! She kept us engaged for an hour and we didn’t want the session to end. She said she could have continued speaking because there is so much to teach about the eagles.

Was’aka, one of the eagle ambassadors. (Our presenter is not in the photo.)

When we spoke to her after the program she told us she became interested in eagles (and sharks!) at a young age so when she retired (from being a lawyer) she felt it was a good time to step in and volunteer at the eagle center. We were fortunate to be a part of her class session.

A few tidbits…eagles weigh only 6-8 pounds, keep their nests very clean by “shooting their poop” out of the nest about eight feet! They get their white feathers about the age of 5, and they do a beautiful cartwheel dance as part of their mating ritual. But there is much more.

My photo of a photograph of two eagles doing a cartwheel dance.

The eagles at the center are there because they no longer can survive on their own in the wild. They get quality care at the center while the researchers study them. The center has a viewing platform and is a great place to spot eagles along the river, especially in the winter because there is open water at this site, and that’s where eagles gather.

During the program an eagle, Was’aka, was brought into the room to show off to the audience.

There are plaques describing each bird on display.

Was’aka is blind in one eye, therefore he cannot hunt for himself. He is beautiful! There were additional eagles available for viewing also, including a golden eagle.

We did succumb to a Grumpy Old Men’s icon and ate lunch at Slippery’s Bar and Grill, apparently made famous by the movie. However, we chose it simply because it was the only place we could eat outside, along the mighty Mississippi. The food was good.

A bench in town depicting the two grumpy old men from the movie: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Wabasha is little over an hour’s drive from Northfield so it’s an easy day trip and well worth it.

Home Again

What a wonderful week we’ve had weather-wise…sunny, seventy’s and low humidity. Perfect for being anywhere, especially up in northern Minnesota. I was on the Whitefish chain of lakes with a friend, staying on her porch, with a cabin attached. Our days were relaxing, and among other things we did some boating and a lot of reading.

We went out on her pontoon which was a highlight for me. We left the jet skis docked this year, and my cell phone in the cabin. In previous years we’ve taken out the jet skis and had some…let’s say…complications. Then there was the year my iPad fell off the dock into the drink during early morning quiet time. So I tried to avoid any type of fiascos this year. Success!

The evenings were still and cool so we slept on the large porch listening to the loons calling as we fell asleep.

Before I left home for the cabin I had fifty pages left to read in my latest political thriller. So when we arrived at the cabin Sunday afternoon, after unpacking the car, we immediately got out some lawn chairs, set them up near the lake and started to read. I quickly finished the book. I brought along three non-fiction books so I had plenty additional reading material.

One morning’s sun reflecting on the lake that looks like clear glass. Beautiful.

When it was time to leave the cabin four days later, I had fifty pages left in one of the other books I had started reading up there. However, when I arrived back to our house in Northfield things changed… I no longer felt I could just sit down and finish the book right away….there was unpacking to do, laundry to throw into the washing machine, email and catch-up conversations, plus weeding flowers and so forth. So instead of sitting down to finish my book I did chores instead. I felt I needed to get something accomplished before enjoying more reading time.

Daggett Lake, a lake on the Whitefish chain of lakes.

I guess that’s why it’s always good to get away. At home we see all there is to be done (although my friend saw things that needed to be done at her cabin while we were there), but we had a delightful time on our annual trip to Daggett Lake.

I came home to my Star Gazer lilies in bloom.

Fly Me to the Moon

50 years ago today, July 20, 1969, the famous Apollo 11 mission allowed the first man to step on the moon. We all know he was Neil Armstrong who died in 2012 and is not here to help commemorate the anniversary of this historic event. Buzz Aldrin was the 2^nd man to step on the moon, while Michael Collins remained in the command module. There are lots of celebrations being planned for the 50^th anniversary, and many remembrances retold and some revelations of seldom told stories.

One story being that Buzz Aldrin carried communion elements along with him to the moon and asked for a private moment to take communion and read a verse from the gospel of John after they landed on the moon.

From Fact Check – Snoops -This is Buzz’s own account of what happened:

“In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.’”

I like that story.

And another very little known story from that era… when I was a teenager I sent a letter to Pan Am Airlines asking to be put on their waitlist to go to the moon. And, believe it or not, they wrote back and told me the wait list was full! HA!

I guess I’ve always been adventurous. I wonder if any airline is taking reservations to the moon at this time???

Political Thrillers

I’ve been side tracked this summer since my husband recommended a book for me to read…The Kremlin Conspiracy, a political thriller.

I would say I never thought I’d be a fan of political thrillers, in fact this was the first one I’ve read, but it was very engaging. I read the first book in about three days…then I wanted to begin the sequel, The Persian Gamble, right away. It had just been published (2019) so I wondered about its availability however, I was able to get a copy from the library quickly and finished that book in a couple more days.

I’m so thankful I’ve not had any urgent business to attend to…and am able to enjoy the luxury of reading. These books are page-turners and hard to put down.

Among the author’s many books, there was a trilogy recommended to me, and I started the first book thinking I would only read one…

I finished the first book in a couple days and ordered the next book from the library, and then the next. After I’m done with this series of three I will not pick up another book by this author for a while because they are addictive and I need to resume other fun summer activities!

Click here to link to the author’s website: Joel Rosenberg.

He’s a Jewish Christian and is very knowledgeable about the goings on in the Middle East. His writing is easy to read and clean, but there are graphic war scenarios. Most of his books are fictional stories, with great characters involved in some sort of scary, realistic, modern day plots.