The End of One Era

I am a nostalgic kind of guy.   I get emotionally attached to objects when those objects are tied to memories (like any good hoarder does).  This post is about one of those objects.   It’s about an object that I have become so emotionally attached to that I have hoarded hung on to it despite my inability to use it for years! 

I’m talking about “The Boat”.

“The Boat” has been around as long as I can remember.  (It has, in fact been around longer than I have). 

My earliest memories of “The Boat” are as a very young child, seeing lying where my dad stored it.  It was kept chained to a tree on a "deeded access" boat landing on Lake Marie, near Annandale, Minnesota.  My parents had an old mobile home on a lot near Lake Marie.  We called this our “Choo-Choo-House”.   (One of these days I have to write a post about the Choo-Choo-House).  Anyway, the boat landing was semi-private.  It was deeded to the property owners in and around the Choo-Choo-House.

Another  very early and very vague memory I have is of taking “The Boat” with my dad and “Grandpa-Grandpa” (our nickname for my paternal grandfather).  We took the boat from the public access, all the way across Lake Marie, into Lake Louisa, and through a slough (I remember being scared by all the weeds surrounding the boat).  We crossed under the highway 24 bridge and pulled the boat up to a bait shop right along the creek at the far SW corner of the lake.    

Sometime after we moved to Bloomington (1977) my dad bought a trailer for “The Boat” and with the aid of the trailer, “The Boat” left the solitude of the boat landing, and arrived at it’s new home - a quiet little corner of our back yard.  And there, the boat sat… and sat… and sat…

About the time I graduated high school (1987) I had my own car that would haul the boat and had a place to take it (Best Bud Ed's cabin), so he convinced me to break it out, fix it up, and get it seaworthy again – which we did. 

Ed and I replaced the rotten transom board, greased the trailer’s bearings, got the electrical lights working, got it licensed, and took it out a few times.   It sat for another two or three years until I broke it out again to take my (then girlfriend - now wife) and her youngest brother out for a day on the lake (circa 1991 or 1992). I again got “The Boat” seaworthy, and took it out on Starring Lake in Eden Prairie.  After that trip it got tucked back into it’s hidey-hole in the backyard until (what I can only suspect to be) my Dad finally got sick of looking at it parked in his yard.  In 1998 my dad gave me “The Boat” as a gift.

When it came time that we moved from our house in Richfield to our new house in Jordan, the boat was “temporarily” returned to its “hidey-hole” in my parents back yard for a couple more years.  

I broke it out once again in 2002 for a fishing and camping trip with some friends.
(All photos found in this post are from the camping trip – Summer 2002)

After that trip, “The Boat” joined us permanently at our new house.  In addition to the camping/fishing trip, I took it along on a couple trips to Best Bud Ed’s cabin. 

The last time the boat saw water was in 2006.  I brought the boat up Best Bud Ed’s cabin for duck hunting.  The outboard motor gave me some serious troubles, and I could not keep it running and finally the pull-cord snapped.  Half way through the trip, I packed “The Boat” up, and when I brought it home it was tucked it into the garage where it has sat ever since.

Since it’s last trip, we have changed vehicles.  We do not have trailer hitches on any of our vehicles – therefore we have no way to haul “The Boat”. Yes, I could get a hitch installed, but the outboard will also be in serious need of a tune up – and after sitting in the garage for the past five years, it’s a little… buried.

Over the past two, maybe three years I have been seriously kicking an idea around – but before I “pulled the trigger” on this idea, I wanted to run in past my dad. The idea was to sell “The Boat” and use the proceeds to buy something a little more “practical” for our family.

A Canoe!

A canoe can be carried “Cartop”, can be loaded up in a moment’s notice, can be in the water in a moment’s notice, offers a little more “exercise opportunities”, can be fished from (one of my primary desires)… With the boys coming into “driving age” they could (if they wished) pop a caone on their car and take it out for the day.

What really pushed me over the edge was a canoe trip #3 of 5 took with the Scout Troop down the Cannon River. I was unable to go (due to work schedule conflicts) but thought there is no reason why I could not take that trip myself, or make a triumphant return to the BWCA at some point…

I was a little worried about asking my dad, since he had the boat for so long, and it was sort of a part of our family’s history… But once I told him about the idea – he loved it! He thought it was a GREAT idea!

So, I spent a day digging the boat from it’s home in the garage (no small feat in itself) and am cleaning it up preparing to end an era for our family. 

I am ending the era of “The Boat”.

It was a hard decision to make for me.  

The boat has had such a long enduring part in our family history.  It almost has it’s own persona.  It may have not been used a lot, but it has provided some fond memories.

It was comforting to me, knowing in the back of my mind that if I really wanted to or needed to, I always had access to “The Boat”

In many ways, I am sad to see it go.  I had hopes to use it more that we have.  I wanted to make more of our own new memories for the kids with the boat - but alas, hopes and dreams are not always based in reality.

I take comfort in knowing that by ending one era, I hope to be starting a new one. 

I am starting the era of “The Canoe”

In the above photo #3 of 5 (age 5) is sitting in the boat while #1 of 5 (age 14) and #2 of 5 (age 6) are standing on the dock waiting for me to take them out fishing.  See what I mean by memories?  These three boys have all grown so much since this photo was taken.

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Here are a few more details and photos of “The Boat”

The Boat: 1968 16' aluminum Chrysler row boat. (I even have the ORIGINAL owners manual.)
The Trailer: 1974 Sears Boat Trailer
The Outbard: (I am keeping this) 1955 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5hp Aquasonic Model 7518
(I have the ORIGINAL manual for the outboard as well)

   

Changed Plans

Saturday was supposed to be a day of ice fishing goodness.

Our local Boy Scout District (Rolling Hills District), sponsors an annual ice fishing derby.  In previous years, we have attended (LINK), and after managing to get the day off of work, I planned on attending.

When I brought it up to the boys, #2 of 5 told me he was not interested in going.  I’m not going to say I wasn’t a little disappointed, but he is 14 years old now, and starting to show signs of independence, and individualism. 

Yet another reminder to those of you who have children younger than mine…  Enjoy the time you have with them – it does not last forever.  You blink, and the next thing you know they are walking around with earphone in, listening to music you have never heard of, and looking at you like you were an alien from another planet when you ask them if they want to do something with you.

Anyway, after #2 of 5 told me he was not interested in sitting out in the cold, on an upside down five-gallon pail, trying to catch fish through an eight inch hole in two feet thick lake ice, his brother #3 of 5 told me that HE was STILL interested in going.  Not only was #3 of 5 interested in going, #4 of 5 (my 9 year old daughter) piped in and said she would like to go in #2 of 5’s place!

Hmmm… I lost one, kept a second, and added a third.  Two minus one, plus one.  I was still going with two of my brood.  That’s what a blackjack player would call a “push” – and I can live with that!

I also got the “Father of the Father of five” interested in going!

But then, we got the news…

Last fall #2 of 5 expressed interest in applying for a position with the Boy Scouts.  He was interested in becoming a summer camp “Councilor in Training” (or CIT for short).  The word got to us that his application was accepted, and that he was scheduled for an interview!  This would be his very first “interview”.  What a wonderful experience. 

The bad news was that his interview was DURING the fishing derby… 

So, like any good Father of Five would do, I pouted to myself, put on my happy face and took #2 of 5 to his very first interview!

Actually, it was not half bad.  In fact, it was a lot of fun.  It was a chance for me to spend some one-on-one time with him (which is getting harder and harder to do, and opportunities are getting fewer and further between).  Plus, once we finished the interview, we stopped at Chili’s for lunch, and shot the breeze for a good hour.  Nothing special – just hanging out and visiting.

From what I was able to ascertain, the interview went pretty well.  We will hear back in about a month weather or not he gets chosen.

A Little Getaway

Since I can tend to over explain everything (sometimes ad nauseam), and a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided to talk less (but still some) and add a bunch of photos to share a WONDERFUL weekend we had while my sister was in town... Photos are "clickable" for larger versions.

With my sister in town from New York, and having a few days off (coincidently, a pretty rare combination) our family came up with an idea of all going "Up North" (A Minnesota term for heading off into the North woods). Our Uncle Greg and Aunt Marilyn have a very nice cabin, and were very generous in allowing us the use of their cabin for the two days that we were able to squeeze a trip to the cabin into.

With six of the seven of us going (#1 of 5 had to work), my sister and her two kids (my brother in law had to return to New York on Business), and my parents - we had a healthy group of eleven to bring up!

We caravanned it in two mini-vans - doing a little "mix-n-matching" of kids... (i.e. one of my kids took a turn riding with their cousins in their van). An idea I had helped make the trip fly by! We put an FRS two way radio (walkie-talkie) in each car - I think the kids spent at least half the trip up visiting on the radios, and the adults spent the other half!

We (of course) had to stop at the Milaca Unclaimed Freight store in... Milaca! MUF is the epiphany of what a closeout, refurbished, junk shop is!! They have EVERTHING there!! Toys, tools, gifts, groceries, furniture, paintings, ice houses, sporting goods, jewelry, heck... They have almost anything a frugal cheap dad with a bunch of kids (who seemingly always "hafta have that") could ask for!!

It was no sooner than we arrived that the kids were (faster than lighting) down on the dock, begging to get the fishing rods and tackle boxes out (from the very bottom) of the packed van so they could fish.

Unpacking, room arrangements, and lunch (hot dogs) took a little bit, but once these things were complete - it was time for FISHING! I took the boys out and the girls stayed back and did some swimming (which also included the task of raking the swimming area of weeds) and fishing from the dock.

Thankfully (having experienced it in the past) I went into this endeavor with the expectation that I WOULD NOT be getting to fish myself - whatsoever. It's better to tell myself that I would get NO time to fish, and find out that I do, then to tell myself I am going to get to fish, and then not get to...

The fishing was pretty good - lots of decent panfish (sunnies, crappies, and perch) and even a couple of small bass!The afternoon / evening went well - MOST of it was spent fishing rigging kids rods, baiting hooks, and taking fish off the hook. When the kids got impatient, we went back to the cabin and broke out the kayak!

After dinner (sloppy joes)- we all relaxed to the Beethoven movie (which all but the oldest kids had NOT seen - since the movie is older). Even my parents (who also had never seen the movie) enjoyed it.

I REALLY enjoyed the portion that I fell asleep for! Oh, and that was my dad you all heard snoring!

After the movie, we watched the sun set as a family of loons passed by the cabin (snapped a few photos too!). It was truly a picturesque finish to a wonderful day!

The next morning was met with an even more eager, and larger group of kids that wanted to go fishing! I loaded all but one into the boat, and we headed out.

The day was spent fishing, swimming, water play, exploring, more fishing, baiting hooks, taking fish off the hook, fishing from the dock, paddle boating, kayaking, row boating and anything else the kids could think up!

#5 of 5 was the only kid to stay back and not join us on the boat in the morning. Instead, she watched us from the dock with a set of binoculars!

The sister of the Father of Five doing "her impression" of removing a fish from a hook. (Loose the glove!)

Memere (mother of the Father of Five) joining in the fun too!

Now, that is boat load of kids. Had I been in any deeper lake - or a lake with better "gamefishing" I may have considered using the children as bait!

#5 of 5 in a floaty innertube thinggie

 

 

 

#4 of 5 on a Best Buy floating raft. My mom is a Best Buy retiree, and my cousin is a current Best Buy employee!

#5 of 5 with her cousin in the paddleboat. When legs are not long enough to reach the peddles, then sit on the floor and use your arms!

 

 

The boys - going on an exploration down the lakeshore...

#3 of 5 with #5 of 5 in the kayak together

 

 

 

 

#5 of 5 and her cousin collecting nature items for her Arts & Crafts. (She has already made two collages with the junk stuff she found!)

After seeing her daddy take all the kids out fishing in the boat, #5 of 5 wanted to have some one on one time with me. I serenaded her as I rowed her around the lake.

 

Father of the Father of Five with the Sister of the Father of Five - going for a paddleboat ride.

Yup. Woodticks were back this year!

 

 

 

 

I can not thank my Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Greg for the generosity of letting us use their cabin for these few days! Much of my childhood was spent at this cabin with MY cousins - it means so much to me for them to allow my children to spend time with THEIR cousins - doing the same types of things we did as kids. It's like watching my own childhood pass in front of my eyes!

We had such a WONDERFUL time! I can not think of anything that would have made these couple of days any better (except having my brother in law, and #1 of 5 with us). It was the most relaxing, and enjoyable time I have had in... well... in MONTHS.

Having my sister and her family live so far away - it's harder to stay connected with them. I want so desperately to make sure that my nephews have a connection with us, and with their cousins... Spending this time at the cabin helped create memories that will (I am sure) last a very very long time!

Before we headed out, we ended the day with a few different photo opportunities with all the cousins together.

This weekend will remain in my memory for as long as I still have it as one of the most memorable. The kids were all so well behaved, the weather was PERFECT, the fishing was great, the food - family - and fun were second to none.

Thanks EVERYONE. Thanks for making this happen!

A Day on the Lake.

Check out the recently completed post over at Dad's Outdoor Journal
A Day on the Lake

Taking things for granted

Anytime I do work on one of the cars (oil changes, coolant changes, spark plugs, etc) I inevitably take it out on a short "break in" road test. I usually drive about 3 miles south on Highway 169 to the O.K. Corral, turn around, and head back home - clocking in about six miles (four of the being freeway). It's just the right distance, and it takes just about the right amount of time to do it.

After completing my last repair, I needed to get the car out on the road and give it little "break-in". This time though, I felt like changing things up a bit, and decided to take a different route. This day, I took the proverbial "road less traveled" and headed west down Township Road 57 until it turned into Park Boulevard (about a mile from my house). The road is called Park Boulevard because it cuts through the Minnesota Valley State Park. I often "forget" (ok, lets be honest here... "take for granted" would be a better choice of words - hence the title of this post) that I have an actual State Park less than 4 miles from my house. It's about a two or three minute drive from my garage to the State Park.

As you drive through the park, it is easy to totally forget you are 3 minutes from Jordan, and about 35 minutes from the dreaded Mall of America (shudder). Bordering the east end of the park is a cattle grazing field. The landowner keeps longhorn cattle on that property. I passed the longhorns, and was surprised to see a pair of white-tail deer standing on the road. I slowed down, hoping to get a picture of them (I still had the camera in my car from taking photos of the brake job). But, alas they fled before I could get a picture, so I continued down the road. Towards the western end of the park I again noticed a group of three white-tails. This time I slowed down to a stop, and turned the camera on. Just as I brought the camera up, they fled into the woods. Another missed shot. I left the camera on and continued to the far west end of the park, but never saw any more deer. As I made my way back through the park I was hoping that some of the deer had returned, but I knew better, and indeed did not see any. Not wanting to leave "empty handed" I did snap a couple of pictures of the longhorns, and the surrounding landscape to share.

In years past (before he moved to Duluth) Ed would call me up (frequently from the road whilst en route to my house) asking (ok, again lets be honest - its was more like "telling") me what I was doing for lunch. He would have already packed a lunch, then he would swing by my house and pick me up. We would head into the park, find an empty campsite (it was always #9, #10, or #12 on this map), make a campfire, cook our lunch, followed with a game of cribbage and / or a hike on one of the many trails. After working our lunch off on the hike, we would return to the site, clean everything up, and head out. This usually took less than two hours. These State Park Lunches happened about once a week, and are one of the biggest things I miss about having Ed in the Twin Cities. (But, now that he is the "Father-of-One-with-Another-on-the-Way" (Ahem... Ed.. Possible Blog Title??) I am sure our State Park Lunches would be less frequent (well, that - and I am now working during day-time hours).

A couple of times now we have also camped at Minnesota Valley State Park. Once we got together with a group of friends (Ed (of course), Janine & her girls, and Katie & Brianna). We camped in the "walk in sites" (#29, 30, and 31). It has been many years since though, and (at the time) the kids were all very small. It was difficult because they were so small, and because we are in the Minnesota River-bottoms, the mosquito infestation was pretty... "significant"...

I do love camping. I grew up spending time the BWCA and learned how to camp there. It is a very rustic, very low impact, very "no amenities" style of camping. State Park camping, although nice, is just not the same as BWCA camping, and so I have a difficult time feeling like I am "camping" when I am "camping". (This is an "internal" battle within myself - and I need to (more frequently) tell myself that State Park "camping" is better than no "camping" - I often forget this fact.) I also struggle with camping 3 miles from home, where it is WAY to easy to jump in the car, head back home if you forgot something. Again, this should not keep me from camping, but for some odd reason, it tends to...

Expanding outward from the "close proximity" and convenience of the Minnesota Valley State Park (Lawrence unit), as you can see on this map there are several other "outdoor recreational opportunities" within just a few miles (some as few as 5) from the State Park. (The State park is in the lower left corner.) The highlighted areas along the Minnesota River north and east from the State Park is the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge. The two closest units are the Rapids Lake Unit and the Louisville Swamp Unit.

In years past ("years past" seems to be a theme here...) I have hiked and worked a "clean up detail" with the boys' Cub Scout troops, and hunted squirrels and pheasants with Ed and with my brother in law Mike at the Rapids Lake unit.

I have also hunted ducks in the Louisville Swap and Michel WMA (about 20 minutes away) with Ed.

As I drove through the Minnesota Valley State Park (breaking in my new break pads), it really sank in. There really is no good reason whatsoever that at least a couple times a year I don't camp out there with the one, some, or all of the kids (or as a whole family). I need to come to terms with the fact that it is O.K. to not camp in the BWCA, if the BWCA is not an option (due to timing, schedules, funds, or any other reason).

I regularly read through The Ethereal Garage, and frequently daydream of snowshoeing through the BWCA, winter camping, and ice fishing trips. I get to feeling trapped by my own life, and how life feels like it keeps me from doing the things that I enjoy. It is true that my life is a bit "busier" than I had ever planned it to be. Being the Father-of-Five was never on my radar as I planned my life. Although they all have their "moments", I can not imagine my life without all five of my children. I truly enjoy 99.99% of the time I do get to spend with them.

As I drove through the State Park thinking about how busy my life is, how much I miss many of the outdoor activities I "used to do", how much I would like to resume some of those activities, and how much I want to spend time with my kids before they are too old to want to spend time with me - I realized that perhaps what I need to do is to start compromising. I need to be more open minded in what my idea of camping is. I need to stop feeling like my life does not "prevent me" from doing the things I want to do (life may "limit me" a bit, but it does not "prevent me"), and that I have a responsibility (as the "Father-of-Five") to make sure I do MORE of these activities, passing along what I have learned, for the sake of helping broaden the horizons of my children.

Perhaps by spending more time "State Park" camping (even for quick "overnighters"), I can spark an interest within one or more of my children for the taste of a more rustic "BWCA" camping experience, thus providing me a higher probabilibity for opportunity to return to the camping that I enjoy so much. (My wife is not a "rustic" camper. She likes camping, but is more of a "State Park" camper.) It is an easier "sell" the idea of a BWCA trip, if it involved a larger percentage of the family than the 14% of the family that is "Dad".

Realistically, I do have some time limitations. I have my summer work schedule in place (but yet have been assigned my overtime duties). I already know that due to a rotating work schedule, of all the weekends I have off between June 1st and August 31st, every single weekend is booked with plans. I am having a hard time (working with my cousins) coming up with our annual "guys weekend" at my Uncle's cabin. Michele and I even sat down a couple of days ago and tried to find a "long weekend" that we could go camping as a whole family. Not even one weekend was available.

The up side to my work schedule is that I also have weekdays off. Which can be nice, but now that Michele is working, it makes a Wed-Thurs-Fri camping trip next to impossible (at least when she has to use her vacation to go to her brother's wedding). That does not, however, keep me from partaking in some outdoor activities with the kids while she is at work. If we plan it out right, (utilizing the Minnesota Valley State Park) when my wife comes home from work (with the 3 year old) they can join us at the campsite, hang out, have dinner, and return to the comfort of home so she can be ready for work the next morning.

What does this all boil down to? As I have been reflecting on this, I have decided to establish a few realistic goals for the summer.

So, without further ado, I'd like to use this forum to make a public announcement. Let it hereby be known that by the first day of the 2007-2008 school year I plan...

Goal #1 - To broaden my ideas on what camping is by utilizing the resources available "in my own backyard" that I have taken for granted.
Goal #1.a - At least two "overnight" camping trips to the Minnesota Valley State Park.
Goal #1.b - At least two hikes in, through and around the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge units
Goal #1.c - At least two "State Park Lunches". (This could also be a "Wildlife Refuge Lunch" and is separate from Goal #1.b)

Goal #2 - Spend at least five mornings (I am going back to working evenings 3pm-11pm) fishing with the kids. (Since my outboard is on the fritz, and the clutch on my car is pretty much "roasted", hauling my boat may not be a possibility this year. I will have to limit my fishing trips to shoreline and pier fishing). This should be a fairly easy goal to reach as I can even take the kids fishing on days that I work!

Goal #3 - Update Dad's Outdoor Journal with the above listed activities as a means of tracking how well I am keeping up with my goals.

I will also (as a reminder) send this entry to myself as an email - scheduled to arrive on June 30th, July 31st, and Aug 31st - to help "keep me motivated".

Now, it's time to do some planning. If I do this right, it should be very easy. I can "pre-pack" a couple of large Rubbermaid boxes with our tent and camping essentials. All I will need to do is pack a little food and some personal needs - we can be on our way in no time at all! I can leave most of the stuff packed, and make another "overnighter" that much easier!

I can feel myself starting to get "stoked" for this... It may not be so bad after all!!
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