Reunion Reflections

Class reunions at my age are interesting to say the least.  We all start out as "cute" grade school kids and before you can figure out what happened, we graduate, raise a family, and get old.  Last Saturday was our school's reunion for classes who graduated 45 years ago and longer.  Let's just say mine was longer ago than 45 years.  We used to get together at reunions and ask: "Where are you living now?"  Then at later reunions we reminisced and laughed over "Remember when?"  More recently we ask: "Remember me?"  Or as it happened to me this last weekend, a man came up and said: "Vic Luiken, do you know who I am?"  Sadly, I didn't.  Even more sadly; after he introduced himself, I still didn't remember him.  Oy.

This young man is also pictured in the first grade class picture of 1951.  He was a good friend all through school.  Can you find him?  He still remembers playing basketball with me in HS.  He was much better than I was.  We played guard position together and once on a fast break he passed the ball to me behind his back.  It so flummoxed me that I missed the layup.

Just so you can see that it is the rest of the class that has changed, not me, here I am with some of the family that was there minus one who took the picture.  I am kneeling not because I was a "man of the cloth," but because the previous three pictures she took cut my head off of the picture.  Nice.

I probably don't have to tell you that there were a lot of "grey hairs" at this reunion.  Some with more hair than the rest of us.  Definitely not fair.  The theme this year was the celebration of the 71st year since Steamboat Rock Girls Basketball Team won the state championship. http://www.steamboat-rock-historical-society.com/www.steamboat-rock-historical-society.com/1943_Basketball.html

 I grew up in the years when this was a not too distant memory for the community.  The large trophy still sits in the trophy case though the gym no longer is part of the school.  As far as I know neither boys nor girls have come close to winning it again.  So the glory days of our school were 70 + years ago and now since we are consolidated with a one time rival, those days will never be again except in our memories.

This dear lady played on that team who won the state championship in 1943 and was selected as "Tournament Princess."  She still looks good.  If you go to the link you can find her.  The uniforms for the girls were hand sewn by community members out of parachute material that was available during the war years.  It is good to remember the "good ole days" even though the days and years have taken a toll on us all.  Psalm 90:10

Spring at the Lake is for the birds

Spring brings the migratory parade through the park.  Some beautiful creatures and not easy to photograph.

Spring brings new Park Models inching their way through the trees.  It reminds me of our new one four years ago already.

And this Spring is bringing a new fiberglass swimming pool all the way from Florida with a Minnesota State Patrol escort because of the wide load.  I wonder where I put my Speedo?

Just wondering...

Sometimes when you are retired and it is too chilly to work outside my mind starts to wonder or is it wander?  Like I wonder how this mountain peak showed up in our back yard over the winter.

And I like birds (sorry Jan); so I wonder if the robin in my back yard is the same one that was there last year?

Did he remember that I had a convenient place to bathe or get a drink and want to return to raise the next generation?  How would you know since they all look alike?  I wonder...

Well, the robins don't all look alike.  Take for example this albino robin that someone spotted in Park Rapids last year and told me precisely what yard to go in town to see it. 

I went to that yard and sure enough I was able to get a picture of this unusual creature.  I wonder if the other robins think he/she is nice looking or odd?  I also wondered if per chance this year that robin would return to the same yard where I had seen it last year.  Hmmm...so on the way to church Sunday I suggested we drive by that yard, thinking there is no way the albino would be anywhere to be seen.

But much to my surprise, there she/he was.  It was in the same yard that we had seen it a year ago.

Granted, the robin was a little far away to get a picture, and not wanting to be late for church, I was only able to get a distant shot.  But there was no doubt it was the same bird.  I wonder where it wintered?  I wonder how in the world it could find its way back to the same yard in northern Minnesota?  I wonder why or what urge made it want to return to the same place?  I wonder what creative mind could program a creature to do that?  (I think I know the answer to that one).  So the robin you see in your back yard may be the same one you saw last year, and the year before...

Then I wonder why a Chickadee thinks it is a wren?

And why a tan-striped sparrow....

hangs around with a white-striped sparrow when we humans have such a hard time being around others who are different from us?  Oh my, so many things to wonder about.