Packing for a road trip

By Jim Pluimer
Posted 6/26/03

For the next few weeks I blended in the surroundings and schedules of my new environment. On weekdays, from sunup to 5 PM, everyone kept busy, even the kids. My duties included painting, lawn mowing, pulling weeds in the garden and full-time errand boy for my Aunt Shirley. Meanwhile, Harv kept busy helping his Grandpa Clyde with park and beach maintenance. We were luckier than most of the kids in town, at least we'd get a day off now and then.

According to the calendar, June 13 is the peak of Minnesota's rainy season; if you can call it that.

Wednesday, June 12, 8 p.m. Harv and I loaded the rowboat in preparation for an evening fishing excursion. Shirley and Hattie were over at the ballroom playing BB-Bingo and Clyde and Al were across the street at Pokey's Barber Shop playing billiards. After their games the foursome planned to have coffee at Doc Vimmerby's. That meant we didn't have to be back until 10 p.m.

It took us thirty minutes to row across the lake and anchor the boat. Harv was busy watching the sun go down and hadn't even touched his pole when my bobber went under--school was in session! I pulled my first crappie into the boat and measured it. "Fourteen inches!" I said in a whispered scream. It didn't take Harv more than two seconds to jab a minnow on his hook and join in on the fun.

Fishing was so good that evening that we ran out of minnows before the school bell rang. Between the two of us we had twenty-two "keeper" crappies--enough for several meals.

Although our position on the east end of the lake was ideal for watching the sunset it wasn't too good for catching the moonrise, which was our 9:30 warning to leave. You see, looming behind us was Trom's Hill, the second highest tree-topped pile of dirt in the township, and tonight, for several minutes, it would delay the arrival of the full moon. Harv and I realized this and departed early.

That night I dreamt that Harv and I were rowing around the lake aimlessly in the dark with no idea where we were, when glowing fish started jumping into our boat. We couldn't bale them out fast enough to keep our tiny rowboat from sinking. We sank lower and lower into the water as cries for help echoed unanswered through the valley.

"Wake up, Jimmy," Aunt Shirley said while shaking my lifeless body. "You must have had a bad dream. Now go on and get cleaned up for breakfast."

I opened my eyes and realized I was still alive. What a relief!

At the breakfast table Uncle A1 always had a big hunk of gjetost cheese sitting out. It was sweet and caramel colored. I'm sure if you gave a piece of it to anyone other than a Scandinavian, they would never guess it was edible.

I took my place at the table then Shirley said grace.

"Amen. Mmmm, gjetost!" Al said. ³Sure you don't want to try some, Jimmy?" A1 had been trying for a week to get me to eat a piece.

"No thank you," I answered.

Al held up his cheese slicer, "See this cheese slicer?" I nodded "yes." "Know who invented it?"

"The Dutch?" I said sarcastically.

"Nope. It was the Norwegians!"

"Let him eat his corn flakes," Shirley said.

I looked at my corn flakes and thought, "Mmmm, normal food; corn." It made me think of home.

The valley-soaking rains resumed that afternoon, and continued, on and off, for the next week. It was life as usual during those uneventful seven days, but the next Saturday the skies finally cleared, and it was just in time for our trip to Duluth. I had never been to Duluth before and I was looking forward to seeing Lake Superior and the giant ore ships.

"Want to help me pack the car?" Shirley asked.

"Sure," I said excitedly.

"Good, grab those two bundles and follow me." We walked out back to where the Chev was waiting.

"Are we going to see any big ships?" I asked her.

"Oh, you bet we will. Here, set these sandwiches in the back seat, and be careful! A1 doesn't like his sandwiches squished."

"Will we get to see a ship go under the bridge?"

"Maybe, if we're lucky. Now, take the jackets and put them next to the sandwiches. We might need them if the wind is blowing off the lake." I did what she asked and was careful not to even come close to the sandwiches.

"Uncle Al told me there's a loud horn on the bridge."

"Yes, there is. Why don't you move the sandwiches, put the jackets where they are and then put the sandwiches on top of the jackets.² I hopped back in and rearranged the piles.

"How far is it?"

"Go back in there and give me the sandwiches, I'll keep them in the front seat with me." She wasn't even listening.

A1 slammed the hood down and said, "Everything is ready on this end." We piled into the car and headed out of town.