Our Last Camping Trip - Aug 2008

As I mention earlier, I will be jumping around, forth and back, instead of trying to keep everything in chronological order with regard to this journal of the adventures Karen and I were having here in the Northern Plains.
As I prepare for my trip to the west coast this month, I was thinking back to the last camping trip that Karen and I went on in August of 2008. That was the summer we were doing repairs on the outside of our house. We were scheduled to replace the shingles on our house at the end of August so we thought we better get away one more time before winter set in. Our pastor and family were planning a camping trip to Grahams Island State Park at Devils Lake so we decided to arrive there early and wait for them.


Devils Lake has grown to be huge body of water over the last decade. There is no outlet for the lake and with all the snow, rain, and run-off for all these years, it has claimed hundreds, nay, thousands of acres of farmland, roads, and even towns. Minnewaukan has had to move many of its houses away and the water is right at the doorstep of the school and many businesses.
This photo is the far west end of the lake which, just a few years ago, was farmland. Now boats are harvesting an abundance of Walleye, Pike, Perch and White Bass among the drowned trees. It won't be long and this road will be under water too.

Arriving at the State Park is welcome sight of lush growth and many trees.

We had reserved our campsite and found it to be much more than we expected. As with so many campgrounds in North Dakota, there is ample room and much privacy. We parked and got the trailer set up, relaxed a little and went out to explore for a while. We always enjoyed seeing all these new sights and experiences. Just by looking around a little we knew we would be having a nice relaxing time here.
Whenever we would go camping, we always looked for a walking trail. Karen just loved to get off the beaten path and explore. She should have been a botanist as she had such a vast knowledge of herbs, wild flowers and flora in general. I think it was the solitude and quietness that she enjoyed. I'm sure she felt a closeness to God in places like this. Is she walking down quiet paths right now?

Hair today, Gone tomorrow---part I

My grandson Steven, who is approaching his teenage years, decided to start letting his hair grow several years ago. I'm not sure if it was to attract girls or not, but I have my suspicions. Now, for most of his life he always wore a buzz cut as did his Dad. I too had taken to buzzing my head for several year as did Matt.

The day after Karen's funeral, we were sitting in the living room talking when all of a sudden Uncle Matt says, "Hey Steven, I'll give you five bucks if you'll cut your hair off". Without even looking up Steven says, "NO WAY, I'm not cutting my hair!" So all of a sudden Dad says, "I'll throw in five bucks too". (No response from Steven yet.) So I pipe up with my five bucks into the kitty. "NO!", says Steven. "I'm not cutting my hair." With nothing to loose now, Uncle Matt ups the pot to a ten spot. (I think I am starting to see Steven stir now.) Then Dad raises his to ten. The frenzy is starting now so now I am up to ten. Now a smile comes on Steven's face and he says, "Thirty dollars???" Now, Mom is starting to encourage him. But he still says no. "OK", says Matt, "I'll go to 15." Dad is next with his 15 and before Steven has any more time to think, I go up to 15 as well. Now, I not only hear his wheels turning inside his head but I hear his internal calculator clicking away too. And there is a big smile on his face too. Will our persistence work? Mom is right there encouraging him to take it before it goes away. Sister and brother are also saying, "Do it Steven, do it". So what's the next thing out of Steven's mouth? "I'll do it......IF you'll make it twenty each." The three of us couldn't reach for our billfolds fast enough. Dad jumps up and runs to the camper to get his clipper and the rest of us run to the driveway for the big event.

This is Steven before. Mom is taking one last picture of her son with hair.

None of us can really believe that this is really happening but Steven still has a big smile on his face. Dad starts the process by going for the top. As soon as the top is off, I shout out, "STOP, STOP. That's good enough. We are a matching pair now!!" I tried to encourage him that having hair missing on the top only, is a good thing. He disagreed with me so Dad fired up the clipper again and went for the sides.

Myself? I like him like this

Mom still can't believe that this is happening and she is busy filling up her card with photos.

The finished product..... And no, that smile is not because his hair is gone, it is because all he can see and think about is green. Why do I say that? Because the first thing out of his mouth when it was over was, "OK, PAY UP!!!"

So now I really need to know.... "Steven, are you going to go back to buzz cuts or are you going to let your hair grow again?" "I'm going to let it grow again, of course." Then he says, "Hey Papa, why don't you let your hair grow too?" "Steven, Steven, Steven" as I rub the top of my head, "it doesn't grow up here anymore!" "Well you can let your beard grow again." So the challenge is on. Stay tuned for part II sometime in the future.