Summer Dream 2006

The morning was delayed by the heavy grey overcast of local thunderstorms. Raining softly with an occasional flash of lightning; Thor roamed the skies. Lil’ Joe had made his bed under the stars and this morning had his first bath in two weeks. Praise the Lord is all I can say.

Morning breakfast ran the by now familiar gauntlet, 7am and ran until 11am. A brief mention to Steve yesterday about tracking down two class holdouts, Jim and Clyde, was all it took to have him in the saddle behind me. He beat me to the bike for the long thirteen mile ride out to Freda. The sailed by mindless of the threat of rain. And Old Blue maneuvered the gravel roads with an extra passenger better than expected. Jim wasn’t home but we enjoyed he view from the magnificent bluff overlooking Lake Superior. What a paradise he has picked. A couple talks with the residents had us headed for Atlantic Mine, miles away in search of Clyde. But just a mile up the road, words from Virginia hit like the thunderbolts of last night, his house emerged from behind the disguised schoolhouse.. Thankfully avoiding a long cross country ride to another wrong location, we found Clyde at home. A great visit, talk of birds and mines and days gone by.

Time to dance. Headed for the hotel to help with decorations, it was already complete. I was awestruck…….. Audrey, Alyce, Jerry and Bob had turned today’s banquet room into a 1960 gymnasium, ready for the dance. Streamers orange and black, artfully done……. tables begging for occupants, with so much of yesterday heaped around. You four were magnificent….. you ARE magnificent.

And the folks started arriving…. and the music started playing…. tears… Dick Tuisku had two friends volunteer to DJ the evening. Daryl brought a thousand records of the era, the top 100 from 1957, 58, 59, 60. All original 45’s in unrealistically prime condition. Spinning platters like the DJ’s of days way gone by. Chuck ran the electronics like the professional he is. This music, this presentation, was a dream come true for me. And I danced and felt the music all night long…. and the evening ended all too soon.

And Dick, retired golden voice of the radio waves in the U.P. put together a small program. And he is funny!! A few speeches; too many lavish praises to me; it took thirty one people, Mary and Audrey to make this happen. And an incredible and total surprise to me, Audrey had ordered in a print from Dale Klee, old car art and a motorcycle, complete with Harley Davidson shirt. The work I did was because I wanted to, and the unexpected reward left me totally speechless and teary. I don’t know what to say….I did not in my wildest dreams expect anything more than for people to get together and have a good time. And they did. And everyone said this was so different from any other reunion. So close, real, memorable. And their partners came and had a great time, and it was incredible. These classmates are the best friends in the world.

Phase II is over; phase III begins, with more letters from my cousins. Yet another adventure unfolding.

It was a good day.