"Up Nort In Minnesota"

We bought our Minnesota lake home in August of 1994. Let me rectify that sentence. At the time I was an on the road salesman. One Friday afternoon I pulled into our driveway in Westerville, Ohio and The Queen was there to greet me. I'd been in the province of Ontario Canada and dog tired after the eight hour drive.
I got a hug and a kiss and a statement: :Guess what? We own a lake home".You now know why she's referred to as The Queen or Her Majesty. She bought it on her own with my money. That takes some moxie.

Hey, who was I to complain? My screw-ups since we married in '69 were to many to mention so my philosophy was go with the flow.

We've made many improvements and additions to the place over these twenty-four years. You do know the saying about boats and lake homes, right? The two happiest days of your life are when you buy them and sell them. At least I have something to look forward to.

We have wonderful neighbors. The man next to us has made millions of dollars selling candy bars, gum etc. in gas stations and Quik Shop stores. The guy next to him is a Veep with the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. Two of the fellas down the lane are Iowans, huger than huge Iowa Hawkeye fans. Plus, they have Direct TV. I've lucked out on neighbors.

The 5,000 acre lake is pristine but without fish. What the heck. I last caught a walleye seven years ago at 2 pm on a cloudy day near Pencil Point using a Rapala. I still have the lure. Why not? It's the last time it saw a fish. A guy tends to remember these once in a lifetime thrills.

I plan on staying here through September. People who know me best laugh when I tell them this. Normally, I'll be here for three weeks and get antsy. In other words, I get the wander lust and have to move around. Not this year, though. One of my friends who lives here told me if I hang in until October he'll kiss my rear end at noon on main street in Hackensak, Minnesota. If this happens I'm calling WCCO-TV in Minneapolis and have them send up a camera crew.

Ten Mile Lake really is quite beautiful. As I've aged from 48 to 72 I've noticed I don't need much lake excitement anymore in order to be happy. I so very much look forward to my afternoon nap.

What a lake!