Thank you Andrew

I am writing from the lawn of the Bayfield, Wisconsin, Public Library--one of the many libraries established by Andrew Carnegie. The library doesn't open until 1:00 pm but the internet connection is accessible from a wonderful old picnic table out under a tree. We are not the only tekkies using the facilities. There are a total of 4 of us with our laptops set up in the beautiful end of summer day overlooking Lake Superior! And we are not young kids either--we're all grandparents! I think it is one of the funniest moments of the entire trip--making an internet connection in an unexpected place is quite the bonding experience.

Sept. 4, 2007 I made it to Wisconsin!!! But not before spending enjoyable hours at The Mocha Moose in Knife River and getting totally lost in the hills of Wisconsin--thanks to the NavSys that once again failed me big-time. I thought I’d spend the first half of the day driving further up the North Coast of Lake Superior but I only got about 3 miles. The Mocha Moose offered free internet so I settled in. After catching up pretty haphazardly on my blog entries fresh, hot cinnamon rolls were delivered. No one could resist such a delicacy so I had to stay longer. The Knife River RV campground manager, Randy, came in and it was fun being in a strange place and having someone greet me by name and chat a bit. I think that’s the fun thing about small places--if you sit in one place long enough, you get a feel for what happens by the people who wander in and out. I met a woman who makes dog clothing and she had her Yorkie with her--newly groomed and nicely outfitted. They were there to have pictures taken of the Mocha Moose coffee shop. Then I met a woman who introduced herself as the Rev. Mary. She works with abused women and lives in a travel trailer across the highway. She was asking me about my trip and when I mentioned I’d been sick she just grabbed my hand and offered to pray for me right there. First thing I did was ask her if she were a Christian! When she said she was I figured why not? Who is ever in a position to turn down prayers! Well, she just prayed up a storm and left me her card about some franchise she was thinking of getting into--a natural elixir that has dropped her pain level to almost nothing. Since I’d used up most of the morning at the Moose, I decided to head over to Wisconsin. Since I refuse to drive over any big bridges over water I had to take a pretty southerly route and then swing back up. This plan--so carefully worked out with the help of 4 customers and the owner at the Moose--worked great until the numerous county routes of Wisconsin fouled up the NavSys. It was memories of cornfields in Minnesota again! I was on dirt roads, former roads, under-construction roads and then some of the same roads all over again. What should have been a 3 hour trip became 6 hours. At least I got some good photos from the ordeal. I finally arrived at the Apostle Islands Campground and have a great spot. It’s on a small knoll looking out over the hills and trees. The surprising thing is that I feel in the middle of nowhere but have cable hook-up! I don’t even have cable at home! Tonight is my last night alone for a long time. Two weeks on the road and it seems just a blink. The good news is that I did it!! I’m doing better with the meds and hope that the worst of adjusting to them is over. I’m looking forward to spending a few days here with my family. It will be a special interlude before we head on down to the family gathering and the two memorial services as well as the closing up of Mr. Toccata’s father’s home. It had been the gathering point for his family for the last quarter century. His dad’s ashes will be buried on the land that has been in the family for generations. It doesn’t happen much anymore that a person is buried in the same place where he was born.