Category Archives: Travel

Too Much of a Good Thing or…The Winter That Would Not Quit

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Have you ever had brain freeze from slurping a DQ treat on a hot summer day, a tummy ache after 17 different State Fair foods “on a stick” or a toothache while feeding your sweet tooth it’s favorite Butterfinger candy bar? If you have, you know that no matter how wonderful something tastes or how beautiful it may look, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

State Parks = good things

Winter Wonderland = good thing

Snow making the State Park closest to your North Shore weekend lodging a Winter Wonderland in April = not that great a thing.

A trip down memory lane…

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I spent a lot of time in churches this past weekend. I went to Sioux Falls, SD with my mother and partner, Paul, primarily to attend the celebration of the finished life of a good friend’s mother.

This friend, let’s call her Cammy, has always brought feelings of “it’s a small world” and “six degrees of separation” into my mind. I met her about 15 years ago at the very liberal church I attend in St. Paul, MN. She is PhD musician, stunning blond and stands straight and tall at 6’1″. She was married to an even taller black man and has three friendly, statuesque children with him. The reason I think it is a small world is because her father was a pastor (he has passed away) and just happened to be the pastor at my Mom’s home church in Renner, SD. Cammy spent many years at that church and was married there by her father. At the time, this didn’t go over very well, especially with some of my relatives, for reasons I’ll let you imagine. Cammy’s father also buried my grandfather (my mother’s father) and Mom never forgot the wonderful service he performed for her dad.

Cammy’s mother’s service was at St. Mark’s Lutheran in Sioux Falls, where her parents attended for the last 10 or 12 years. It was so clear how much her mother brought to these people and how she and Cammy’s father embodied the very meaning of Matthew 25:31-46.

Mom, Paul and I also visited the home church, West Nidaros Lutheran Church in Renner, SD. This was originally a successful farming based church that has made the transition of farming and suburban community church. It was probably appropriate that there was a baptism, or celebration of new life, during that service. There were lots of friendly faces, many of which were related to Mom and I. We visited the replica church built in honor of the original Nidaros in Norway, the log cabin of relatives, moved and rebuilt to emphasize the roots of the church and, of course, the grave markers for my grandparents, uncle and aunt on Mom’s side of the family.

Lastly, we drove by Mom’s home place, which is still in the family, but rented out. The owner makes sure the place is well maintained and beautiful.

When I go back to my grandparents place, the church they attended or the family reunions organized by those left around Renner, SD, I am reminded how far and wide is a family. I talked to 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins after church and thought about how we are all connected through blood, gospel, friendship, race, sexual orientation, etc.

So many family members, so little time. Now that I’m 53, I think even more often about not wasting  my precious time avoiding, criticizing or hating people that are family in so many senses of the word. The world has plenty of haters, what it needs is more lovers.

Provincetown – Cape Cod, Massachusetts

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Provincetown is a wonderful gay meca at the tip of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. When I was coming out, 27+ years ago, I had to make a business trip to Boston in December. I had never been to Boston before so I planned on spending the weekend, and asked around to get some ideas of where to go and what to see.

One of my friends at the time mentioned that all the gays hung out in Provincetown so I would want to steer clear of there… I quickly looked the place up and got on the phone to book a B&B for Friday and Saturday night.

This was not the Provincetown of scantily clad boys and wall to wall dancing every afternoon at the Boatslip. I was going in the middle of December and the weather was picture perfect pre-holiday bliss. The streets were quiet and the temperature was cold enough to keep snow glistening in yards and on rooftops.

I spent that weekend dancing with locals, since they seemed to be the only ones around. I was young and pretty new to the gay scene and I was really only interested in dancing and talking. The locals were, for the most part, friendly and not too pushy. One man I danced with for most of one evening was a waiter at the Red Inn. I gave him a ride home the first night. I turned down his offer to share his bed, but I did go and eat dinner with him (as he was waiting tables the next evening, lol). I ate some of the best seafood I had experienced in my life so far. This was the first time I had eaten simple, fresh lobster, straight from the tank (hopefully from the ocean prior to that??) to the boiling pot, to a plate with a large butter dipping dish in front of me. I gave him a big tip and then, of course, never talked to him again. This was before the days of e-mail, twitter, facebook, four-square, etc.

I still have many pleasant coming out memories of that trip, as well as some really cool hand made Christmas decorations I purchased as mementos.

Since that trip I’ve been back about twelve times and enjoyed each time as much as the first. Even though P-town is small, there is lots to do, plenty of great places to eat (Cafe Heaven and Red Inn being my favorites), artists of every media type, great beaches, parties going on all the time and a plethora of friendly GLBTQ and straight, but not narrow, people. There are also places to stay that would please every need. We have almost always stayed at Land’s End Inn because it is like a giant old English Manor house full of antiques and wondrous vistas and views.

However, if you wanted to stay jammed in with as many young gay guys as you could shake a…fist? at you could try the Boatslip

and there are also “clothing optional” options…which I’ll just let you imagine.

If this makes you want to book your trip to P-town, well, get at it! Check out the Provicetown Tourism Office site and travel gaily along!

Scotland – Kilts and Nessy

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I’ve always loved the countryside. Not because I hate cities or convienience or people, but because I love the smell of new growth and the bright colors of spring flowers, the lush green of summer, the burnt oranges, yellows and reds of autumn, and the frosted crisp white of winter. I grew up in Northern Minnesota, where wet lands, rivers and lakes abound and it has etched in me a need for four seasons and, maybe especially, water.

There are always too many potential destinations on my mind, but there are a number of reasons I want my next trip out of my home country to be to Scotland. I know Scotland is not only countryside. I’ll be visiting Edinburgh as well as the moors; however, here is my list of reasons:

  • I love lakes and water. There is plenty of that in Scotland.
  • I have a little Scottish in me…
  • I love castles and I’ve seen them in many parts of Europe and the world, but none yet in Scotland.
  • Nessy…need I say more…
  • I also have some favorite authors who write about or from Scotland. I would like to do a pilgrimage to some of the places they have written about and from.

I would love it if you would do two things for me…(other than comment, like, etc.).

Number one, if you have been to Scotland tell me the one “can’t miss” experience you had there…you can include 100 others as well, but let me know what #1 was for you.

Number two, suggest your favorite destination and why you love it. If I get enough–or any–I’ll blog about them as well!

 

Shanghai, China

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I was in Shanghai, China shortly after the opening of trade and the beginning of the building and foreign investment boom. Being a project leader for a major new plant sight there was one of my three favorite jobs at my last employer. While I never lived there on a long term basis, I traveled there for two to three weeks at a time, about a dozen times over the course of the project.

I have memories that nothing, with the possible exception of time and dying brain cells, will take from me that include working long days and nights with dedicated employees, meeting many new people from a vastly different culture, being forever crowded, especially on the streets with people, bikes and cars, and experiencing so many firsts.

On most of my trips there was at least one day that could be spent as I pleased and this usually meant a trip somewhere with LOTS of people, shopping, seeing sights, eating, listening to music / jazz. This particular picture was a work celebration where our Chinese project leader was happily showing us how to eat crab…and get every last morsel that was not shell!

I would go to Asia again, and plan to in the future, but I’ll probably go to new places with new people and pleasures, because life is short and one must experience it while its available.

Floating Boat House, Philippines

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The two of them paid their pesos for the floating relaxation and pushed off from the shore.  It seemed that the tall young man was in charge, even though he looked with smiles and deep brown eyes at his mate with every question they were asked. They had waited nearly five years for this. Alone on the raft, the lake was quiet and free of people.

The day was clear and still. It was early, because of schedules neither one of them could control, but seeing this spot of beauty, which stuck in both their minds for so long, had been their agreed upon first stop. The white hot sun was at 11 o’clock in a flaming blue sky and heat waves were starting to shimmer off the slightly green colored water.

The first thing the older man did was drop the curtain that directly faced back to the shore. He knew it would make his lover more comfortable, plus he was so very warm in this unknown climate and he needed to take off his traveling shirtf. He knew the smooth brown prince would laugh at his pale skin, but this too would make him happy.

“My dear, should we eat the picnic I packed?” The prince beamed at his beloved and gestured to the bags he had been carrying during their trip to the recreation area.

“No darling, I plan to devour you with my eyes for some time first and have you squirm under my adoring stare.” The snarky smirk crept back onto his face, just like it had a dozen times since his prince picked him up.

This brought the smile he had intended and they both settled in to visit in a position they had never tried before, touching bodies, so that they could feel each other’s heat, smell the slightly musky odor of man and feel the perspiration sliding down the other’s neck and back.

“You know I’m exhausted, puss puss…I will lay and listen to your banter with my eyes closed.” With this, the older, silver haired king turned to lay his head in the lap of his long time virtual lover.

The smooth brown prince, who had a generous and very comfortable–for the most part–lap, leaned back and started to tell his king the story of the last five years…in person.

Lake Christine in Lutsen, MN

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For the month of May, my travel and animal posts are all going to revolve around Lutsen, MN.  There are two reasons for that. Number one, it’s a beautiful place in the spring (as well as the summer, fall and winter). Number two, I’ll be spending a week there trying to get to the next level on my novel (as I become a year older).

I grew up in Northern Minnesota and spring is a lovely time there. Since it was basically below freezing for six or so months of the year, the new growth and young critters all hustled out soon after the snow melted or started to melt. It is a time with lots of flowers, green grass, leaves and baby animals.

My favorite things to do, next to writing while I’m staring out the window, are hiking the gravel roads, the many river trails up from the big lake, the frozen lakes in the winter to find otter holes and, of course, the Superior Hiking trail. On these hikes with partner and friends, we have been startled by Moose gracefully bull-dozing their way onto the trail ten feet in front of us, wolves and foxes trotting alongside the road ignoring our presence, deer, as well as all kinds of rodents and birds, including many bald eagles.

The beauty always surrounds us, but in the spring it is special with new growth. Probably my favorite flower is called, at least informally, the Indian Paint Brush.  Here is a great stand of them and a close up. Stop and smell the roses where ever you are and make sure by “roses” your definition includes all the flowers in your life.