Mid-July Update -- Departures

All good things must come to an end, as the old English proverb goes, and on July 8, the departures from Leech Lake began. In fact, it was early on the morning of July 8 that we got Ashley to the Minneapolis airport. She had an 9:00 a.m. flight, so we needed to leave St. Cloud by 6:30 a.m., which is tough when there are three women needing to get ready for the day as well as a three year old boy who is sleepy and would prefer to stay in bed.

After dropping Ashley off at the Delta gate, Kathleen, Melissa, Jayden and I drove into St. Paul to meet Kathleen's cousin Maraeka for breakfast. From there, we all went to the St. Paul Farmer's Market, which is quite impressive and then on to the Mound River neighborhood to see Maraeka's house. We had a very nice visit with Maraeka, but by 3:00 p.m. it was time to drive back up to St. Cloud.
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Three days later, it was time for Kathleen and I to take Melissa and Jayden to the airport. Jayden loved his time in Minnesota, including catching his first big fish (a largemouth bass), riding on the ATV, swimming in the  lake, playing ping pong (he stood on a stool to reach the table), having a fire in the fire pit, seeing his great-grandma and great-grandpa, and seeing his other great-grandma. When it was finally time to part ways at the airport, Jayden started crying and saying he didn't want to leave us. Whoa, that was hard. We didn't want him, or Melissa, to leave either, but the had to.

Eventually Kathleen and I got ourselves together and began our drive back up to Leech Lake. We were very fortunate to be able to spend another full week together, alone, at the lake. Kathleen and I swam, rode bikes, made delicious meals, drank coffee out on the back porch, played games and took boat rides. Kathleen even went fishing with me and she caught a decent-sized northern pike and a 14-inch walleye, which we threw back into the lake.

In all, it was bliss; our oasis on Leech Lake. But as this post began, all good things must come to an end. On Thursday, July 19, after a full day of riding bikes, Kathleen going for a run (and doing 10 laps of lunges) swimming in the lake to cool off and clean off, we packed up our things, loaded the truck and began our drive to St. Cloud. Kathleen had a very hard time saying goodbye to the lake, and all of its peace, quite and joy. Fortunately, she has a very good job in California, one that she does enjoy, and it was time for her to go back to it.

Once again Kathleen spent a considerable amount of time in St. Cloud providing hours upon hours of care for her aging mother. After all, the primary reason Kathleen was in Minnesota was to take care of her mother. Her brief respites at Leech Lake were a bonus.

Finally it was time for Kathleen to make her way down to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. I drove her down on Saturday, late morning, and after a very difficult goodbye, we parted ways -- she toward her flight to San Francisco, me to the truck and the 5 1/2-hour drive up to Leech Lake.
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Departures are often difficult. They're especially difficult if you are leaving behind a place you truly love, such as Leech Lake. They get more difficult still if you're leaving behind someone you love (or they are leaving you). So through pursed lips, Kathleen made her way to California and I to the northwoods of Minnesota. 


It's amazing how slow the weeks can take prior to such a getaway. Each day both Kathleen and I would count down the time until we could be together at Leech Lake. We would talk about all the things we wanted to do together, all the fun we'd have. And then at last the first day of vacation finally arrives. I remember seeing Kathleen as she made her way off the plane in Bemidji in early June. It seems like just yesterday. And then, in the time it takes to put a fathead on jig, the trip is over and we're headed in opposite directions. 


Now it is once again time for reflection and planning. What do we want to do with our lives going forward? Where do we want to be? How do we balance our needs with the needs of others (kids, grandchildren, parents)? Somehow we'll find a solution that will work. But whatever we end up doing, it will not diminish one little bit the incredible time Kathleen and I spent together at our oasis on Leech Lake.