You’ve undoubtedly heard the figure of speech “Don’t cross the line in the sand” or in my case on the North Shore of Lake Superior “Don’t cross the line in the beach rocks.” Never was this truer than the hallways of Cook County High. CCHS was not unique as I am sure all small town high schools have their social... READ MORE >
Growing up on the North Shore a highlight of the summer was, of course, the Fisherman’s Picnic. For those of us who lived in the West End it was sometimes the first chance to see our friends since the day school let out in June. And we all know eight weeks can be a lifetime in teen years. I would... READ MORE >
How long does it take to fall in love? Do you believe in love at first sight or does love grow over time? If so, just how much time is needed to decide if it is true love or maybe just crush? Do you ever ask yourself how your life would be different if you stayed with your first high... READ MORE >
When I was in elementary school I had a love-hate relationship with the summer months. I loved that school was out. I hated that I now couldn’t see my friends every day. I loved the warm sunshine, camping, bomb fires and s’mores. I hated the boredom, loneliness and being hot. To this day my family does not have air conditioning... READ MORE >
My cousins’ Grandma Elsie died on Monday, March 15. I give you the date for only one reason…it has been approximately two months since her death and I have received 17 reminders that she looks down on me from heaven—at least twice a week. Grandma Elsie was born on October 23, 1905. She lived to be 104 years and five... READ MORE >
When I was growing up in Schroeder we had a baby deer. Not the kind of deer you keep in a pen or a cage, but the kind of baby deer that decided he wanted to be our pet. He came and went as he pleased. He would run through the yard to meet my brother and me when we... READ MORE >
When I was growing up in Schroeder there wasn’t a whole lot to do during the summer months and there was no way Mom was going to let us loaf on the couch all day watching TV. Before I became a big fan of reading, I spent lots of time outside playing in the woods that surrounded our house. These... READ MORE >
My favorite brother-in-law proposed to his sweet girlfriend on St. Patrick’s Day in Ely. It wasn’t a matter of green beer goggles as apparently there are not many Irish in the town of Ely and my brother-in-law is quite German. He planned the moment with a bottle of champagne on the shoreline and the perfect view of the lake. So... READ MORE >
I was eight years old the summer of my first crush, and it was a big one. He was an older man. Nineteen years old. He worked at the Pure gas station at the bottom of the Cramer Road on Highway 61. My brother and I would jump on the black hose that led to a garage bell in the... READ MORE >
We all know that fashions come and go—corduroys out, ragged jeans in, tank tops out, retro T-shirts in. I am still waiting for kerchiefs and bell-bottoms to make their comeback. You laugh, but I am guessing within the next three years or so we’ll all be touting folded bandanas on our heads and sewing fabric to the bottom of our... READ MORE >
