Sunday, August 17, 2008

More from Pam's seemingly endless vacation

Alas, the scrapblog editor's summer vacations are now ended, and she must plunge back into work, which, because it involves the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, will pretty much obliterate Labor Day weekend as the next opportunity to goof off, sit in a lawn chair and bother you-all. Some snapshots from her glorious Wabasha/Goodhue counties vacation's last few days: Almost every night, she drove or walked into Frontenac State Park, either with friends, cousins or happily solo, to watch the sunset and gawk at the legions of deer, including many spotted fawns. Here was one sunset. No Wabasha County vacation is complete without a trek to exciting Dumfries, Minn. What, cousins? You've never been to Dumfries? You've never even heard of Dumfries? Ach du lieber Augustine! (Cousin Joe K. gets a pass on this one; we know he knows where it is, because he keeps his little plane in a hangar there.) The scrapblog's crack mobile historical research team (25-mph driver P. Miller, directions chief and shotgun-seat commentator E.W. Sprick and back-seat historian and exclaimer A.S. Sprick Smith) is shocked, shocked. Granted, Dumfries isn't much to gawk at, seemingly home to none of the Scotch Presbyterians who settled it long ago (what the legions of Lutherans did with that minority population remains a mystery), but it's still awfully pretty. This time of year, the ditches and meadows thereabouts are full of robust late-summer flowers waving in the warm wind -- coneflowers, Queen Ann's lace, chickory, fleabane, asters, milkweed, globe thistle, phlox. The crickets chirp, the prairie flowers and grasses wave, the oak and poplar leaves quiver, the sumac is starting to turn red ... . ah, we love August. Our mobile historical research team couldn't find a nasty old murder to solve in Dumfries, like we did in Theilman a few weeks ago. But we did note this non-Holstein skull on an outbuilding and rather doubted that the animal that once called it home passed away from natural causes. The scrapblog editor thought it was beautiful, rather like a work of art by Georgia O'Keeffe. Executive research associate E.W. Sprick said only, "Hmm," upon hearing that. Or maybe it was "Huh." Or, "Huh?" Though it was 85 degrees, Aunt Anna had to put a sweater on after eating a large treat from Dairy Queen. The diminutive one, who is moving slowly but still knows the score, sends you-all her love. Cousins Pam and Dan went hiking in Frontenac State Park, a simple trek for Dan, who is used to climbing mountains and cliffs in his spare time, but perfect for Pam, who likes to stop often to gawk at bluebirds, crows, butterflies, coneflowers, apple trees, black raspberries and poison ivy. Dan and Pam also saw many deer who stared at them as if transfixed, perhaps because of their large, stylish straw hats. Hopefully they didn't pick up any deer ticks. (Dan's son Marty is being treated for Lyme disease this week, but we don't think he got it in Frontenac.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is one sick sunset.

-Noah

Bri said...

Pamela, I think I have a hat just like yours! You look very beautiful in it.

Wish we could take a walk in the Frontenac nature wonderland today, but alas, I am busy packing!

Brinabird