lester

connected meanderings
2005-04-04 12:19:01 (UTC)

visit to area of growing up

Went to central Wisconsin, where I grew up this weekend.
Mother is in great good humor. We worked on transporting
back pictures for selection and frame discussions for her
September exhibit. She seemed to like the new frames that
we had accomplished, though understandably was more
preoccupied with the characteristics of the works: that
the paper-color had faded for the pastel work or that she
hadn't painted an actual old wagon but a picture of one
(so to her it didn't seem fully original), but we
reassured her that the works were completely deserving of
complete treatment).

Exercised by the old farm, on which I lived from ages 5-6
to 17, and on which my folks had lived for 40 plus years
altogether. Parked the car by the road where the old
railroad crossed Fremont Road near where the Ray Nickels
family used to live, with their two houses. Then walked up
the railroad path as it bordered the farm on the north,
now covered with horse manure (could have taken some bags
full for making hotbeds to start garden plants, were I
into gardens now, which I'm not, as it happens). Could
walk to where the railroad bridge once was. Two boys who
could have been me and my brother years ago were poling a
raft up and down Devil's Kitchen; they waved and were
clearly Amish. Many more buildings around the farmstead.

Then we ate lunch in Granton at the Mapleworks CAfe,
renamed from Beavers', run now by an Opelt (since 2002).
We could see kids practice their basketball and they
included a black kid which was never heard of when I was
little. The old feedstore seems to be decaying. Walked up
the railroad on which I used to walk to highschool (did
you also?). Saw some buildings and they turned out to be
our once farm buildings. INteresting experience. Then had
a dessert in Neillsville. At the same old A&W root beer
stand from which I drank root beer floats; I got one once
again.




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