You just have to ignore the businesses that are gone, the schools that have moved and a few wrinkles and gray hairs. I'm talking of course about a class reunion. Our actual 55th reunion is this weekend, but since most of us are retired and the county fair is this week, some started gathering on Monday. Our parents are all gone or moved to warmer climes, so the out-of-towners are in motels or, in our case, the campground at nearby Beed's Lake.
We did not have a city pool until the end of our school years so Beed's was the site of swimming lessons, picnics and other summer fun. It is close enough to town to ride your bike back and forth. We love the campground--some great pull-through shady sites. The shower houses are new in the last few years and awesome except for a shortage of hooks. You would think when spending the money to replace these facilities, a few extra clothes hooks wouldn't break the bank, but one hook per shower seems to be the norm everywhere. I'm thinking of starting an Iowa State Parks Hook Fund. It could be one of those that you throw in a dollar when you pay your state taxes. Or maybe we should start carrying Command hooks and adding a few to the showers.
Our arrival was not without a glitch. We pulled in a little before 2:00 to find our campsite occupied. A grandmother and her two young grandsons had just finished setting up a popup, not realizing that sites could be reserved. So by the time she was relocated in a non-reservable site and we were set up, it was well after 4:00. All worked out in the end, and she was very pleasant about it, but the poor woman looked very wilted in the heat and humidity when she was done.
Another plan has not been without frustration. We decided as part of the reunion to commemorate the classmates we have lost with a sky lantern launch. The original idea was to have one lantern for each classmate but after contacting the park for permission, and involving the state DNR office and the county sheriff and EMTS, we modified to launching just one lantern. This was approved as long as the windspeed is below five miles per hour the night of the launch and I make full arrangements with the ranger after we arrived. Yesterday, there was another email that the State Fire Marshal's office requires that I have insurance to assume full liability in case our lantern starts a forest fire. Or cornfield fire here, as would be more likely on the northern Iowa prairies.
So rather than doing this on Thursday night after a campfire here at the lake, we will probably opt to hold this event at the country club on Friday, who have already given us permission. What is the old saying about asking forgiveness after the event instead of permission beforehand? After all, it was a few of our class members who, 55 years ago, painted 'So Sorry' on the water tower after the furor over the 'Class of 60' label added to the fresh coat of paint just paid for by the city. But I don't really know anything about that.
We did not have a city pool until the end of our school years so Beed's was the site of swimming lessons, picnics and other summer fun. It is close enough to town to ride your bike back and forth. We love the campground--some great pull-through shady sites. The shower houses are new in the last few years and awesome except for a shortage of hooks. You would think when spending the money to replace these facilities, a few extra clothes hooks wouldn't break the bank, but one hook per shower seems to be the norm everywhere. I'm thinking of starting an Iowa State Parks Hook Fund. It could be one of those that you throw in a dollar when you pay your state taxes. Or maybe we should start carrying Command hooks and adding a few to the showers.
Our arrival was not without a glitch. We pulled in a little before 2:00 to find our campsite occupied. A grandmother and her two young grandsons had just finished setting up a popup, not realizing that sites could be reserved. So by the time she was relocated in a non-reservable site and we were set up, it was well after 4:00. All worked out in the end, and she was very pleasant about it, but the poor woman looked very wilted in the heat and humidity when she was done.
Another plan has not been without frustration. We decided as part of the reunion to commemorate the classmates we have lost with a sky lantern launch. The original idea was to have one lantern for each classmate but after contacting the park for permission, and involving the state DNR office and the county sheriff and EMTS, we modified to launching just one lantern. This was approved as long as the windspeed is below five miles per hour the night of the launch and I make full arrangements with the ranger after we arrived. Yesterday, there was another email that the State Fire Marshal's office requires that I have insurance to assume full liability in case our lantern starts a forest fire. Or cornfield fire here, as would be more likely on the northern Iowa prairies.
So rather than doing this on Thursday night after a campfire here at the lake, we will probably opt to hold this event at the country club on Friday, who have already given us permission. What is the old saying about asking forgiveness after the event instead of permission beforehand? After all, it was a few of our class members who, 55 years ago, painted 'So Sorry' on the water tower after the furor over the 'Class of 60' label added to the fresh coat of paint just paid for by the city. But I don't really know anything about that.
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