Lake Woebegone Days

[Clipper]

I picked up a copy of Lake Woebegone Days yesterday at my favorite used book store. $2 in excellent condition with a dust cover that looks brand new. I love Mr K's Used Book Store. I took in a grocery bag with 10 books that I had read in the last month or so, and came out with 6 more hard cover novels. The trade in value of the books I traded in was $10 and the cost of the 6 books I purchased was $10. I always get a fair credit for the books I trade in, but that is the first time I have ever arrived at the register to find that I had a bag full of books and didn't owe them any money, haha.

I read the book many years ago and loved it. I simply want to take a break from James Patterson, JD Robb and John Grisham, and have an urge to read something lighter for a change.

I will be reading about the original Clarence Bunsen among other interesting characters. Having spent some time living in Minnesota I enjoyed it the first time, and it has been so many years since I read it, that I look forward to enjoying the wit and humor all over again.

[clarencebunsen]

I have a sister who lives there.

[Clipper]

I seem to have misspelled Wobegon in my earlier posting. Sorry about that. In the short time that I lived in Minnesota I don't ever remember seeing any signs or markers designating any specific area as being the supposed location of the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. It is described at one point in the book as being NW of St Cloud. Is there any such place that has taken credit for being the famed Lake Wobegon? I have driven through that entire area on both Route 10 and I-94.

I read about 100 pages last night. I am remembering now that I found the footnotes somewhat distracting. Just as I get into the story, there is a footnote. It is rather disconcerting to jump from story to footnote and back again. I had forgotten about that since my last reading many years ago. I don't think I have ever encountered a writing style quite like that of Garrison Kiellor. While rather distracting with all of those footnotes, the book holds my interest and draws me in to the point of not wanting to put it down and go to sleep. I awoke at 6 this morning, and in the interest of not waking Kathy that early, I immediately reached for the book, made a cup of coffee, and sat tipped back in my recliner, reading until she woke up.

[clarencebunsen]

In something Kiellor wrote there was a back story about a surveying error that misplaced Lake Wobegon in the fold of the map northwest of St. Cloud. I've speculated that it may have been the same surveying crew which made the Northwest Angle a part of the US rather than Canada (that little peninsula in Lake of the Woods which was the northern most point of the US until Alaska became a state and which can only be reached by land by going through Canada).

The sister to whom I referred actually lives in Long Prairie about 50 miles north of St. Cloud. Another sister retired to a lake home closer to where I always pictured it to be. To get to her house take I94 west from St. Cloud about 50 miles then take the Battle Lake exit. About 10 miles north the county road splits into north and south bound lanes to go around a large rock outcropping at the crest of a hill. Just past the crest take a very sharp right (about 135 degrees) into their driveway.

[dave]

Feb 27, 2015 8:49:01 GMT -5 clarencebunsen said:

I To get to her house take I94 west from St. Cloud about 50 miles then take the Battle Lake exit. About 10 miles north the county road splits into north and south bound lanes to go around a large rock outcropping at the crest of a hill. Just past the crest take a very sharp right (about 135 degrees) into their driveway.

For the fun of it, I tried to follow that on Google Earth, but got lost around Fergus Falls.

[clarencebunsen]

OK you were close, Fergus Falls is where my mother is about 20 miles from where my sister lives. I can't give you the route I would take between them because I don't remember the street names and county road numbers but the easiest route to follow on Google Maps would probably be Hwy 210 east from FF to Battle Lake then south on Hwy 78. I was wrong, the road which splits at the hill crest is a state highway not a county road. The lake just to the east of the highway is Eagle Lake. Using Street view I was able to "stand" at the entrance to their driveway.

[Deleted]

[clarencebunsen]

That's an outstanding episode Alan, thanks.

When I owned a house in Minneapolis, I worked out a technique to avoid climbing onto the roof to shovel. I accumulated the nylons which my wife threw out over the summer & fall. When the ice dams built up in January I filled them with ice melt, climbed the latter only high enough to flip them onto the roof perpendicular to the gutter. They then melted channels through the dam allowing the impounded water to flow down. Worked fine, no water backed up under the shingles and into my house. For some reason my wife objected to having her used stockings displayed on the roof.

I just had my shearling jacket out earlier this month. I bought it from Berman Buckskin just before I moved to Duluth. Heavy cowhide, warm lining; it has served me well. Over the years it got too tight to wear and it got consigned to the basement closet. This month's cold and my recent weight loss inspired me to try it on once again. It fits now but the years of stress have made the zipper unworkable. I was considering having it fixed but the above story may make me rethink.

[dave]

I'll have to try it, CB. Thanks.

[clarencebunsen]

Since the directions I gave previously were traveling north on Hwy 78 and now I'm giving directions traveling south, you must turn left just before the crest of the hill, No view of potential on coming traffic.

[kit]

Lake Wobegone is just one hop, skip and a jump northeast of Mt. Idy in Never-Never Land. A lovely place to visit and the people are so nice. A half bottle of Scotch will usually get you there unless it's cheap Scotch.