A TRIP TO THUNDER BAY (1) THE DRIVE NORTH JUNE 4, 2008

1.
The large man with elfin face and twinkling blue in his eyes said: "He thinks I'm stupid." He was smiling.

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2.
I crest a certain hill in Wisconsin. Beyond, the sweet, sickly scent of the north woods, which always reminds me of an outhouse.

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3.
A peediddle of mist on the windshild. The glum sky. The road making promises.

*

4.
One must journey without expectations. Whatever I hope for eludes me. What I find is what I need.

*

5.
A strip mall, there where a barn should be. We have learned nothing. The ability to pour concrete does not make a nation civilized.

*

6.
A man from South Carolina has been talking to a woman planting flowers in front of the rest area. He must have just asked her how long it takes to get to Superior from here, and he liked the answer: "Well, then, I have time to stop and smell the roses."

*

7.
Me? I have a full tank of gas and the pedal to the metal.

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8.
Even here, a thin green skin on the fields. Beneath a heavy grey sky, the terrible mercy of God.

*

9.
Here, a "Collision Center." Someone is confident that we will continue to collide. There, a church. Someone else is confident that God still loves us.

*

10.
There is a difference between expecting it and being ready when it arrives.

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11.
Understanding "gift" is a gift.

*

12.
Low, slow crow,
where are you

going? When
can we expect

you'll get there?

*

13.
The north shore -
water and rock
again, and

again sky.

Comments

[Dave]

Good stuff. I love #2 and #9.

[Tom Montag]

Thanks, Dave.