Dick Nachbar  

NEARLY NORTH OF TWO Calendars announce December this week, only month containing alphabetic letter “D”. Skeptics might associate that letter “D” with denial—denial that Winter begins its real Northland season during this month.

Old adventurer and long-term bride here made a quick overnight trip to Minnesota River Valley hometowns last week to help share funeral honors for longtime family friend. Hometown visits always generate nostalgic flashbacks graced with gratitude for the gift of life going back over five generations to 1854 family immigrant homesteaders from Germany.

Thanks to a young duck hunter’s gift for this old duck hunter, old duck hunter with long-term bride once again enjoyed a simple mallard duck meal, stirring memories of grand waterfowl adventures past.

Thoughts here have been festering for some time now; however, it was during this most recent deer season opener that they began assembly as reported herein. This old man looked forward to several days of deer hunting this Fall at Big Bass Lake’s Idaho Avenue cabin a little North of Highway #2, with several hours to be spent each day at a location suggesting venison backstraps.

Been nearly six months since reporting on Idaho Avenue at Big Bass Lake, a little North of Highway #2. Daughter and spouse had then just begun work on new home building project.

We’re pushing toward November with firearms deer season nearing our Northland. Old adventurer, with a lifetime of outdoor adventuring now well into old age, has some wandering thoughts about beginning and ending those adventures. At age five or so, he got close enough to first-time see and touch a deer, his maternal grandfather’s final deer. It was a basement-hanging buck in that Minnesota River Valley farm home almost 75 years ago. First grandfather annually deer hunted “Up North”--Saginaw/ Grand Lake/Willow River--with a neighbor, some relatives and Savage Model 99’s .300 Savage cartridge. He tried, too soon, explaining bucks and does to this grandson. Taxidermy bucks and a modest arsenal on his enclosed porch were long envied by this young grandson. He encouraged grandson to pretend-hunt on that farm with real rifles after having removed firing pins. Same grandson remembers seeing first live hometown deer and finally getting 12th birthday gift gun; ensuing local adventures confirmed deer had returned locally following near-elimination due to homesteader/ market hunting.

Seasonal Swing Calendars now announce that mid-October is history, like it or not. Here, in our fine city at the Edge of the Wilderness, it means fall season’s swing toward Winter.

NEARLY NORTH OF TWO Border Bonds Old adventurer here along with his longterm bride, sweetheart and best friend, made a long-overdue visit to Rainy River Country recently. Highway 6, main artery North of Highway 2 from Deer River up to that country, provided ample opportunity for personal reflection on a history of what bonds one here with that Borderland… 56 years ago last Labor Day weekend, just before graduate school engineering program, this newly-wed couple from Minnesota River Valley visited Baudette to first-time experience Rainy River and Lake of the Woods.

Management here at Majestic Pines, comprehensive senior living camp located nearly North of Highway 2 at once-grand rapids of our dandy river Mississippi, deserves recognition and commendation for its recent presentation intended to help residents, family and friends identify attempts to defraud citizens. “Outsmart the Scammers” seminar was well attended, identified a number of historical scam scenarios and reminded this old adventurer of several personal experiences with this subject.

Old adventurer here recently learned that famous Japanese manufacturer, Honda, is once again building its iconic Trail Bike motorcycle for USA sale, resurrecting “Honda Highlights” memories from more than 50 years ago. Following college, this young couple began family and forest products industry career in Virginia’s Alleghany Highlands. Bank account wouldn’t allow second vehicle “mill car”, but bicycle followed by Honda’s 90 cc Trail Bike for $600 provided commuter and mountain adventures. Helmet labelled “Yankee Clipper”, below Mason-Dixon Line, helped avoid injury twice as autos pulled in front and motorcycle went down onto town streets.