When my friends Barb and Mike found out they were
coming to a weekend conference in Duluth, Minnesota, we planned to get
together. Although they live relatively nearby in St. Paul, it seems that
our visits are all too few.
Since the gathering would be in my city, I concocted some elaborate venues
where we could meet and fun things for us to do, even though the time would
be short. When the time came, though, schedules and circumstances made
it shorter than we’d imagined - just a couple of hours between other events.
This is where a more organized host might have had a Plan B. I had a momentary
bout of “now what?” (Or as we used to say at lunch time in the news room:
“I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”)
It hardly seemed fair that we’d finally be in the same city together and
not have time to chat and to do something. Barb, who used to work
in Duluth, wanted to spend time near the lake. So Plan B became one of
my usual tour stops for visitors. My husband and I drove with Barb and
Mike to the sandy dunes of Park Point.
As I recall, for me (a local) it was an unremarkable late summer-early
fall day. The sand beach wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t deserted either.
It wasn’t overly hot or cold. Regular waves lapped the soft shore and the
usual wind off the lake was doing its usual blowing. We talked some and
walked some and sat on the sand and watched the lake and, for a long while,
said nothing at all. Then the time ended. Too bad we didn’t have more time,
I thought. But later Barb told me that it was the best part of their stay.
The best times need not be the most exciting or the most unusual or the
“most” anything. Sometimes they can simply be a few minutes for a leisurely
exhale in a peaceful setting on a hectic day. Here beside Lake Superior,
you never know when a Best Time is going to sneak up on you and permanently
occupy a corner of your memories. That’s what I like best about living
near such a spectacular gift.
Seems everyone cherishes something about their time at the lake. So each
year, we ask you, our readers, to tell us what you’ve discovered as your
“Best of the Lake.” You’ll find some of these great ideas and opinions
in this issue. You’ll also find a card to send us your newest “Best” or
your old favorites. Please accept my invitation to fill out and return
that card (and to earn the chance to win a Lake Superior totebag). From
experience, I know that many of you will take the time to share your thoughts.
Perhaps as you’re filling out the card, you will return for just a moment
in your mind to that special time and place. I hope so. Indulging in wonderful
memories can sometimes be the best way to spend a little time.
Konnie LeMay
Editor
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