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Show Cross Currents Page 4 June 5, 1998 Where is Lake Wobegon anyway? By Missy Votel You see, Minnesotans were a proud cause a slurpee headache. The kitchens built-i- n ice makers, native oh my hometown, was tap- - bunch. But it wasnt our style to go were complete with dishwashers. and ing a show in my new town creat- - around tooting our own horns. However, garbage disposals OK, so they werent really cabins. But ed a pang of nostalgia for we often felt overshadowed by the more have Minnesota. It was a sad realiza- - popular states. Therefore, when a taking a trip to the condo just didnt cabin. tion that I was old enough to feel nostal- - Minnesotan made the big time, it was a the same ring as "taking a trip to the filled was Life at gia, and an even sadder one that I would sort of silent triumph, be out of town for his show. However, at the time I was too busy with activities. I introduced first time was to feeling sorry for myself to feel state pride. The Morning arrived with the first highdrone of the day. Keillor, figuratively of course, was around I slumped low in my seat and acted like I pitched 1985. 1 was a disagreeable teen and my par- - wasnt listening. But Lake Wobegon grew Breakfast was light. Which was a good ents were commandeering me against my on me. I had never heard of it, but fig- - thing, because an brunch was right around the corner. ured it must be somewhere up north. will on another boring trip to the cabin. After brunch it was off to play tennis, Perhaps wed pass it on our drive. My fathers Olds hadnt even left the For as long as I could remember, we where court times were written in stone, had been taking trips to Pine City, Minn. An overextended match or a sky ball over asked. The My grandparents owned a cabin there on the fence was reason for prompt eviction, Meanwhile, back at the lake, well- thought of listening to some guy talk was Lake Pokegema. more torturous than the thought of hav- Many of my friends also had cabins. tanned revelers who flew in on private But their cabins had fancy names like planes from Chicago continued their talk to my parents. ing to The Windjammer and were nicer than own speedboating version of the Indy Its Garrison Keillor. Lake Wobegon Hes from my house. Shoes were removed before 500. The boats would only take short Days, my father said. he boasted as if that auto- - walking on the carpet and prolonged stops to switch out tired skiers, As the evening hours arrived, people matically qualified him for greatness. exposure to the air conditioning could from their cabins freshly showered wearing gold watches and plaid Bermuda shorts. They would hobnob on someones redwood deck among the pines, mingling over wine and cheese. The ensuing dinners were lavish results of a toiling in the kitchen and the dishes made for a toiling. dirty My friends had asked, after numerous trips to their cabins, why we never went to mine. How could I invite them? After a trip to Pokegama was like vacain tioning Mayberry. Pokegema was curiously placed in the middle of farm country, surrounded by Its possible, just passible, that you CAN BUY this mountain retreat for $100. cornfields. The morning wake-u- p call Here the cool pristine air carries the sweet smell of Ponderosa Pines and life moves at was not the buzz of speedboats. It was the a slower pace. The Wiminuche Wilderness, a 460.000 acre playground for mountain rooster from the farm down the road, climbing and fishing, is in the backyard. who didnt seem to care that it was 6 a.m. This log cabin is located one half mile off Highway 60 on Jackrabbit Road about a forty on a Saturday morning. minute drive east of the Durango. Colo., Jet Port. But when you sit on the porch of this hideaway on the edge of the National Forest, civilization could be a million miles away. This There was no need to remove shoes in is a nice place to be alone together. the house, that is if you were wearing any. If you are not in the mood for hiking or cross country skiing, elkhunting or golfing there And if it is was air conditioning you minutes to the southwest is are a score of other adventures close at hand. Navaio Lake with 278 miles of primitive shoreline. Fly fishing is of international quality. And wanted, take a seat under the acorn tree. this cabin is smack in the middle of two of the best down hill ski runs in the world. The beds were lumpy and one needed This is a modem, well insulated cabin with large picture windows and it comes coma running start to clear the height. The pletely furnished. It's located on the high point of 2 V2 acres of prime forest. It contains old oak headboards and springs would No loft a matter where you live, two bedrooms and huge carpeted sleeping upstairs. creak with the slightest move. because of easy accessibility to a maior airline, this cabin may be used as a T pseudo-cabinla- nd ski-bo- at sit-do- eight-cours- e, Want To Own This Secluded Cabin at Aspen Springs? full-da- ys full-nigh- ts con-dolan- 1 Twenty-fiv- e week-en- d But it is ideal for year-roun- d retirement living. The Aztec Boy's & Girl's Club will raffle off this log cabin to raise funds to complete a new youth center. The drawing will take place in downtown Aztec on August 15, at 2:00 p.m., 1998. You do not have be present to win. We hooe to sell at least 3500 tickets again this year. But there is no gimmick. If we sell only a thousand chances, the raffle will take place at the aooointed time. These are good odds by any standard. They certainly beat the 5 million to one odds of d, The Norge refrigerator had no ice maker, or ice for that matter. And the breakfast buffet was corn flakes and doughnuts haphazardly displayed on the Formica kitchen table. If you were lucky, grandpas old wooden speedboat would be working. However, finding two matching skis in the dark, musty shed was another story. If the speedboat was on the fritz, which was often the case, action defaulted to the fishing boat and the blue thing. No one was quite sure what the blue thing was, and it was so old that those who once knew had forgopten. Nevertheless, when equipped with a rope and hitched to the fishing boat, it provided lots of laughs -mosdy at the expense of those riding it. For those too timid or too big to try the blue thing, the soil alongside the house afforded plenty of nightcrawlers. There was also a canoe for exploratory missions on the island at the center of the lake. Tennis would have been nice, but lawn darts and rock skipping sufficed nicely. Others, overwhelmed by the plethora of activities, mulled over their choices while snoozing in the hammock. Happy hour was signaled by some French onion dip and potato chips on the picnic table. The beverage of choice was usually something with grainbelt in the name. Required attire was a wet beach towel. Showering was frowned upon. If lake. you needed a rinse, take a dip in the on debates consisted of Most mingling how fast the grass was growing. There was nothing to do at Pokegema -no tennis, no cocktail parties, no speedboats, no fancy meals. But by the same token, there were no court times to keep, and no mounno showers, no show-oftains of dirty dishes. Suddenly, my angst at being brought to Pokegema subsided. When the Olds turned into, the dirt driveway, I felt relief at the sight of the green and white farmhouse, my fs . breeze grandmas tulips lazily swaying in the and the unoccupied hammock. Dad, wheres Lake Wobegon? asked as I got out of the car. I think its make believe, he said. But I wouldnt be so sure of that. retreat. a state lottery. The tickets cost $100 each. Please send your personal or business check dr money order to: Fund Raiser, Box 488, Aztec, New Mexico 87410. Please print your name, address and phone number. It will help if you with a VISA or MASTERCARD, & SERVICE; Fully stocked warehouse with demo room S 24 hour service dispatch by certified technicians S Manufacturers rep for Inter-Te- l. Mitel Elite Dealer service, consulting and training Voice data and fiber optics Call Now! ticket PLEASE CALL or Aztec Boy's Durangos Full Service Interconnect Selling new and refurbished phone systems, Servicing most makesmodels S Customer send a stamped, self addressed envelope. 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