YCGL - Saturday, June 24, 2023 - So Many Reunions......

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I had breakfast with my Kyllo cousins and their mom and dad.  It was so special because it has been so long since I have seen them.   

But I had to leave at noon so I could get to Windom to get to Sally's High School Reunion.  I got to Windom and setup at the County Fairgrounds by 4:00.  The get-together was at Dudley's Garage, Restaurant and Bowling in Lakefield, MN, about 15 miles away.  Yep, all three.  And a nice patio that accommodated about 40 classmates and spouses.  Very informal, pay your own.  Just fun to see everyone.  Sally and I attended every class and all-school reunion since the 20th where I became the official photographer.  I've taken every class picture ever since.  (Not true, actually.  I missed the 2010 All-School reunion when I was in Kenya with Engineers Without Borders.  But Sally was there.)  

Today was an emotional rollercoaster.  It started with Erik's birthday card.  Tomorrow (the 25th) is Erik's 42 birthday.  I bought his card a couple of weeks ago and put it in the silverware drawer of the trailer.  I recognized it on Friday and pulled it out and wrote on it, but I didn't have a stamp to send it.  So, first thing this morning, I stopped at the post office to buy a sleeve of stamps that I can leave in h.ere.  The lady offered "Flowers, Flags or Elephants."  We have a drawing of an elephant in my bedroom by our dear friend Leah Griffin, the art teacher at Sally's school.  Ken and Leah were the actual start of the Bubble probably 10 years ago or more.  So, I got the elephant stamps and got the card off in the morning mail.  He'll get it sometime this week, which in Edgar/Wojahn terms meaning it probably a week early.

I was on the organizing committee so I got there at 10:00 to set up the historical class pictures and set up a slide show of the 50th reunion pictures on a projector, and then helped setting up tables, etc.  And then I worked the registration desk because I know practically everyone.  I won't bore you with details, but I will show the Official Class of 68 55th Class Reunion picture.

Scarred for Life.  Just the classmates.

Classmates and Spouses.

And I was the one of the last four to leave.  Of Course... And I did agree to work on the 75th birthday party in two years and the 60th reunion in 2028, of course.....

From there, I drove to the Lakeview Cemetery.  I started by looking for the Solien plot.  I've searched for years to find it.  I knew there were only three graves, Sam H. and Kirsti Moen Solien and their son Harold, known as Hudda.  I talked to one of the cemetery board members last year and he found their general location.  And I was surprised to see Kirsti's younger sister Anna's marker.  Anna drowned in the Des Moines river in Windom in 1916.  However, the marker showed a 1919 date, totally wrong.  No matter for now, I'll get it fixed later.

I then found the Wojahn monument where Julius and Ann are buried.  I had located theirs last year, and drove right to it.  

I finally drove to the Sykora plot.  John and Elizabeth (Lizzie) are buried there along with Sig and Betty, Sally's maternal grandparents and parents. 

I marked the three locations on my Google Map, labeled and made the photos favorates so I can located them easier in the future.  I also scattered a little of Sally's ashes at her parents and grandparents graves.

Finally, I drove over to the Sykora/Solien farm.  The house was torn down three or four years ago and a health clinic has been built over where the house was located.  Interestingly, and fortunately, Google maps shows the old homestead and not the clinic, so I could site things pretty easily.  There was a large grove behind the house, and some of it was still there.  I decided to scatter her ashes in the grove that she used to play in.  I selected two large old trees that were probably planted by John when he bought the farm.  

As I was walking to a point between the trees, a deer sprung up and ran about 50 feet away behind one of the trees.  And he stood there and watched me. 

And as I got closer to the spot, a couple of white butterflies flew up out of my path.  Sally and I have always associated butterflies with Leah Griffin.  So Leah has come up twice today.  

I scattered the ashes and then walked back to take some location pictures.  I show a corner of the building and you can see the two trees. 

 

When I got back into the truck, I remembered I hadn't GPS'ed the location.  So I walked back.  And as I got closer, the deer stood up again from the same spot as before.  And stood there and looked straight at me. 

So I started talking to the deer.  "Do you know what is going on?  Do you know?  Don't be afraid.  I won't hurt you." And the deer took two or three steps to me.  "I'm going to walk toward you.  Do not be afraid".  And then the deer bolted and ran back by the tree. 

 I got back to the spot, got my sightings and he was still by the tree when I walked out.  

Unusual things have happened when we have scattered Sally's ashes.  Do I believe that she has a presence when we do?  It truly feels like it.  Always joined at the hip.  What a comfort.  I miss you.