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Paul column brought back UP memories

Bouquets and Barbs

Bouquet: I was getting nostalgic the other day and just happened upon the article in your paper by Daniel Paul regarding his growing up in Caspian. It touched on a subject that I had some personal experience with. Back in 1959, at the ripe old age of 6, my grandfather happened to take my brother and father and I up with him on a fishing trip to stay on the property of a friend of his. An Al Pinero, who lived on nearby Indian Lake. He had several small cabins on his property next to his home there on the lake. One evening he took us all to Gaastra to the Balducci’s Supper Club, which Mr. Paul mentioned in his article. I’m about to turn 68 and remember it as if it were yesterday. Mama was a very large lady that I do indeed recall. And very gregarious indeed. We had several dishes of their amazing Italian food and I had more than one helping. We were shown the kitchen and met Mama herself and they told her that I was so enthralled with her food I had several helpings of it. She put her arms around me and lifted me onto her large lap and hugged me, saying what a good boy I was. How could you forget such an experience? The next day we fished on Lake Chicagoan nearby and the three of us caught 72 perch. It was unbelievable as we simply put our baited hooks in the water and up would come a fish, there were so many. That trip and experience left me with such an indelible memory of the area.

Interestingly enough, in August 1980, my wife and I took our honeymoon up in the U.P. in Marquette. But one day we decided to take a drive. And somehow, by a near miracle, we drove for quite a while, and I came upon the road that would take us to Indian Lake and the road along the lake where Al Pinero’s home was. Al and his wife, of course, passed away many years ago, but I was astounded by memory alone from age 6, I could find my way back to that very home. I got out of my car and walked to the door and knocked. A nice lady came to the door and explained she was a renter but I was more than welcome to come in and see the place. I was 28 at that time, but it was as if 22 years had disappeared before me and a flood of memories came upon me. I was glad my new wife could see something that was a part of my past and she was very impressed with the beauty of the area.

Mr. Paul is so very right that our lives are ALL about the memories we accumulate along the way. They are all pieces of gold we get to hang onto. My wife and I are now retired in rural Idaho, enjoying the peace and quiet you can all appreciate. I thank Mr. Paul for his wonderful article, which I can certainly relate to, and wish all of you up that way the very best of health and happiness. And thank you for that unforgettable experience I was able to have in your amazing part of the world.

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