October 25th, 2011
Published by: mooresb
The Boys of Summer By Richard H. Evans October 25th, 2011
Its been 52 years since the 10th grade classmates of the University School went on a retreat to the lake and woods of Tar Hollow in southeastern Ohio. There, without a care in the world, the campers experienced the joys of nature. Now, many years later, four men from the class of 1954 are retreating again -- in a similar experience in the northern woods of Minnesota. A few years back Keith Bemis carved out a perfect retirement home on 6th Crow Wing Lake, near Nevis, Minnesota. Now that the land has been cleared, the boat dock installed, beautiful stairs erected for easy access, and the home finished, Bemis has invited classmates Bill McCormick, Bob Butche, and Dick Evans for a celebratory visit. Anticipation is high as these Boys of Summer gather their gear and head north from the states of Indiana, Ohio and Arkansas. We will depart from Columbus on August 19, 2004 for an adventure of a lifetime. It is some 958 miles to Nevis, Minn. as the crow flies, but Bob will probably do the driving and its anybodys guess as to how many miles his selected route will clock up on the odometer. As a prelude to this fishing trip, filmmaker Bob Butche spent many long hours assembling footage from two previous visits to Keith Bemis compound retreat. After much editing, and the addition of marvelous mood music, narration, and a few laughs along the way, an exquisite DVD was born for all of us to enjoy and see what experiences lie ahead. We have self-proclaimed ourselves as the Camp Bemis Anglers Society and Keith has T-shirts ready to be worn with a large image of a bear embossed thereon. This is probably just the start of many more surprises along the way. One of the rules of this total relaxation experience has been declared that there will be no morning shaving, and several members of this entourage have a head start already. Our intended travel route north from Columbus, Ohio is to proceed through Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace, Michigan, and then spend the night in Marquette. The next morning will take us to Duluth, Minnesota and on to Keith Bemis Bears Den near Nevis. Then we will spend some 8 days relaxing, fishing for walleyes, eating, sleeping, and a few side trips along the waymore on that later. A circuitous return trip is planned that will take us even further north to Canada via International Falls, and the Queens Highway to Nipigon, Ontario for the first nights stay. The next day we will again travel over the Mackinac Bridge via Sault Saint Marie, and than spend the night in Michigan. The final leg of the trip will once again take us home to Columbus, Ohio, where our class of 1954 will
celebrate our 50th reunion a few days later along with other returning classmates and some faculty in attendance. While in the great Gopher state of Minnesota, several side trips are planned. Known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes (and actually probably nearer to 15,000), the state is also known as the Land of Sky-Blue Waters and has the motto of Star of the North. Folklore tells the legend that all of these lakes were formed as a result of an oversized azure-hued ox named Babe, who was the pet of lumberjack Paul Bunyan. Wild yarns are told about the pair trampling about the land and leaving lakebed prints in the mud. Statues abound to this duo along the highways from Bemidji to Brainerd. However, it is more likely that these shimmering lakes are a result of centuries of glacier activity. Minnesota was the destination of multitudes of immigrants from the European areas of Scandinavia, Germany, Finland, and other countries of hearty stock. They faced adversity in the new land, but used their skills in the railroad and steamship industries. Many of the cultural rituals and rich ethnic heritage exist in festivals that are still celebrated today. This is also the land of Laura Ingalls, who wrote a series of childrens books called Little House on the Prairie. These stories told of her familys transition from early primitive mud hut abodes, to the more substantial wooden prairie homes that appeared on the land sometime later. Also to be explored on this trip are the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which originates as a tiny brook from nearby Lake Itasca. This mighty river system is 2,350 miles long and draws water from all or part of 31 states on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. A few other venues will be visited in this Paul Bunyan countryside, most notably the towns of Walker and Park Rapids. Of course, we dont want to leave out the small-time charm of Nevis, which on occasion has a Norman Rockwell feel about it because of the townsfolk and visitors. Although the Minnesota winters may be harsh at times, it is the joys of summer that the Boys of Summer hope to breath in on this visit to our host Keith Bemis Bears Den summer home. Not since our high school days back in 1954 have we all been together to tell tall tales of our many varied lives. We have, however, had a common bond in the development of this aaus.net web site over the last few years, which was accomplished from our homes in four different statesthe marvel of cyberspace. Camp Bemis also has many other visitors (beside Keiths grandchildren) that consists of beavers, loons, moose (perhaps), bears, eagles and wolves. Although it is fun to observe nature, we just hope that they dont all show up at once! Im sure that this will be a memorable experience for all of us,
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October 25th, 2011
Published by: mooresb
and if we are real good, Im pretty sure that Keith will invite us back for a little chilly Ice Fishing sometime this coming winter! Click here to Email Dick
A cool deck for the men of '54 to relax, visit with friends, and lie about what we caught in beautiful 6th Crow Wing Lake.
Boys of Summer at Camp Bemis August 23, 2004
Sheri McCormick with Mary Tolbert at Walnut Ridge Farms. Miss Tolbert is hosting a 68th birthday party for Bob and a bon voyage party for Bill McCormick and Richard Evans the night before they depart for Minnesota.
Those interested in enquiring about our fishing or wondering about our good behavior, or sanity, can email their comments or encouragement to webmaster@aaus.net through August 30th, 2004.
Bear's Den Proprietor Keith Bemis
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