Afterglow 2011 - Day 4 Tuesday

Every day usually has one big scheduled event that the majority of the resort participates in. On Tuesday it is the Obstacle Course. We used to do it every year when we were younger and then kind of grew out of it. And then we kind of grew back into it. That takes place from 1-2:30 or something so we went into town for some booze so we could be back in time for that. Kevin drove us and Brian sat in the back seat, his majestic hair blowing in the wind. Good thing Kevin had his car because our Afterglow roommates don't approve of us buying all of this booze.

Even though it's technically illegal to shoot off fireworks outside of a state sanctioned permit area designated for explosive projectile use, its the Northwoods and nobody really gives a shit. Except for Pete who owns the resort. Not only are fireworks loud (which would awake the residents) but they are also fire hazards (which could burn down his nest egg) so we aren't supposed to use them. So we are regulated to buying sparklers, snacks and roman candles without reports from Harry's Fireworks. This year I met Colin, some hillbilly hick vacationing up here and I found out the Harry is a racist. Colin (orange hat) spoke with a country accent and introduced himself and his mullet. And I'm also pretty sure that he invited us out by him to drink some beers and blow shit up. Nice guy despite being very backwoods. Same thing goes for Harry the owner of the store. Good guy and all but you can tell he's from a small town when he mentioned driving through the "black district" of Milwaukee one time when he was down there for a Brewers game. His words, not mine. It's funny how people get way more interesting as the towns get smaller.

At the store we stocked up on the necessary beer, liquor and mixers but we also grabbed some snacks too. I bought an assorted pack of Fruit Rollups, Foot by the Foot and Gushers and they were a big hit with the kids. There's something for everyone here in this box and the kids just ate them up. It's a good thing that I bought several boxes because as we found out from Timmy, there aren't enough Gushers to go around.

Everyone who want to go to town (until the maximum that can sit comfortably in the car is reached) can come along for the ride. Today it was Kevin, Brian, Kelly and myself. It's only about a 20 minute drive to Eagle River and certainly one that I've made many times in my life, but it's fun every time until the last time we are leaving Afterglow on Saturday. Every other time we're going to get booze or coming back to Afterglow.

Mornings at Afterglow are what you make them. Some choose to wake up early and get going right away to not waste a minute of daylight. Some choose to skip the mornings and sleep right through them. I kind of find that happy medium between the two and I usually take it slow and enjoy my breakfast. When I woke up I saw Kevin surely enjoying his morning by playing guitar to a masked figure on the dock. From the looks of it I will venture a guess and say it was Brian, which would make sense because these two dudes spend a lot of time hanging out with each other.

Home

Every year they make a Christmas ornament and every year Mom buys one to put on our tree back home. Gail gave one to Mom which we put on his grave along with some other artifacts. It was a really sweet gesture even though some people might view it as just a small token. But I will tell you one thing that is the honest truth and not just cliché - it really is the little things that count. They are so unexpected and mean so much.

The beauty of Gushers is that they are gummy on the outside and gushy on the inside. And when you have multiple flavors in one package and if they stick together you get a cornucopia of flavors in one bite. Jenny was certainly enjoying them, but for a different reason. Gushers remind us of Timmy. Not the best memory but Gushers will always make us think of him. We need the little things like that to keep him alive in our everyday thoughts and actions. And speaking of memories the picture on the right was taken from Memory Point, where Timmy is buried. Mom went out there while we went to town and I decided to put it here because it's such a lovely view of the lake. It is so beautiful.