Memory --- Grandma's Marathon and the Summer Solstice

I've found that blogging and writing some fiction has really helped my philosophical writing.. so -- I'm going to do a new category of blog posts... memories of specific events...

The first one, because last weekend was Grandma's Marathon in Duluth -- is of the Summer Solstice party I missed four years ago...

Background: My sister Pam died very suddenly of natural causes Thanksgiving weekend, 2001. She was a newlywed and 30 years old. She was also an occasional wiccan and loved a good party..... boy did she :) -- Pam's funeral was the first weekend of December. She had a lot of friends and at her funeral we decided that we needed to gather the following summer for a real party in her honor... Since she loved the Summer Solstice, we agreed that would be the weekend--- and since she loved Isabella, we decided to gather at Mom's for the weekend...

Friday..
8:00-11:00, teach summer class at commuter-U

1:00 PM, (airport) My flight is supposed to leave at 1:30, I'd be in the Cities by 2:30... The plan was that I would fly from Omaha to the Twin Cites, be picked-up by Pam's husband Mark and we'd drive to Isabella --

4:00 --Of course Northwest Airlines had to mess it up... After an endless afternoon of delays and frustration on the ground in Omaha, Mark and I formulate a plan by which he'll go up without me and I'll go to his mom's house (near the airport in the Cities) and take his car up to Isabella. Of course, since his mom will also be in Isabella -- I'll have to get the spare keys from the back porch... So far, it sounds ok -- assuming I'm doing this in the daylight. Summer Solstice is the longest day and shortest night.. (up here the nights are really pretty short..), so I figure it is complicated, but possible..

8:00 PM That is before I figure out the only way to get to the Twin Cities from Omaha is via Detroit -- so, I get on a flight to Detroit thinking there is a flight back to the Cities soon after we land -- and, once again I was wrong... Along the way I'm calling hubby and mom -- in Isabella the party has started -- but I figure I'll get to the rest of the weekend and it will be worth the trouble....

1:00 AM I land in the Twin Cities, grab a cab and give him the iffy directions to Mark's mom's house. I've only been there once, for Pam and Mark's wedding -- so I'm not even sure I'm in the right place until I see Mark's car in the driveway...

1;30 AM It has started to rain. I try to call Mark on his cell and get his voice mail. I can't find the keys and I'm stuck in the suburbs in the dark... in the rain... with the car keys visible on the kitchen counter... and my cell battery is going dead -- Finally, after 30 rings, someone picks up the phone at Mom's and I'm able to get precise directions about how to find the key to the backdoor.... and I'm in... and exhausted.... my day started with me teaching my summer class..... it seemed like several days before, but it was just that morning.

At this point I have a 4ish hour drive ahead of me, and I'm beat. I call Mom to let her know I'd be up in the morning and she tells me that Grandma's Marathon is happening. During Grandma's marathon the usual 15 minute trip thru Dultuh takes several hours -- they close down the streets, have an elaborate detour and things get really messed up....

Bottom line is that I have to get to Duluth before they start stuff -- and those damm marathon runners get up EARLY --

I do some quick math and realize it is 2 hours to Duluth, less if I drive fast, so I've got no more than 3 hours to nap --

4AM Saturday morning I'm finding out that Mark's car goes fast --

5:45 I make it to the outskirts of Duluth, plenty of time....

or, not--- I get there as the first of the roadblocks are set-up... and I'm on a bizarre detour, in the mud, on dirt roads, listening to CDs that remind me of Pam, in her husband's car --- and the tears start to roll. Damm--- I miss her.... this is exactly the kind of trouble she'd get herself in.... and she's not even around to appreciate it. Fuck-- I miss her.

9:00 AM, I make it to Isabella -- in time for the first of the party animals to wake... the rest of the weekend is spent drinking and talking and having a generally good time... and the trip home was uneventful... except when Mark pulled his father's 'driver's ed instructor' questions out and figured I'd gone at least 80 MPH on the way up...