Gliding over the prairie deluxe!

"The politics in this state may have taken a long walk off a short pier, and some of the people (deep in the metro area) may be a bit off in their thinking, but the beauty of this state endures."

Please bear with me. Just for a minute, I am about to get a bit melancholy about the state of this state. Then I will blather on about the uniqueness and beauty of the same state. Here we go:

Minnesota is an odd state for sure these days. On one hand, it is one of the most beautiful and fetching states in the union. But on the other hand, we seem to collect some of the biggest weirdos and prairie populists in the country. I mean, I remember when this state was populated by Ozzie and Harriet families. Father knows best types. Now - for some reason, we make Meathead from All in the Family look normal. Almost conservative. It is for the nut ball politics we have developed, and the Walz type politicians we inherited that I grieve for this state. It might never be normal again.

Now for my blather. I will retell a story from the past. While working at FMC, I had a competitor (and very good friend) who worked for Lockheed Martin. He and I were supposed to travel to Aberdeen, South Dakota to attend a program review. Normally, I would meet him at the airport, and he and I would take a "puddle jumper" out to South Dakota together. But this time was different.

It was mid-summer, and he asked if we could rent a car and drive out there instead. I was puzzled, so I asked why. He told me he did not get the chance to see Americana much in Baltimore. He loved the Minnesota and South Dakota area, and he wanted to see it, mile by mile, all the way to Aberdeen. He told me how lucky I was to live here. So, we set out from the airport, to see and experience this special part of America.

I still remember that trip. Many stops, lots of conversation. It was a drop-dead gorgeous day, and we enjoyed every minute of it. He was simply amazed at our non-stop fields of corn, beans and other crops. I think about that special trip out to Aberdeen every time my wife and I drive up to our camper. We drive past fields of corn so vast; it is almost like gliding over them. It is like living in a Norman Rockwell painting, where Rockwell tried so hard to capture the beauty of America.

Then, after driving through fields of corn which seem to go on forever, the landscape suddenly changes. Now, you have entered Minnesota woodlands. Deciduous trees and then evergreens. Rivers, hills and then some more prairie. Then out of nowhere, the lakes start to appear. Many, many lakes, or all shapes and sizes. It is a sight I never get tired of seeing.

The politics in this state may have taken a long walk off a short pier, and some of the people (deep in the metro area) may be a bit off in their thinking, but the beauty of this state endures. I witness the same splendor and beauty my parents and grandparents witnessed many decades ago. And God willing, my kids, my grandies (and beyond) will also witness it, for decades and decades yet to come.