50s

Back To The 50s, our uniquely Minnesotan spin on hot rods and all things automotive, came to town this last weekend. Which gave me another excuse to vacate the office and walk the St. Paul Fairgrounds trying to take in a very small percentage of the 10,000 cars that registered for the event.

For company on the grounds I brought along a couple of young hot rodders, my God-son Jonah and his younger brother Caleb. The three of us wandered the grounds, eating mini donuts and talking with old friends.

Take a kid to a hot rod event. Not only does it bring new rodders to the sport, it's fun to see the event though their young eyes.

Among the friends I always look up are Eric and Monica Aurand. A very talented artist, Eric did illustration for a couple of small magazines I co-owned back in the day, and I have to say he's only gotten better, and better known since that time. Eric does much of the art for MSRA (Minnesota Street Rod Association), including the monthly cover for the monthly Line Chaser magazine, as well as the yearbook, and the art for the event T shirt.

Camping
I was cleaning out and rearranging the garage the other day and came across a big Rubbermaid container full of camping gear. Man, I must be getting soft because the tent and assorted supplies haven't been out of that container for a whole bunch of years. It's been so long in fact that the contents of the big container had a certain odor, the odor of stuff that's been packed away for too long. So I took everything out and started sorting. First I put up the tent, no big deal, and then I dumped out the contents of the little daypack I always brought along on every outdoors excursion.

Eric and Monica Aurand with one of Eric's latest renderings. As much a train nut as he is a car nut, Eric's images often feature classic American iron posed with a locomotive of the same era.

As you can see I was a good boy scout, and kept the pack full of the essentials: two lights, a compass, three kinds of matches including a stainless water-proof match container that originally belonged to my dad, a first aid kit, an original Kamp King pocket knife, and some eating utensils. And then there's the funny plastic container with the grey lid - a film container for 35mm film. When I pried off the lid and looked inside, all I found was what looked like petrified oregano.

Maybe I'll go camping again. After all, everything is here. All I need is food, cold beer, batteries for the big lantern, and maybe some fresh spices.

The essentials for life in the wild, tools, matches, compass, and something to get you through those really tough days when everything goes to hell no matter what you do.