Eye on the Northwoods

"A FRESH EYE on the Northwoods" - 5/8/98
by Diana Cook

  Although people in the central lakes areas of Minnesota all seem to delight in living here, the very first thing they ask upon learning our family has recently relocated to the area is... "WHY did you move HERE?"... Like they can't imagine choosing to do so.

  The conversation oftens turns to the fact that my husband was born and raised here and, like so many other baby boomers having embarked out into the big wide world, wanted to return. OH! Well! THEN it's understandable, as if only people from this part of the county could possibly WANT to live here.

  This is all quite baffling, as one who visited Minnesota for the first time eleven years ago and has never stopped searching to find a way to make it home. It may not be logical ... rather a feeling of connecting with the wild wilderness and water, as well as an overpowering sense of destiny... BUT it has never gone away. It even resulted in a somewhat bizarre resolution not to take off the loon earrings I bought, at Christmas Point two and a half years ago, until we had relocated. (Hey, it worked, didn't it?)

  So, a little hard work, a lot of faith and we're here. We left the middle management job with the big paycheck, packed up the two vans, four kids, three pets and 7 tons of STUFF, and joined the ranks of so many before us... starting over in the Northwoods Lake Country, an area we LOVE and will make our home.

  Even though I spent most of my childhood relocating (air force brat) , the adult side of this relocation thing is much more intense. There is so much to learn.

  Yes, I miss the people and, in some respects, the lifestyle I left behind. But it's the loss of "familiarity" that hits most often. Like how my body moved through the kitchen to cook dinner. Like knowing the pediatrician and family doctors since my first child was born, or our trusted auto mechanic (who'd loaned us HIS car, when ours broke down, to get a child to that dentist appointment made three months in advance). I miss being on a first-name basis with ALL the teachers in EACH nine-section grade level, board of education members and superintendent and I no longer have ANY sense of the political climate between the city council, board of education and taxpayers. (Ten years of volunteering alongside teachers, parents and administrators is not easy knowledge to replace). Even walking through Walmart is weird! Not a single face in the crowd that's familiar.

  Never one to view the cup as half empty, it became a question of "how to learn what this family needs to feel at home". But, with starting a new business (slight learning curve there) and just keeping up with the homework, bills and emotions, you know, it's been hard to find the time. So, we just went about the business of getting settled, and enjoying those moments of the Minnesota experience that still strike chords of curiousity and joy.

  While driving through the glorious pines one day, emoting about the beauty of the frozen lakes and ice houses, my husband turned to me and said, "It's really great seeing this place through your eyes... A fresh eye. You see and enjoy, and even question, things those of us who grew up here often take for granted".

  And that's when it hit me... The task of gaining the knowledge and familiarity I craved was an opportunity that would fit right in with what the business of OmniQuest is all about... connectedness....sharing of information, insight and ideas.

  Being in the unique position of recent relocation, everything we have and have not learned, AND everything we want to learn is fair game.

  Real estate, rentals, utilities, phone service. The best, the worst. Where are there neighborhoods of young children? Is there a leash law?

  Education and schools, and school-to-work programs, music programs, sports programs, community activities, support groups and systems and how they work, services for those with disabilities.

  Where are the girls scout troops? What about the Little League? How about dance classes, karate classes and theatre groups?

  What are the unique and sometimes unknown attractions in the area? Who are the best bands and who's playing where Saturday night? Somebody please tell me where to find a trustworthy mechanic.... And, WHY, pray tell, isn't the big screen at the old drive-in up and running when every other open drive-in around the country is drawing baby-boomers and their families from hundreds of miles???

  The possibilities are endless AND exciting !!

  And so we begin... With a fresh eye on the northwoods. We'll start with a biweekly spotlight on some piece of local information. Then we'll add that interactive incentive, your link to the network. E-mail "A Fresh Eye" with your e-column ideas, questions and comments. What would you like to see under the spotlight? Join the community on the Lake Country bulletin board forum. Post questions and comments as well as come back and review responses. Take a fresh look at the wonderful wild woods and all this place means to you. Together, we can begin to find all there is to celebrate and share.

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