Jorgenson Clan at 2005 REunion
Saturday, July 30, 2005
2005 Jorgenson Family Reunion
Family Reunion 2005
Mention “Family Reunion” to some folks and their eyes glaze over. Some “families” just don’t like each other. That’s not the case with the Jorgenson clan.
In 1976 the remaining eight children of Engebret & Elise Jorgenson gathered the clan together on the family farm in southwest Minnesota. That marked the beginning of what has become a bi-annual “happening”.
The 2005 gathering was held in late June at Imago Dei Lutheran Camp in north-central Wisconsin. It officially started Friday evening but had been in the planning ever since the last gathering 2 years ago.
Cindy & I had rented a car after flying up from our home in southern New Mexico. When we arrived other family members were arriving also. There were members of the Roger & Bernita clan from southwest Minnesota. Hugs, handshakes, smiles and greetings were exchanged while the cars were unloaded and bags were being carried into the cabins. Scenes like this were happening elsewhere in the camp as other family members arrived and settled in. Lorna & Spenser (I hope I’m spelling it right Spenser) arrived from Connecticut, Enid from Atlanta, Don from Phoenix, Barb & Joe from Tucson, Scott & Emily from Texas, Laura & BJ from Colorado, etc.. A total of 94 clan members from all over the U.S. came this year. Now if we could only get JoAnn & Bill from Melbourne, Australia we would truly have had international representation. A few reunions ago my cousin Jeff & his family were there from Colombia, South America so that year we did have international representation. My dad Harlan is the oldest clan member at 89 with the youngest there being a weeks old foster child Paul & Deb are currently caring for.
The reunion starts Friday evening and concludes Sunday morning after we worship together.
During our time together we have a horseshoe tournament (this year with cheerleaders), a “closest to the pin” golf contest, hunt for the Golden Lutefisk” and other games involving raw eggs, water, buckets, baseball bats, etc. for all ages. Group pictures are taken on Saturday and of course we have the clan parade which is a hoot. Each clan member (members of the following families - Obert, Harlan, Harriet, Kenneth, Roger, Robert & Herbert) have shirts identifying them as belonging to that clan. The head of each clan has a Viking helmet and a banner also. Everyone is supposed to walk behind their clan banner & leader in parade formation. So strollers, wheelchairs & walkers alike join the throng for a short parade. I should also mention that the current “president” is carried on a throne at the front of this procession. He/she wears a fur robe and helmet. The only thing missing is a crowd of people to watch. Everyone is in the parade. Each night there is a campfire gathering for those who want to hear the same old jokes .
Our Friday night meeting set the stage this year with a video presentation of president Don traveling from Phoenix to the reunion. He was wearing his robe and helmet of course. You have to see it to believe it. At our Saturday meeting new officers were “chosen” and we are set for the next gathering.
During our time together we laugh a great deal, talk endlessly, nap in the shade, play games, eat and simply enjoy getting re-connected.
Well Mary Ellen from El Paso, Texas is our next president. What will she “decree” for our next gathering? Who will able to attend? Who will the judges allow into the clan this next reunion?
Shalom
Mention “Family Reunion” to some folks and their eyes glaze over. Some “families” just don’t like each other. That’s not the case with the Jorgenson clan.
In 1976 the remaining eight children of Engebret & Elise Jorgenson gathered the clan together on the family farm in southwest Minnesota. That marked the beginning of what has become a bi-annual “happening”.
The 2005 gathering was held in late June at Imago Dei Lutheran Camp in north-central Wisconsin. It officially started Friday evening but had been in the planning ever since the last gathering 2 years ago.
Cindy & I had rented a car after flying up from our home in southern New Mexico. When we arrived other family members were arriving also. There were members of the Roger & Bernita clan from southwest Minnesota. Hugs, handshakes, smiles and greetings were exchanged while the cars were unloaded and bags were being carried into the cabins. Scenes like this were happening elsewhere in the camp as other family members arrived and settled in. Lorna & Spenser (I hope I’m spelling it right Spenser) arrived from Connecticut, Enid from Atlanta, Don from Phoenix, Barb & Joe from Tucson, Scott & Emily from Texas, Laura & BJ from Colorado, etc.. A total of 94 clan members from all over the U.S. came this year. Now if we could only get JoAnn & Bill from Melbourne, Australia we would truly have had international representation. A few reunions ago my cousin Jeff & his family were there from Colombia, South America so that year we did have international representation. My dad Harlan is the oldest clan member at 89 with the youngest there being a weeks old foster child Paul & Deb are currently caring for.
The reunion starts Friday evening and concludes Sunday morning after we worship together.
During our time together we have a horseshoe tournament (this year with cheerleaders), a “closest to the pin” golf contest, hunt for the Golden Lutefisk” and other games involving raw eggs, water, buckets, baseball bats, etc. for all ages. Group pictures are taken on Saturday and of course we have the clan parade which is a hoot. Each clan member (members of the following families - Obert, Harlan, Harriet, Kenneth, Roger, Robert & Herbert) have shirts identifying them as belonging to that clan. The head of each clan has a Viking helmet and a banner also. Everyone is supposed to walk behind their clan banner & leader in parade formation. So strollers, wheelchairs & walkers alike join the throng for a short parade. I should also mention that the current “president” is carried on a throne at the front of this procession. He/she wears a fur robe and helmet. The only thing missing is a crowd of people to watch. Everyone is in the parade. Each night there is a campfire gathering for those who want to hear the same old jokes .
Our Friday night meeting set the stage this year with a video presentation of president Don traveling from Phoenix to the reunion. He was wearing his robe and helmet of course. You have to see it to believe it. At our Saturday meeting new officers were “chosen” and we are set for the next gathering.
During our time together we laugh a great deal, talk endlessly, nap in the shade, play games, eat and simply enjoy getting re-connected.
Well Mary Ellen from El Paso, Texas is our next president. What will she “decree” for our next gathering? Who will able to attend? Who will the judges allow into the clan this next reunion?
Shalom
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Road Trip West
Road Trip West June 2005
Times have changed. Gone are the days of packing a few things in the back of the car and with little to no money going on the road to “see what’s out there”. That’s what you do when you are “unattached” both to a spouse and a job.
Now a days a road trip simply means getting from point A to
point B in a given amount of time with as little wear and tear on your body and psychic as you can manage. Hopefully it will be fun also.
Well after our “Family Reunion” in Wisconsin I helped my brother Don move some household things from Minnesota to his home in Phoenix, AZ. It was accomplished with a 15 foot rental truck and a car trailer toting his pickup truck. We were as long as an 18 wheeler and guzzled gas at the rate of 2 tanks a day at $50 a tank.
The scenery in Western Minnesota is beautiful. We grew up in the general area so it was like being home. We headed south out of Montevideo toward Pipestone and Interstate 90 West. The countryside is dotted with farm sights surrounded by groves of trees. The fields were filled with corn, soybeans, alphalfa, beans, sugar beets and some plants we were unfamiliar with. Around Pipestone we encountered some windmill farms with gigantic gleaming white windmills with 50 foot blades (my guess) humming away in the gentle breeze. It was awesome. We finally meet up with the Interstate and headed West.
West takes us through South Dakota where the Corn Palace in Mitchell is our first “stop”. We approached the Corn Palace only to realize then that there was no way we were going to park this vehicle. Since brother Don was only interested in getting some pictures of the Palace we came up with a plan. I pulled up in front, dropped him off and drove around the block. By the time I got all the way around, what with tourist traffic and all, I slowed down long enough so he could jump in and off we went. I never did get to pick up a turd-bird or see his pictures.
South Dakota is a beautiful state. To some folks it is an empty wasteland but I have always loved it. I am a student of history and Dakota territory played a big part in Western expansion and in the lives of the plains Indians. The vast plains are simply where immigrants, soldiers, Indians, gold seekers and the like lived and traveled. I can see them in my minds eye as we drive West. The rest stop at Chamberlain is awesome. Approaching it is nothing spectacular since you see what you have seen for the last 100 miles. Farms and ranchland. Then you catch a glimpse of the Missouri river valley and you know you have to stop and look. The rest stop has a great exhibit of Lewis and Clark since they camped in that area along the Missouri on their trip of exploration in 1804. It is a spectacular site and standing on the hilltop overlooking the Missouri is something to see. I’ve seen it numerous times but I am never disappointed when I stop.
From Chamberlain West the topography changes. It had been flat farm land but now it becomes rolling ranchland. The 1880 Town (tourist attraction of buildings from that era) looks interesting but I have never stopped to see it since usually I have been in a hurry to put on miles. All along the route you see signs advertising Wall Drug so you know you are on the right road. We time it so that we get to Wall at late-afternoon. This gives us time to visit the rubber tomahawk shops, see the singing cowboys, take pictures and have dinner in the Wall Drug café. Life is good. After coming so far you have to stop at Wall Drug. Now we head out to the Badlands to take more pictures.
All along the way I have been in contact with daughter Laura and son-in-law BJ who are somewhere behind us also on Interstate 90. Well I called them just as we were entering the West entrance to the Badlands. They were at the East Entrance 20 miles away. So we kept our eyes open and eventually met up with them half way. After a short reunion we each headed out. They were headed to Keystone in the Black Hills to see the Mount Rushmore nighttime show and had to move. Don & I were in the Badlands to take pictures and then head south to Custer also in the Black Hills. Pictures in the Badlands didn’t really work out since it became overcast. It was right after we had left the Badlands that the sky cleared a bit and that perfect mellow sunlight appeared.
We found Custer and a hotel at close to 10 or 11pm. The next morning we unhooked the pickup truck from the trailer and began exploring. It was wonderful. I would love to live in the Black Hills. We saw wild turkey, wild burros and a herd of bison in Custer State Park. We toured the Crazy Horse monument site where they have an excellent Native American museum. We walked around and waded in Sylvan Lake. We too went to the Mount Rushmore evening program where even more pictures were taken.
South out of Custer took us eventually to Lusk, WY and the best caramel breakfast rolls around. They were as big as a plate and covered with caramel (brown sugar & butter). Wow! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. The people were friendly and talkative.
South and ever West took us to Fort Laramie. When the Lakota Sioux Indians roamed these lands in the 1860’s Chief Red Cloud was an important Chief. Fort Laramie played a very important role in keeping the peace. At one point in 1868 Fort Laramie was where Red Cloud and thousands of his people came to confer with representatives from Washington to sign a treaty to end the Red Cloud war. I was there where it happened. To me being there where that happened was exciting. Brother Don graciously allowed me time to look around and tour the buildings and see what I could see. As far as I was concerned we could go home now. I had seen the Black Hills once again and now had visited Fort Laramie.
The rest of the day was spent heading to Denver and the night at Laura & BJ’s home. We stopped off at Rocky Mountainj National Park for a few hours of picture taking. The Ranger wasn't too sure about us taking our rig up those roads but let us go. We saw coyote cubs with mom, elk and I'm not sure what else. It is a beautiful place. We finally arrived at around 11 pm tired and yet wound-up. Laura & Donny figured out where to park the “beast”. It sure was great being at Laura & BJ’s place even for a night.
Well we were getting “close” to home (700 miles to Las Cruces – I don’t have a clue how far to Phoenix) so we got on the road the next morning and drove down to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. More pictures of course. After that it was south on Interstate 25 to Albuquerque, NM. It was a long road but the trip was uneventful. We arranged to meet Cindy for dinner at Old Town and then one more overnight at the Holiday Inn Express.
Cindy & I drove the 3 hours home the next day. It was good to get home. We thought Donny had about a 4 hour drive but it turned out to be closer to 8 or 9 hours. He was glad to home too.
The 2005 Road Trip was over.
Shalom,
Scott
Times have changed. Gone are the days of packing a few things in the back of the car and with little to no money going on the road to “see what’s out there”. That’s what you do when you are “unattached” both to a spouse and a job.
Now a days a road trip simply means getting from point A to
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point B in a given amount of time with as little wear and tear on your body and psychic as you can manage. Hopefully it will be fun also.Well after our “Family Reunion” in Wisconsin I helped my brother Don move some household things from Minnesota to his home in Phoenix, AZ. It was accomplished with a 15 foot rental truck and a car trailer toting his pickup truck. We were as long as an 18 wheeler and guzzled gas at the rate of 2 tanks a day at $50 a tank.
The scenery in Western Minnesota is beautiful. We grew up in the general area so it was like being home. We headed south out of Montevideo toward Pipestone and Interstate 90 West. The countryside is dotted with farm sights surrounded by groves of trees. The fields were filled with corn, soybeans, alphalfa, beans, sugar beets and some plants we were unfamiliar with. Around Pipestone we encountered some windmill farms with gigantic gleaming white windmills with 50 foot blades (my guess) humming away in the gentle breeze. It was awesome. We finally meet up with the Interstate and headed West.
West takes us through South Dakota where the Corn Palace in Mitchell is our first “stop”. We approached the Corn Palace only to realize then that there was no way we were going to park this vehicle. Since brother Don was only interested in getting some pictures of the Palace we came up with a plan. I pulled up in front, dropped him off and drove around the block. By the time I got all the way around, what with tourist traffic and all, I slowed down long enough so he could jump in and off we went. I never did get to pick up a turd-bird or see his pictures.
South Dakota is a beautiful state. To some folks it is an empty wasteland but I have always loved it. I am a student of history and Dakota territory played a big part in Western expansion and in the lives of the plains Indians. The vast plains are simply where immigrants, soldiers, Indians, gold seekers and the like lived and traveled. I can see them in my minds eye as we drive West. The rest stop at Chamberlain is awesome. Approaching it is nothing spectacular since you see what you have seen for the last 100 miles. Farms and ranchland. Then you catch a glimpse of the Missouri river valley and you know you have to stop and look. The rest stop has a great exhibit of Lewis and Clark since they camped in that area along the Missouri on their trip of exploration in 1804. It is a spectacular site and standing on the hilltop overlooking the Missouri is something to see. I’ve seen it numerous times but I am never disappointed when I stop.
From Chamberlain West the topography changes. It had been flat farm land but now it becomes rolling ranchland. The 1880 Town (tourist attraction of buildings from that era) looks interesting but I have never stopped to see it since usually I have been in a hurry to put on miles. All along the route you see signs advertising Wall Drug so you know you are on the right road. We time it so that we get to Wall at late-afternoon. This gives us time to visit the rubber tomahawk shops, see the singing cowboys, take pictures and have dinner in the Wall Drug café. Life is good. After coming so far you have to stop at Wall Drug. Now we head out to the Badlands to take more pictures.
All along the way I have been in contact with daughter Laura and son-in-law BJ who are somewhere behind us also on Interstate 90. Well I called them just as we were entering the West entrance to the Badlands. They were at the East Entrance 20 miles away. So we kept our eyes open and eventually met up with them half way. After a short reunion we each headed out. They were headed to Keystone in the Black Hills to see the Mount Rushmore nighttime show and had to move. Don & I were in the Badlands to take pictures and then head south to Custer also in the Black Hills. Pictures in the Badlands didn’t really work out since it became overcast. It was right after we had left the Badlands that the sky cleared a bit and that perfect mellow sunlight appeared.
We found Custer and a hotel at close to 10 or 11pm. The next morning we unhooked the pickup truck from the trailer and began exploring. It was wonderful. I would love to live in the Black Hills. We saw wild turkey, wild burros and a herd of bison in Custer State Park. We toured the Crazy Horse monument site where they have an excellent Native American museum. We walked around and waded in Sylvan Lake. We too went to the Mount Rushmore evening program where even more pictures were taken.
South out of Custer took us eventually to Lusk, WY and the best caramel breakfast rolls around. They were as big as a plate and covered with caramel (brown sugar & butter). Wow! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. The people were friendly and talkative.
South and ever West took us to Fort Laramie. When the Lakota Sioux Indians roamed these lands in the 1860’s Chief Red Cloud was an important Chief. Fort Laramie played a very important role in keeping the peace. At one point in 1868 Fort Laramie was where Red Cloud and thousands of his people came to confer with representatives from Washington to sign a treaty to end the Red Cloud war. I was there where it happened. To me being there where that happened was exciting. Brother Don graciously allowed me time to look around and tour the buildings and see what I could see. As far as I was concerned we could go home now. I had seen the Black Hills once again and now had visited Fort Laramie.
The rest of the day was spent heading to Denver and the night at Laura & BJ’s home. We stopped off at Rocky Mountainj National Park for a few hours of picture taking. The Ranger wasn't too sure about us taking our rig up those roads but let us go. We saw coyote cubs with mom, elk and I'm not sure what else. It is a beautiful place. We finally arrived at around 11 pm tired and yet wound-up. Laura & Donny figured out where to park the “beast”. It sure was great being at Laura & BJ’s place even for a night.
Well we were getting “close” to home (700 miles to Las Cruces – I don’t have a clue how far to Phoenix) so we got on the road the next morning and drove down to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. More pictures of course. After that it was south on Interstate 25 to Albuquerque, NM. It was a long road but the trip was uneventful. We arranged to meet Cindy for dinner at Old Town and then one more overnight at the Holiday Inn Express.
Cindy & I drove the 3 hours home the next day. It was good to get home. We thought Donny had about a 4 hour drive but it turned out to be closer to 8 or 9 hours. He was glad to home too.
The 2005 Road Trip was over.
Shalom,
Scott
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