Read Previous Chapters:

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 2: My House

Chapter 3: Holidays

Chapter 4: School

The Story of Lois Ann Meyer Bergeson

Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Aunt, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother …

By Lois Bergeson (Reprinted with Permission)

CHAPTER 5: RECREATION

Did you ever go fishing or camping?

As a kid, I didn’t fish, but I would go along if the family fished. One time, I was probably in 7th or 8th grade. Dad and my two brothers took me along to Little Floyd Lake. We went through a pasture of people Dad knew to get to this clump of trees by the water. It was the day before bass season opened. Of course the first nice fish my older brother caught were bass. He said tomorrow it would be legal so he was keeping those. He put them on a stringer and put them in the water.

Suddenly a strange man showed up. The men were afraid he was a scout for the game warden. My brother quickly tried to get the fish off the stringer and back into the water. One slid in quietly and the other flipped into the air and landed in the trees and underbrush by the trail. It kept flopping and I was so afraid my brother would get into trouble if noticed. When the man looked the other way, I scooped up the fish, held it close to my body and walked to the car. My younger brother was right behind me. We didn’t know what to do with the fish. We took the top tier off the tackle box, laid the fish in there and put the tier back. Problem was solved. I think we had bass for supper that night, but I don’t think I ate any. My conscience was prickling me!

After marriage we went to lakes for vacations. Ray was an avid fisherman. When the boys got big enough to take care of themselves, I would go along. Ray always bought a family license. My brother and his wife were along in the boat and no one was getting any bites. Finally I had a fish on. It was hard to reel in. It was a nice walleye. Since I didn’t know much, my hook was on the bottom of the lake and as we trolled along I caught the fish by its gill! I told everyone there was more than one way to catch a fish!

At Lake Minnewaska, Ray and I were still fishing for crappies. I caught the first one. Ray said it was too small, throw it back. I did this a couple times and then I caught a large one. Ray said that was good enough. I kept catching those ’good enough” ones until Ray turned the boat around so he could fish in my spot. He never found the spot so we quit. We got to the cleaning station. A man cleaning fish almost yelled, “Where did you get those whopper crappies?” Ray never told me those “good enough” ones were really prizes! I felt quite smug that day.

Camping was a family thing. We rented a camper topper and a pickup the first time we camped with the boys. We were at Itasca State Park and it was raining buckets. We put the 2 older boys in the cab of the pickup to play while Ray and I took a nap with Mike who was about 3 years old. We still thought it was fun.

Some years later we bought a fold-out camper. By then it was just Mike with us. We had a group of us who camped together. Favorite places were Glenwood, the State Park on Big Stone Lake, and Itasca State Park. After retirement Ray and I volunteered as hosts at Carlos State Park. We had a pull-type camper then and soon changed to a Playmor 5th wheel camper. We loved volunteering for a month each summer for 11 years. We made many friends who returned year after year.

What was the longest trip you ever took?

We took many, many trips by car, plane, train, and bus. The longest was when we flew up to Alaska and were met by Rustad Tours. It was a fabulous time to see the beautiful mountains, wildlife and tame life, like muskox, reindeer, and dogs getting ready for the lditarod race. (I got to hold a puppy). We saw glaciers that were calving, beautiful waterfalls and lakes so full of minerals that the water was aqua. We had fish fries, one of which was on Growler Island. We panned for gold at Dawson City in the Yukon. I had read the book “Alaska” before we went so I knew all the history when we went to the different towns, cemeteries, and touched and walked under the pipeline. We took a ferry down to Prince Rupert. On the boat we stopped and bought a garnet or two. One place we saw hundreds of golden headed eagles. Humpbacked whales gave us a show right by the ferry. We bused back through Canada to home. It was a glorious trip and our favorite. It was our present to ourselves for our 45th wedding anniversary.

Did you used to go to the county fair?

Yes, we had fairs at Ada for Norman County and at Mahnomen for that county. I loved going, but often got sick from all the rides and lights going round and round. I couldn’t stand rides like the tilt-a-whirl. My favorite of course was the Merry-go­Round when I was smaller and later the Ferris Wheel. In my teens, there was a boy from our 4-H who was stuck on me. I think he was a nice enough kid, but he was so “homely”! I feel bad now, but I faked illness and went to the car to keep from walking with him. I knew I would get teased if anyone saw us. 

When we got our brand new 1949 Chrysler, my brothers and I were going to the fair. We asked our pastor’s daughter to go for company for me. A boy from Flom was asked too. We had a great time except the pastor’s daughter got sick on the way home and threw up all over our new car. The last time I saw her, she still talked about how bad she felt.

We took our 4-H projects to the fair in Mahnomen to be judged. My younger brother’s calf won the purple ribbon one year. He had to stay on the fair grounds to tend the calf for 3 days. He said he got plenty tired of the song the merry-go-round played. I think it was “Sioux City Sue.”

How old were you before you could date?

In high school, we often had a “boyfriend” for a week or two and then it faded. We would hang over the balcony and talk at noon. The first time going in a car was when a senior boy asked meto the prom when I was a sophomore. Three of us couples rode together to Detroit Lakes to the Erie Club. All I remember is that we stopped at the park by the lake and I got my first kiss behind the bleachers. Neither of us was too much into it. We just thought it was what we were expected to do. It is interesting to note that he and I ate still friends. We Email and talk on the phone every once in a while. We both enjoy writing and we compare notes and read each other’s latest. A couple years ago we had lunch together in Arizona. We hardly ate, we were so busy talking and remembering.

I had a few boyfriends after that. Most of them were short lived. I just could not stand “infantile” guys. I guess I was a mature thinking girl. I had one in college I really liked but then he got into the party scene and that was not for me.

Teaching, I had a couple boyfriends because they were good roller skaters. When I met Ray, that was it. He was a mature, well-established guy, Lutheran, and good looking. I don’t know if I thought of those things then. I just felt good with him, like I was “Home.”

What is the latest you ever stayed up?

It would be the prom when I was a senior. I have written that story elsewhere, I will just say it entailed boys crawling out the school bathroom window, hamburgers in Detroit Lakes, sliding into a washout with the car, miles of walking, a truck that ran out of gas, a truck pulling us out, my parents picking me up, selecting my graduation outfit, and play practice. I got to bed the next night around 8 PM. 

In my adult years, another couple and we had a New Year’s Eve reservation at the Matador. Service was very slow because of the huge crowd. It was after 10 P.M. when our food arrived. After, we decided to play some cards at our friend’s house. Before we knew it, the clock said 2 A.M. When we got home, the lights were all on. There was our college student son and his girlfriend demanding to know, “Where were you? You had us worried sick!” Here were kids being parents. We were told, the question wasn’t “Parents, do you know where your children are?” It is “Children, do you know where your parents are?”

What did you and your best friend do?

My best friend lived outside of Ogema with a sister, brother, and parents. Our contact was mostly in school. We did stay overnight at each other’s homes a few times. I arranged things for homecoming when I was a senior and class president. She was one of the candidates for homecoming queen. I saw to it that everything was on schedule and even loaned her my “moth eaten” hand-me-down fur coat I got from my aunt. Much to our happiness, she was voted queen. It was so exciting as it was the first-time homecoming had a bonfire and snake dance through town, all arranged by the student council. 

One summer, my best friend had a job in Frazee with her aunt and uncle. Mother allowed me to take the bus there for a weekend because her aunt was someone that Mother knew from her childhood in Redwood County. We went to a dance with a couple friends. It was okay, but I was not fond of my date.

Did you have your own car?

We could barely afford to have a family car. The one I remember was a ’35 or ‘36 black Chevrolet with yellow wheels. My sister and the boys learned to drive, but I didn’t. My one chance was when we were at Floyd Lake picnicking. We needed water for our nectar. The well was at a farm place. Dad took me along in the car to fetch water. He forgot the cover for the pail. Instead of spilling the water all over the car, Dad opted to stand on the running board with the water while I drove the car. I did not have any notion how to do this. We were to drive down this narrow trail between barbed wire fences. To me, driving meant turning the steering wheel from side to side. I got Dad too close to the fence. He jumped off the running board. There I was alone with this renegade car. I didn’t know where the brake was and a tree was approaching fast. In a panic, I reached down and turned off the key. I stopped inches from the tree. Strangely enough, no one asked me to drive again!

Now we fast forward to 1974. The big boys were in college so I had no wheels when Ray was at work. I got the idea that I should learn to drive, but I was afraid to mention it as I was sure Ray would say, “Forget it.” To my surprise he told me it was a very good idea. If I got my license, he would buy me a car! BUT Ray did not want to teach me. He told me to go to school and take driver training. I did this and after a few tries I got my license and Ray was true to his word. He bought me a little yellow Chevy, I now had my OWN car. It was like getting out of jail. What freedom this afforded me. In the long run it was the luckiest thing I ever did. In later years, Ray gave me the keys. He knew, because of his eyes, he should not be at the wheel anymore. I drove everywhere the rest of his life. I am, at 90 years young, still driving. I am so thankful.

Did you go to drive-ins?

Drive-in movies were popular when I was in college and a while after that. They were fun if the mosquitoes were not too thick. Ray’s and my first date was at a drive-in movie in Redwood Falls. The movie was “Abbot and Costello in Alaska.” Ray and I barely knew each other so we used this time to get acquainted. We talked and shared so much that neither of us knew what the movie was about.

What was your nickname?

At home it was Lody or Loie. In country school the big boys would draw out my name so it sounded like “Lowass’! I wasn’t happy about this, but it was rather appropriate. We had to wear dresses to school. My panties, called bloomers, were homemade from white material with elastic around the waist and each leg. When I played and ran, the ample bloomers would slide down my leg, so much of my bloomer was in evidence below my dress. Later I got store bought panties and the nickname went away. In high school we had 3 Lois’ in the freshman class. To differentiate, I was called Lois Ann all four years. In college I went back to just plain Lois.

What used to make you mad?

What I didn’t like was the boys not letting me do something they were doing. What made me the most mad was the day of the shoe disaster. I was given a pair of brown high heeled shoes with a strap across the top of the foot from my aunt. These shoes were way too big for me, but made wonderful “dress-up” shoes. I would clomp around in them, annoying everyone. One day I couldn’t find the shoes. The boys told me to look out by the porch. There they were. When I picked up the shoes, the heels stood there! My brothers had done this. I wailed and called them names. I went to the shed, found some nails and tried to nail my shoes together, to no avail. I heard some snickering and those rotten boys were sitting up in the granary and had a bird’s eye view of me bawling, hammering and SWEARING! Yes, that made me very mad. It also hurt me to the quick. 

In 1952, I went to Seattle to stay with a family and attend the Lutheran Bible Institute. (After all that swearing I guess I needed to go there!) One day, we sisters were shopping and I spied a pair of shoes that looked like those ill-fated brown shoes. The only difference was the color. These were white and navy spectator shoes. I just had to have them. I wore them teaching until they wore out. I loved them so dearly. I think if I found another pair in that style today, I would buy and wear them and wear them.

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