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I had left Fargo, North Dakota, was progressing south toward Minnesota; as you may have heard, Minnesota is the land of ten thousand (10,000) lakes; the first thought that came to mind, was the great fishing that would afford, but of course, I couldn’t stop to partake in that fun sport at this point, but there may come a time when I’ll be able to do that; I remember a time from past years when dad and mom took us to a pristine spot in Minnesota to visit friends that had a cabin on one of the lakes in that area; the view was beautiful, sort of primitive, and fishing was out of this world, but we were called upon to take a respite from our activities, to accompany our parents on board their friends ski-plane, which sounded really exciting to me; as we boarded the airplane, which was of the single engine variety, I became a bit apprehensive! HELP!
Well, I was on the road again; as the day started, I was thoroughly enjoying the trip; by the time I reached Fargo, ND, I was beginning to feel a bit of fatigue; it was Saturday, of which I was very happy, because my fuel gauge was starting to say: “Fill me up!”, so I started looking for a service station but I had traveled beyond the city of Fargo, and saw lots of open country but no service stations; if this trip had been undertaken on a Sunday, with everything shut down, chances of finding fuel would have been slim to none, but as fate would have it, a small town loomed in the distance, just off the main highway and I was able to find an open gas station there; the attendant wondered where I was coming from and where I was going; I told him: “I don’t know if I’m coming or going!”, which conjured up a laugh; with that having been said and my tank fueled, I paid the bill, then was on my way once again.
Well I slept well for about six hours and then had to arise, grab a quick breakfast, then hit the road for over seven hundred miles of travel to my destination at Des Moines, Iowa; mom, dad, and sister were still sacked out, so I wrote a short note explaining that I hadn’t wanted to wake them, admonishing them not to worry, that I would stay in touch by telephone and mail service; I grabbed my suitcase which looked a bit pregnant but decided not to be concerned with that as it was time to head out on the next leg of my adventure; I had prepared a cursory map from a travel atlas at home, so I was confident that those directions would get me where I needed to be; as I started out, I was somewhat apprehensive of leaving that comfortable domicile called home, but I had a future to pursue and a promise to keep!
Well, planning was over and the dates were set; finally packing day arrived so I retrieved my medium sized suitcase and began to pack as efficiently as I was able; if needed, I planned to use a large plastic bag for the overflow; it was a time of some stress as I was now on the threshold of my initial journey for training at Des Moines, Iowa; almost everything fell into place but as is often the case certain necessities were not to be found, so it was off to the local store for supplies; after packing the last items on my planned list, I was ready to close the suitcase, gas up my vehicle, hopefully get a good night’s sleep, then I’d be ready for that 12 to 14 hour drive; first problem to arise: the suitcase was too full to close, so I beckoned mom to come to the rescue; mom came in and I promptly sat on the suitcase while mom locked down the latches; now to say goodbyes, just in case my departure preceded other family members being awake! Hope sleep will prevail tonight!
Well, last episode found me headed full steam ahead with planning for my newly found vocation; during this planning phase, I was pleased to know that Des Moines was not only the Capital of Iowa, but being a larger city, would afford such luxuries as laundromats which could be quite helpful, since I had only one medium sized suitcase to pack for the trip; I also found that the distance from home to Des Moines was around 741 miles; I planned to select the best route for the quickest trip possible, which would take me through Fargo, ND, and then south through the Minneapolis, MN, area, past Rochester, MN, across the Iowa border and then eventually into Des Moines, IA, where I had an apartment rental agreement for the duration of my expected stay; I calculated my travel time (by automobile) to be 12 to 14 hours; at that time in history, much of my travel would be on paved two~lane roads, so the travel estimate was best case scenario; my plans were coming together like clockwork!
After that last powwow with dad, I decided to begin the planning process for my continuing education and ensuing career; I noted my planning steps in sequence on a piece of paper; the very next day I began calling contacts at the school in Des Moines, to begin that enrollment process, determine the apartment rental requirements, determine the dates involved (inclusive), finally determine how financing is to be achieved; I also needed to know if the school offered a placement program following graduation; this planning process was not as smooth as I expected it to be, with telephone tag delays, application delays related to mail delivery, follow-up delays related to unanswered or new questions which required re-contacting school officials; some apprehension began to set in as I wondered who my roommates would be and if there might be personality clashes in that mix; time seemed to crawl as I waited for final acknowledgments which would pave the way to my imminent departure and the beginning of my new adventure!
Last episode found dad guaranteeing the funding that I would need to move on; dad had asked me for a long term commitment to my proposed vocational journey; I was feeling a good deal of stress while I contemplated my response; after some deliberation, I said: “Thanks for your support dad; I promise that I will not disappoint you; I’ll continue with my chosen education until I graduate; I’ll apply myself, doing the very best I can to learn plus achieve a high standing in my class; following school I’ll vigorously pursue my chosen career path until I find the success that I want and need!”; dad shuffled his feet a bit nervously, then said: “Skip, I know that you’ll keep your word and diligently work at your chosen field of endeavor until you have found your niche; with that thought in mind, you may now begin preparing for your future!”; I struggled not to appear emotional, but it was hard to avoid; all I could think of saying was: “Thanks dad I’ll start planning right now!”.
Last episode found me struggling to remember what that school would cost; dad was waiting for an answer that I couldn’t seem to come up with, when suddenly it was mom to the rescue as she produced the notes that she had taken down; she proceeded to read the information to dad, which included the school cost, cost of apartment rental (shared) plus board/room; in addition were recommendations for the level of spending money to provide for incidentals such as gasoline if a vehicle had been planned for transportation; dad took out his pen, then started to write; I could see that he was jotting down numbers which seemed to relate to our recent conversation; finally dad looked up and said: “Skip, I hope this is what you want and need to secure your future, because it certainly isn’t chump change, but I’ll see to it that you are properly financed if you will promise to keep your nose to the grindstone, study diligently, then follow through with your pursuit of this vocation into the future!”; that having been said I sighed a sigh of relief and had to pause for just awhile to think about my response!
Last episode I was pumped about the prospect of attending the College of Automation in Des Moines, Iowa; I had asked dad for a pow-wow but didn’t give a reason for it; dad puttered around with his paperwork for what seemed like an eternity while I tried to assume the appearance of a calm, patient, son; finally dad finished with his paperwork and proceeded to address mom regarding what was planned for dinner; mom seemed to ramble on forever on that subject; at long last, they both entered the living room where I was seated, nervously biting my nails, when dad said “What’s up Skip!“; dad called me “Skip” even though that wasn’t my given name, but I always thought it was cool so never objected; I proceeded to tell dad about the school I was interested in, including all the other details regarding location and how this program would fit nicely into my plans for the future; dad thought for a moment and said “How much will this education cost?“; at that moment my mind went totally blank and I couldn’t for the life of me remember what the bloody cost was!
Last episode found me pouring over the details that mom had provided regarding a school in Des Moines, Iowa, which was highly regarded as an institution that consistently produced high quality talent; I had a very high aptitude in “Clerical” applications and this particular path seemed to be just what the doctor ordered; having reviewed the requirements and conditions, I was certain that I could excel in all areas covered by the College of Automation, but had one annoying and abiding reservation: “MONEY”; once again, I found myself having to approach dad with this issue of money and hoped that it could be resolved; dad arrived home a bit late, again, as was often the case, and before he had gotten his coat off, I mentioned that I had a very important subject to discuss with him; he seemed to realize that I was really pumped up over something; dad said: “Give me just a little while to organize my paperwork and I’ll be all ears for you!”; I was so excited that I was twitching!