Feeling Funky on Fish Lake

 

Feeling Funky on Fish Lake

Todd Swank's Diary Entry for June 30, 2024

This spring has been one of the wettest in recent memory here in Minnesota. On Tuesday night, we decided to venture down to Shakopee to witness the swelling Minnesota River firsthand. Upon arrival, we were astonished to see the water level had risen to meet the lower blue line on the marker, which signifies the flood line from the historic floods of 1993. The sight was both awe-inspiring and a sobering reminder of nature's power.

Today, we revisited the river and were taken aback by how much the water level had risen in just a few days. The 1965 record might be at risk of being surpassed. Apparently, the river's got dreams of being the next Great Lake.

Wednesday night brought us to Rhythm on the Rails in Shakopee. The headliner was a band called Thunderstruck, an AC/DC tribute band. Thunderstruck made us feel like we were back in the '70s, minus the bell-bottoms. We half-expected Angus Young to pop out from behind a tree and start shredding.

Our good friends, Tom & Kellie Wolf, invited us to join them at the event. Despite arriving fashionably late and navigating through a sea of people, they still managed to snag us some decent seats. Sure, we ended up a bit too close to the garbage cans, but hey, at least the raccoons were friendly!

We haven't seen Lisa Maldonado in ages, but we flagged her down for a chat about the good old days. Rhythm on the Rails proves once again that great music and even greater people never go out of style.

Lisa let Heidi Wojahn know we were in the vicinity and she popped over for a visit. Having these two awesome women stop by made us feel like the evening's VIPs. Let's make this spontaneous reunion a tradition!

We made our way up to Clearwater, Minnesota on Friday night to join the Korkowskis for the weekend. Dinner at Anton's in Waite Park was the perfect start – surrounded by the charm of a log cabin along the Sauk River, enjoying hearty laughter and the flavors of the Roaring 20s.

I was worried the river would be too high, but it was perfect. The ducks and geese begging for food were our dinner theater. The most unique part? Trying to keep our drinks steady on a table suspended by chains – who knew dinner could be an extreme sport?

After dinner, we explored downtown St. Cloud and found a hidden speakeasy called the Blue Goose, where we had smoky drinks and little plants you chewed on which made your tongue go numb. Because who doesn't love a cocktail with a side of sensory adventure?

Saturday night brought us to an Escape Room. It was Miss Sheri and my first time, but the Korkowskis were pros. Unfortunately, we struggled with the activity and failed to escape during the allotted 45 minutes. After our attempt, the young lady working there told us this was a new game that had only opened a few days before, and nobody had come even close to solving it yet. She said the owners might need to "tweak" things to make it a bit easier. That made us feel a lot better about our abilities – it's comforting to know we’re not the only ones who need a map and compass to get out of a room.

All in all, it was a good week!  I'm a pretty blessed man to have this lady by my side all the time.