So we were picking in Minnesota in early February. It was only -17* when we left for Carlton. We had picked a farm there last Spring and bought a buckboard type wagon. Now we couldn't find the damn farm. Neither Chris nor I are directionally challenged, but the farm had disappeared. We traveled from Barnum to Duluth without any luck, so we went to Superior to pick up a box that I bought a year ago but didn't have room to haul. And we couldn't find that place either. Back and forth on County Road A, but nothing. Just a lot of blank cold windshield time.
We decide to go to into Superior for lunch. Superior is a dead town. It has been abandoned since the 70's. Lots of vacant storefronts, lots of dead businesses. Then I spotted it. An old business sign with my name on it, literally. I made Chris stop. I wanted to see if we could find the owner and buy the sign. I decided that I'd check at the Chrysler dealership next door, but first I'd see it there was a note on the building.
I cross the street, ah yes that sign would do nicely. Then I look in the windows, no note, just an almost empty office.
I pushed on the door and I'll be damned, it was open. I walk into the almost empty office and hear voices. I yell out "hello" and a woman appears in the doorway from the back room.
Well it seems that it is her office, that its her sign and that it is still the offices of Bergstrom Electric. It seems that I sumbled upon one of the few oldtime businesses still operating in downtown Superior. And, not surprisingly she was not interested in selling her sign.
It was just one of those days.
Mr. Flannery
PS - We had the best Italian lunch at VIP pizza and ultimately found the buckboard.
