Gifts by the lake

By Joel Snell

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In the winter of '78, we lived in a cabin overlooking the Missouri River. I taught at a pretty little college that could easily be used for Hollywood movie. The cabin was 10 miles away and navigable when the snow plow came through.

Enrollment was down again. I was extremely fortunate to start work at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, the summer session of the same year.

As I looked at the map of our state, near Kirkwood there was Lake Macbride. After we settled in, I was quick to search the lake as well as all the back roads entering into the city. At Lake Macbride/Coralville Lake, I felt like I was a kid again who worked summers at a resort in Park Rapids, Minn., in the '50s. What a gift and the kids really liked the trails. I could give you so many memories, but one of them is that every year at the beginning of school there was one place where I would place my folding chair and look out at the lake. Another year. Time to start the semester.

In 2008, my wife and I spent part of our anniversary day watching the water topping the dam. Within minutes, the park rangers asked all of us to return to our cars. The flood was here. We headed to an Iowa city restaurant and spent the rest of the day far from the war with water.

Another day, with my help, the kids walked to the earthen dam and headed to a small hill with passages almost to the top and the view of the surrounding area. This was an adventure and only 20 miles from home. They climbed a mountain!

Over two decades ago, in the late '80s I showed my father my favorite spot. I was in jeans, boots and a hoodie. He wore a sport coat and fedora (a business man's hat).

After looking around, he was caught up in the surroundings. He looked at me, shook my hand and told me something about generations, and how they die and yet carry on. He passed the next year.

Recently, my son who works and lives in the West, went with me to the same spot. Not a lot had changed, but it still had that beautiful tranquillity. We were on the Macbride side.

This time, I thought that I would tell him something similar about what happened with my father at this spot. However, he had heard my story long ago. I was about to speak, I choked.

He stopped me, and said, “no, not yet Dad.”

Joel Snell of Cedar Rapids is professor emeritus of social science at Kirkwood Community College. Comments: joelsnell@hotmail.com