On White Bear Lake...

He saw these rail road tracks, this cemetery, a few of these houses, and the way the fading sun hits the lake and lights it with an almost living electricity. As I have been trying to understand war, and researching the writers of the Lost Generation (those who were trying to make their way after WWI), I have found out that F Scott Fitzgerald was not only born in St Paul but spent a good deal of time in White Bear Lake. WBL is not too far from here, a lively tourist attraction, almost quaint and definitely sweet. I like to go for drives by the lake, and walk through town and shop.

I wonder what he would recognize and what he would be surprised to see. I wonder if he saw it, if he would even care. I read the Great Gatsby one summer, 1992 or 1993. The images from the book are still in my memory. It did not surprise me to learn of the time he spent here. Even though it is set in Long Island, it makes me think of Minneapolis and St Paul, and the wide plains that would have separated the towns back then.

I picked up a book about his homes and haunts the other day. It was written in 1978, 30 years ago. Even at that time, a number of places had been torn down for Interstates and highways. I plan on a bit of an excursion one day, when I can spare the change for gas for getting lost and going in circles. Perhaps a Sunday walking tour on Summit Ave, with its grand houses and lasting legacies.

I just want to sneak a small peek back in time.