Reflections in the Lake

We left Winona Lake today and got back on the road. It felt good to climb into the Winona Rider, it’s primary mission complete — that of getting us to Indiana to visit Lisa’s dad. It was a transformative visit that drew the three of us — Lisa’s Dad, Lisa, and me — closer.

John Robert Stauffer was born in 1929 in North Manchester Indiana. He was a high school and college basketball star, married a girl from Indianapolis, and settled in Northern Indiana where he taught high school math and coached basketball. His father purchased the land the family lake cottage sits on in 1937 and John has been tied to that spot ever since.

Daughter number one was Lisa, born in Warsaw, Indiana in 1958. She came home from the hospital to a house on Winona Lake and the place has been in her blood ever since. I didn’t come onto the scene until 1983 when, after about six weeks of dating, Lisa brought me to the spot she loves more than any place in the world. As an Air Force brat I had never lived anywhere for more than three years. It didn’t take me long to adopt Winona Lake as my own (even through 37 years later some still refer to me not as a laker but and an “other”).

As Lisa mentioned in our last blog, we have been coming every year since, with the exception being 1985, the year we got married. As time has passed our family has grown and our visits to the lake have become full with energy, laughter, and love. I am happiest standing over the barbecue grill overseeing the preparation of hamburgers or pork chops or corn on the cob, a glass of red wine always in one hand. I often have multiple assistants and I love every minute of the chaos that ensues as we ready the evening meal. My other happy place is behind the wheel of our speed boat as I punish one of the kids on skis, a tube, or a knee board.

This year was different. It was just the three of us. The rhythm was different, the energy level much lower. But, it was a chance to reconnect with John Stauffer. He’s 91 now and a bit slower than the man who regularly schooled me on the tennis court. But, he has the same twinkle in his eyes and same easy way with the world. One thing hasn’t changed. He still loves his Dairy Queen Buster Bars. I couldn’t, of course, let him eat alone. I’ll need a few extra workouts when I get home.

We grilled dinner every night and lingered after dinner to reminisce about days gone by, catch John up on the kids’ activities, and talk about current events. Days were spent reading, watching golf, and doing puzzles. And, while John wasn’t ready to ride the tube, we did take him on a boat ride every day. We even caught some fish. I threw the line in but, it was John, ever the coach, making sure I did it all properly. August 8th was Lisa’s birthday. We gave her a Dairy Queen ice cream cake and as we presented it to her John and I sang to her at the top of our lungs. John harmonized (I didn’t know he could do that) and had on a smile bigger than his face.

They say a father is the first man a little girl falls in love with. It’s certainly true of Lisa. This trip to Winona Lake took months of planning, the purchase of an RV, and 2500 miles of driving. Seeing the look on Lisa’s face as she spent this time with her father was worth all of that and much more. As we drove away this morning she had tears in her eyes. Some were tears of sadness because we were leaving and she didn’t know when she’d see him again. Some were tears of joy with the love she felt for him and the greater connectedness she had gained over the past ten days. The rest were tears of concern, hoping he would be OK until the next time we see him. They say you never stop worrying about your kids no matter how old they get. That’s true. But, they never warned us that you also begin to worry about your parents. I guess that’s why we’re called the sandwich generation.

Central Missouri

Our first stop after leaving Winona Lake is the Serenity Valley Winery in Fulton, Missouri. They brag that their grapes do not come from Missouri (which is a very good thing). And, their wines are pretty good.

Fulton is not too far from Columbia, home of the University of Missouri. Our nephew Jordan Stauffer is doing his medical residency there. He had the night off so he drove out to see us. We grilled some chicken apple sausages and watched a beautiful sunset by the small lake in front of the winery. It was a delightful evening.

The nice thing about RV travel is that we can be very spontaneous in our travel plans. For example, we made a quick detour today and visited DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. John graduated from DePauw and set basketball scoring records. Lisa went there her Freshman year before transferring to Notre Dame. We stopped in the middle of campus and ate our lunch before heading back out on the road.

Lisa in front of the East College building at DePauw University. It dates back to the 1870’s

For those who paid attention to our initial itinerary, you may have noticed we did not intend to go through Missouri. We’ve also axed Yellowstone from our plan (too crowded) and will, instead, visit Billings and Bozeman. We’ll keep you updated as our adventure continues.