Keeping up with the Duluthians
A WALK BY THE LAKE
Want to see a snapshot of the day in the life of a Duluthian? Let’s follow a local college student’s journey through an everyday encounter in the city.
You drive down to “the lake” to get some fresh air and walk the Lakewalk. You have learned from some local Duluthians that this region is called the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but the one lake that is the big deal around here is Lake Superior. As you’re walking, you note the coldness of the day and that it is quite windy. You realize you should have worn another layer.
As you are contemplating these thoughts and getting oriented to the new surroundings of this college town, of which you fit the description, you overhear a conversation of a man walking in front of you.
“Oh gee, it’s so windy down here!” the man says as he speaks into his phone. “Well, I’m sure glad I brought my parka, rain jacket, long underwear, and Columbia fleece or I don’t know what I’d do!”
When he finally notices your uncomfortably close presence he replies with, “Ope, sorry, I didn’t see ya there.”
As you continue to hear this man talk on the phone to who you guess to be his wife, you begin to see him slowly peel off his layers down to his shorts and fleece. Even though you are watching this all happen in front of you, his sudden halt jolts you to a stop like a domino effect along with the person behind you. This man in front of you with the myriad of layers casually interjects an “Ope!” as you brush up against his fuzzy parka hood that he is trying to tie around his waist. When he finally notices your uncomfortably close presence he replies with, “Ope, sorry, I didn’t see ya there.”
After that awkward incident, you continue to walk behind this man with no intention of following him but just happening to be on the same walking path. All of a sudden, he continues the conversation with his wife almost as if it had never stopped. Without intending to eavesdrop, the following one sided conversation ensues:
“Oh Sheryl, honey, I’m so sorry ‘bout missin’ the kids.” The wife then must have responded with some reassurance given the man’s reaction. Then she must have asked where he was, to which he replied, “Oh I am just down by the lake.” She then responds with some comment about the weather. “No! You’re kiddin’? It can’t be in the 60s up on the hill! Must be that gosh darn lake effect!” says the man in what you later learn is a thick Minnesotan accent.
At this point, you decide to zone out and give some more thought to this strange, new town of Duluth where you have just moved. What kind of town is this where people wear parkas and shorts? What kind of weirdo says “ope”? And where in the world is “up on the hill”?