Kip asks me to pick him up at home. Neighboorhood of Minneapolis; my GPS brings me directly at his frontyard. Those Americans frontyards, all the same, green mowed grass, concrete path, garage and house. All the street looks identical. The snow in Minneapolis enhence a similar landscape. Just a big golden number tells me I am at the good place.
We load his week end belongings in my trunk and then under his command I follow the road. One hour and an half of driving towards tainter lake Wisconsin.
Kip invited me for the overnight by spending a moment in his cabin close to "a" lake...
Ihave never new what a cabin could be; I often heard about a cabane in Canada and wanted to see what a cabin in Winsconsin look like.
Once we left highway i started to drive on snow; I was impressed on how my tyres were good enough to let me drive safe but quick enough.
"here this house on the left"; I park my car in front of his garage and let the snow stops me stacked for a while.
The cabin is actually a house, and not a cabane; I am safe, it is made of wood concrete. While the snow burns the leather of my shoes, I try to walk and stand in a safe place. The house is already warm; Decoration is exactly as expected. Kip's wife use to go in antique malls and shops. "All come from there, all my wife" says Kip proudly. Under some low lights I guess furnitures, carpets hanging on the beams; On the left a dear hunt trophy is hung on the wall saying "Kip 1974". I was three...
"Tainter lake" but where is the lake? Looking at the backyard the lake is a field of snow at this moment, with big 4X4 pick-up truck or snow mobile driving on it; People use to go there, dig an hole and fish. Could not believe of course. My host reassure me, the ice is so thick at this period of the year that anything could be on it. We decided to walk on it. I was excited to walk on a lake. Some stairs enable to get in the water. We walk a bit on it 50 meters fom the shore; The lake has a deep layer of snow, we actually cannot see the ice. The silence was reigning, eventhoug some engines. may be an auger was piercing the ice somewhere.
Suddenly an eagle take of from its tree and silently and majustuously pass over us. Never seen any eagle so close in liberty before.
Back home, kip set up some music outlets and then starts some musics. He went in his room pick a guitar hung on the wall; Kip says he use to play in the navy, this is where he learned guitar. After a short chord tuning he started a song and the moment was magic.Oak was burning in the fireplace, and gin in my veins relaxing my body.
Then we went to this bar, the only bar at 20 km around. A bar made of wood, neons lights, and thats all. When we get in, all people looked at us. All almost drunk. Introduced as the French friend I became the snobish one... Liberty fries went on the game. I have prefered the billiard. Another gin tonic and then we went to drive on the lake by night. Two wheels drive, you know? the two at the front only. Then we got stack in the snow. kip went out and pushed the car. Safe...
In the morning in front of the window, view on trees before the lake. On the tree a good size woodpecker was on duty. On my right Kip felt on duty also to keep his trees alive. He went outside with a gun. The lock of the door was noisy enough to make Woody flying off and the bullet stayed at its place.
On the way back to Minneapolis I listened music in the car wile beeing followed by snow mobiles crossing through the fields. This moment was a cool evening / day.
Thanks Kip.
Le taxi roule comme un malade… le zig zag entre les voiture ne le dérange pas. Au bout de cinq minutes je m'habitue et prends plaisir à découvrir ce que la neige sale laisse comme décors... L'espace devient de plus en plus urbanisé puis complétement urbanisé à devenir oppressant. Encore une fois je m'habitue et découvre de grandes avenue avec des immeubles hauts, larges à l'aspect inverse de ce que je me faisait des constructions Staliniennes. Le nombre de ces barres est impressionnant. je m'amuse à lire le cyrilique, le taxi roule si vite que je n'ai pas terminé un mot et je dois en commencer un autre. Mon apprentissage se terminera plus tard. Une demie heure de construction hétéroclites, de bruit d'essieux de boue noire gelée, le taxi me dépose à l'hôtel. 