Rocky and Bullwinkle

Rocky and Bullwinkle

Rocky and Bullwinkle
sculpted in packed snow
at Sandy’s Place Café 

Frostbite Falls is a fictional town created for the “Rocky and His Friends Show” in the 1960’s.  Rocket J. Squirrel, better known as "Rocky," and his pal, Bullwinkle J. Moose cartooned their way to popularity.  Many folks think that Frostbite Falls is a parody on the real-life town of International Falls, Minnesota.

Near Frostbite Falls is the fictional Veronica Lake and an island called Moosylvania, of which Bullwinkle was Governor.  The U.S. claims the island is part of Canada, and Canada claims it is part of the U.S.  Bullwinkle vacations in Moosylvania because, after two weeks there, anyplace else feels like Heaven.  I can’t quite agree with the moose, and think it’s just fine living here in Frostbit Falls, at least in winter.

Ironically, I have met five people in this town, all named “Sandy,” in a place where sand is rare.   It seems strange to find so many Sandy's among just thirty or so people that I’ve met here,  It’s statistically improbable.  Let me introduces them. 

Katrina at Sandy's Place ten years ago

Jan, today, at Sandy's Place looks like Katrina ten years ago

Ten years ago  I met Katrina who worked at Sandy’s Place café.  That does not make her a Sandy, but both her mother and father are named Sandy.  I met neither of them ten years ago.  But wait. On your right is Jan, an almost perfect likeness of Katrina.

Here is Katrina’s mother, Sandy, serving coffee and proudly declaring Katrina a success social worker for state government in Minneapolis.  She talks lovingly of Sandy, her husband, such a softie, as if she is not moved by statistical analysis. 

And here is Sandy Number 3.  She and Jerry Netland run the Voyageur Motel where I am staying.  I was here ten years ago and so were they.  See how we all have changed.  

Coffee Landing Café

Sandy Number 4 is part of Coffee Landing Café.  I have not met her yet but expect to on Thursday for the weekly poetry reading which she helps to facilitate.  Her book is shown here.  

Border Bar

I don’t have a picture of Sandy Number 5, but I met her at the Border Bar last Sunday night, where about a hundred people enjoued the greatest DJ I’ve seen for country dancing.  She’s married to an outdoors Minnesotan who thinks Californians are all Loony Tunes.  I’ve been called worse, and must say that I matched his wilderness tales, moose for moose.  

A sandy beach on Rainy Lake,
but definitely not a warm one

I propose a reason for all these Sandy’s.  It’s a legitimate hypothesis, worthy of scientific investigation.  And it goes like this:  From their ages, I assume that all the Sandy’s parents named them before 1955, a time when travel was neither convenient nor economical, and winters in Minnesota were cold.  They read longingly in magazines about the warm sandy beaches in California.  If only they could vacation there.  In their fantasizing, a child named Sandy could conjure up warm beachy dreams every time they said the name.  Of course none of them spoke of it, and I wonder which of my five Sandy friends will not call me Loony Tunes if I present my hypothesis.  

An apple peeler, corer, and slicer at Sandy’s Place

Michael Angerman has prepared an interactive map of my trip showing daily locations.  Please see Michael’s Map:    Michael's Map