Monday, October 24, 2005

Yesterday, after the Dunn County Historical Society Annual meeting, I hopped in a Chevy sedan with two of my Dunn Center neighbors--Vivian and Florence--and we drove eight miles on gravel roads to the very isolated and quaint Vang Lutheran Church. Both of these women have lived in Dunn County for over 80 years, but the Vang Church has been around even longer. I'm told that next year will be its hundredth anniversary. Vang is the archetypal prairie church with a congregation of less than ten (all farmers or ranchers) and a community graveyard in the field across the road. The congregation was having its yearly barbecue.

After chowing down, the three of us drove back to Dunn Center. It was an oddly euphoric experience. Hard to explain. . . . Vivian had the car's radio dialed into a classic rock/heavy metal station, the heater was cranked, the night sky was velvet black with a neon orange strip warming the western horizon. It was like we were all teenagers in a 1973 dream flashback. Florence said twice, "I wish we could drive all night." Vivian and I solemnly agreed. We decided to go cruisin' again sometime soon.

------------------------------------------------------

In the spirit of love, rock & roll, and drivin' all night, I present my high school graduation pic, from 1989:

Note: This particular hairstyle is dubbed the Montana Mini Mullet--aka the "Triple M." To get the full effect click on my left ear.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

did i ever make out with you in 1987 in a 1977 honda civic? it was red. the car, that is.

Anonymous said...

holy fucking shit that is the most amazing thing that aiyana and me have ever seen in our entire collective lives. the sweater is brilliant. the backdrop. the lighting. the bangs. you have found yer look: go back to it, make a million, retire happy. grow yer hair back and head on over to the bismark mall and visit glamour shots: its perfect.
jn

rhein said...

nice photo:). you DIDN'T take a picture of the old church??!?!?!?!?!?

i graduated 89 too.

Anonymous said...

i have a question (since i spent the 80s in elementary school): were the called 'mullets' at the time? did men go to the salon/barber and ask for a 'mullet'? i don't know. i once pulled a boy's 'rat tail' out in 1st grade. we later kissed behind the school, made out on a hay ride in 6th grade, smoked our first joint together the next year and are friends to this day. ivee (*

Chris Sand said...

anon 1- what's your maiden name?

anon 2- i've got funnier ones than that if you're curious.

Rhein- i need my own camera. usually i have to borrow someones, and no one had one that night.

ivee- i think they were called the "multi-level" haircut back then. maybe mullet is a shortened version of that. i'd heard rat tail, but never liked the sound of it.

Anonymous said...

you're sort of implying that you have made out in a '77 red honda civic. aren't you? do i really need to tell you my maiden name? becuz really--
1) making out in a 77 honda civic is memorable in and of itself (it was a stick shift. of course.)
2) and making out with me...highly memorable! and
3) anyways, i don't have a maiden name.

Chris Sand said...

i can't remember what year, color, or model it was, but before i tell you your name i need a clue. were we parked in your parents' driveway out in the country (outside of ronan), or was it on a polson sidestreet?

and are you now 32 years old?