Aliens, Babes, Cowboys and Dave

“My daughter is just like Dave, she goes where the fun is, or she makes the fun herself”, remarked Ruth as we emptied rainwater from a rowing boat. I briefly looked up the beach towards Dave’s lodge but could not see him, so I carried on scooping out rain water and talking to his sister. I had just told her about the time Dave turned up at a bar driving a monster sized truck, and how he let me race it along the roads at 11pm at night.
Dave and his wife Brenda own a historic lodge which used to be a hideout for legendary Chicago gangsters. There are bullet holes in the walls from poker games gone bad and gun turrets to scare off unwanted visitors. Now Dave and Brenda operate the lodge as a hotel and there is no such thing as an unwanted visitor.

I was at the lodge to help prepare for the first guests of the season. I was supposed to be helping Dave move chairs from the lodge into his truck, but he had got sidetracked working on an invention in the basement with his brother. I could have remained with Dave, except his brother Charlie hunts aliens and Bigfoot; our initial conversation went like this.

Charlie: Have you ever woken up with strange markings on your body and you can’t recall where they came from?

Me: Err, no I don’t think so.

Charlie: So you have never felt that you have been taken somewhere else in your sleep?

Me: No, I can’t say I have.

Charlie: What about during the day at camp when you’re walking around? Do you ever feel that you are being watched?

Me: Nope.

After the first few questions I was fighting to stay composed. Jokes, sarcasm and laughter were all churning up inside me, so I removed myself from the situation to avoid causing offence.













Ruth and I in front of Barker Lake Lodge













The lakefront and boats

Both Dave and Brenda have backgrounds as mysterious as the gangsters that built their property. Nobody knows precise details regarding their previous occupations; nobody knows quite how they ended up in North Wisconsin and nobody knows where their money came from. In addition to the lodge, they have a beautiful house twenty minutes up the road. I sometimes wonder whether Dave and Brenda are direct descendants from gangsters themselves.














View of the lodge from the lake

By the time Ruth and I had scooped the water from the boats the sun had dissolved the clouds and the sky was bright blue. It was impossible to tell that a few hours earlier there had been torrential rain across the whole area. I mentioned this to Ruth, and she began talking about the British fixation with weather.
Eventually Dave emerged from the basement looking like a mad scientist crossed with a lumberjack. “Hey Ben, have you ever met a famous singing cowboy?” He shouted across the beach, “No, can’t say I have!” I shouted back, slightly bewildered. “Well Syd will be arriving soon, and he is going to be in a Hollywood movie next year”! I looked across the boat at Ruth and she looked as confused as I did.

Two hours later all the preparation for the lodge was complete and the whole family moved into one of the next door cabins. Two hours and thirty minutes later I met Syd Masters, singer, songwriter and cowboy.
As I approached Syd Masters I heard him say that “the only red meat I usually eat is stuff that I have shot myself”. He was talking to Brenda about cooking and the comment totally reinforced my stereotype of who I was about to meet. I expected ego, cowboy hat, horse and perhaps even a gun. Instead I met a thoroughly likable guy who has somehow been pulled into the bizarre world of Dave.
I don’t know exactly why Syd Masters knows Dave, but I could tell that they had not known each other long. When people talked to Syd about his career he replied that whilst he can make a living from his music he is only well known in small circles. Someone asked him if it is true that he will be in a Hollywood movie next year, he confirmed this rumor, but explained it was just a small role.

We all sat at a table in the sun drinking beer and watching fish jump in the lake. Brenda cooked us burgers and Dave decided we should go for a boat ride to watch the sunset and see the bald eagle. So that’s what we did.

Eagle in tree

Sunset

Me, Syd Masters, and Ruth















Dave getting in on the action

When we returned from the trip Brenda had started a bonfire and we all crowded round it. Soon more locals joined us who lived on the lake and I was happy to meet some of the older women who call themselves the Barker Lake Babes. They all remembered me when I first visited eight years ago and were soon asking about the camp.

Later that night I mentioned to Brenda that Dave was not drinking alcohol. She replied with her usual comic timing “That man does not need to drink! Drink only seems to inhibit the craziness”! Looking around the fire I had to agree, I was in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by talk of aliens, babes and cowboys.

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