Another week end...

[Tillaway]

I'm back for a couple of days.  The owner of the cabin we are staying in decided they wanted to spend the week end so as part of our agreement we have to vacate for a while.

The longer I stay in Laporte the more local characters I find.  I was at the hotel bar one night last week when Lori, the owner, and someone else started to talking about "Flat Nose Bob."  Bob is an older gentleman with a distictive flat nose, long hair and beard.  Bob's nose doesn't seem to have any cartilidge in it and to top it off, he is also missing an eye.  Bob has no vehicle and walks everywhere.  You will see him with his back pack and dog hiking around all over the area.  Bob spends the summer gold prospecting in the area and then travels to Florida or Texas and works on fishing boats or pan-handles all winter.  He has an old trailer somewhere in the area but prefers to sleep on Eric's front porch.  Eric has the snow mobile shop and does excavation work in the summer.  His front porch is dead center along main street right across from the store.

No sooner had Lori and this customer starting discussing the apparent absence of flat nose Bob, it seems as though he been missing for about a month, a dogs comes bounding through the door with flat nose Bob in hot pursuit.  He rounds the the dog up and manges to corral it on the back deck.  He then steps up to the bar and orders a whiskey.  "How have you been Bob," Lori askes.  "Had a good week, got three ounces," he replies.  I'm not sure but I think he paid with for his drink with gold... it was just like back in the 1850's.

One of these day's I will have to tell you about LaPorte's other Bob.  His exploits could fill a book.   ;) ;D

[CHARLIE]

Your story about Flatnosed Bob triggered my memory about a character here in the Rochester area named Gascan. Back in the '70's (way back in the 20th century), I commuted to work in Rochester from Stewartville (Birthplace of Sears who started Sears & Roebuck), a drive of about 20 miles to the IBM Manufacturing plant. I would often pass a man peddling his lime green bicycle down Highway 63 towards Rochester and sometimes going home I would pass him peddling his way back to whereever he came.  It didn't matter what the weather was, this man made the daily trip to Rochester through Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. I've seen him peddling down the highway in below zero winter weather in January and February. Finally, I asked a local who this guy was. Turns out he lived in Spring Valley, which is about 30 miles from Rochester. He used to walk to Rochester every day carrying a gas can. People would think his car ran out of gas and give him a ride. Finally, people caught on and quit giving him a ride (that's when he got his name Gascan), so he got a bicycle. He would travel to Rochester and attend all the car sales in town that had free hot dogs and popcorn and then go home.  In the '80's, his ramshackled house caught fire during the night and he didn't make it out.    

[Ron Wenrich]

We have a guy like that in my old hometown.  He is supposed to be a nephew of Milton Hershey - the candymaker.  He never had any money and had a physical impairment that didn't allow him to drive.

When he turned 16, he used to tool around the area on a farm tractor, an old Oliver, if I recall  You don't need a license to drive a farm tractor.  The cops caught on, and then he had to ride bike or walk.

One night he was cited for riding a horse into a local bar.  He liked to drink.

Another night, he was riding his bike around town about 11 PM.  The cops told him they didn't want to see him ride that bike anymore that night.  So, he went home and got a different bike.   :D  The police were not amused.

[woodmills1]

there used to be an old drunk in my hometown who was famous for playing the piano.  seems he knew just about any song anyone asked for.  the dam*&est thing was he kept a cigarette in his mouth till it was all ash, but it never fell off.  years later I Iearned if you stick a fine wire down into the tobacco the ash sticks to it as it cools :D

[Bro. Noble]

Our local character got drunk and ran off of the low-water slab while crossing the creek in front of our house.  It was about 2:00 AM during a downpour.

He really appreciated my help.

Stopped to thank me whenever he was in our neighborhood for a year or two---------didn't make any difference what time of day or night.

Noble