Back in 1993, when I

Dec 5, 2000

Back in 1993, when I was living in Honolulu with my dad and brother Christopher, I had a Saturday afternoon ritual. I’d spend the early part of the day surfing, or learning how, and by 3 o’clock Chris and I were chugging back to Makiki in the rusted-out white Dodge Colt that someone from my work had given me. Tired and waterlogged, I’d sprawl across the living room carpet, bathed in strong sunlight, and watch the jumbo jets lumber across the Honolulu cityscape on their approach to the airport. And I’d listen to Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion on Hawaii Public Radio. I would laugh. I would cry. I would sing along with the folk singers on the show. And I would inhabit the town of Lake Wobegon along with Keillor’s fabulous cast of characters, who made me think of my Dutch forebears in northern Wisconsin. I’m still listening to Prairie Home Companion. In the December issue of National Geographic, Keillor recounts how he created the fictional town of Lake Wobegon. Listen to his story at www.nationalgeographic.com. If you’ve got a story to tell about Zuikers or Wisconsin or the Wagon Wheel Tavern, send them to me, and I’ll post them here.

Anton Zuiker ☄