Ashes to Aspens

Donna and I have had several talks about our plans for once we die. It's clear that we both want to be cremated. The thought of anyone hawking over our corpse at a funeral is not at all appealing to either of us. We are still in disagreement a bit over whether we would want them buried in a plot somewhere. I'm kind of the thought that it would be good to have somewhere that our kids and grandkids could go to recognize us. Donna says we're not there anyways so what's the point? I tend to agree, but I'm not sold entirely on the idea yet.

We are in agreement that we would both like to have our sprinkled in various locations. So, for the record, here are my top 10 spots I would like mine sprinkled and the reasons why:

  1. Coronado Beach, San Diego, CA. It is one of my favorite places on earth. The City of San Diego itself is my dream home, but the beach at Coronado makes it even better.
  2. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Many great memories of trips with the brothers and friends. I told Donna to pack some of my ashes in a shotgun shell and shoot me over the BWCA. That way I go out in a blaze of glory, so to speak.
  3. The Madison Farmers Market. I love a Saturday stroll around the capitol square with good cup of coffee and a sugar donut.
  4. Myrtle Beach, SC. A close runner-up to Coronado. The weather can be a bit sketchier, but still some great memories with family and in-laws on the white sandy beaches, complete with palm trees.
  5. St. Paul, MN on the lawn of the Greek Orthodox Church where we played football as kids. Best memories of growing up occurred here.
  6. Waukesha, WI. My home away from home.
  7. Black Hills, SD. I love the area. Visited it as a crazy 19 year old and went back with my kids and saw it for all it is.
  8. The highest point on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. Unfathomable beauty and breathtaking vistas at every turn.
  9. The shore of Lake Superior in Duluth MN. The lake holds incredible mystique for me.
  10. Uchi Lake, Ontario Canada. The spot of my first Canadian Fishing fly-in trip. Great fishing, great times, great adventure.
By the time the sprinkling is done with, there may not be much of me left to go around, but if so, a few runner up spots would be:

1. Linwood playground, St. Paul MN, where I played organized football for the first time
2. The Glacial Drumlin Trail, Waukesha, WI. I'm happiest on my bike on this trail. (See last blog post).
3. Spider Lake, Mercer, WI. The place of numerous fun family vacations with the MN clan.

Morbid post, eh? Perhaps, but I'm at the point in my life where this kind of thing doesn't scare me anymore. It's actually kind of a relief to talk about it.

That said, I'll be blogging off...

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