"CLEANING THE BASEMENT" or "FINDING HIDDEN TREASURES"

How do I open this one? Shall I entitle it “CLEANING THE BASEMENT” or “FINDING HIDDEN TREASURES”. Sounds like an oxymoron to me, but I think I will stick to my guns (no reflection on our President, honest) and hold to the double title. If that sounds like a slipped in commercial (see “I THINK SOMETHING IS TICKLING MY TOES” and “WHY CAN'T WE DANCE TOO?”) at www.geeastory.com. I hope it is effective, but it was not intentional.

I recently realized that, if sometime in the future, someone was asked to analyze the content of our basement (I prefer recreation room or bar), it could be a formidable task. Of course, they could rely upon the services of a certain brother-in-law, who is extremely efficient and would probably contract a super-vacall, insert same down into lower level, and throw the switch. Problem solved, except, the process could have absorbed a lost long mystery item that has been buried in the archives since 1989 and would like to find a home. In explanation, let's turn back the clock some 25 years for a review.

During a 1989 fishing trip out of Milwaukee harbor, we netted a black cap, which was floating leisurely in the big lake. This was nothing unusual, except it had medals from the 1988 Birkebeiner, the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and bore the label , BLACK MALLARD RESORT, LAKE SISSABAGAMA, STONE LAKE, WIS. We attended several subsequent meetings of the Great Lakes Sport Fishermen and announced the recovery of this cap—to no avail.

Rather than leave this old orphan out there without a parent, I thought it would be worth one last try. Anybody recognizing the responsible parent may email nozdive@sbcglobal.net and we would be happy to un-net the cap and return it to its rightful owner. It would also contribute to decluttering of the rec room.

This, of course, will not conclude the other necessary efforts in the “bar”, but it will help.