State Representative David Bly, MN District 25B

It may well have been planning too much to host a family reunion in the midst of my hectic campaign, but I agreed to host it three years ago and I did not want to disappoint my cousins. So last week, I spent what ever time I could spare and then some visiting with relatives at the Willows on the River resort in Lake City. I heard very good things about the resort and the exceptional view of Lake Pepin, but the weather did not cooperate until the last few days when we finally had some comfortable weather and sunny skies.

My relatives were interested in my campaign, and I filled them in on my progress and even gave them a lesson in the etiquette of door knocking and how to deal with a threatening dog. They got a look at my campaign lit and a “no obligations” stump speech. My cousin, David Bly, as you might imagine was the most interested and wanted everything from t-shirts to buttons and bumper stickers to show his friends in Seattle. I wondered how he will explain the State of Minnesota shadow behind the ‘B’ in my logo. Oh well, I’m sure he’ll think of something, we’re a creative family. It was good to be with them and talk about what issues concern them, and although many of them are Republicans, they indicated they have a lot of concerns about the direction our country is headed in.

My busy week was topped off by the visit of Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards to Marion Fogarty’s home.

Marion is one of my strongest supporters in Belle Plaine. It was great to see her so excited about the visit, and I could tell she was proud of the attention. Throughout the day, she kept repeating, “It’s amazing” with the broadest grin, and was the best hostess that Edwards could hope for. I hope she can adjust to mailings and duties as my Belle Plaine sign organizer after all the excitement.

I did make it back for a farewell to the relatives and Lake Pepin at least for Summer ‘04.