Carried within most adults, but tucked beneath many layers is an indelible imprint of their childhood neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods of the past were often the universe for growing kids. This was certainly true for many who grew up in the decades preceding 1970.
Within the framework of only a few blocks, children ventured out from the nest and got their first tastes of the world. Through the landscape and the people they encountered, many experienced the first reflections of themselves.
And subtle observations were internalized, creating feelings that might not resurface for many years to come.
Bernie “Spike” Woods grew up in the port village of Ranier. Teacher, artist and now author, he returned to his hometown in 1999 after living many years away. Approaching the high end of middle age, he began taking daily walks through his old community “to get back in shape.”
As Woods passed by the familiar Ranier landmarks and buildings, he began to excavate the memories these icons ignited. The sounds of joy at the Ranier Beach; the raw language of men in their shops; the shadows of quirky and elusive individuals; and of course the Ranier dogs — came flooding back to Woods.
With artistic talent only called upon sporadically because he “must be emotionally involved to create,” Woods decided to do a one-time pencil and ink rendering of one of his cherished childhood views: a perspective from the Ranier Beach across the bay to the city dock area. It was a view he had created in watercolors as a child. The painting had hung on his aunt Avis Herbert’s wall as long as he could remember.
The cast of characters in Woods’ childhood, several of them family, provided a colorful youth, albeit barren at times. Lessons in heartbreak and happiness; forgiveness and kindness; as well as a handful of redneck adventures gave Woods plenty to write about.
But unique to all of the characters in Woods’ past is the town to which they bonded — Ranier — a tiny lakeside community rich with history, charm and plenty of earthiness.
A sampling of Woods’ illustrations stirred the memories of others who saw his work. Woods began to render more of the village landmarks of which he had personal recollections.
What has resulted is the serendipitous publication of a distinctive coffee table book entitled “Ranier, Minnesota: My hometown” featuring 26 of Woods’ characteristic drawings done in fine-point ink and colored pencils. Every landmark is accompanied by a coordinating vignette that summarizes the character of each dwelling in Woods’ memory.
What Woods has achieved is a sweeping visual history of Ranier, in the year of its 100th birthday.
The artist synopsizes each rendering with the unpretentious perspective of a young boy, and the unceremonious way he saw things then. But Woods reminisces with humble humor and eloquence.
In casual conversation about the book with The Daily Journal, he reveals additional stories that were either too personal or too sad to include. The emotion and the detail in Woods’ language also reveal the deep compassion he has harbored for the characters of his youth.
Woods loves Ranier.
The book’s introduction states that the aim is not to give a history lesson, although the history provided is easily absorbed. Woods didn’t think about Ranier’s rare geographical positioning or its rugged past when he was growing up: “He just accepted the life he was born into on a day-to-day basis, probably like millions of his contemporaries scattered across America, who also innocently and unquestioningly accepted the circumstances of their own young lives.”

A bit of Bernie background
Bernie Woods (b. 1944) is of French, Polish, English and Norwegian descent. He grew up the third child of 12 born to Marvel “Dode” (Lessard) and the late Edmund C. Woods. “We are all so different, I can’t believe we have the same parents,” he said. As he grew, he remembers realizing that his family was poor. His parents were strict, but there was always discussion, humor, and civic awareness, he added.
His writing contains tongue-in-cheek quips about the joys of sharing life with 11 brothers and sisters — the late Sam, Ruth, Betsy, Connie, Pam, Mary Ann, Laurie, Paula, Ed, Fred and Barry. He and his siblings have learned to be survivors, he said.
Mother Dode Woods was born and has lived all of her 88 years in Ranier. Her family, the Lessards of French descent, came to Ranier via Quebec from the old country and were commercial fishermen historically. Father Edmund Woods, who died in 1996, was born in International Falls and descended from the Isle of Wight in England.
“Spike” (a label he received from his uncle Paul Swendsen) Woods believes that he was an unusual child. He also believes that he marched to his own drummer at an early age. He remembers angering the St. Thomas nuns by questioning the black and white teachings of Catechism. “I see everything in shades of gray,” Woods muses.
Woods is named after his father’s brother Bernie “Beans” Woods who was killed at Anzio, Italy, during WWII. “It has been really strange seeing my name on commemorative plaques and on a stone at the local cemetery,” he said.
Somewhat of a mystery to Woods is why so many adults of his childhood shared their stories “with just a punk kid.” The book project has provided new information for his contemporaries, he said, and fresh observations.
Woods is a graduate of Bemidji State University and was a teacher of geography, art, history, and government to mostly eighth graders in Inver Grove Heights. He lived 33 years in South St. Paul. Now divorced, he is the father of Jenny (b. 1970), Jill (b. 1972), and Molly (b. 1977) who will visit Ranier soon.
His art appears in different mediums; and he is also known for the political cartoons he creates.

About the book
Woods had three rules for the production of his work: The places he rendered must be only of Ranier; they had to be in existence when he was a kid; and they must still be in existence today.
Dogs appear on every rendering. Some are alive today and some are dogs of days gone by. Woods includes several captivating and nostalgic photos of his family at the end of the book which also includes a 1907 plat map of Ranier.
The details in Woods’ drawings invite savoring. And the nuances and secrets of his childhood as well as shades of minutiae about the town’s characters are laced here and there between the artwork. But every two pages has its own integrity.
And Woods’ book is replete with several reviews. The Rev. Tom Aitken of the Falls writes: “The older you grow, the more you recognize that true treasure is not far from your own house and neighborhood. Bernie has an amazing ability to see those treasures, even the tarnished ones, for what they are; the simple joys we are all intended to enjoy. This book is down-to-earth, refreshing spirituality.”
Larry Bollig of KSTP Radio St. Paul/Minneapolis offers: “Anyone who has ever grown up in a small town will not be able to put this book down.”
Woods concludes that in the end, it really doesn’t make any difference where a person’s roots are. “Simply put, there seems to be a certain universalism to all our growing-up lives. The place of our origins, as it turns out, is not the most significant aspect at all. The people with whom we interacted and by whom we were influenced in some form, whether great or small, good or bad, in our formative years, is what is most lasting.”
Woods finds it gratifying that even people from outside the area, some who have never been to Ranier, are sharing childhood remembrances about good and painful, but significant events or people. But all the remembrances were important enough to leave an indelible mark, he noted. “We are what we were, it seems.”
Woods will be signing copies of “Ranier, Minnesota: My hometown” on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Woody’s deck in Ranier. The book is priced at $55 and more information may be found at www.rainerbookandprints.com.
Individual 8-1/2 inch by 11 inch prints of any of the 26 renderings within the book are also available at $22.50 each. Complete sets of the work are displayed at Grandma’s Pantry and the Ranier Post Office.

If you go:
WHAT: Book signing of “Ranier, Minnesota, My hometown: A Journey Back to Childhood” by Bernie “Spike” Woods
WHEN: Saturday • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Woody’s Deck in Ranier
WHY: This coffee table edition is a collection of Woods’ original renderings of the landmarks of Ranier, as well as Woods’ childhood memories. Price: $55