Leaving Carp Lake, Michigan, Earlier Than Planned

Saturday, May 30, 2009
Knowing we had to cross the Mackinaw Bridge and that high winds were expected over the weekend, we decided to leave Carp Lake today. Yesterday and today we worked all day getting ready to leave...saying goodbyes, cleaning house and cabins, storing machinery and outside items, closing down water heaters, washing clothes and transferring 'stuff' to Molly II.

We crossed Bridge doing 20 mph at 1 pm under high wind warnings and stopped at Lakeshore RV Park for the night so tomorrow we could get an early start.
Later, Helen will add to this post and will fill you in on details of the above. See her later comments below the photos of Lake Michigan and Wycamp Road.
Last Thursday we drove out Wycamp Road, and then on to the small village of Bliss and stopped at the old Bliss general store for ice cream. On Wycamp Road, deep in the forest, you expect to see a bear at every turn. We often see campers' pitched tents on the shore of the lake on Wycamp Road.

Texas Molly II stands sentry, looking over Lake Michigan

Last evening we visited my only living aunt. Aunt Ruth was married to my Mother's youngest brother. Aunt Ruth is 87 yrs. young. She lives alone in a lovely warm apartment overlooking the Straits of Mackinaw. What a view she has. My Mom would love it. Her children, my cousins, are looking after her.

The Straits are the point where the Great Lakes - Michigan, Huron, and Superior converge. The lakes are carribean blue with white caps and white sand dunes.

Up here in the Upper Peninsula you really start getting the "Up North" scenery and feelings that the Indians and French Canadian trappers were here yesterday. Mackinaw Island has a large museum with the history of the Astor Fur Trading Company. How did these Indians roam these enormous lakes in birch bark canoes? How did they survive the winters? My relatives, great grandparents, navigated the Great Lakes from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by Lake Champlain and Erie to Michigan by boat to settle here as pioneers. My grandfather owned timberland and was a lumberjack.

Now we are transitioning into a new generation and I find that Larry and I will be the oldest ones vacationing up here! What a revelation - aren't I just 17 yrs young???

It is really hard economically for this younger generation no matter which part of the country they have settled. They are all hanging tight,tho, to the heritage up here in the north country. They are going to do things differently but are maintaining the strong family ties. Mom can be proud even tho she cannot come up here again.

We are headed west.

Contrasting Weather in Carp Lake

We enjoyed beautiful weather, calm water and sunshine, but now clouds, strong, heavy 40 mph winds and choppy waves in the lake. Look at these contrasting photos.

"Somewhere in Time"

It is finally one of those days in Michigan that cannot be described. The air is blowing very softly and warm off of the lake and there are diamonds on the water. This is what we use to call it as kids and still do call the sparkles diamonds.


We are getting ready for the week end and had to recharge Texas Molly II's batteries yesterday as she is operating in dry doc.

Relatives are coming for the week end we hear. Yeah! Our family hails from Nova Scotia to Mississippi and Conneticutt to Washington. There is something about this place that always brings all of us back at some time.

Being Memorial Day week end, there is going to be a re-enactment at Fort Michilimackinac of the time the Indians played ball outside of the fort with tomahawks hidden under their blankets. When the ball "accidentally" went into the fort and the gate was opened, that was all she wrote for the occupants of the fort - the massacre at Fort Michilimackinac in the 1700's. It should be an exciting day.

Went to church at the Mackinaw Presbyterian/Methodist Church on Sunday and heard a good sermon about "I am the vine, you are the branches, and you will bear fruit". The church was very full and not enough room in the choir loft for the volunteer choir. I believe some early summer people were there like us. It was good to be there again. A nice peacefulness settled over me as I was sitting next to my "retired" preacher husband. Larry is enjoying his retirement and reaping all of the benefits of his hard work in the vineyard. The church has lots of plans for the coming summer months, The locals also are the actors at the fort this week end.

The cold, cold nine months of winter here bring on an absolutely beautiful 3 month summer at the Straits of Mackinaw. It is almost time for the 47 varieties of lilacs to bloom that the French imported to Michigan soil. The Lilac Festival is in June on Mackinaw Island.

Well, I have to do my chores and then we are going to the big lake today - Michigan -and walk the sand dunes. Yes, the Great Lakes are the colors of the Carribean and the sand dunes are a beautiful white sand dotted with evergreen trees. A real treat! We are "Somewhere in Time'.

Church & Carp Lake

Last Sunday, May 17, we worshipped at The Church of the Straits, a union church of the Presbyterian USA and United Methodist denominations. We've worshipped there through the years and I have preached there. Sunday was a full congregation and an excellent sermon by their former interim pastor who was filling in for their pastor who was at the UMC annual conference. The church overlooks the straits.

Today Honey dived in the water after a stick I threw. She loves the lake! Got her bath the fun way.

Beautiful day today! Wow! What a change in weather. 47 yesterday, near 70 today.

Got Jerry's Yamaha outboard on the small boat today, then attached my Minn Kota trolling motor. If weather holds I'll go flyfishing late today.

Our laptop is slow these days as I subscribed to Carbonite.Com, an offsite data storage site. It takes several days for Carbonite to download and save every file and all software on your computer. Check it out. Cost is reasonable, $49 annual.

Cold & Wet in Carp Lake

It's cold and wet, raining, in Carp Lake in northern most Michigan. No outside work today. We filled about 30 bags of leaves thus far (another 30 await us) and two hugh piles of limbs and cleaned up after the squirrels in the laundry room.

We're heading to Walmart in a short while.

Earlier this week, we visted PaPa Ike's grave. Here's Helen cleaning the grave stone.

Depression

Headlines from The Detroit News May 14, 2009

DPS (Detroit Public Schools) asks feds for disaster funding

Judgment day looms for dealers (auto dealers)

Michigan outlook sours; jobless rate to hit 17%

Foreclosure help sent to state senate

UAW faces painful transformation

Worst of Detroit is off Woodward

Litterbugs pile on to Detroit's woes
(Column by Nolan Finley)

"I'm disgusted with the amount of trash blowing around Detroit this spring. Plastic bags and bottles, foam cups, discarded newspapers, detritus of every sort is stacked up against freeway fences and caught in roadside curbs. The fields are blooming with crumpled fast food bags. Nearly every foot of pavement is covered with glass fragments. Meanwhile, the trash barrels scattered every hundred yards or so are empty."

"This fouling of our nest is reflective of a community that has just given up."

I hope this is not catching.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr Not Spring Yet

We are hunkering down and getting out the sox, sweatshirts, jackets and scarves. Cold and damp up in the northland. 55 degrees today which feels like 45 degrees and going to 29 degrees tonite. It is suppose to be warmer tomorrow. We shall see. Having HOT soup for supper. YOU do not wish you were here! (not right now)
The trees are just budding out a little. Lilacs don't come until mid June. We are a little early. hmmmmmmmmmmmm

PS It is very depressed up here economically. The newspapers are very depressing. It is just depressed. Need a shot of Mary Poppins or somthing! A little bit of sugar makes the medicine go down.???

Michigan

We arrived in Michigan, about 2 pm this afternoon. It is quiet here, but all looks the same. The weather warmed up and was about 68 degrees in sunshine with no wind. A great welcome. The lake is very calm for those of you who have been here. There were no diamonds on the lake. It seems utterly normal to be here and I am quite sure there are a lot of friendly ghosts around watching. At least all of the people of the past are constantly on my mind, especially my Dad. Aunt Bette's property looks just the same but is not the same, knowing her presence is gone forever. I am sure her family will be around though this summer.

Photo taken at 9:40 p.m., poor quality but shows the loverly lake.


It is a privilege to be here and quite appropriate as the oldest to be the first here this summer. I do know that some of the family will be here to enjoy it again this year.

The dock is in and Larry put one of the little row boats in the water. He brought our electric trolling motor with us. Larry has already hit the lake with his flyrod. He plans to troll in the row boat. Looks like we may get some rain and wind tomorrow but I think it will not last long. We will be here until June 1st when we will head west again for summer and fall. We will try to check in with most of you by phone when we can. Blessings, Helen

Flint, Michigan

Just settled in an RV park a few miles from Frankenmuth, MI. On to Carp Lake tomorrow

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL

Honoring your Mom also brings forth the best in Dads and provides a day of simple celebration for Mom, Dad and children. It is an opportunity to show your respect and love for part of the family that has provided love, service, guidance and knitting of the family ties. Old Moms are remembered for the past years and Moms who are actually present are honored for life as it is. Future Moms are shown how family life is affected by the female members and what the future can hold for them.

As I write, my own Mom is being cared for as she taught us to care for others. My daughter is enjoying her day of fun and relaxation with her girls. My son is honoring his wife on Mom's day and preparing his sons and daughter for the future.
Two of my grandchildren are able to be with their Mom because others have given them that gift.

Today as I reflect on my own family and Mom and children, I am concerned for the future of all of our lives. I pray that these thoughts are not too heavy on a holiday, but these thoughts have been disturbingly present in my thoughts for days.

Presently, I am reading the book, "How the Scots Invented the Modern World" by Arthur Herman -- "The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It." Having been a Presbyterian since I was 12 years old, this has still been a huge revelation to me of the past influencing us today. I would give my right arm if Obama would read this account of history which helped form our present nation.

The founders of our present system of government were John Knox and George Buchanan in the 1500s in Scotland.

"Knox and Buchanan believed that political power was ordained by God, but that that power was vested not in kings or in nobles or even in the clergy, but in the people.
Here was a vision of politics unlike any other at the time. The people were always more powerful than the ruler they created; they were free to remove them at will."

WOW - WOW - AND WOW! What a mouthful and concept in those days. I am praying that just these few lines will urge you to find this book which is in paperback and on the book shelves right now and read ALL of it for yourselves. I cannot go into how Scotland became one of the earlest and best educated nations in the world. I cannot go into how they propelled themselves into creating our world as we know it today. I do not know if you know that most of the men killed at the Alamo fighting for freedom from Mexico were Scotch Irish descendants such as Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie and most of the others who died there.

I recently visited the Alamo on the 173rd birthday of the day Santa Ana had shot all of the Alalmo rebels at daylight. There was a reenactment and it was very chilling indeed. Praise God for another Scot, Sam Houston, who whipped Santa Ana at San Jacinto with 900 Scotsmen to his 2,000 Mexican troops.

The Alamo














Reenactment of the Battle at the Alamo















Texas Flag Flying Over the Alamo

I have travelled across America and found evidence of Scottish leadership everywhere. I am of German descent. My husband is of Scottish descent.

Please if you have a little extra time here and there to read this book, I think you will find it uplifting and supportive in your own way of life. It is something our children should understand for their futures.

I am celebrating 68 wonderful years of my life here with Larry quietly in Walton, KY, on our way to the only place I could really call home, Carp Lake, MI. It has been a great run and I praise God for 45 years of being a mom and grandmother. My kids are wonderful as I know yours are too. They can insure the future if we continue to try and give them the tools.

Our travels have certainly been "Happy Trails".

Happy Moms Day to all of you.

Helen

Michigan Bound!

We parked last evening (May 8) at Vollunteer RV park in Heiskell, TN, on our way to Carp Lake, Michigan, to work at the old vacation home compound, hoping to improve its possibilities of selling. Vol Park is a UT theme oriented park, so our Ole Miss stickers got attention of several campers. Leave this morning for Walton, KY, for two days, then on to Fenton, MI, for a night before the last 300 miles to Carp Lake.

Preparing to Leave for Michigan

Before we leave this Thursday for Carp Lake, MI, we have several chores to complete re Texas Molly II.
We enjoyed a Mothers' Day dinner last evening at Jerry & Jean's home in Decatur and Mrs. Ike (Helen's mom) was present, as was a host of family. Helen took this photo of her mother wearing Helen's cowgirl hat.






We'll take five days to get to Carp Lake, then stay there cleaning, etc., until June 1 when we leave for Jackson Hole, WY to meet friends.