A Ton of Little Parks

What is so nice about this area of Michigan is all the little parks.  It seems that all you have to do is turn around twice and you are in another little park.  One of my favorite little parks is Sayler Park in Yuba, right off SR31.  It is wooded and yet has fields that my dogs love to run and play fetch in.  The park also has a beach on Lake Michigan where the dogs like to swim and play in the waves.  It is quiet and isolated, yet well-kept up.  It’s fenced in so the dogs stay close at hand if I take them off their leads when no one is in the park.

Driving north on 31 from Yuba to Elk Rapids, you can visit the Elk Rapids Day Park also on Lake Michigan.  In this park is a Walk of Art which features 30 different sculptures.  These sculptures are rotated in and out so that a hike along the trails offers a variety for each hike.  The trails are nestled within pine and of course there is the ever present sound of the waves of Lake Michigan rolling onto the beach.  When strolling along the trails and stopping to enjoy the sculptures, it is as if you are in nature’s art museum.  Indeed, you never look at the same sculpture in quite the same way as nature puts her touch to each depending on the weather, time of day and the sounds she surrounds each piece with.  It is truly a delightful sensory overload.

From Elk Rapids you can drive south on Elk Lake Road and within minutes end up at Whitewater Township Park on Elk Lake.  This park is within walking distance from my house.  The trails lead to meadows and sand dunes that are lined with pines.  There is swimming, fishing , camping and a boat ramp at this park.  It is a beautiful spot for a hike with little ones, whether the two-legged or four-legged kind as the trails are very easy.  We like to end up at the sand dunes and just sit in the warm sand, let the dogs and or children run, and just enjoy the sun soaked sand sifting between our toes.  Of course in the winter, there is no sitting in the sand, but a hike back to the sand dunes offers a landscape view of a brilliant white covering over all.

Although, I have only talked about three little parks in this blog, there are really tons more.  It is my goal to visit all the parks.  This may take me a couple of years as there are so many interesting natural niches along the lakes.  Wish me luck!

Below are a few picture of Sayler Park taken this past week.  Even though the water looks inviting, it is very cold!

Around Elk Lake: The Mystery of Kewadin

Around Elk Lake: The Mystery of Kewadin:             On the north shore of Elk Lake lies the community of Kewadin.   I set out one warm November afternoon to discover the origin...

The Mystery of Kewadin

            On the north shore of Elk Lake lies the community of Kewadin.  I set out one warm November afternoon to discover the origins of this community.  Now, there is not much in this little township just around the bend from Elk Rapids.  At one time it had a gas station, but that is now closed.  There is the Kewadin Indian Mission, a post office, the town hall and The Oasis – a bar and eatery.  Much to many people’s surprise, the Kewadin Casino is not located in this township, but rather there are several Kewadin Casinos located in the Upper Penninsula.

            I first drove through the community and around a bit, trying to get the lay of the land.  I spied the town hall, but it was closed.  I thought, well, I’ll stop in the post office.  I asked the clerk on duty if he knew the story behind Kewadin.  He told me, “No, I’m from Traverse City.  I first came here looking for the casino.”  We laughed and then a second clerk came in.  The first clerk asked the second clerk if she knew the origin of this little burg.  She thought it was named after a Chippewa chief but that was all.  I thanked them, and was turning to leave, when an elderly woman came in to get her mail.  The first clerk said, “hey ask her, she should know.”  I introduced myself and she said she was Mary Ellen Sarasin* and lived next door.  She invited me to come over to her house where she had a book that told about Chief Ke-Way-Din. 

            I sat down on a bench just outside the side door.  Ms. Sarasin returned with the book, Milton Township 150 Years Young: A Collection of Memories. In it she showed me the pages about the life of Ke-Way-Din who apparently died in 1884.  In this article, it states that Ke-Way-Din means Northwest Wind.  However, in a following sketch, it states that his name means North Wind.  Well, I don’t do well with anomalies so I decided to start my own research on this fellow who lent his name to the community.

            As it turns out, I have been researching Kewadin on and off for the past two months and Chief Ke-Way-Din seems to be a rather elusive chief in history.  First, there seems to be a question of whether he was Chippewa or Ottawa.  According to the Milton Township text, he was Chippewa.  However, according to Vogel (1986), he was Ottawa. 

            The Milton Township text also states that the community of Kewadin used to be known as We-qua-ge-mog, which also seems to mean north wind.  The question becomes, was this Chief Ke-Way-Din also known as We-qua-ge-mog, or was that the name of the community before someone decided to change the name of the community to Kewadin? Possibly this could account for the discrepancy of the meaning of Chief Ke-Way-Din’s name as meaning North Wind or Northwest Wind.

            It seems that Chief Ke-Way-Din died on the north shore of Elk Lake, but where did he come from?  Was he born there?  What did he do during his lifetime?  Possibly this Chief Ke-Way-Din was at the signing of the Treaty of Fond du Lac (modern day Duluth, Minnesota) in 1826, as well as one of the signers of the Treaty of Detroit in July 31^st of 1855.  However, this may not be the same chief as it seems Kewadin was a rather common name.

            So here I am, left with many more questions than when I started out with.  Chief Ke-Way-Din has gotten under my skin and I will continue to research about him and his life. If anyone reading this blog has any information or resources to share, I would greatly appreciate it. I think it is important to keep history alive and as near accurate as possible.  Though you know what they say, “history depends on who writes it,” and if it’s left up to me, it could become rather colorful.  Just kidding – maybe.

*A very special thank you to Ms. Mary Ellen Sarasin for taking time out of her day to sit down with me and give me a starting point for the research of Chief Ke-Way-Din.  Also, I hope I have spelled your name correctly as it is spelled two different ways in the Milton Township text.

Milton Township 150 Years Young: A Collection of Memories. 2015. Milton Township.

Vogel, V. 1986. Indian Names in Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

Ducks Unlimited

One of the quirkiest things my son has done was to buy special plates for a black 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood.  It's not that he bought the plates, but what they said that didn't seem to go along with a Cadillac. When he was starting college, he needed a car.  A very generous friend of mine had this car and just gave it to him. So you have this eighteen year old kid driving a black caddy and then he buys Kentucky plates for the car that say “ducks unlimited”.  The good thing was that part of the proceeds from the plates went to wildlife conservation and I could always find his car. It just made me laugh---it still does.

Speaking of ducks---many different ducks have shown up over the past couple of weeks as Lake Skeegamog is pretty much frozen and right in front of our cottage is a cut where there are weeds and fish just 50 feet in front of us.  The ducks stop in to feed and preen.  Some of the ducks I have seen are golden eyes, common mergansers, hooded mergansers, Northern Shovelers and my favorite, buffleheads.  I have yet to see the Elk Lake loons, but I have heard them.

And it’s not just ducks.  The Canada Geese have been flying overhead, honking their way south.  I know they are as common as blackbirds here, but I love to see their familiar V flying overhead and hearing the honking as if to alert all within hearing that they are coming and are warning all to stay out of their way.  When I lived in Kentucky for 11 years, I really missed seeing the geese flying over. 

The most fascinating sight I have seen was yesterday.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw something huge that was white flying just over the top of the water.  At closer inspection, what I spied were two swans flying.  Now maybe Elk Lake year-round residents have seen swans fly, but I never have.  They were just as graceful in the air as they are swimming on the lake.

I don’t know if I’m seeing all these ducks because of migration or because the lake is quiet without all the boats.  (Though I did see someone kayaking last week.) If anyone knows, please respond to this post.

Anyway, it has been fun to see the different types of fowl on the lake these past couple of weeks.  I hope all living around the lake are enjoying it as much as I am.

                                             

                  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Goldeneye/id © Bill Thompson, Anchorage, Alaska, October 2010

                                        

                              https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shoveler/id

                                

                                     https://www.allaboutbirds.org/search/?q=bufflehead

Down Time and Old Mission

My sister and I were lucky this past week between Christmas and New Year's Day.  We both had unexpected down time.  We decided to take a day trip up to Mission Peninsula which is a peninsula located between East and West Bay of Grand Traverse Bay.  It is known for its wineries and the lighthouse at the end of the peninsula point.  Near the north end of the point of the peninsula, is the small community of Old Mission.  There is a General Store where I've taken my son and his friends when they were young because the store sells old-fashioned candy. 
My sister and I had been tasting wine and ended up at the General Store around lunch time.  I knew they had snacks for sale, but that was all.  We entered the store and saw a sign for sandwiches.  We ordered one each and then were told to go to the room next door to sit down to eat.  All the years I had been visiting this store, I never knew they had a wing on the store where there were tables to sit down and eat. 
We sat at a table beside a beautiful old cast iron stove.  The owner came in and put wood in the stove and lit it.  As he did so, he told us some of the history of the store.  I will not write to you about this history as he is writing a book on it.  Let's just say, it is worth your while to visit the store and talk to the owner.  He will tell you the history in a very animated way.  Because of its history and age, the store needs to be on the National Register of Historical Places. 
We stayed for about 1 1/2 hours listening to the stories and eating the best corned beef on rye you will ever eat.  This little General Store should be included on a trip up north as it is worth it to step into a bit of history, and eat a fantastic sandwich.

Christmas is not just a Day on the Calendar

I love Christmas time.  I take Christmas music in my car and start to play it the day after Thanksgiving.  That’s saying something as my music of choice is classic rock ‘n roll.  I shop for Christmas all year long.  When I hear one of my family members say they would like something, I save it in my memory and then when I come across that item, I buy it, even if it is April.  I love to bake Christmas cookies, cakes and pies and getting together with family is fun-mostly, there is always that one family member.  But you determine to tolerate him/her for the day because, well, they are family.

Flexibility has had to join the Christmas spirit as well.  Since my son works for a TV station, he  often has to work on Christmas Day.  I know people in the medical profession, police, firemen, and the armed forces to name a few often need to work on Christmas as well.  It becomes difficult as well when family lives out of state.  Because of this, our family had Christmas in Battle Creek at my sister’s which was a somewhat middle ground meeting place for my father and me at Elk Lake and my son and his wife in Louisville, Kentucky.  We really only had the chance to spend one day together.  It was fun as it was a white Christmas, cold outside, but warm inside.  It was fun to talk to my family in person instead of texting, calling or even facetiming. Everyone left the next day to return to their homes, and once everyone had texted that they were safely home, we all sighed a sigh of relief and crashed in our own beds.

My family’s Christmas is over for this year. It wasn’t about the presents, it was about spending time together, seeing each other, joking at the dinner table, and spending time with Mom at the home, even though she had no idea who we were.  Christmas, though very different from years past, was good because of the love we share for each other and because of the love God has shown us by sending His son for us.

I wish all of you a special, safe, peaceful, joyful and merry Christmas!

                                                 Nat King Cole sings Christmas Song

Unplugging the Family

Do the Millennials spend as much time outside as people in their 50’s and 60’s?  Timothy Egan (2016) discussed that the younger generation is predicted to not visit the National Parks like the Baby Boomer generation.  In an article in the October edition of National Geographic Magazine, Egan talked with Jonathan Jarvis, the director of the National Park Service, who stated, “Young people are more separated from the natural world than perhaps any generation before them (Egan, 2016, 38).”  One of the reasons he gives is that they are distracted by technology more than ever before.  This is not just a National Park issue.  For Elk Lake and Northern Michigan in general, the same problem exists.  Many Millennials are too busy staying up to date on social media to stop, put down the phone, and breathe in the experience that nature provides.

So how do we help our children appreciate nature and all it has to offer?  For beginners, have a time each evening, or at the very least, once a week where the electronic devices go up and you do something together as a family.  This may be working on the house together, playing games, talking, singing, dancing and various other activities.  Be creative! If you have time, go on a short vacation, up North to Elk Lake and the region is an excellent place to unplug.

Elk Lake is a great place for families.  Whether you want to rent a cottage hotel or you like to camp, this is the place to make unforgettable memories.  Even though getting internet connection is no problem, you’ll want to have a put the phones and tablets up rule because family fun on the lake is way better. 

During the summer, there is nothing better than swimming in the lake and playing in the waves.  If you have small children, Elk is a good place to teach the little ones to swim.  In most places, the lake gets deep gradually so you don’t have to worry about any sudden drops in depth.  This way the children can play with their toys on the beach or in shallow water, without the parents worrying.

For older children, there is kayaking, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, fishing and hiking.  Boating on the lake is a must and gives everyone in the family time to talk and just be together.  This is the time you can connect with your children.

In the fall, hiking in the myriad of parks around the lake is fun and absolutely gorgeous as the trees peak in color.  The cooler temperatures make hiking comfortable.  Be sure to layer clothing as you tend to get hotter the longer the hike.  A good place to go is the Sand Lake Quiet Area.  There is also backcountry camping there as well.  Another place to camp is right on the lake down Park Road.  Here there is a campground, hiking trails and a boat ramp.

During the winter, skiing and snowboarding are in order at the several resorts nearby.  You can visit Nub’s Nob, Boyne Mountain and Crystal Mountain just to name a few spots.  Once the lakes freeze over safely, there is ice fishing and of course one of my favorites, ice-skating.  My grandmother lived on a lake in the southern part of Michigan.  It froze over every winter.  This is where my sister and I learned how to ice-skate.  It was such fun to have the whole family out on the lake, bundled up and skating together-even grandma.

This year with all the snow so far, Elk Lake or Traverse City would be a fantastic spot to have a White Christmas.  In fact, the snow has been falling the past couple of days.  It is a wintry wonderland with the trees snow-covered, the hills bleached white with new-fallen snow and the lake slowing down as it gets ready to freeze.

I encourage all to have a family time when being unplugged is looked upon as fun and memorable.  After all, seeing nature online is not actually experiencing it.  In fact it pales in comparison.  Teach your children that nature needs to be experienced in person, and not just documented on electronic devices.  A healthy natural experience is a legacy that we can leave the younger generations.

Egan, T. with Egan, C. 2016. Unplugging the Selfie Generation. National

     Geographic, Oct. 2016., Vol. 230, N. 4, National Geographic Society.