Presque Isle, MI
June 2-8, 2012
Our trip up north started on a hectic note. While I was ready, more or less, by our planned 10 am leave time, my husband was not. Due to having to work long hours in the preceding days, he was still packing and getting ready this morning. He also had to go into work. Once everything was set up so that his collegues could reach him by e-mail while we were up north, it was time to come home, get a snack, and pack up the car. Then we were off... that is until we were nearly on the freeway when I remembered that I forgot the Fleischmann's margarine. The only thing my aunt specifically asked me to bring. I'm severely lactose intolerant and Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine (in stick form) is the only margarine that I can eat but they don't sell it at any store near where my aunt lives. Personally, I use olive oil to cook with but my aunt can't stand oil of any kind and won't eat anything cooked with oil. So, back home we went. I double-checked my checklist of things to bring to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything else. Then we were back on the road. A quick stop at the local gas station and off we went. By the time we reached the first rest stop, it was past our usual lunch time so we stopped, got our food, and picked out a picnic table. Five minutes later, maybe less, I was freezing! Although the temperature was in the 50s, the lack of sun and the strong wind made it feel much colder. We packed up our lunches and ate in the nice warm car.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived at my aunt's house just before dinner time.
Sunday was another chilly day, though sunny. My aunt no longer attends church, but she does watch the Mass on television. I watched with her, and then my husband and I attended Mass at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Posen. The theme of both homilies had to do with the mystery of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I found it interesting that the priest on the TV Mass read a passage from a book by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. I'm currently reading a book by Archbishop Sheen.
In the afternoon, realizing that he had forgotten to bring a few things, my husband decided to go into Alpena. Bored out of my mind, I asked to go with him. At this point, even a trip to Walmart seemed fun.
My aunt and cousins do not have internet access, but the Alpena library has free wifi. My husband would have to check his e-mail multiple times while up north for work purposes, so I brought my laptop with me. This day, he just wanted to check it for personal reasons. After consulting my notes and determining that the library would be open for a few hours in the afternoon, we brought my laptop along on our little excursion into town. We parked in front of City Hall.
Our trip up north started on a hectic note. While I was ready, more or less, by our planned 10 am leave time, my husband was not. Due to having to work long hours in the preceding days, he was still packing and getting ready this morning. He also had to go into work. Once everything was set up so that his collegues could reach him by e-mail while we were up north, it was time to come home, get a snack, and pack up the car. Then we were off... that is until we were nearly on the freeway when I remembered that I forgot the Fleischmann's margarine. The only thing my aunt specifically asked me to bring. I'm severely lactose intolerant and Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine (in stick form) is the only margarine that I can eat but they don't sell it at any store near where my aunt lives. Personally, I use olive oil to cook with but my aunt can't stand oil of any kind and won't eat anything cooked with oil. So, back home we went. I double-checked my checklist of things to bring to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything else. Then we were back on the road. A quick stop at the local gas station and off we went. By the time we reached the first rest stop, it was past our usual lunch time so we stopped, got our food, and picked out a picnic table. Five minutes later, maybe less, I was freezing! Although the temperature was in the 50s, the lack of sun and the strong wind made it feel much colder. We packed up our lunches and ate in the nice warm car.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and we arrived at my aunt's house just before dinner time.
Sunday was another chilly day, though sunny. My aunt no longer attends church, but she does watch the Mass on television. I watched with her, and then my husband and I attended Mass at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Posen. The theme of both homilies had to do with the mystery of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I found it interesting that the priest on the TV Mass read a passage from a book by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. I'm currently reading a book by Archbishop Sheen.
In the afternoon, realizing that he had forgotten to bring a few things, my husband decided to go into Alpena. Bored out of my mind, I asked to go with him. At this point, even a trip to Walmart seemed fun.
My aunt and cousins do not have internet access, but the Alpena library has free wifi. My husband would have to check his e-mail multiple times while up north for work purposes, so I brought my laptop with me. This day, he just wanted to check it for personal reasons. After consulting my notes and determining that the library would be open for a few hours in the afternoon, we brought my laptop along on our little excursion into town. We parked in front of City Hall.
I stopped to admire the peonies.
But when we got to the library door, we noticed it was closed. I had failed to write in my notes that the library is closed on Sundays during the months of June, July, and August. Undaunted, my husband wondered if the free wifi extended outside the library. It did. He sat in the car checking e-mail and writing responses on Facebook while I watched the walkers and bicyclists and cars go by, all the while thinking I wish I had brought my iPod Touch so I too could catch up on my e-mail, blogs, and news sites that I follow.
When planning this trip, we had two things we wanted to do while we were here. (1) My husband wanted to go on the shipwreck tour and (2) I wanted to go to the Besser Museum. On Monday morning, my husband called the Maritime Heritage Center to see what time the tour was. If he hurried, he may just make it to the dock in time. Unfortunately, he was two minutes late. On Tuesday he left early and had an enjoyable two hour tour of the shipwrecks in Thunder Bay. Although difficult to see, here's an anchor from one of the shipwrecks:
When planning this trip, we had two things we wanted to do while we were here. (1) My husband wanted to go on the shipwreck tour and (2) I wanted to go to the Besser Museum. On Monday morning, my husband called the Maritime Heritage Center to see what time the tour was. If he hurried, he may just make it to the dock in time. Unfortunately, he was two minutes late. On Tuesday he left early and had an enjoyable two hour tour of the shipwrecks in Thunder Bay. Although difficult to see, here's an anchor from one of the shipwrecks:
While he was touring, I stayed in Presque Isle and kept my aunt company, watched some TV, read the newspaper, and worked on a word puzzle or two.
In the late afternoon we went to my cousin's place for a BBQ rib dinner. Unfortunately, the rib dinner, while delicious, didn't agree with me. That evening was not a pleasant one. I vowed to remember to tell my cousin that next time he wants to make ribs, to make me some without his special BBQ sauce. In years past he did that and all was fine. This year he forgot, but assured me that what was in his sauce was not on my "do not eat list." But, clearly there was something that I should not have been eating... Live and learn...
On Wednesday, we had planned on going to the Besser Museum, then have a picnic in Duck Park a quarter mile away, and then go back to the library so that my husband could check his e-mail. Early that morning, it wasn't looking like this would happen since I was still suffering the effects of the dinner last night. But, by late morning, I was feeling better so we decided to stick with our original plans.
A hearty "Thank You" goes out to my husband who either took these pictures or lent me his camera so I could take these pictures (the ones with the date stamp). Despite charging the batteries in my camera the Friday before we left, and only taking a few pictures before this day, my camera batteries were nearly completely dead, allowing me to take only one picture at the museum. How frustrating. Next time, I have to remember to bring extra batteries.
The museum itself is hard to miss. As you're driving up you see this:
In the late afternoon we went to my cousin's place for a BBQ rib dinner. Unfortunately, the rib dinner, while delicious, didn't agree with me. That evening was not a pleasant one. I vowed to remember to tell my cousin that next time he wants to make ribs, to make me some without his special BBQ sauce. In years past he did that and all was fine. This year he forgot, but assured me that what was in his sauce was not on my "do not eat list." But, clearly there was something that I should not have been eating... Live and learn...
On Wednesday, we had planned on going to the Besser Museum, then have a picnic in Duck Park a quarter mile away, and then go back to the library so that my husband could check his e-mail. Early that morning, it wasn't looking like this would happen since I was still suffering the effects of the dinner last night. But, by late morning, I was feeling better so we decided to stick with our original plans.
A hearty "Thank You" goes out to my husband who either took these pictures or lent me his camera so I could take these pictures (the ones with the date stamp). Despite charging the batteries in my camera the Friday before we left, and only taking a few pictures before this day, my camera batteries were nearly completely dead, allowing me to take only one picture at the museum. How frustrating. Next time, I have to remember to bring extra batteries.
The museum itself is hard to miss. As you're driving up you see this:
The eagle sculpture, crafted in 2000, was made by Tom Moran, an iron sculptor and owner of Moran Iron Works in Onaway, Michigan.
As you pull into the parking lot, you see this tribute to the Unknown Soldier, also crafted by Tom Moran.
As you pull into the parking lot, you see this tribute to the Unknown Soldier, also crafted by Tom Moran.
Then there's the tribute to fallen soldiers.
On the other side of the entrance to the museum there's this relaxing fountain.
The style of architecture of the museum itself reminds me of a couple of buildings on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan (my alma mater).
The name "Besser" is very prominent in Alpena. Touring the museum, I found out why.
Cement-making is still a big part of the economy in Alpena. Here's a picture of the cement plant as taken from the shipwreck tour.
Old cars always catch my eye and this one was no exception. It's a Flanders, the predecessor to the Studebaker.
The museum has a large collection of Native American artifacts. Here's my husband learning about stone tools. (Sorry about the fuzziness. My phone's camera is not the best.)
Here are some more Native American artifacts:
For some reason, I'm fascinated by this sandal. Maybe because it's made out of a plant and yet it hasn't disintegrated after all these thousands of years.
Quoted from one of the plaques included in the exhibit (for all those proofreaders out there, the original plaque includes two spellings of Mr. Haltimer's name too):
Naub-cow-za-win Discs
Found in four locations in Alpena, most of the discs came from one location on an ancient Great Lake sand beach. Collected by Mr. Gerald Hatimer in the late 1940s and 1950s, Mr. Haltimer recognized these artifacts as prehistoric. He requested the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History authenticate the artifacts. The University anthropologists determined them to be recent manufacture and not prehistoric artifacts. Mr. Haltimer was not deterred and the artifacts were passed into the collections of the Besser Museum. In 1982 the artifacts came to the attention of Richard Clute. Clute visited the locations from which items were reported found. One location had not been changed in the years from 1950 to 1982 so it was determined that archeology students from Alpena Community College, under Clute's direction, would do a controlled excavation at the site. The effort proved the authentic provenance of the artifacts when they were found in undisturbed association with prehistoric ceramics of very well known provenance.
The Besser Museum curates about 200 of these discs. Clute and Alpena Community College students recovered another 150 discs. The items and associated artifacts recovered in the 1983-84 excavation are now curated at the University of Michigan Museum.
Naub-cow-za-win Discs
Found in four locations in Alpena, most of the discs came from one location on an ancient Great Lake sand beach. Collected by Mr. Gerald Hatimer in the late 1940s and 1950s, Mr. Haltimer recognized these artifacts as prehistoric. He requested the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History authenticate the artifacts. The University anthropologists determined them to be recent manufacture and not prehistoric artifacts. Mr. Haltimer was not deterred and the artifacts were passed into the collections of the Besser Museum. In 1982 the artifacts came to the attention of Richard Clute. Clute visited the locations from which items were reported found. One location had not been changed in the years from 1950 to 1982 so it was determined that archeology students from Alpena Community College, under Clute's direction, would do a controlled excavation at the site. The effort proved the authentic provenance of the artifacts when they were found in undisturbed association with prehistoric ceramics of very well known provenance.
The Besser Museum curates about 200 of these discs. Clute and Alpena Community College students recovered another 150 discs. The items and associated artifacts recovered in the 1983-84 excavation are now curated at the University of Michigan Museum.
Quoted from the plaque in the picture above (yes, there is a word missing in the original plaque too):
Meaning of the Naub-cow-zo-win Discs
The Naub-cow-zo-win discs are unique to Alpena. Before these artifacts were verified as prehistoric none were recorded in archeological literature. Since verification as prehistoric artifacts, a single disc has been recovered at an archeological site on Georgian Bay across Lake Huron from Alpena. The purpose or use of the discs is not known. The images that are inscribed on some of the discs powerful spiritual images. They are important in the cosmology of Algonquian peoples to the present time. Most of the discs are without incised images. Some of the discs have holes. Most of the discs exhibit wear as if they were carried and rubbed together in a bag as modern coins exhibit wear as they are carried in a pocket. The images are frequently represented in prehistoric Algonquian rock art and in modern Mide-wi-win scrolls, used in ritual context.
Meaning of the Naub-cow-zo-win Discs
The Naub-cow-zo-win discs are unique to Alpena. Before these artifacts were verified as prehistoric none were recorded in archeological literature. Since verification as prehistoric artifacts, a single disc has been recovered at an archeological site on Georgian Bay across Lake Huron from Alpena. The purpose or use of the discs is not known. The images that are inscribed on some of the discs powerful spiritual images. They are important in the cosmology of Algonquian peoples to the present time. Most of the discs are without incised images. Some of the discs have holes. Most of the discs exhibit wear as if they were carried and rubbed together in a bag as modern coins exhibit wear as they are carried in a pocket. The images are frequently represented in prehistoric Algonquian rock art and in modern Mide-wi-win scrolls, used in ritual context.
In addition to the Native American exhibit, there's an area in the museum re-creating an historic streetscape. This reminded me of something similar at the Detroit Historical Museum.
Among the buildings in this display are a General Store, a lawyer's office, a carpenter's shop, a blacksmith's shop, a cooper's shop, a toy store, a music store, a millinery, and a barber shop. And, according to the sign on the barber shop door, yes, a shave and a haircut was two bits.
The large safe on the left in the picture is part of another exhibit.
Next we came upon a display case with some artifacts of the "modern" age, which probably could be found in the General Store or a pharmacy at the turn of the 20th Century. They even had Prince Albert in a can.
The large safe on the left in the picture is part of another exhibit.
Next we came upon a display case with some artifacts of the "modern" age, which probably could be found in the General Store or a pharmacy at the turn of the 20th Century. They even had Prince Albert in a can.
A butter churn.
Continuing along on the first floor, there was also a large exhibit of Korean War memorabilia.
From there we went downstairs. Here we find a room dedicated to the logging era in the area. Here's part of the exhibit that brought a smile to my lips. The way the racoon is posing is so cute! It looks like it's praying (though it's actually holding a piece of food in its paws). The little bird next to it is a nice touch.
From there we went downstairs. Here we find a room dedicated to the logging era in the area. Here's part of the exhibit that brought a smile to my lips. The way the racoon is posing is so cute! It looks like it's praying (though it's actually holding a piece of food in its paws). The little bird next to it is a nice touch.
The rest of the downstairs is dedicated to taxidermy exhibits of fish and wildlife and along many of the walls are framed leaves from various trees. Who knew there were so many varieties of trees! And, despite the seeming hundreds of varieties displayed, I have a feeling there are many, many more varieties of trees not displayed here.
Just to prove that I definitely was here, here I am next to the museum's Foucault Pendulum.
Just to prove that I definitely was here, here I am next to the museum's Foucault Pendulum.
After visiting the museum we had lunch in Duck Park. Although the sun was out, the wind (was it ever going to let up?) was cold in the shade where we chose to eat our lunch. After lunch I proposed we move to a sunnier picnic spot. I brought my Kindle so I could read the next chapter of "The Moonstone" to my husband. We got into a habit of reading to each other ever since we were engaged. Eventually the habit evolved into only me reading to him. We were enjoying our alone time until my husband caught the eye of a woman walking somewhere behind me. She came over to our table to chat. She was a Jehovah's Witness and wanted to know if we wanted to read their latest Watchtower magazine. She said that they normally come knocking on doors but more often than not people aren't home, so they're trying this approach. Makes sense, but I was not thrilled with the interruption. I politely declined the magazine and told her that I'm Catholic and firm in my faith, so there was no need to leave it with us. In retrospect, I think I would've liked to read it, especially the article about who is a true Christian according to their faith. Something tells me (just an opinion, now) that Catholics would not be listed.
Back to reading... until a car pulls up next to the picnic table we were sitting at. A man in a suit comes out and walks over to us, with a Watchtower magazine in his hand. Politely I tell him that we have already been approached by a woman with the same magazine. He apologizes, gets back in the car, and leaves.
After finishing the chapter, we decide to take a short walk in the park. Then it was off to the library.
Normally libraries do not bore me, but there were only so many magazines that I felt like flipping through while my husband worked on the laptop. I decided to check out the stacks. In comparison to our local library, this one had a more interesting selection of books. In the short time I was there I found about 5 or 6 books that I would like to read. When I browse our local library, I more often than not don't find anything I want to read.
Now we come to the last day of our vacation up north and I was bored again. The sun was shining. It was cool, but not too uncomfortable. My husband went out on my aunt's porch to read his Dean Koontz book. My aunt went next door to talk to her son and daughter-in-law. I decided that it would be nice to take a walk in Thompson's Harbor State Park. I asked my husband if he wanted to go. He agreed and we had a nice 2 mile walk, stopping along the way to admire the wildflowers and the harbor. Here are some pictures from our walk (camera battery fully charged once more).
We walked along the route outlined in orange.
Back to reading... until a car pulls up next to the picnic table we were sitting at. A man in a suit comes out and walks over to us, with a Watchtower magazine in his hand. Politely I tell him that we have already been approached by a woman with the same magazine. He apologizes, gets back in the car, and leaves.
After finishing the chapter, we decide to take a short walk in the park. Then it was off to the library.
Normally libraries do not bore me, but there were only so many magazines that I felt like flipping through while my husband worked on the laptop. I decided to check out the stacks. In comparison to our local library, this one had a more interesting selection of books. In the short time I was there I found about 5 or 6 books that I would like to read. When I browse our local library, I more often than not don't find anything I want to read.
Now we come to the last day of our vacation up north and I was bored again. The sun was shining. It was cool, but not too uncomfortable. My husband went out on my aunt's porch to read his Dean Koontz book. My aunt went next door to talk to her son and daughter-in-law. I decided that it would be nice to take a walk in Thompson's Harbor State Park. I asked my husband if he wanted to go. He agreed and we had a nice 2 mile walk, stopping along the way to admire the wildflowers and the harbor. Here are some pictures from our walk (camera battery fully charged once more).
We walked along the route outlined in orange.
The marsh.
My husband taking a picture of the marsh.
Getting his feet wet a bit, he took a picture of these plants. He isn't sure, but he thinks they're the meat eating plants, called pitcher plants, mentioned on one of the plaques on the trail.
Later in the afternoon, my cousin offered to take us on a boat ride in his pontoon. I declined. I don't do well on boats, even slow "steady" boats. My husband and my cousin's granddaughter went and had a nice time touring Grand Lake.
The next day it was time to go home. We left fairly early, for us. Apparently that's when the wildlife are active. We saw a wild turkey walking along the shoulder on US-23 and farther down the road, on a trail (or driveway, I don't know which), we saw a deer.
The rest of the trip home was uneventful. Upon arriving and unpacking the car, my husband decided to rest and take a nap (he was feeling under-the-weather) and I decided to unpack the rest of the way and do the laundry. Our cat decided that before we do anything we should feed her. Ah, back to day-to-day reality...
The next day it was time to go home. We left fairly early, for us. Apparently that's when the wildlife are active. We saw a wild turkey walking along the shoulder on US-23 and farther down the road, on a trail (or driveway, I don't know which), we saw a deer.
The rest of the trip home was uneventful. Upon arriving and unpacking the car, my husband decided to rest and take a nap (he was feeling under-the-weather) and I decided to unpack the rest of the way and do the laundry. Our cat decided that before we do anything we should feed her. Ah, back to day-to-day reality...
Created by Joyce P. Simkin
Last updated in HTML June 10, 2012
Last updated in Weebly July 22, 2015
Last updated in HTML June 10, 2012
Last updated in Weebly July 22, 2015