2016 Part 7 August - Back Half

In my last post, I ran out of length. So here is

Even More August, 2016

Exhausted from way too much surf and sand at Wiser Times, we all finally packed up and headed to parts south. The non-Texas members of the clan made it back to the Detroit area just in time for the next installment of our Music Night club. This get-together was held at the home of our friends Jim and Mary Wyatt. The topic of the evening was "Fascination", our 124th collection. The turn out was good and included some familiar faces, like this happy foursome - daughter Cathy, mother Dolores, bride Nancy and dear friend Laura Forest.

Here we have our topic selector of the night John Danckaert with his bride Louise.

In this shot we find tech team members yours truly conferring with Jim Wyatt and his daughter Marie. I believe the discussion was about a threatened work stoppage if a Manhattan didn't appear in the next 30 seconds. My memory is a little vague.

In this pic daughter Cathy is comfortably ensconced in the recliner area, flanked by 25-year members Pat Rouan and hostess Mary Wyatt, both of whom are intently considering their next song selections. Being unprepared when your number is called is seriously frowned upon.

In this final shot from the evening we have Jim conferring with the disciplinary committee over my attempt to put a Phil Ochs song on a third consecutive collection. To ameliorate the situation, I withdrew my initial pick and went with something from this century. It can be a tough crowd.

The day after this musical interlude, I chauffeured my mother back to her Florida nest in her GMC Terrain, stayed long enough for a cup of coffee, then caught a flight back to The Mitten. Upon returning, Nancy and I took in a baseball doubleheader - a Wednesday night Mudhens game in Toledo with our good friends John and Patricia Wast, followed by a Thursday afternoon lunch and Tigers game with a few members of our old Lunch Bunch crowd (see former post Lunch Poetry for more on this august group). I then took Thursday night off, before heading off on our next adventure - a trip to Avon Rae.

For those of you not familiar with our former Canadian getaway, Avon Rae is the LeRoy family cottage on the gorgeous shores of Ipperwash Beach, about 45 minutes up the southeastern shore of Lake Huron from Sarnia, Ontario. Nancy's parents Rae and Marge were the landlords there for all of Nancy's life until Rae passed in 1997, but the cottage was in the family for decades before that. I joined in the fun in 1980 when I married into the family. It was the site of many, many wonderful vacations, often shared with Nancy's Canadian cousins who would rent a sister cottage two doors down. 

Then in 2005 Nancy and her brother Dave, with whose family we shared this hideaway treasure, decided that with our growing families we needed more space. So we sold our interest to Dave and his bride Barbara, and went in search of a spot our own family could grow into. That was the start of the Wiser Times era of which you've heard tell. But as Avon Rae is still part of our extended family, Dave and Barbara have had us up from time to time to visit, enjoy the beach and relive old and very fine memories. They had invited us up for just such a visit last summer. So after recovering for a few hours from our baseball marathon, we saddled up, grabbed our passports, and headed up across the Blue Water Bridge to Avon Rae for the weekend. 

One noteworthy fact I haven't shared yet is how old Avon Rae really is. I don't know for sure, but there was often talk that the cottage was built by farmers in the '20s. We believe it. As you might imagine, this simple wooden structure has undergone upgrades over the years. Indoor plumbing, a telephone, a deck on the sea wall, even the Internet have afforded cottage goers more of the pleasures of home over the years. But at its core Avon Rae is still a nearly 100 year-old wooden cabin on the beach. I have many memories of watching and occasionally assisting Nancy's dad Rae keep the place operational. He was a master at figuring out just in time what was required to avoid disaster.

However, Dave and Barbara have introduced a new era. Dave is a talented craftsman. Seeing its potential, Dave has turned the old cottage into something of a fashionable beach house. Along with Barbara's eye for decorating, Avon Rae now gives off an aura of comfort and style. Not that it doesn't have its share of maintenance needs, something that Dave is very capable of providing. But its appearance and utility as a summer retreat are now on a higher plane than I ever remember.

Nancy, Christy, Cathy, Matt and I all joined in the fun and had a great weekend. Here are some pics. First the elegant lake-side porch and extended deck. For many years the porch was open air with floor-to-ceiling screens, and the deck was limited to a landing at the front door area. Dave enclosed the porch with modern window walls and a new tile floor, and built the wrap-around deck. This significantly expanded the indoor area of the cottage main floor and provided an attractive outdoor gathering area.  

  

Here's a shot of the back or road-side of the cottage. The concrete patio was always a favorite sitting spot in past years when there was a strong breeze off the water.

But let's go back to the front. Here's a shot from the beach looking back up to another deck located out over the sea wall (now completely buried in sand and saw grass).

This deck has been around since the early '90s when Dave, assisted by his sons Brian and Matthew and yours truly, built it from scratch except for the stairs. The stairs were originally built in the mid '80s, when the sea wall was put in. Dave upgraded them and incorporated them into the deck. They are the same stairs I used to sit out on and drink my coffee every morning in my earliest days at Avon Rae. I have very fond memories of those stairs, and of those mornings gazing out over Lake Huron and contemplating the allure of the water's edge. I still often think of those times when I sit on the beach at Wiser Times doing the very same thing from the other side of the lake. Here's a closer shot of this grand venue.

The beach at Ipperwash has a personality of its own, varying in width and character over the years depending on lake water levels, ever-encroaching plant life and the occasional grooming efforts of the cottage owners. You can see from the following pics that the current version of the beach is a bit narrower than has usually been the case in recent years. It is made up of very fine sand that is fun to walk on but can be a nuisance when the wind is blowing strong off the lake. In earlier times, the sand would work its way through the porous cottage walls and get into everything. I think that is much less the case now with the new porch walls. This first pic is looking southwest down the beach toward Kettle Point, the southern border of the small cove that is the heart of Ipperwash Beach. Christine and Nancy are in the foreground. The second pic is looking northeast from the front of the cottage toward Stony Point, the northern border of the cove.

Here is a shot looking back up the sand bank from the beach of Avon Rae flanked by its neighboring cottages, the Stevens' Sunny Brae on the right (even older that Avon Rae, I think) and the fairly new (15 years?) two-story edifice that replaced the former Cavan-Aiken cottage on the left (you will hear and see much more about both of these locations in future posts about our Avon Rae adventures in the '80s and 90's). As far as I know the new upscale cottage on the left has no name yet. Very un-Canadian.

In this final shot of the beach, the Burk girls are reliving an old tradition, cruising down the beach to check things out.

Back at the cottage, here are some shots of the upgraded interior. First the short hallway from the back patio door, past the stairway on the left and the bathroom on the right, into the main living area.

Here we have the dining area, expanded when the former wrap-around section of the porch was brought inside. The table is an old oaken beauty restored to its natural look by Dave and Barbara. The door on the left leads to the new porch.

To the right of the dinning table we find the kitchen, upgraded with a new floor. Here Nancy is back in a familiar spot. Over the sink is a 10-pane window that I remember reglazing (for about a week) during one summer of fix-up projects. Behind the refrigerator is an ancient cabinet in which many family heirlooms (and a few very experienced Manhattan glasses) are in residence.

Turning around in the other direction from the dining table we have this view of the elegant living room, complete with opposing sofas, a reading chair, and at the end of the room a work area.

Here is a closer look at the sitting/gaming area.

And one of the desk area, with an ancient piece of furniture known in the family as "the Johnson table" serving as a work surface.

Finally a few shots of the new porch, first from the north end.

From the south end.

A look from the desk area out through the double porch doors.

And a last shot taken from the doorway. This image, looking out over the beach and the lake is the one we remember the most, having spent so many years enjoying it.

During our visit, Christine had a birthday, so we took the opportunity to celebrate in a place in which she had celebrated almost all of her childhood birthdays. Here she is, waiting for the party to begin.

And here the party has begun with all weekenders in attendance, each sporting his or her libation of choice. From left to right in this first pic we have Dave, Christine, Barbara, Matt and Cathy.

In this second shot Nancy joins the crowd.

Here we have the birthday girl again, first with a present in hand, and then awaiting cake and candles.

And this last shot of the weekend shows the three Burk girls enjoying one more sit out on the new deck.

The above pic is actually a recreation of the one below, a family-famous photo from many years ago, snapped at the neighboring cottage during a happy hour with the Canadian cousins. Can you date the original? (The answer is provided at the end of this post.)

All in all, it was a great weekend, reliving old memories and making new ones in this gorgeous environment. Thanks to Dave and Barbara for sharing their little piece of paradise with us. We look forward to the next time.

Well, you might think that our August would be winding down after all this activity. But...you'd be wrong. We had one more thing in the calendar - the annual Music Night listening loom at our own cottage. That's when a few families from our larger Music Night ensemble truck up to Wiser Times for a weekend of music, eating, drinking, frolicking on the beach and immersing ourselves in the lake. It started with our trusty security pooch keeping an eye out for arrivals from her favorite perch.

Among the first to arrive was Coco's good buddette, Abby. Here she is resting up from the onerous trip.

Another early arrival was Coco's other buddy Jim Wyatt. Here is a shot of Coco showing Jim just how to play fetch in the lake.

By Friday pretty much everyone had arrived safely and was well into the rhythm of listening room weekend. Among the gatherers were many from the usual crowd. Here is shot of Brian Bauer, yours truly, Justin Reinhart and Deandra Reinhart awaiting the all-important drawing of the cards (to determine the order in which each of us will provide the crowd with an hour of music of their own design; a lot of pressure).

In this pic Pat Rouan and Jim are settling in for a joint song list development session with their iPads. If you look closely at the window, you'll see a reflection of Quinton actually taking this picture. He's a clever guy.

Here we have Laura Forest and hubby Brian discussing something non-musical I think. From the look Brian is getting from Laura, his response was likely along the lines of "Sure honey. I think so, too. Really." 

The days were filled with music, as you may imagine, but also with a little beach and water play. Here we have Justin and the girls (Coco, Abby and Miranda) enjoying some actual frolicking (as previously mentioned).

And some kayaking fun, with dad Jeff joining in.

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One special event held at this year's music weekend was a wrap up of some old Spinner business (see previous post Spinner Invitational for the background on this peculiar event). At our Spinner golf tournament in June of 2016, a grievous oversight had been committed. The result of this oversight was that we were unable to honor the winner of the tournament by presenting him with the orange jump suit that signifies the champion. As it turns out, an earlier version of the orange Spinner jump suit is in residence at Wiser Times. So before the afternoon's activity came to a close on Saturday, we presented the 2016 winner - Jeff Reinhart - with his trophy and the jump suit. There wasn't a dry eye in the house (or outside of it for that matter). Here are a couple of shots from this unique moment in Spinner history, one inside and one outside, for good measure.

Of course, a hard day of play usually ends with some refreshments. Here are a couple of shots of kitchen staff hard at work on some goodies.

And the crowd enjoying the fruits of their labor. Miranda Reinhart and Linda Mathews.

Jeff and Justin Reinhart.

Nancy and Christine.

Photographer Quinton Anderson.

And back on his game, Brian.

And here is the customary dinner shot, for this (I believe) our 11th get together.

Our usual clean up crew were, as always, at the ready for any edible that might make it to their level.

There was a late social hour in the gazebo for the night owls, subtly glowing in the fine times had that day, and looking forward to another day in each other's company. A pleasure not to be taken for granted.

Speaking of the next day, our steady photographer arose early the next morning and caught these pics of dawn on what is known as "the sunrise side". As beautiful as it is, it's a sight I rarely see in the summer as I'm often recovering from one of those gazebo sessions. Thanks to Quinton for the effort.

As the music weekend came to close, and folks started to head home for the fall season, we had a couple more important visitors to Wiser Times. That would be my sisters, Wendy and Cindy. Wendy had just completed therapy for a serious illness, and was taking a little R&R in Michigan. Here is a picture of the sisters enjoying a social hour in the gazebo,

This picture is all the more poignant as it was to be Wendy's last visit to Wiser Times, a place she loved. She passed away this last July after a year-long struggle with cancer. I will tell her story soon, one of independence and courage, in a special post. But for now, I will close, finally reaching the end of August. Whew. What a month. 

And the answer to the picture question - 1988.

Grosse Pointe Charles