Memory Lane - Holiday Doings (November and December 1982)

Time to head back to Memory Lane. With Christmas 2021 days away, I thought it would be fun to complete my sharing of 1982 memories with that holiday season 39 years ago. Life was simpler then.

When we left off on this saga, the Rise of the Magic Kingdom had been accentuated by a pretty fine Halloween party. That's where we'll pick things up.

As November unfolds, the specter of "The Holidays" usually looms large. 1982 was no exception (for a reminder of my warped view of the holidays you might review my three previous posts on the subject starting with The Holidays Part 1 - The Launch). 

However, one doesn't just saunter into major happenings like Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are preliminary activities. Aside from shopping and decorating, that usually includes visits to extended family to catch up and celebrate the year's memories. Our first such sojourn that November was a visit to Linwood to visit my parents. 

While there are no pics of that visit, I found this series of odd images taken during our trip up. They are of a phenomenon that residents of mid-Michigan should remember.

These are shots of the Zilwaukee bridge during troubled times. Note that in the second pic the bridge, then under construction, seems to be sagging a bit in the middle. Here's the story.

In the 70s and prior the I-75 bridge across the Saginaw river at Zilwaukee was a drawbridge which opened several times a day to allow passage of cargo ships to the automobile and other plants upriver in Saginaw. This caused traffic backups on the freeway that sometimes extended for miles.  

In 1982 the State of Michigan, mostly with federal money, began construction of the elevated bridge with which we are so familiar today. Well into the work a mishap involving the construction boom shown in the picture above resulted in one of the pillars cracking under the load. Ergo the sag.

While many people in high places pondered what to do about the dilemma, this monument to cost overruns became a tourist attraction. People would pull over at a viewing site close to the bridge and gape. Here are some familiar faces doing just that.

It was like having your picture taken in front of the Statue of Liberty, Michigan style. A real crowd pleaser. The State even put up a message board on the site for curious citizens to keep abreast of developments. Thoughtful.

Every time I cross this bridge - which is often as it's halfway between our home and the cottage - I remember its colorful past. And accelerate just a bit to get to the other side.

Later that month our little family took a trip to Toronto to visit the Canadian cousins. On the way we stopped off at Avon Rae, the LeRoy family cottage on Lake Huron just a few miles north of Sarnia. We wanted to check in on some renovations Nancy's dad Rae was overseeing. They involved expanding the kitchen and replacing the old wooden porch with one of concrete. Looking at these pictures of a household turned on its ear in the name of improvement brought me back to more recent memories of our projects at Wiser Times.

And one last shot of one of the younger members of the crew.

Our inspection of the job site complete, we headed on to Toronto. A main purpose of the trip was to meet the newest member of our extended family, Heather Bath. Here's a shot of the little cutie, still a little wary of all the attention it would appear.

And some pics of Aunt Ann and first-cousin-once-removed Nancy enjoying the visit.

Of course, I had to get in on the action. Heather was charmed, as you can see. Who is this guy?

There were also happy grandparents on the scene. Here's Nancy with her Uncle Ken, sporting some of the supplies he had laid in for his new role.

And Aunt Evelyn, caught here in one of her favorite venues - the kitchen. 

Back in Dearborn, we were getting excited about the holidays and trying our best to explain it all to our two charges. The first one of these didn't pay much attention. That would be our dog Heidi. The only thing that ever excited her was something she could eat or chew.

So we concentrated our efforts on Christine. She seemed interested from the get-go and always willing to hear more. 

She even took an interest in photos of past family holidays.

Okay. I know what you're thinking. What's with the hat? Was the child undergoing some kind of therapy or were we just clueless parents? Well, your guess is as good as ours. For some reason Christine glommed on to this old winter hat of Nancy's and wouldn't be parted from it. So, not wanting to stifle the child's development and self-confidence, we went with the flow. It obviously made her happy.

Sometimes I think it may have been like Linus and his blanket. Other times I think she was testing us. It may have just been that her head was cold. It remains a family mystery.

One particular event that holiday day season was a party we held in the basement rec room of our Dearborn home. Remember the Magic Kingdom? Well, it was going strong in December of '82. The managers and coaches had been working hard, and the revenue officers in training were starting to earn their keep. So, we thought it was time to party - again.

The following pix are excerpted from a larger library of photos from that night, many of which are classified. You've heard legends about the "office Christmas party"? It's sort of like that. But these shots have been cleared for publication. Just a few.

This first pic is innocent enough. I've included it to establish the fact that the menus at Burk family gatherings have always been top drawer - for nearly 40 years now. This early offering set the tone. 

Here we have a group shot of some of the attendees early in the evening.  

Notables in this pic that you might recognize are Tony C. on the extreme left (our host at the infamous Halloween party), Richie Hannum hiding behind a cluster of beer bottles, and George Kent on the extreme right (Papa Smurf at the Halloween Party). 

These next three shots are of friends that would remain close for many years into the future, bowling together for a couple of decades and founding the golf institution known as the Spinners, still going strong to this day. The first is of Bruce C., or Sledge as he was known due to his habit of smashing large vegetables at public gatherings. You could always tell when Bruce was having a good time - he had shed his eye glasses.

In this shot we have Al M., known as the bear for the gruff façade he often wore to conceal his big heart. Tripping the light fantastic with Al is Jackie Z., another of our coaches.

And finally Ralph S., another by-the-book coach letting his lighter side show.

This final shot from the evening is captioned "The Taxations", with yours truly joining Bruce, Al and fellow coach Dick M. for some intense - if not fancy - footwork. It was a memorable evening and a harbinger of good times to come.

With the prep and parties behind us, the family moved on to the main event. We were first back up in Linwood with my family. This time there were pictures. Somewhat deteriorated, but memorable. This first shot is of the tree at my parents' on Christmas morning.  

My parents were always "big Christmas" people as far back as I remember. Our family seldom took vacations when I was growing up (something I have way overcompensated for in adulthood). And generally celebrated birthdays and other gifting events with moderation. But Christmas - that was the time we loosened up and went for broke. And that tradition still stands.

In this next shot we have son Ted on the right sharing the awe with cousin Tristan. They knew they had to suffer through a couple of poses before being allowed to dive into the gifts. They're doing their best to look like kids on the "nice" list.

This pic is of cousin Jennifer, the oldest of sister Wendy's kids, helping Christine with a present. At 16 months, Christine was still trying to figure out what the fuss was all about. 

As the morning unfolded, the occasional controversy cropped up. Judging from the look on Tristan's face, cousin Dee Dee (my brother Jeff's daughter) had invoked seniority with respect to control over the castle set in the foreground. That castle set was one of a few toys that remained at my parents' home. It was always a kid favorite whenever any of the grandchildren visited Grandma and Grandpa. 

 

Here we have Melanie, sister Wendy's second eldest, thrilled with her new mighty big stuffed Mighty Mouse. Almost as big as she.

Finally a shot of sister Cindy enjoying the fun, especially the antics of her several nieces and nephews. 

A few days later we returned to our Dearborn home to relax and enjoy the booty. Our immediate family was small then. And what I remember most about Christmas 1982 was Christine. Observing everything, slowly putting the pieces together, and developing her still evident appreciation of this favorite of holidays and all of its parts. In this shot, here with a new hat, she is learning to ride her little Volkswagon.

This popular toy has survived the test of time. It still hangs in our garage and is ridden up and down our driveway with glee when our grandchildren visit.

Here Christine is exploring the ornaments and the intricate nature of a decorated Christmas tree. Over time she has become quite the enthusiast, often "assisting" Nancy and me with proper light and ornament placement on our own trees. She has also instituted the concept of decorated trees for all holidays and seasons in her own household. She has morphed from a curious newbie to a true decorating pioneer.

And one last shot to wrap up the Christmas of 1982. Christine, kneeling in her new mini-rocker amongst her other newfound possessions, taking it all in - and making mental notes for the future. Even at this early age she was making the old man proud by embracing one of my most firmly held beliefs - pondering makes perfect.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Christmas past as much as I have. Have a joyous and safe holiday season. See you in 2022!

Grosse Pointe Charles