I think a few things must have happened in 1987 between the end of my last post (Cathy's birthday July 14th) and the beginning of this post (Christine's birthday August 20th) but not according to the family photo history.
As you may have noticed from previous posts, the kids' birthdays were often held at the family cottage, owing largely to the fact that all three kids have summer birthdays. These early parties at Avon Rae were fine for the family, but seldom included the kids' playmates.
Also, having summer birthdays meant the kids could never celebrate a true birthday with their school classmates. They had to settle for the well-meaning but strained elementary school tradition of celebrating the "half-birthdays" of those poor souls born in summer months. To compensate for this parenting failure we would host birthday parties for the girls and a few guests at home whenever we could work out the details. Such was the case for Christine's sixth birthday.
These parties had a certain rhythm to them. They would start with a nutritious meal, as evidenced by this shot of the birthday girl.
Guest Alison.
And special guest little sister (who felt the need to bring her own entertainment).
Following the fine cuisine, came the cake ceremony. With a mighty woosh, the deed was done.
Then came the highlight of the day - a cupcake for everyone.
Even those with reserved seating.
After a little cleanup, there were presents.
And games.
And finally, a kid movie. On videotape, of course.
We did make a final visit to Ipperwash over Labor Day, to end the summer. We helped with a little cottage closing prep as Rae and Marge were getting ready to move back to GPW for the fall. The actual closing of the cottage for winter wouldn't happen for another month or so and would involve draining the pipes, mounting shutters and stowing boats and beach gear. This short visit was really just one last gasp that had to last until next spring.
There was a last day of sand play.
A final sail for Rae and Nancy's brother Dave.
A final after-dinner beach walk.
And that final "where did the summer go" sit at the water's edge.
It had been a fine summer at the cottage, which was becoming an important dimension of our ever-widening family groove. Without realizing it, we were planting the seeds of a family value that would eventually lead us to Wiser Times.
We started the fall social calendar with a trip to my parents for what turned out to be a mini-reunion. My brother Jeff and his family and sister Cindy were there as well as my sister Wendy's kids. We did the usual things like play with Grandpa's toys. Shown below from left to right are Christine (facing away), Grandpa with Ted behind, Tristan celebrating his tank ascent, and Melanie and Dee Dee on the yard cruiser.
The most popular attraction at the time was definitely the cruiser. There was usually a queue.
But in time, everybody got their turns.
There were also arts and crafts, here led by niece Melanie (sporting her Hungarian roots).
And some big-girl wine time on the carpet (hopefully not with wine on the carpet).
For the record from left to right - in the front row are Christine with her cousins Dee Dee and Tristan, and brother Ted. Second row - niece Jennifer, sister-in-law Sue, Melanie, Nancy holding Cathy, and my mother Dolores. Back row - my brother Jeff, Sue's mother Elaine, sister Cindy, my father Wendell, and me.
Back in The Pointes, we settled into our fall school/work routine. There was a bit of home schooling.
Some pre-art homework. This staying within the lines thing isn't really for everybody.
Ever wonder whatever happened to all that old gimungus tractor-feed printer paper? Well, now you know.
It wasn't all classroom work. There was time for driver's training.
And even a field trip. A very good friend of mine at the time, Dave V, was an avid rock hound. I remember his third-story walk-up apartment being littered with baskets of polished rocks and stones of all types and shapes. Dave thought it would be fun to take the kids on a rock hunting trip to the northern shore of Lake Michigan, a veritable rock paradise. So we did. Here are a few pics.
First the players. This was one of the rare adventures when Ted's other sister Jamie (by his mom and her second husband) joined in the fun. That's Jamie next to Christine in the pic below with Ted and me. Much to her dismay, Cathy was deemed a bit too young to join in on this trip.
In this pic we have the full group including Dave V and a close friend he invited along (shamefully I can't remember the friend's name).
We explored the lakeshore between Charlevoix and Petoskey for most of two days, sacking out in a luxurious roadside motel for the night. Here's a shot of the path down to the shore somewhere off US 31. While interested, Ted wasn't quite as sold on the program as his sisters. That's him in the foreground taking a little extra time to embrace his fate.
In this pic Dave is coaching Christine and Jamie in the art of picking up just the right stones. I believe he summed things up with the insightful comment, "It's tricky."
And here are the kids proudly toting their booty from the hunt.
It looks like Ted's big find was...a golf ball? Oh well.
In this final pic from the trip, from the rear bumper of our burgundy Chevy Celebrity, the kids seem ready to move on.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I should share the fact that in the post-trip satisfaction survey the kids voted "the motel" as the highlight of the trip. I guess rock hunting requires a more mature outlook on recreation. And about my tee shirt - I have no idea.
That brings us to the end of September and of this post. Next time we'll explore the 1987 holiday season beginning with...more birthdays. Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Grosse Pointe Charles
Very good and entertaining, as usual!
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