Memory Lane - LDLR The Rest of the Story (2011-2019)

In my previous post I shared the background and early history (through 2010) of a recurring social gathering I and my friends refer to as the Labor Day Listening Room or LDLR. As often mentioned these get-togethers took place at Wiser Times, our family cottage in Greenbush. In this post I'll cover the ongoing story of the LDLR through its prime to its unwelcome conclusion in 2019 due to COVID. For some, this should trigger a few memories.

From 2011 through 2013 things came off rather routinely. We had most of the usual players from the previous years. Here's a group shot from 2012.

From left to right are Tommy and his mother Linda C, Jeff R with son Justin, I and my bride Nancy, Mary W, our daughter Christine, Jim W, Deandra R and daughter Miranda. 

Activities included the usual music marathon, fabulous cuisine and relaxation. There were a few new wrinkles, like (non) white water canoeing. Here's a shot of Jim and me on our qualifying run for the annual Grayling-to-Oscoda overnight canoe race.

The good news is that we didn't fall out of the boat. The really good news is that we didn't qualify. Something about an improper weight distribution as I recall (for a full accounting of the 2012 event check out my initial LDLR post). 

During our 2013 event, Jim and I wowed the crowd with a demonstration of how to operate a CD duplicating tower, a critical task in the production of our music collections. Heady stuff. We thought the demo went well, despite the lack of follow-up questions.

2014 turned out to be little more interesting. We had our biggest crowd - 14 - and the usual routine. Big dinners.

Happy hours.

Scintillating evening entertainment. 

But we also had this.

In the middle of all the fun I spent a night in the Alpena Regional Medical Facility. On Saturday, during a vigorous game of lake Frisbee, I had a sharp pain my chest. Oops. Never having had such a pain before, I/we weren't sure what to do. It hurt when I breathed deeply, but not at rest. Being of what you might call a cautionary nature, I/we decided to check it out.

On a Saturday of a holiday weekend, available medical services in northern Michigan can be hard to find. The nearest facility was in Alpena, 35 miles north. So Nancy and I piled into the car and headed to Alpena, leaving the 12 house guests to fend for themselves. The group, being well-versed in LDLR management, continued on without losing a step. Eventually, when someone else had to play bartender, they missed me.

At the hospital my fate was sealed when Nancy mentioned the words "chest pain" in the ER waiting room. Within 10 seconds a wide-eyed orderly blew into the room, lashed me to a gurney and whisked me into triage. After a quick once-over, the tending physician determined that I wasn't in distress and things calmed down. But for a while it was exciting.

After examining me, the doctor concluded that I had pulled a small muscle in the area of my sternum. But because of a hospital protocol, I was kept for 24 hours. As the doctor explained, the results of my enzyme test were troublesome. The normal result for this test is a level of 1.045. My level was 1.046. And there is no tolerance allowed. Any level higher than the 1.045 requires 24 hours of observation to make sure the enzyme level doesn't rise (which would indicate possible heart damage). The doctor surmised that 1.046 might be my normal. But without a baseline to establish that, they wouldn't risk releasing me. I had to stay. Having seen me through the crisis, Nancy dumped me and went back to the party.

So while everyone else was enjoying the cottage and the beach and each other, I spent a comfortable 24 hours watching the hospital channel and having my enzyme levels checked every hour. All night. It was the first time I had been in a hospital since 1970 when I had a brief bout with pneumonia during my Army basic training. Forty-four years was a pretty good run, I guess. 

My enzyme levels didn't change overnight, and the next day brought me back to the party where things had rolled along just fine during my absence. I had even returned in time to take my turn in the music rotation. But I laid off the Frisbee for the rest of the weekend.

There was one other special situation at the cottage during our 2014 LDLR. It was this guy.

Kody, our husky-mix shelter dog finally made his appearance at an LDLR. Kody, also known as the Kodeman or Kodalicious or the Kodatola, had missed earlier gatherings because of his affliction - an overdeveloped territorial imperative. He would lose it when strangers entered family spaces. He was fine with the family. He was fine with others outside of the home. He was an excellent walker and a favorite at the kennel (they once selected him as boarder of the month). But in the house or the cottage or even in the big van we drove in those days, he couldn't tolerate strangers.

But early in 2014 at the age of 11, he became ill. There was nothing that could be done for him other than relieve his pain. He was put on phenobarbital to prevent seizures. A side effect of the drug was that Kody became Mr. Mellow. He became passive and friendly. We refer to those last six months of his life as Kody's farewell tour. He finally met all of our friends. He attended the June family picnic at home. He came on weekends with family and friends to the lake all summer. And finally made it to an LDLR.

He seemed to enjoy his new personality, as did we. He had a favorite spot out on the berm overlooking the lake where he spent a lot of time taking in the sights and smells. And he had a favorite toy - a soft miniature basketball that he could have easily ripped to shreds. But he never did. He would play fetch with it, carrying it gently in his jaws. He always kept it close. Here's a shot of Kody that weekend relaxing with his ball. 

We lost Kody in November that year, but he had a great final ride. Here's another shot of Kody. My favorite. The faithful dog looking after his troubled master (I had pulled the leg-lift lever on my easy chair a little too aggressively). He was bringing me another one of his favorite toys, a rubber beetle, to console me.

2015 through 2019 had little in the way of unforeseen events, thankfully, but plenty of the usual pastimes. The beach.

Relaxing on the deck.

Intimate chats.

Even Jeff and Deandra's new puppy Abby and our new puppy Coco got to be pretty good buddies.

There were award presentations.

Sophisticated music programming.

Occasional unexpected guests.

Top-drawer service personnel.

And sneaky photographers.

Most importantly, we had contented clientele. 

 

And last but not least, two very happy hosts.  

We thank all of you who were able to join us in the LDLR adventure. It was a great ride for us. We hope it was for you, too.

Grosse Pointe Charles and the Little Chickadee.

Memory Lane - LDLR The Early Years (2006-2010)

This post is a special edition of Memory Lane - a trip around the cul-de-sac known as the Labor Day Listening Room, or LDLR. A couple of years ago in a Notes from the Lab post I acknowledged that the pandemic and its lingering, potentially dangerous effects had likely spelled the end of our Labor Day music festivals held at Wiser Times, our family cottage. It doesn't seem fitting to let this beloved tradition fade away without its story being told. So here goes.

In the fourth post of this blog (August 6, 2012), I outlined the origin of our Music Night club and how it works. Since then I have provided numerous updates on our activities.

In the seventh post of this blog (September 16, 2012) I introduced the concept of a listening room. Unlike a formal Music Night, there is no theme nor a CD collection created around the music played. 

The listening room concept was essentially created for Music Night nerds who couldn't wait two to three months for their next group music fix. Click on the links above for a full review of just how our random evening listening rooms morphed into the annual multi-day music extravaganza we dubbed Labor Day Listening Room.

The tradition had a great run, from 2006 to 2019. The size of the groups varied over the years, averaging about a dozen. When needed, a pop-up camper and/or tents were set up to expand the Wiser Times overnight accommodations. And the meal plan was sort of a three-day potluck. But the basic structure of fun activities set to personalized music remained the same. 

As a rule, everybody was ready when their one-hour turns to select music came. In between turns we indulged in favorite distractions - chatting, relaxing on the deck or the gazebo (once we had one), swimming or taking a kayak out for a spin on Lake Huron. Long beach walks were popular as were side trips into Harrisville for the annual art show and barbershop quartet competition.  A round of golf occasionally broke out. And yes, there was a fair amount of gluttony and libating. So here are some pics from the early years. 

Nancy and I acquired the cottage in the spring of 2005. We spent that first summer fixing the place up and getting it ready for our intended uses. One of those was to entertain crowds. 

The cottage was big enough for crowds. It had two bedrooms and three common rooms that could double as sleeping areas. Plus a large deck, a generous front yard and 65' of beach. To address the one remaining need, we added a second bathroom. By the spring of 2006 the cottage was fully furnished (mostly with hand-me-downs) and ready for business. 

With trepidation, we sent invitations for interested parties to join us over the Labor Day weekend for what would be our first multi-day listening room. The grand experiment was on. Fortunately, we and our friends had talked about doing this for so long that the energy our guests brought easily overcame the predictable inconveniences of such a gathering. There were 11 attendees that first year. We all played nice, and the weekend was an overwhelming success. And without much reticence, the idea of holding the event annually was embraced.

Fortunately, though most of us were immersed in the fun and novelty of the whole experience, one of us was conscious enough to take a few pictures. She was also considerate enough to gift the pictures to us in a memory book still in residence at the cottage.

The photographic history of this first LDLR captured the spirit of what these weekends would grow into. First the players.   

Around the dinner table seated from left to right are Nancy, Linda C, Linda M, Laura (our thoughtful photographer), yours truly, Jim, Mary, Pat, daughter Christine and Brian. This scene occurred nightly and was always a highlight of the day (missing from the photo is Laura and Brian's son Josh, whom I believe joined us later that weekend).

But we did more than stuff ourselves. There was lounging on the deck.

Beach time, playing and/or exploring.

And my favorite, sitting in the sand just staring out at what seems to be our own personal lake.

There was also some private time, with little screens.

And big screens (at least big for 2006).

And time for sharing private thoughts. 

Even martial arts tips (?)

Another feature of LDLRs was animal husbandry. Our Brittany Spaniel Copper kicked the practice off in our first year. She was a looker.

This last shot from 2006 is of our (overfed) cabana boy. 

While starting out with only bar tending and kitchen cleanup duties, the role of cabana boy expanded greatly over the years as Wiser Times became a full service resort. More on that later.

From 2007 to 2010 the LDLR steadily matured and found its groove. Each year attendees with increasing ease would sort out the logistics issues at hand - meal planning, sleeping arrangements, music priorities, happy hour seating - and move quickly into the music-sharing activities. Everyone knew the drill. 

Group dinners continued during which we would review the day's events and plan for more. In this 2007 shot Jeff and Deandra R. and their kids Miranda and Justin made their first LDLR appearance (seated around the near end of the table).

And the cottage itself, out of necessity in some cases, received upgrades. For example, this baby.

 

When we acquired Wiser Times, one of its downsides was no covered outdoor seating. To fill this void we added this 10x16 screen porch, which we secured to the deck with an ingenious array of wood screws. The inside of the screen porch was roomy, housing a deck table and chairs, the family glider and storage for some beach furniture. It also opened up to one of the sliding glass doors into the house. Very convenient. Although somewhat fragile in high winds and heavy rains, this burgundy beauty gave us a few years of faithful service. We had to pack it away each fall and reinstall it in the spring. But it was worth it.

To handle any overflow, we added a smaller canopy out in the yard. 

It didn't have quite the charm or sturdiness as its deck cousin, but this junior partner served its purpose well. For about three years until the sun literally baked it to shreds. Above also note in the foreground the third (sort of) covered sitting area that came about by relocating the former deck umbrella to the front yard picnic table. And if sitting around wasn't your thing, there was a hammock so you could lie around instead (shown here in the background). 

Copper began hosting her own guests. Here she is with Jeff and Deandra's Brittany Belle. Both dogs reveled in this strange place where there were almost unlimited treats (read food droppings) and people willing to pet them. The girls were always a big hit. 

2008 and 2009 were banner years as judged by this scene in the parking lot (our back yard).

Temporary housing sprang up when needed, like the Reinhart's camping trailer.

The erection of such elaborate guest quarters always drew a crowd looking for entertainment. Here I am narrating the process for dazzled onlookers.

In this shot of the cottage from the beach you can see Big Blue pitched on the north side of the house. Big Blue was our 8x10 canvas wall tent that has been in my family since the early 70s. Refurbed a time or two, this old friend served handsomely as sleeping space for up to four adults or any number of kids. 

Once guests settled in on Friday night, the usual activities began and generally ran to either Sunday night or Monday morning. The primary activity of course was non-stop music from noon each day until 9:00 in the evening. Participants typically had two turns over the weekend during which they would take over the music for an hour. While some of us prepared playlists in advance of the weekend, a major sub-activity for many was scrambling to create their playlists before their turns came up. So as with everything else involving this small community of long-time friends, there was an impressive blend of planning and spontaneity.

Superimposed over the constant music were the many comforts and enjoyments offered by our venue. There was adult time on the beach.

Kid time, more in the beach than on it.

Buffet lunches.

More rock hunting along the water's edge.

Some grill-mastering (and a lot of equally masterful grill-watching).

Not to mention the prime-time evening activities of happy hour.

Group dinner.

And late-evening beach fires and stargazing. 

And every once in a while, sneaking off to re-grip your clubs (a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do).

2010 saw a major upgrade to the Wiser Times facilities. A couple of weeks before our LDLR we asked a local builder to construct an outdoor covered seating facility for us, to replace our aforementioned shredded yard canopy. So he and his son spent a week in the front yard with a pile of lumber and a table saw and came up with this. 

We were thrilled. The builder, Dave P, was quite a find. He built the gazebo with no blueprint. Just his experience and ingenuity. He said he knew the proper angles because he had built his home in the shape of an octagon. Of course. What's the problem?

We were so impressed with Dave's skills we kept him busy for the next 10 years. He completed several major projects for us including the construction of our "barn" and the extensive rebuild of the front of the cottage (much of this work was covered in a series of earlier posts beginning with "The Joys of Home Ownership Part 1).    

From this point on the gazebo played a major role in the life of Wiser Times and in LDLRs. A favorite spot to lunch, play a round of Farkle or Quirkle with the kids, enjoy the view with a glass of wine or something stronger, or relax after dinner and watch the moon rise. 

I think this gives you the basic idea of what the LDLR was all about. So I'll close for now and pick up the rest of the story in my next post. 

Until then, 

Grosse Pointe Charles