A Pontoon Boat With a Mind All Its Own- Oops!

Whoops!  Guys, you have to hold onto the rope that connects to the dock!  On windy days something like this is bound to happen so if that pontoon boat gets away rom you, I hope you have a backup plan?  Like another boat to retrieve your pontoon boat before it goes out on an adventure all its own!  You might also want to consider on how far you plan on stretching yourself.  I don’t see shorts on you guys so I would have to think that the weather is a little sub par and maybe not the best for a swim?

Of course, if that boat does take off on its own, it appears that the wind is blowing toward land and it will be quite easy to get it back.  Of course it would be your luck to have your hot lunch on board but the cold cuts are also good for you. 

If your boat has an automatic pilot it has to be smarter than the guy who let it go without first pulling it toward him.  Maybe that invisible pilot can teach those guys a thing or two?  Maybe a female wave will stop by and show those sailors how to really navigate>  Technically speaking, I think those fellows have had enough of waves already to last them a lifetime.

Have You Ever Heard Of Natahki Lake?

In 1907, Big Bass Lake received a different name, that of a faithful Indian maiden by the name of “Natahki” who was the heroine in a story by J.W. Schultz at that time. By an act of the Michigan Legislature the name was legalized Lake Natahki on June 27, 1907. Over the course of time it reverted back to its old name, Big Bass Lake, but the names are similar, don’t you think?

Now where has anyone heard the name Natahki before?

Now I Know where Fountain is

once when I went driving without Mike, I got lost and came about this town. It’s known as Fountain Michigan. I was looking for the farmers market near Free Soil but must have taken a wrong turn or two. As long as I was here I stopped off at Phillips 66 for gas and had a pop. I also picked up a map of the area and asked for directions back to Michigan 31. The manager of the gas station was very courteous and helpful. All in all. Despite getting off track, Fountain was a pleasant diversion. Am I finally did get to the farmer’s market

Road to Nowhere

Call me unusual but I enjoy exploring roads that go nowhere. And I like the Sandy or dirt one’s the best. In Lake County Michigan alone there are hundreds of roads like this. When I used to live in Michigan and worked for the Foreign Service I often found roads thst I have never been down before. I would go for miles in One Direction and then turn at the first Crossroads I could find. I knew the area pretty good as I never ran out of gas. They don’t have gas stations in the Backwoods. Many times I would stop and explore the area. I suppose exploring the road system was my hobby in those days. Living in Arizona now I don’t have that urge anymore. I’m into golf now. I suppose that’s what retirement is all about.

My Ideal Boys Club

 

Of the two clubs where I served as Executive Director, I would have to say that I favored the Hoffman Estates Boys Club over that of the Joplin Boys Club. As to the latter it was an old one time orphange that needed a lot of repair work. Today a new club stands in its place. Part of that new club in Joplin was already there when I was there in the late 1970’s. The gymnasium was fully constructed and the front part of the club still under construction. Since then they have added a second gymnasium.

Joplin had a woodshop, arts and crafts center, a boxing gym, and games rooms. The outside area included a large field with a softball diamond on one end.

Yet my ideal boys club was the Hoffman Estates club even though it was a renovated barn. To each side of the facility was a field, one used for football and softball and the other for field hockey and soccer. Behind the club was another 🥎 field.

The club itself had a concession stand to the exterior and another one within the club. The first floor had a games room, restrooms, library, and arts and crafts room with the second floor housing the gymnasium.

I liked his club because it had a membership that appreciated te programs that we had to offer including a camping program with the Union League Boys Club Camp in Salem, Wisconsin, through my association with then camp director Al Mackin. In the 60’s I served as a counselor at that summer camp.

We had a very active program at Hoffman Estates using the most of the facilities we had. It was my ideal club because the outside facilities matched those of the inside facility. We had a solid educational program at Hoffman Estates as well as a creative arts and crafts program that included an art fair at the Schaumburg Public Library.

In my last year there the club was known as the Hoffman Estates / Schaumburg Boys Club which it should have been from the beginning as the two communities backed up to each other. This club was razed shortly after I left it due to a lack of good programming by the new director which caused the United Way to cease funding it. That has always saddened me but I left the area for what I considered a better offer in Joplin. There I had a full staff and radio and television for marketing purposes.

Still, it was the Hoffman Estates Boys Club that made me the most proud.

September Frisbee Golf Open

In my last year at Hoffman Estates I purchased three of these items to replace the tires except on one hole which was always the finishing hole. Our starting point for the new items was in six different locations.

Each September the month of September was our Autumn Open. It covered two weekends in the middle of the month. Each day 18 holes was played on the first weekend with only the twenty best scores advancing to the second week. The twist was that you could play your two rounds of 18 holes whenever you wanted between the hours of 7 am to 5pm. The last 36 holes had T-times for the second weekend beginning at 9am each day.

We had three winners, one in each age group and the club was only open on these two weekends for the tournament. Normally the club was closed on Sunday. In my last Autumn Open the cadet winner was Steve Rogalla, the junior winner was Tim Sampson, and the senior winner was Andy Donahue.

The Glory of the Rose Window

This is the Rose window of the First Congregational Church Oak Park Illinois. It is located in the rear balcony where also the Echo and Tower organ are enclosed. In almost all weather beautiful colors come through that window. At this time when the Photograph was taken the sanctuary was having a facelift. Now the work is completely done. Isn’t that a beautiful rose window?

Salamonie Video

This is the Salamonie State Forest near Wabash Indiana. I have a video for you today about this Forest. Salamonie This is where I train the Marion Boys Club and the Marion Y for trips to our property in Michigan. They would have to pass a weekend camp-out to be eligible to go to Michigan.

Drivng M-37

On all our boys club and YMCA trips to our property at Big Bass Lake, Michigan, one thing was clear.  The real journey began just north of Grand Rapids where my vehicle turned onto M-37 for the trip north through the Manistee National Forest.  Up to that point, the kids longest journey through a forest was at the Salamonie State Forest where we trained for these trips and that full ride through that forest was about four miles. 

Our journey through this national forest began at Newyago and never stopped until we reached our destination at Big Bass Lake some seventy miles later.  Up to Grand Rapids the journey was like the ones through Illinois, Ohio, or Indiana, where all the boys saw was farm lands and small towns.  Now that was about to change!  What the boys were now to observe was one LARGE forest, lakes, and rivers all the way to their destination!  And, that same forest goes about forty miles further from the end of our trip!

Towns like White Cloud and Baldwin interrupted that forest but only for a few minutes and several smaller places like Bitley, Wolf Lake, and finally Peacock were mere blurs to the boys.  But scenery as you see here was the boys constant traveling companion.  They were amazed as to just how large that forest was and even on all their side trips, that forest would always be just outside the car.

Their awe was something to see as they were not truly prepared for just how large a forest they were going to be going through only they never got through it all.  And, the Manistee National Forest was going to be the full total of their camping experience untll we exited it on our way home some ten days or so away.