Big Bass Lake Store and Grandma’s Hat

This photograph provides you with an excellent look at the tiny island known as Grandma’s Hat behind the former Big Bass Lake store. Even with Larry Bender’s new store right across the street, I am surprised that no one has come forward to renovate the old Big Bass Lake store with some commerical element to it. How about a novelty store complete with an ice cream parlor? There are many ice cream venues that are only open during the late spring to early fall times of the year.

With the view from the back of the Big Bass Lake store it would be a natural for an ice cream shop.  Or what about a combined barber and beauty shop?   The vuew is probably one of the best on the lake as you can observe the Big Island along with the small one and even take in the narrows in the distance of the lake.  I know that the old store would need a lot of remodeling or even perhaps starting over from scratch.  But that store deserves better than to just sit there empty.  For decades it has well served the greater Big Bass lake area.

Maybe a roller skating rink could be erected on that location?  Then the old Loon Lake Roller Rink would give place to the Big Bass Lake Pavillion.  Or put a new “Fun Spot” in that location with bowling lanes and an arcade.  It’s in a prime location on the lake and needs to be reopened whatever the venue.  Other ideas?

B&K Root Beer and Toni Iden

One of the best things about this root beer place just up the cut on 15 and 13 was not the food. During daytime hours Toni Iden took your orders and she was the reason that place was so popular. You’ll never find a kinder hostess anywhere.

I learned to love Spanish hot dogs that summer and I still enjoy them to this day. The root beer in frosty mugs was always refreshing. And it’s still in Wabash after 50 years! I understand Toni still lives in Wabash and if you ever meet her she will have a warm smile to greet you with. She is one glassy Gal!

Miles and Miles of Forest

I’ve said this before, and I shall say so again, Michigan is loaded with roads, both paved and otherwise, within the confines of its national forest system. Each weekend I pick another and my map of all those selections is getting rather full. It seems I’m beginning to go further and further out each week. Last week i found a roadway close to the Traverse City area.

My only criteria for my jaunts is that the road must seemingly go to nowhere.  Of course, that means a full tank of gasoline and a patient wife.  Her main goal on our trips is to provide a spectacular lunch.  We even come equipped with a tent and full supplies in the event we opt to spend an overnight in a great location. 

Darlene likes those romantic evening with just the two of us and millions of mosquitoes.  Thank God for mosquito netting on our tent.  On the whole we each love our weekends in the wilds which we take from mid-April through mid-October almost every weekend.  By my reckoning we hve enough roadways that we’ve never been on to last well into 2018. 

Ahoy! Pirate Island Dead Ahead!

What a sensational view! The Manistee National Forest you can see for miles in any direction. In this part of the country the colors a pilot sees are greens and blue. I wonder if this is the yellow plane or maybe Robbie the pigeon with a camera?

Our Benish Neighbors

My grandmother’s best friends around Big Bass Lake was probably Frank and Agnes Benish who lived nearly right across the road from our farm and slightly toward the Public Landing which, by the way, was not there at that time. Instead, that area was Frank Benish’s pier which was a long one as it was constructed through a marsh.

Agnes died not that long ago and was a fair cook as I recall. I used to visit her grand daughter Julie when she visited there from Manistee. Once, as I recall, when good friend Keith Bishop and I were up one morning we walked over to the Benish farm and the sun was already pretty high in the sky. The Benish dog began barking and Frank appeared on the porch shouting that it was six oclock in the morning. Keith glanced at me and I said, “I thought farmers were always up before six”.

Agnes and my grandmother went to church together a lot. And Frank often cut our field with his tractor. He had a kind of workshop set up in his barn which he spent a large majority of his time in.

In the 1980’s I visited with Benish’s other grand daughters those being Chrissy and Rebecca Benish, Julie’s sisters, for a good evening of fun and laughter. The girls mother was once Miss Michigan and both Julie and Chrissy were raving beauties.

Salesian Boys Club Travels to Hoffman Estates Boys Club

My old Salesian Boys Club of Columbus, Ohio, made their way to my new club, The Hoffman Estates Boys Club in suburban Chicago for a basketball tournament that also included the Cicero and Bellwood Boys Clubs of Chicagoland. Our club in Hoffman Estates hosted the Salesian team for an overnight at our facility.

The game was played at a local grade school as our gym was not a full sized basketball court. A trumpeter from a local high school played the National Anthem and then Bellwood Boys Club defeated us while Salesian trounced the Cicero Boys Club in the second game. Salesian went on to defeat Bellwood by a large margin in the championship game.

Then the Salesian club traveled back to our club in Hoffman Estates for an overnight of pizza and fun. They were treated to Roof Ball which our members won handily and paddleball along with the Tire Endurance which were all foreign to the Salesian kids. Brother Emile Dube and “Judghead” Jones were the supervisors for the Salesian kids. I enjoyed talking old times with each. Judhead had even managed to go to Michigan on one of our camping trips to our property.

Before returning home to Columbus the following morning they attended a Catholic service at St. Hubert’s Parish which was next door to our facility. I think the Salesian kids went home not only with the basketball trophy but a greater appreciation for the other games we had at our club.