High Water, Family Ties...and More!

With less lawn to mow, time can be devoted to redoing the boardwalk
along this dock.  I began my work wearing loafers and soon found myself
standing in ankle deep water that crept up around me as
silently as the fog bank observed in the background. 

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

When one isn't talking about the weather on Washington Island there is always the topic of lake levels.  The two are related, of course.

On the rise since the official, new low recorded in January of 2013, we've observed water levels creeping upward steadily, approaching record high levels seen in 1986 and 1987.  This has caused problems for boaters, shoreline owners, pier owners, and for the Ferry Line, trying to adjust to increasing water levels and shorelines that disappear one day, only to reappear a few hours or days later with a shift in wind or rise in barometric pressure.

I asked Island meteorologist and recorder of local data what might have prompted the unexpected rise and fall of the water observed on May 25th (and on several days since then).  Here is a portion of John Delwiche's reply:

"Dick: Yesterday was a very unusual day (I feel) from a meteorological standpoint. There was a shortwave impulse lifting NE thru Northern Ontario, and at the surface, a trailing Cold Front that extended across far SE Lake Superior and the Eastern UP. In other words, very close to the Island. The Storm Prediction Center mesoanalysis showed Mid-Level CAPE's edging upward ahead of the Front. (CAPE means Convective Air Potential Energy.) There was a narrow zone between the Front surging South, and the edge of the Lake Michigan modified air mass with the SSW winds you mentioned. This is only a guess, but I bet the action was going-on there, and it could have been a meso-Low. 

The narrow zone between the air masses probably showed-up best on Water Vapor Imagery from the GOES-16 (or 17) satellite that the NWS and SPC use. I don't know if I can "go back in time" with the GOES's images that I download, but I can try tomorrow morning. The best time for me to try downloading those images is very early morning(4AM-6AM). The files are so big, and it is futile to try downloads midday, much less on a weekend. I will try emailing NWS-Marquette as well. One of the guys there used to work in Green Bay, and I have emailed him in the past. "

John continued to dig for data that would help explain this observed "seiche," and hopefully he might give us greater explanation in one of his Island Observer weather columns.

The photos I've shown here exemplify what is becoming a daily challenge in ferry operations.  The Karfi, passenger ferry to Rock Island relied upon by hundreds of campers and day visitors over the summer months, operates from a landing near the boat house that will be in jeopardy on certain days when exposed to westerly or northwesterly winds and seas.  They can, and will, wash over the pier on those windiest days.  Wet feet and wet camping gear will result, and that's if the ferry can safely land behind what was formerly a protective pier.

What do 42 campsite fire rings and two semi loads of bundled firewood
have to do with high water, you may ask?  Staged on the lawn at the State Park
property in Jackson Harbor, they await transport to
Rock Island.  The previously assumed method - by one of the large 
Washington Island ferries - is out of question due both to lack of exposed pier to
butt against, and for the steepness of ferry ramp should the first evolution
be possible.  This cargo thus awaits transport by barge.

One can chance splitting the crotch in a pair of jeans
while getting to or from the Karfi deck.  The difference from
boat to pier has been eased somewhat with a step box. 
Shown here near the bow helps customers when hoisting
heavy camping gear over the rail of the ferry, items that are
often a challenge even for the muscle-bound Karfi crew to
handle with a smile.

Boaters are finding little to moor their craft against, unless pier supports are raised along the dock faces, a feat not easily or cheaply achieved.

Who's your daddy?

We recently attended a memorial service at Bethel Church for the former Island Archivist Barb Ellefson.  Barbara was known for her interest and enthusiasm for researching and teaching others the art of genealogy.  She carried the belief (unofficial, of course) that if you were from the Island, or from and Island family, then you were likely related not only to family A and B, but also C and D.

We test Barbara's theory in a combination program and teaching moment when the Archives presents "Island Genealogy," Sunday June 23 at 4:00 pm, in the Rutledge Room of the Community Center.  This location, a change from most of our public programs, means that activity will be centered next to the Archives computers and vault, and where those present may learn how important updating family records can be, and actually learn steps necessary to accomplish such a thing.  It may not matter as much to us as it might to our children, those of the next several generations who will someday wish to trace their family connections.  So, please mark June 23rd on your calendar, and spend a hour or so with Archivist Steve Reiss and the Archives volunteers to learn more about recording your family tree for posterity.  

Heading overseas!

Meanwhile, Mary Jo and I will take a leave of absence during most of June to attend to matters abroad...in this case a smattering of cruise stops in the Baltic countries.  We'll board a sister ship of the Viking Sun in Stockholm (remember the piano, chairs and plants sliding back and forth in an internet  video taken by one of the passengers on a fateful day aboard the Viking Sun in the North Atlantic? I knew immediately that was the cruise experience we were after!)

Truthfully, We've been assured that all four of the ship's engines will function smoothly (with lube oil day tanks filled and alarms reset to "Manual"), with little-or-no chance of failure, and that all itinerary stops scheduled along our route will bring smiles and education to our hearts and minds.  (What's the point of an adventure if there's never a concern for one's welfare?)   We're ready to cross the gangway and get started on our tour of Viking homelands.

In the meantime, in our absence, consider doing the opposite of the rain dance to induce a dry spell over the midwestern portion of the United States, with added emphasis and twisting movements to induce lower Lake Michigan levels during the coming months.

A show of hands...

One, last request before I close:  Be ready to put your hands in the air by the end of July if you're excited to join an Island delegation to travel to Iceland in early June of 2020.  A recent communication from our Icelandic friend Almar Grimsson prompts us to get seriously organized, which, in turn, will help our hosts and counterparts to plan for either a handful or a busload (or maybe two busloads) of Washington Island-connected folks.  Plans are to visit the seaside village of Eyrarbakki during the first week of June to join Icelanders in CelebrateIceland2020 - in whatever shape and form seems most appropriate --- "To Be Determined" during the coming months.  

Talk it up.  Get on the internet.  Check out the site, "Hey Iceland!"   Contact your friends and relatives for what could be both an epic and extremely meaningful trip to Iceland.

-  Dick Purinton

ALONG THE SHORELINE

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

The pace of summer was upon us each day, with strong auto and passenger traffic coming to Washington Island daily since the July 4th weekend, warm, sunny summer days, with numerous events to attract the interest of visitors and locals alike.

I happened to be in Sturgeon Bay approximately two weeks ago when several of the participants in the 2016 Great Lakes Tall Ship fleet departed Green Bay, most headed for Duluth, Minnesota where they would gather in that harbor for an event scheduled this weekend (Aug. 19-21).

The Spanish vessel Galeon, and the Norwegian Draken Harald Harfargre sailed to Sturgeon Bay and moored along the waterfront just east of the Oregon Street Bridge.  Before I headed to the Department of Motor Vehicle office to renew my driver's license (early, with the intention of beating the crowd) we stopped for a close look, unencumbered by other onlookers or security barriers.  By ten o'clock that morning the two vessels would be open to receive paying visitors, $10 for adults, $5 for children.  But by then we intended to be on our way back to the Island.

Locally, hopes were raised high that Draken and crew would consider stopping at Washington Island for a night or two, based on the sincere belief that a welcoming and solidly-rooted Scandinavian community might be an enticement hard to turn down.

However, the ship's presence in U. S. waters required filing a sailing plan with the U.S. Coast Guard (in part, because of current Homeland Security rules).  So, the plan's ports of call took priority.

The Sturgeon Bay stop may also have been influenced by the fact that Draken, with her diminishing operating funds as described in various press stories, could potentially fare better in receipts from day visitors at Sturgeon Bay's waterfront than in a Washington Island harbor.

In any case, shortly before 7 a. m., Mary Jo and I strolled close to the Draken as her crew of men and women stretched, brushed teeth, ate their breakfast and prepared for the day under the ever-present eyes of dockside onlookers.

That routine of living under a microscope must make her crew long to get underway for the open seas and passage home, distancing themselves for a time from press and onlookers...even though such media and public attention is a primary reason for the construction of such replica vessels, to show how ships of centuries ago were constructed and sailed, and to demonstrate their importance in the history of world exploration and commerce.  (With superstructure like a fortress, the Spanish crew at that same hour remained belowdecks, nowhere to be seen - not even a deck watch!)

A Jackson Harbor spectacle

The following remarks are based not on my personal familiarity with the world of theater - which is minimal - but rather from a most positive reaction to last night's Island Players drama staged on the grounds near the Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum's restored John Christiansen home.

(If you read this before noon Sunday, Aug. 22, and you're on the Island, then I'd urge you to see the play "Seascape," a drama by Edward Albee.)

The setting is outdoors, seating under a tent that is nestled between the porch of the old fisherman's home and the tall rushes and brush that grow with abandon along Jackson Harbor's shore in that location.

Andy Sachs, Director, took this project on knowing there would be many hurdles to putting on such a play outdoors. (Even Andy might have been surprised by the height of the hurdles!).

However, this location proved to be an excellent setting for an aging, bickering couple who spend their day on the beach discussing their life's regrets, joined eventually, and unexpectedly, in a discussion of human evolution, human traits and time by a pair of lizards, very distant cousins from the sea.

Albee's dialog is filled with humor and pithy observations about couples, both human and human predecessors.   Most pleasant surprises were provided by these actors, with great timing of lines and physical movements on the grassy stage:  Brian Sorenson, Patti Cauldwell, Libby Evans Sachs and Terry Henkel.

You'll not find a play that provides a more continual stream of laughs.  I may have been more easily encouraged by the tall glass of Guiness I had with dinner beforehand at the Fiddler's Green. But, I'm not one to find laughter in forced humor...this was not forced, but clever, timely riposte.  This play was best entertainment!

You can likely get your tickets at the door, as we did, if you don't already have them.  This evening's performance starts at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday's matinee begins at 1:30 p.m.

Other activities

Today's Island Fair - historically one of the biggest days on the Island - looks to be a rain-out.  That's very unfortunate considering the efforts on the part of Island Lions Club members and others that goes into the set-up, entertainment and food preparation (not to mention out-of-pocket expenses by various Island organizations and individuals).

You can cap off your weekend with a bit of historical reflection.  The Island Archives sponsors its second program of the summer with Will Craig presenting:  Early Washington Island Settlers - The Second Wave, at 4:30 Sunday afternoon.   A chance to wind down in the air conditioned Trinity Fellowship hall for an hour or so before supper.  See you there!

-  Dick Purinton

ISLAND WATERFRONT - Then and Now - Part IV

Washington Island -

Continuing the theme of looking at the Washington Island waterfront as time changed, I've come across photos that interest me, and I hope readers who have a connection to Washington Island are similarly interested.

My personal knowledge, and the photos readily available to me help me to make connections.  Most of these photos center on Detroit Harbor, but there are occasional, interesting side trips to other harbors and piers.   I'll admit these are not placed in a chronological sequence.  Rather, I've followed what piques my interest, and also what pops up that seems to make a connected story or sub-theme.

The photo above, for instance, is a fairly recent one.  I've received aerial photos over the years from pilots (Jack Cornell, Tim Graul and Ed Graf, to name a few) but I believe I took this one seated in the rear seat of an ultralight, behind pilot Butch Gordon, in February 1990.  (If anyone believes I'm wrong, please let me know!)

I was interested in obtaining photos for the book Over and Back (published later that summer), and Butch offered to take me up in his small plane one late afternoon when the sun's angle was low in the sky.  At the island ferry dock as shown above are five ferries, with the C. G. Richter moored on the end of the pier, and the Voyageur moored at the Standard Oil dock's north side.  (Both of those ferries were sold years later.)  At this time, all Hansen Oil product tanks were still in place, and you can see autos parked south of the tanks, in the general area that is now open pavement leading to the new ferry terminal entrance (completed in1996).  The old ferry office on the dock was still painted white, later to become "federal blue."

Eric Bonow,  from Superior, Wisconsin, who enjoys digging into history, especially anything to do with regional maritime activity, visited last week.  In our conversation Eric reminded me how as operators we had to avoid a shoal area located directly astern of where the C. G. Richter is moored.  This shoal wasn't dredged until around the year 2000.   To safely leave the channel and head in to the pier, we used a range consisting of the light pole in line with the old office door.   Then we were assured of staying in deep enough water.  This shallow hump (with about 6-8 feet of water over it) also had to be avoided during ice breaking around the docks -  just one more deterrent that, when eventually removed, was longer thought about.

The relationship of the current ferry dock to the adjacent Standard Oil pier, and to the Island Outpost dock north of that, is clearly shown in this photo, and that's the main reason why I chose to feature it here.

Below is a May 1930 survey of the ferry dock property (the earliest survey I've seen), courtesy of Eric's sleuthing at the Courthouse.   I believe this survey was produced because of an impending sale of land from  Ole Christiansen to Captain William Jepson, who before that sale operated his ferries from the far eastern side of Detroit Harbor.   Ole's marine railway is indicated in the survey.

May 1930 survey of Standard Oil (previously the Cornell Tract)
and Ole Christiansen tracts  (later Wm. Jepson's, then WIFL)
in Detroit Harbor.

In a previous blog, I wrote that Ole was co-owner of a pier in Jackson Harbor, along with Bo Anderson, and a chart and photos Eric passed along show where that pier was located.  The photo is an old postcard, and although its not entirely clear in this version, piled lumber can be seen on shore and an unidentified small sailing vessel is at the pier, presumably loading - year unknown.

Related text reprints from the Advocate newspaper follow:

 Door County Advocate - 2.28.1903:
   The bulk of the Forster Lumber Co. lands have been sold mostly to settlers, the heaviest investors being Bo L. Anderson and Capt. Ole Christianson (sp), who secured about 500 acres.  These gentlemen are now engaged in building a dock inside the east point near the entrance to Jackson Harbor.  The cribs have all been completed and the stringers are now being laid.  There are two gangways to the main structure, which will prevent all backing or turning by teams.  Three vessels will be able to lay at the dock at the same time.  Captain Christianson is superintending the work which is a full guarantee that the structure will be put up in good shape.   The entrance to Jackson Harbor is shallow, so that only light going craft are able to pass in our out.  The owners contemplate removing the bar, which is only a few yards wide. They will likely have a small dredge do this work, although Captain Christianson has told us that he could remove the bar by other means, but at all events it will require a good outlay, but when this obstruction is away, allowing large vessels to load at the dock, it will fully pay for the outlay.  Besides that several of those owning timber lands on the northeast side have expressed their willingness to help pay for the expense in deepening the inlet. The enterprise of Messrs. A & C is sure to have the effect to build up Jackson Harbor.  There are thousands of cords of wood to go over the dock, and shipping is bound to be lively for some time to come.

Jackson Harbor shown on 1922 Lake Survey
Chart.  (Courtesy of Eric Bonow)

Door County Advocate - 7.30.1904:
Capt. Ole Cristianson is and has been engaged in the wood trade between Jackson Harbor and Milwaukee with the schooner Madonna. The Lucy Graham, Capt. Goodletson, is also carrying fuel from the same place to Manitowoc.  She came here on Saturday night for the sixth time so far this year.  The crew report that the yards are filling up rapidly, and the delivery will have to stop soon until more room can be secured.  Although 36 years old the Lucy is as sound as a trivet, having been well taken care of by her owner.  She was built at Sturgeon Bay in the winter of 1868 by the late Capt. Robert Graham, one of the pioneer residents of the county.

Door County Advocate - 12.3.1904:
The portable sawmill for Christianson & Anderson has arrived, and is now being set up.  The firm has enough orders ahead to keep the outfit busy the greater part of the winter.  Strange to say the demand all comes from the islanders, who are rather adverse to sawing their stove wood by the old and laborious method when it can be done by steam in one fraction of the time.  The buck saw is a thing of the past.

Door County Advocate - 3.4.1905
A good deal of cordwood is being banked every working day at Jackson Harbor, and the owners anticipate god prices again for this commodity.  There are two piers over which the wood will be shipped, that of Anderson & Christianson and Ras. Hansen.  The latter, which formerly belonged to Capt. Denio, is undergoing a substantial rebuild this season.

Door County Advocate - 10.10.1907
Rasmus Hansen is steadily improving and developing his Jackson Harbor property which has in late years become one of the most important shipping points in this region. 
The Lucy Graham has been lying at Jackson Harbor for more than a week waiting for a load.  Capt. Goodletson says that wood is getting very scarce in these parts, but he hopes to get in a few more trips before the end of the season.
  Chas. Anderson, Matt Swenson and Ben Jensen are building a structure on the south side of Jackson Harbor to be used for a saw mill, and as soon as it shall be completed the outfit will be removed to that place from the west side of the pond.  Business is pretty lively at that point, as there is considerable wood being banked and carried to market by the schooner Madonna, Capt. Ole Christianson.

Postcard - Jackson Harbor, inside Carlins Point, early 1900s.

After nine more years, the shipment of timber had slowed…and it was around this time the Madonna was abandoned in Detroit Harbor west of Snake Island.   Ole Christianson may have concentrated his efforts from that point forward at his shipyard on Lobdell Point.

Door county Advocate - 4.6.1916:
The Jackson Harbor Mill Co. will begin their spring sawing this week. Lumbering is nearly a thing of the past on the Island, the stock of logs being comparatively small.  But, still we wonder where so many come from.

  - Dick Purinton

MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS

Rigging for a sail on a light air day -  
Michael Kuharski and his canoe trimaran.

Jackson Harbor, Washington Island -

While getting ourselves ready for our first trip on the Karfi a couple of weeks ago, we watched Michael Kuharski of Madison prepare for a sail from Jackson Harbor's launching ramp.

Michael's rig is a one-of-a-kind, which he says was an idea that came about over time, modified through experimentation, and he's never through with tinkering to improve its performance.  The center hull is a Mad River canoe, and he obtained the pods for the outriggers from a company out of Minnesota that made a proa-type sailing boat. From all appearances, these were made to match.

The first time I observed Michael getting his gear in order on the beach was last year.  With his portable drill in hand, I observed from a distance as he fastened the struts together - struts that held the pontoon pods in place.

Like many other onlookers, I'm sure, I expected very shortly to see a show once he nosed into the bay and experienced that first, strong gust of wind.  It was blowing fresh from the NW, and there were 2-3 foot waves with whitecaps.  Michael didn't disappoint me in terms of putting on a show - but it was a clinic, and not a show, as it turned out.  He tacked back and forth to Rock Island effortlessly, multiple times, having great fun in winds I thought would overpower him, a breeze somewhere between 15-20 mph.   He often stood up on the decks, or in his canoe, to balance his craft and to maneuver more easily.  At no time did he ever appear to be "out of control," or was his craft put in a precarious position.  When he got in a tight corner near shore and needed an extra boost to come through the wind to tack, he stroked a few times with his paddle to help bring it around.

His sail has a Sailfish insignia on it, and along with a small foresail, this is sail area aplenty.  He handles it well, as he does his craft, screaming along on reaches with little-to-no wetted surface to slow him down.  The day before I took these photos, he told me that he sailed in winds at least 25 mph, and he had fun doing it.

He spoke of his experimentation in reducing wake by the accidental adjustment of his outrigger pontoon, and centerboard position, partly the happy result of an accident in which one strut broke.  His repairs improved performance.  He's a confident sailor, enjoying what he's built, and I would add that he's also quite fit, scampering about on his craft with the agility of a youngster (I'd guess he's mid-60s).

It shows what fun one can have messing around in a small boat, and in this case, Michael's trimaran is one I would label a "high-performance" craft.  

Nutshell Pram

My Karfi partner and crew many days this summer was Tony Woodruff, a sailor who enjoys recreational sailing about as much as anyone I've known.  He often often rigs his catboat for a sail after work hours, or on his days off.

Last week, as crew member Carl and I prepared for our last trip to Rock Island, Tony (who had that day off) was preparing to launch his home made Nutshell Pram, a Joel White design.  He said that it took him a few years to put together, but the result is a stunning little craft.  Neat as a pin is an apt description of this boat, which Tony proceeded to row out to his mooring and tie off to the stern cleat of his catboat, where he put up sail.

I spent quite a bit of time at an earlier age, when I existed in much smaller dimensions, learning to sail in an Optimist Pram, 7-footers owned by the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club for the purpose of teaching sailing.   These were rather poor boats to sail, with hard chines, flat bottoms (notorious for leaks along the seams), an inefficient gaff-sprit rigs, outboard rudders and  centerboards that could be quickly adjusted by hand.   Not especially good on the wind, they were still fun when in company of a dozen other boats, all headed for the same mark at about the same time.  Lots of pushing off one another, taking advantage of chances to steal one another's wind, these were tactics employed when we needed to get to the finish line first.

Tony, about to get underway in his Nutshell.

I alternated between that sailing activity and a 19-foot family sailboat, and running around the bay in a 12-foot, wooden Shell Lake motorboat powered by a 7.5 hp Evinrude.

I couldn't have been happier on the water, and I often think I could still be happy playing around in such a small boats…its just that it's much harder to maneuver today in a boat that has a beam of not much more than three feet.

-  Dick Purinton

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

Washington Island -

It's difficult to stand still long enough to take a photo demonstrating crazy, if typical, winged insect activity, and I was fortunate to get this one on the second try, with one of the critters appearing to be pasted to my mouth.

These same little bugs (maybe 1/4 of an inch at most) hatch this time of year and swarm anywhere it's warm and away from the breeze.   In this case, they found the sunny, lee side of the kiosk at Jackson Harbor to their liking.

I had just finished placing more Karfi to Rock Island brochures in the display pocket on the sign board when I heard the high-pitched whine of hundreds of pairs of beating wings.

It's a trick not to inhale them when they're so thick, because they're tiny and they don't fly away very fast.

There are several reasons why this annual phenomenon isn't all bad, and here are ten reasons under the heading…


I TELL MYSELF I LIKE THESE BUGS BECAUSE:

  1.  they signal warm Island weather, at long last
  2.  birds like to eat bugs (swallows and martins especially)
  3.  while they do smear when you brush them off your clothing, these bugs don't bite!
  4.  birders like the birds that like the bugs
  5.  fish like the bugs
  6.  birders and fishermen visit the Island to bird and fish
  7.  birders and fishermen bring $$ and they purchase services and goods
  8.  we like to eat, and $$ helps us in the grocery department
  9.  these bugs are here for a relatively short duration (maybe one month).  When they disappear,  mosquitos and biting flies replace them.   I prefer these lazy - if pesky - daytime cousins of mosquitos.  These bugs like to settle down after dark.
  10. I can avoid the thickest clouds of these bugs by staying indoors with the windows closed, or I can face into the wind when outdoors, or I can carry a portable fan.


I'm also guessing protein might be gained by eating these bugs.   When swallowed - and I ate several today - there are no ill effects.

Putting up with them, ignoring them or making light of them:  this may be the best we can do.

  -  Dick Purinton

IN THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY

View from the ranks as Legion Color Guard led procession to
the Island Cemetery Monday morning. 

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Visitors and residents of Washington Island enjoyed a near-perfect Memorial Day Weekend, with fine weather Friday through Monday.  Nearly any outdoor activity could be enjoyed, except for swimming or laying on the beach, since just one month ago the ice was leaving our harbors and the lake water is too cold for swimming.

The traditional Memorial Day Program with ceremonies at the cemetery and School House Beach afterward, sponsored by the local Gislason-Richter American Legion Post 402, was held at Bethel Evangelical Free Church.  Student Americanism Essays were read, selected war poems were recited by men of the Post, and the community turnout and support was again gratifying.

Approach to Rock Island, Saturday, May 25.

With the holiday over, we returned immediately to cooler, wetter weather Tuesday morning.  This year, with the addition of the small passenger ferry Karfi to the Ferry Line Fleet, I am under instruction with Jeff Cornell, who practically trained as a toddler under his Grampa Jim Cornell years ago.  Although a small vessel, rather straightforward in many ways, nevertheless there are characteristics and idiosyncrasies in this ferry not found on the larger vessels in Detroit Harbor.

This change of scenery is a welcomed one for me, and propitious, too, as I am just completing a book under the title, Thordarson and Rock Island.  This is a coincidental convergence of my earlier goal of completing this local history book, with the recent and unplanned acquisition of the Karfi by the Ferry Line company.  I am now  allowed the pleasure of working a few days each week on the Rock Island run.

After reading intently and organizing letter and document materials that were Thordarson's, with a steady, concentrated writing effort since January 1st, it is now a pleasure to set course for the Thordarson's stone edifice, the Rock Island State Park Boathouse.  It is Thordarson's best known structure and a most convenient point on which to steer when departing Jackson Harbor.

Jeff is particular as to how his operation should be managed, following years of safe and reliable transportation. I'm slowly gaining the needed skills.  If Jeff is to get his day off each week, my improved abilities will give him that opportunity.

There are two contrasting photos shown here of the Karfi's recent operations.  One was taken Saturday on the noon trip to Rock Island.  The other was yesterday morning when we had cool temperatures and a light rain.   I'm amazed, given that weather, that we had any passengers for a day of hiking and exploring on Rock Island.  It shows the possibilities when sunnier, warmer days arrive.

-  Dick Purinton   (Note:  Thordarson and Rock Island is a reasonable 4-6 weeks away from printing.  Estimated pages:  435; 100+ images with maps; paperback.   Price:  $27 + tax + S + H)

O'CONNOR TRIFECTA

Margie O'Connor proudly displays three grandsons:
 Sullivan and twins Isaac and Aaron.

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -


Washington Harbor homeowners Steve and Margie O'Connor (also a Ferry Line ticket seller) are still coming down from an exciting several days experienced last weekend.

They had left the island on the early boat Thursday, July 14, knowing son Patrick and daughter-in law Emilie were expecting a child any moment, given Emilie was nearing one week beyond the due date.   Margie and Steve arrived in Milwaukee in plenty of time, following some appointments of their own, and they met 10 lb. 13 oz. Sullivan soon after he was born, which was approximately 2 a.m. early Friday morning, July 15.

While enroute to the Milwaukee hospital on Thursday, they had spoken with eldest son Sean who said that he and his wife Fran were just returning from a night in the hospital for observation in Hoffman Estates, IL, due to false contractions, and that everything was "normal"with the twins she was carrying.  Fran was not expected to deliver until mid-August.   Later that day, however, Sean called Margie back to say that he and Fran were proud parents of twin boys born at the St. Alexius Hospital:  Isaac Stephen (5 lb. 3 oz.) and Aaron Joseph (6 lb. 9 oz.)

This made three new O'Connor grandsons, all on July 15!

Further fulfilling their role as grandparents, and a promise to have granddaughters stay with them for two weeks, Margie and Steve picked up two older grandchildren of daughter Shannon, who had vacationed in Ripon, at an arranged rendezvous as they passed through Fond du Lac.   Then they raced to catch the Saturday's late afternoon ferry, in time for Steve to sing in the Red Barn's Folk Festival that evening.

More grandparent stuff


Saturday afternoon I offered to take Hoyt and Kirsten's two boys, Aidan and Magnus, ages three and five, to see the planes at the Island Fly-In, and to buy them lunch in Jackson Harbor.  They had just come from shopping with their mom at the Twice Around Shop and each boy had with him a new toy truck.

One of 25 photos taken by Aidan of his
new toy truck

With cars parked along both sides of Airport Road, I looked for an open space to park from where we could watch planes land and take off. During this time, Magnus informed me he had to use the bathroom.  I decided the public restrooms at School House Beach would be the closest, so I drove there from the Airport.

While I entered the School House Beach men's room with Magnus, his brother Aidan, a knowledgeable little photographer with a point-and-shoot camera, located my camera and used it to snap a few photos of his new truck.

Then, we headed east from Washington Harbor to Jackson Harbor and lunch at the Time Out Concession operated by Karen Baxter and her mother-in-law, Shirley.   I ordered three hot dogs: one with ketchup only for Aidan; ketchup and relish for Magnus; and the works for me.  I soon learned I had heard it wrong, that Magnus didn't like relish at all, and that Aidan didn't like hot dogs (although he ate his without complaint).  Magnus ate only his pickle, but he wouldn't touch the hot dog despite my "scraping off" the relish.  We sat at a picnic table in the heat of the midday sun, two of us eating hot dogs while Magnus climbed on the anchor, and we sipped lemonade.  In between bites, I kibitzed with Barry McNulty who rested in a nearby chair placed under the shade of the old Coast Guard boat, Valiant. 

Hoping I could regain the boys' confidence, I offered to return to the concession wagon to buy ice cream in the form of packaged drumsticks.  In due time, I learned that not all young kids like drumsticks, or nuts on chocolate for that matter, or that they can keep ahead of melting chocolate and ice cream while standing in the sunshine.   Magnus licked his slowly, but steadily, to the point where the remaining ice cream leaned to one side before toppling to the grass.   Aidan had made great headway on his drumstick, working top to bottom, but he lost the lower third to the ground once he'd eaten the sugar cone sides that provided support.

Magnus passes up hot dog for a climb on
an anchor near the Fishing Museum

I ignored sticky hands and faces as seat belts were snapped once more and we drove toward their home where nap time awaited.  Approaching the driveway, I was informed Magnus again had to go "peeps."  As soon as car doors opened, both boys jumped out and thoroughly christened the bush that grows alongside the driveway.

It was a great time!

 -  Dick Purinton