Memories of Michigan

While in Michigan we always visited Grandmother and Grandfather. I remember singing in my head the holiday carol…..”Over the River and Through The Woods” It was quite appropriate for the trip!

They lived at 205-1/2 James St near Ludington Ave. kiddie corner to the Community Church of Christ at 201 N. James St. They had a little grey asphalt shingle sided house with a large back yard. There was a swing in the yard and a lovely lattice rose covered arbor. As a child I was charmed by how the yard looked but terrified of the bees the roses and flowers drew. Looking back I am still charmed by the place- the typical little house with a white picket fence. I believe it was built around 1910 and had the character that only vintage homes exude. This photo shows Uncle Edwin, Aunt Martha, Grandmother and Dad in the back yard. You can barely see the arbor on the right side.

It had a nice eat in kitchen, with white cabinets and linoleum counters. There was a table and chairs large enough to handle us kids. It was a place where quiet merriment and mischief reigned. If we got too loud Grandmother would either come in herself to reprimand us or send an emissary. Children were meant to be seen and not heard, especially during a meal.

I remember being fascinated by the “Jack and Jill” bathroom- a bath with 3 doors- one to the hall and 1 each leading to the 2 bedrooms. We loved to play with that situation! The basement had Grandfather’s workshop- a place of mystery where he churned out masterpieces in wood and stone. I can remember watching him work, running the stone tumbler and using the polisher. It was fascinating stuff!

There was also a small den or recreation room where we children hung out when not outside. I remember one or two very small rooms that could be used as spare bedrooms- I think one had a built in bench with storage underneath that could be used as a twin bed. There was little room for anything else in the room.

The wall phone was also in the basement and I remember a mischievous cousin Glen pulling a practical joke. We all thought it was hysterical (remember we were kids, this was the time where prank calls were popular!). He had learned a phone number that the telephone company used to cause the phone to ring back to check the line. He used to dial the number and we would wait with baited breath for our hapless victim to answer the line. It brought us great merriment!

I could easily draw you a layout of the house as it remains as familiar to my memory as the home in which I grew up.

Recently it was offered for sale and there was an internet e-tour of the house. It was still familiar but had of course changed over the years. One of the changed that has been made I can understand – there was a dearth of windows and light in the house due to walls and small rooms and I am sure the idea was to open it up and lighten it- but from a design stand point it came off odd and clumsy. They put a pass through into the kitchen, moved around the cabinets and added a slider to a new deck on the back of the house instead of the traditional entry. The problem with this was that it really reduced cabinet space and broke up the work pattern, but to each their own! My brother spoke with the realtor (he is actually looking to settle in Michigan and has looked into our Grandparent’s home and into Big Bass Lake store). He bemoaned some other physical changes made to the house but these changes were not shown on the tour so I can’t comment on them myself. Besides, no place ever stays the same, everyone wants to put their own stamp on their home. It isn’t Grandmother and Grandfather’s house anymore, except in our memories!