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You know fall is here. The traffic has lessened, the dunes have been vacated by the summer tourists, and leaves are changing color and falling. This summer I’ve noticed on our way in to the city that the visitors to the dunes area were actually in the lake, not like previous years when sunbathing was the norm and you simply enjoyed looking at the lake, not wanting to test the chilly water.

Mildred Gustafson is back home after a brief stay at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey.

Friends and family helped Sharon and Ken Smith celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary with a sail on the Roseway out of St. Ignace. After the boat trip they visited with Dan and Barb Leach.

Tom Gustafson had some visitors at the Smoked Fish shop the other day. He was out at the smokers when a group of men got out of their van and went over to watch him put fish in the smokers. After talking with them a bit, he realized they were Bill Haley and the Comets. They were playing in the area.

Pega and John Kennedy also had some interesting people at their pasty shop. A couple dropped in (literally) when they landed their helicopter in the yard. They had been there earlier in the summer and wanted to have another pasty and some pie.

While copying some 1953 pictures of Dave leaving for boot camp, I met Billie Holmer at a store in Cheboygan. She and John live south of Cheboygan and John is doing as well as can be expected. It was good to see Billie again.

Thursday evening Dave and I joined Bob Flora for dinner at the casino and, of course, a little gambling. We remembered that a former employee of ours, Denny Vowell, went to work at the casino after graduation from high school. We did get to talk to Denny and caught up with all the news. He showed us pictures of his lovely wife and adorable little boy. What a nice family.

Kurt Liebengood of Flint stopped by Saturday evening for a visit. Subjects ranged from hunting to Kurt’s son, Chip, who is stationed in Iraq. Chip will be coming home soon for a leave. He celebrated his 24th birthday Sunday. Happy birthday to you, Chip, and your dad will be happy to see you home for some R and R.

Lee Dyer is settled in Mesa, Arizona, and working in Phoenix. He is enjoying his new life, so to speak, and doesn’t mind the temperatures.

We hosted a cookout on Labor Day at Grandpa’s house. Bob Flora, Lee Quigley, Mike Quigley, and Horst and Ingrid Daemmrich enjoyed visiting and eating picnic fare. The Daemmrichs have left for their home in Fourtown, Pennsylvania.

Tracy Movalson spent the Labor Day holiday with her Uncle Sharkey and Aunt Anne Movalson on their boat at Sister Bay on the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin. Her cousins, Bill and Mary Kaye Movalson, and their family, Matt and Megan, along with Bruce and Margie Movalson and Gabby, were there on their boats also. They all motored to the Door Peninsula from Gladstone. This is a trip over Lake Michigan they make a few times during the summer season.

Marion Green, her daughter, Anita Graham, her son and daughter-in-law, Andy and Vivian Green, and their children, Lindsey and Amanda and Claudia, and Glen Wiseman were at the Green family cottage on Lake Michigan for the holidays. On Labor Day, Marion, Anita, Glen, and Claudia walked the bridge.

Congratulations to Sergio Barcena for winning Best of Show at the Sault Summer Arts Festival last weekend. Sergio entered a silver bracelet, which will be auctioned off in October. Heather Gust Barcena is also a jewelry designer in her own right and had items entered at the festival. Heather is the daughter of Jim Gust of Saginaw and Ruby and Jim Allen of Flint.

Susie Pierson rode her motor bike out to Brevort to visit Bob Flora on Labor Day.

Jackie Rogers and her daughter, Jessie, have been in Dunathon, Colorado, visiting Jamie Rogers.

Mary Ann and Larry First’s grandson, Andy Vertz, has left Kuwait and is now serving in Iraq. We hope for his safekeeping.

Lee Quigley and I attended the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel meeting in Rudyard Monday.

Pat Lebutzki’s daughter, Maureen Ervay, who is a deputy in charge of exports for Dow Corning, will be traveling to Russia, Germany, England, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, and Wales on business. Future trips will include Asia and the Orient. Maureen lives in Freeland with her husband.

Congratulations to Jerri Rose on her retirement. Last Monday was her last day. Her sister, Kathy Essary of San Antonio, Texas, is visiting with Jerri and Jim. Jim has retired from his bread route so we have two happy people with time to do all the things that have been waiting for them. The Roses heard from a former Brevorter, Floyd Martin, this week. Floyd is living in the Florida panhandle working as a mechanic and building furniture.

Lee Foster is in Bliss this week helping the beekeepers with the honey harvest. This summer I read “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. It went into great detail of the actual life of a beehive plus the life of those very interesting women who took care of the hives and the young run-away girl who came to live with them. A must read! If Lee shows no fear, he won’t get stung. Bees do not like a nervous beekeeper.

This summer Lee helped his nephew, Tucker Shepard, build a new fort near Tucker’s home.

Bob and Linda Shepard of Batavia, New York, were guests of Thora and Jack Shepard at their cottage at Trout Lake for a week. Later Pat and John Will were guests for three days and Jack’s Aunt Barb Merchant and her friend, Jim, from Indian River, spent two days. Thora said they had to take turns staying at the cottage and at the Shepard home in Brevort. Jack has been elected as the new chairman of the Birch Shores Association at Trout Lake.

JoJo Visnaw and Jimbo Brown took Bob Shepard, Jim, Jack Shepard, and Mike Shepard fishing last week. They had a fine catch of lake trout and salmon.

Dot Glashaw and Phyllis Massey attended the Arts Dockside Show last weekend.

Janice O’Boyle has been busy this past week canning pears from their pear tree in their front yard. She has been taking care of the bounty of green beans and cucumbers from Jackie and Jim Rogers’ very abundant garden. Lawrence O’Boyle delivered, via his bike, a big bag of pears. I dutifully peeled them and froze them. We’ll see how that works, as I’m not really a canner of garden produce unless it is cukes.

We found another gift of tomatoes at the end of the sidewalk. It was from our gentleman farmer, Bob Jarzynka of Worth Road.

It was too nice an evening to stay at home. Mary Carney was unavailable, as were Jamica Diamond and Lara Gustafson. Betty Giordoni had no news, and neither did Brenda Spencer. There is always next week.

Happy birthday September 1, Marilyn DuMond. Sharon and Kenny celebrated their anniversary September 3, Sharon and Joe Chalmers September 5, and Eric and Kelli Movalson September 7. Happy birthday to Joan Spencer September 7. Andy Movalson and Herb Kitzman share a birth date September 18. Paul Shepard and Ed Heenan celebrate on September 19.

Pray for victims of Katrina and send support to the charity of your choice.