Mackinac Island
By Jeannette Doud 847-3301

It's wintertime on Mackinac, where the Island is aglow in all of its elegance and beauty. Snow covers the trees in the woodland, where avid skiers are enjoying the trails, which are in great shape. Each day, more and more visitors arrive with their skis. Snowmobiling is great fun, with Cadotte Avenue being a very busy place. The evenings have been beautiful, with the radiant moon and glistening stars shining down on the frozen Straits. The view from Lakeshore Drive, looking west to the Mackinac Bridge, is breathtaking, even if we see it every night. I often wish that our summer folks could enjoy the sight as much as we do. At sundown, we often snowmobile to the West Bluff, near the Hamady Cottage, just to catch a glimpse of the ice-filled Straits. It is truly unbelievable.

Sad news reached the Island Saturday, January 26, when family members learned of the sudden death of John Stephen "Reno" Bazinaw at his home in Wrightstown, Wisconsin. He is survived by his wife, two sons, a granddaughter, and 11 brothers and sisters. Stephen's death is the first in the large family. He was born on Mackinac to the late Helen and James Bazinaw. Deepest sympathy to the family from Island friends.

Congratulations to Amelia and Dan Musser, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary November 30, 2007. A celebration of their marriage was held at the All Saints Episcopal Church in East Lansing with family members Dan, Marlee, Mimi, Robin, Jamie, and grandchildren Margaret, Robert, Maverick, Quattro, Tilly, and Amelia participating in the service. It was a wonderful gathering, ending with a dinner at the Country Club. Island friends send best wishes for many more years of good health and happiness.

Happy belated birthday to Brian Bloswick January 24. Hope you had a great day.

Boat traffic was seen twice during the week of January 27. We were alerted Monday to the sound of a freighter's whistle. After checking it out, we found the name of the ship passing eastbound was Assiniborine of the Canadian Steamship Line. A U.S. Coast Guard boat has been assisting the freighters, and another big ship passed through the Straits Monday evening.

Janice Green celebrated her birthday January 25, and Carol Ruddle celebrated her birthday January 27. Hope you both enjoyed your day.

Bud Bradley of Sault Ste. Marie, father of Dennis and Mike of Mackinac, celebrated his birthday January 29. Island friends send special greetings.

It's a busy time for Paul Fullerton of Great Lakes Air in St. Ignace, as he transports passengers and freight to and from the Island.

The construction of the new Mustang Bar continues each day by Maverick Construction. It's a very large project.

We send get well greetings to Megan Ferguson, who has been a patient at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital in Petoskey. Island friends wish you all the best.

Happy birthday to Victor D'Arce January 30. Hope you enjoyed your day.

The renovations and expansion at the Mackinac Island Airport terminal was done by two Islanders, Larry Rickley Sr. and Larry Rickley Jr. It is absolutely beautiful. In the entryway is a carpet depicting the seal of the Mackinac Island State Park. The lobby is attractively furnished with new chairs, tables, and carpet. Included in the new facility is a pilots' lounge, which will be very nice for all the visiting pilots. As always, guests arriving are given a warm welcome by Airport Manager Dennis Bradley and his assistant, Troy Allaire. It's a great facility for Mackinac.

Happy birthday February 1 to Logan Kleinhenz, granddaughter of Annette and Bob Gillespie. Hope you had a wonderful day.

Happy birthday February 25 to our good friends in St. Ignace, Ken Hardy Sr. and Louie Leveille. Have a wonderful day.

Dr. Karen Miljour of Powers was the physician on call at the Mackinac Island Medical Center for the first part of the week of January 27, and Dr. Richard Hodgman of Kalkaska covered the last part of the week.

Happy second birthday to little Maverick Musser February 3. I'm sure your brother and sisters helped you blow out your candles.

Ike and Elaine Bunker will celebrate their wedding anniversary February 22. Enjoy your special day.

We send congratulations to Eric St. Onge, son of Deana and Glenn and brother of Jason, who was sworn in to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar Monday, January 7, by Chief Justice John Roberts in Washington, D.C. Eric is with the law firm of Kitch and Drutschas in Lansing. He and his wife, Jill, live in St. Louis, Michigan, with their two sons. Eric is a graduate of the Mackinac Island Public School, and we are very proud of him.

Our librarian, Anne St. Onge, celebrated her birthday February 4. Best wishes from Island friends.

Happy second birthday to Lily Schoenborn February 5.

Happy birthday to Nancy Ellison February 22, Luanne Mosley February 26, and Larry Parel February 28. Have a great day.

We extend our sincere sympathy to the family of Bill Lambert of St. Ignace.We have been appreciative at the Windermere of all the beautiful carpet he laid for us.

Nancy Chambers LaBorde and her husband, Jean, are traveling from Wisconsin to Arizona for a month's vacation. While en route, they stopped in Wichita, Kansas, to visit Nancy's former classmate at the Mackinac Island Public School, Marylou Francis and her sister, Theresa. They had a wonderful time talking about old times on Mackinac.

Happy birthday to Stacey Horn and Michelle Dean February 9. Hope you enjoyed your day.

The Mackinac Island Lakers basketball team hosted Paradise over the weekend. The boys basketball team remains undefeated. Go Lakers!

Happy birthday to Maggie Chambers and Mary Barber of Mackinac, and Kate Koboski of Petoskey February 10. Hope you had a great day. Mary Patay, coach of the girls basketball team, took the players to Traverse City to see the Harlem Globetrotters. They all enjoyed a fun time.

Little Makayla Rickley celebrated her second birthday February 11. I'm sure big brother Anthony helped blow out the candles.

Come and join us for an enjoyable evening of wonderful music Thursday, February 14, at 7 p.m. at Ste. Anne's Church featuring John Kissane. Refreshments will be served in Ste. Anne's Hall following the concert.

Happy anniversary to Cub and Kitty Horn February 14. Enjoy your day.

The Meals on Snowmobiles program is going very well. Meals are provided Tuesdays and Thursdays to about 25 people. Kathy Andress and Dan Seeley are doing a great job.

Jason St. Onge, owner of St. Onge Latex and Groove, entertained the Lakers boys and girls basketball teams at a pizza party at Sinclair's Irish Pub Wednesday, January 16. Everyone had a wonderful time.

We send best wishes to Steve Moskwa's sister, Linda, who has not been feeling her best. Linda worked on Mackinac, and has many friends here. She would love to hear from them. Please write to her at: 1460 E. Twin Brook Drive, Dewitt, Michigan 48820.

Saturday, January 26, Jamie Bynoe organized a street hockey game in front of Sinclair's Irish Pub. Jamie was captain of the Red Wings, and Andrew Doud was captain of the Bruins. The Red Wings won, with Jamie getting four goals and five assists. It was a great afternoon of fun.

The annual Volunteer of the Year award was presented to the Mackinac Island Ski Club, for endless hours of grooming the trails. Crosscountry skiing on Mackinac is a wonderful sport, with miles of beautiful scenery. Congratulations to the club for an excellent job.

Happy birthday to Joan Slater February 17, Leanne Brodeur February 18, and Norman Kolatski and Kent Weber February 19. Enjoy your day.

Mike Carley attended the funeral of his uncle, Harold Carley, Monday, February 4, in Sault Ste. Marie. Deepest sympathy from Island friends.

The question often asked in summertime is, "What do we do on Mackinac during the winter?" Chuck and Marsha Kleber have a beautiful home at Woodbluff, where they take pleasure in feeding the birds. Over the weekend, two unusual ones were sighted at their feeder. They were white winged crossbills, never before seen by the Klebers. They were just beautiful, and caught the attention of everyone at the Kleber home. They are less common, and prefer spruces and pines. Distinctive pinkish/red color and broad white wingbars identify these birds that usually reside in the very northern part of the United States.

We've seen two Canadian freighters passing by from Sarnia, en route to Chicago carrying salt. It is very interesting watching the ships during the wintertime. They're being escorted through the Straits from the Mackinac Bridge to the Round Island Passage by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Brian Baileys, Jody Chambers, Bob and Krista Brown, Nancy Porter, Kate Nye, Dave Roe, and Mary and John Slevin attended the Pink Pony party at the Chicago Yacht Club Saturday, February 2. It will be a special year celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Chicago-to- Mackinac Race.

It's a very busy time on the Island, as members of the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce make reservations for their convention Wednesday, May 28, through Friday, May 30. We give them a warm welcome to the beautiful Grand Hotel.

Vanessa and Ken Hardy hosted a fun Super Bowl party at their lovely home in Harrisonville Sunday evening, February 3. It was great to see all the wonderful carpentry work Ken has done in his home.

We send special greetings to our good friend, Leo Krzeminski, who is recovering from hip replacement surgery at his daughter, Julie's, home in Detroit. We look forward to seeing you back on Mackinac in the spring.

In talking to Nancy Pfeiffelman, who attended her brother, Stephen Bazinaw's, funeral in Wisconsin, she said it was so nice to see Jim and Laurie Bradley, Ron Cowell Jr., and the Mike Cope family at the funeral. There's always a Mackinac connection.

Patti Ann Moskwa feeds many ducks each day at her feeder. In our backyard, we have between 50 and 100 ducks a day. It is very interesting to watch. The white swans are swimming each day down in the harbor and along the boardwalk. They're so graceful and beautiful.

The Winter Carnival held Saturday, February 2, and Sunday, February 3, was very successful. Everyone enjoyed the brunch, bake sale, games, raffles, and choosing the pictures for the new calendar. It was a wonderful weekend for all of the different events.

Dr. Fran and Lorna Straus of Chicago arrived on Mackinac Thursday to spend a week at their lovely cottage, Pontiac Lookout. The Michael Straus family of Lansing arrived Friday to enjoy the Winter Carnival. Happy birthday to Lorna February 15 and to Dr. Christopher Straus February 16.

Happy birthday to Claire Dunnigan of Grass Lake February 11, Jack Parel of Augusta, Georgia, and Lisa Dziobak February 12, Karlena Mosley February 13, and Doris LaPine, David Bradley, and Shaylee Mosley February 14.

We send warmest and best wishes to our good friend, Jim Brown Sr. of St. Ignace, who has been a patient at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital in Petoskey. Everyone on Mackinac hopes that he will be feeling better soon.

A big winter storm hit in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, January 30, with heavy winds, blowing snow, and frigid temperatures. Schools all over were closed, including the Mackinac Island Public School. Roads were terrible, and some communities in the state were without power. The Mackinac Bridge closed to high-profile vehicles. The wind chill was well below zero. Great Lakes Air stopped flying around 3 p.m. Tuesday, January 29, owing to freezing rain and fog. It really was an old-fashioned blizzard.

Armand "Smi" Horn is attending a bus convention in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the week of February 4 for Mackinac Island Carriage Tours.

Ed and Nona Chambers are spending a week at their cottage in Grand Marais.

Monday, February 4, the wind was howling out of the southeast. By late afternoon, a wet, heavy snow had started to fall and air service was suspended once again. According to the groundhog, we're going to have six more weeks of winter. It certainly feels like it today.

Happy winter!