a letter from the guys up North | SouthernPaddler.com

a letter from the guys up North

islandpiper

Well-Known Member
Late March, 2006

Hey Gershon,

Well, spring is on the way, just another month or so and the ice will be getting black and then just couple of weeks and it will blow off. Man, I love Spring, just the smell of all that fresh mud on the road brings back memories of being a kid again, finding all the stuff you lost all winter long. Now we mostly find all the surprises that Bob’s beagle left out in the yard since it started snowing in September.

All the boys are reading the new fishing catalogs and planning what to buy as soon as their wives decide how much they can spend. Seems like everything runs on batteries now, even the reels. Remember how simple it used to be? Just a llittle line and few hooks and we were happy. Now, we all carry thirty pounds of tackle and catch half the fish we used to.

Anyway, the guys have been out shoveling the snow off the boats, like that will make the season open any faster. Partly, I think, they are all a little shack-happy and with no football to watch what else is there? Pete probably won’t be fishing much this year as his sister had that kidney problem. Did I tell you about that already? He can’t sit in one spot long since she started taking that medication, just because he was trying to be a nice guy. She got some of those big old horse pills from Doc Adams over in the Flowage and they were supposed to unblock whatever was blocked up, and I’m no doctor so I won’t even try to explain it to you. She got Annie to read the instructions off the bottle to her and, man, it said to take four pills every day with food. Well, she don’t eat breakfast and the other doctor told her to quit snacking on the couch at night, so that left just lunch and dinner.

Pete knew she’d be in trouble with the Doc if the pills didn’t get used up on time, so he made himself eat a few more times every day and swallowed the pills she was supposed to have. The numbers all came out right and everybody was happy. The only problem is, now he can’t sit still for more than about ten minutes and he’s gone to the outhouse again. We took a vote and nobody wants to fish with him till he gets over this, you’d never get any fishing done. Pete’s sister got better and a couple of the guys volunteered to take her in their boats. They’re checking with their wives now to see if it is OK with them. I’ll let you know how this one turns out.

Mike says he’s going to build a new garage at his place in town. Everybody at the club is waiting to start putting stuff into it, since our own garages are pretty full already.

Think Spring,

Ernie and the guys at the fishing club
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Had they straightened out US-2 where it crosses the river, uphill from McDonald's, before you left town? There next to the Hungry Itallian. I worked on that project early on.

Didja ever bet on when the snow man would melt?
 

islandpiper

Well-Known Member
lansing

geez Louise, don't tell me you're with the MDOT.........right?

Yes, US-2 is a real highway through that part of town now. Worked out real nice. The hold up for all those years was the RR crossing, too low to drive a US Highway under it and too high and on a crossing grade to put an overpass over it. so, once they figured out how to kill the railroad and pull the tracks things could proceed. So, now the log trucks beat the highways to death instead of just loading up a pulpwood train and hauling it out of town. Sorry, I let my real feelings show now and then. But, yes, that US-2 re-alllignment went very well. I was working for a Civil Engineering firm at the time that the plans were drawn and did some of the utililty planning and inspection in the area that was all later changed.

Such is highway work......
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
If the roadbed is well drained, logging trucks won't have much effect. I was worried about houses sinking into the ground between the river & McDonald's. Old mines were there, and collapsed from time to time, as you probably know. Subsidence isn't good for houses - or highways.

Did you know Earl Pahr there? (Back Channel me, OK?)