Ship Board Memories

 

 

 

 

Earlier this month, Tom, and my sister, Kathy took a tour of the front end of the Steamship John W. Boardman.  She was captained by our dad in the 50s and probably the 60s.  Since dad would be on the ships from March to December we rarely saw him.  It was the years before he had a two week summer vacation so we took trips on the boat to spend time with him.  It was always a special time, just me and dad.  Usually he traveled with only one child but at least once a summer all the family took a trip.  The ship was one of the 5-ship fleet of the Huron Portland Cement Company.   The home port was Alpena, MI, my home town.  They loaded dry cement and sailed to ports on the Great Lakes.  The longest trip was 7 days to Oswego, NY and the shortest was to Detroit, MI.  Other ports they sailed to are:  Duluth, MN - 5 days, Milwaukee, Wi -4 days, GreenBay, WI - 4 days, Cleveland, OH - 3 days, Toledo, OH - 3 days, Muskegan, MI - 3 days.

My sister found the current owners, Marc and Jill on-line.  They have owned the ship since 2005.  They purchased the front section that includes the pilot house, guest and captain's quarters, the windlass room,the mates and wheelsmen quarters, an office and card room.  The rooms are much smaller room than I remember. There is another deck below the mates quarters that was used as a shop.  Altogether there is 5000 square feet.  Marc and Jill hope to renovate the ship to eventually use as a bed and breakfast.   They painted the ship the original Huron green from the white paint of the last owners.  It will be awhile  before they serve guests since they don't have a deck crew and are handling all the work themselves.

Marc and Jill are wonderful hosts and loved to hear our stories of years ago.  They are avid fans of the Great Lakes freighters having many collections of paintings and models of the ships.  Recently they found the original Boardman whistle in Alabama. 

Marc has the log book kept by the officers from the 50s.  Kathy and I were pleased to see our father's script written on the pages from 1957/58. 

They have selected a wonderful piece of property to move the ship on in Detour, MI.  It is located on the St. Mary's River that connects Lake Huron to Lake Superior.  They can watch the ships up bound to the Soo Locks and down bound to Lake Huron.  Often they will get a salute from passing ships.

Eventually they will landscape and prepare a pathway from their property next door to the back section and have an easier entrance to the ship.  Currently they are using a door on the starboard side of the bow.

The small boat in the above picture is one of the original life boats from the Boardman but no longer sea worthy. 

It is hard to get perspective on the size of the ship but this next picture of Kathy and Jill gives you an idea of it's size.  It has been cut off at the water line so it's depth is less than the original. 

So our time was well spent.  Many childhood memories and a new perspective on the accommodations of the sailors.  They endured cramped quarters, rough seas, loneliness of family but great food, good friendships and beautiful sunsets.  It was a good career for dad but he did miss important family events like birth of children, graduations and his son's wedding.  It was a way of life in Alpena with many sailors and the wives raising their children as single parents.  The women were each others support long before the word support group was popular.  As a child it was our way of life, we missed dad and looked forward to his homecoming just before Christmas. 

Medical Saga

Life has taken a turn.  To be truthful at our age, it is expected.  I'm thinking if I write about it, it is on black and blue then I can leave it here and move on to other thoughts.  Hopefully this is true.  The challenge of caring for someone with a chronic health condition is that it can  take your mental, emotional and physical energy.  This is the reason for the long delay in blogging.

Some days I feel so blessed and thankful for modern medicine, for the prayers and concerns of others.  I love that others sacrificed to bring us joy.  God has given us what we need, and more.

Yet, that sinful nature raises it's ugly head and I am filled with discontent.  I compare my life to others and ask why?  Well why not?  Who am I to not have difficulty and how are my troubles compared to others?  I live in the land of the free, have a home and three meals a day.  We can afford our life style and have the love of family and friends.  I am ashamed.  I believe for all that Tom is going through, I am being taught to be faithful, patient, kind, loving and thankful.   The lessons can be hard to learn unless I submit and repent.

Without revealing too much, my husband has a chronic condition that requires daily treatment.  It leaves him tired.  In addition, he has had two joint replacements within four months of each other and has just been released to continue physical therapy again.  We are hopeful that within the next month, he will regain strength and the ability to ambulate without assistance.  Tom has been long suffering, considering all he is dealing with, he rarely complains.

Well, that's all I'm going to say.  Now, it is time to think about joyful things and share our joy with those who read this.  Since I haven't written here for some time, maybe this is more like my private diary.   They say nothing is private on the internet so, maybe not.

Oh, What a Day!

Ever have an emotional day of highs and lows competing for your heart? It's one of those days for me. Our yard is gorgeous even though there are sprinkles of rain and it's cold and damp. Very much like my spirit. So grateful for the abundance of blessings and beauty around me and a sorrow for the challenges of life. This is my favorite time of year yet it seems to pass so quickly. Today I cut back the straggly yellow leafed hostas for a clean line around the trees. Two leaf blowers, Ron Koetje and Mike Kakabeeke came to our rescue and they did a well choreographed dance as they cleared the layers of leaves off the grass. Sorry I don't have that picture. Reminded me of years gone by when three sons walked across the lawn with leaf blowers while yellow leaves flew through the air.  Today, our hearts are filled with thankfulness for their help.

I also moved most of the outdoor furniture to my fairly new garden shed. For years we climbed over Tom's equipment and for a few years Tom put the furniture and me in the bucket of his Case tractor and lifted it up 12 feet in the air to slide it onto a floor he built.  Yikes! what were we thinking?   Today I took each piece, one by one, in the back of my cart and filled up the garden shed, so much easier.  I still have three Adirondack chairs to move but we expect some sunny days and I plan to sit outdoors and enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine contemplating our blessings.

Enjoy are Michigan beauty, this is peak week for color but with the rain and wind the leaves are swiftly falling.

 Speaking of beauty, this is Beauty Berry a very surprising addition to the autumn garden, for me.

Beach Week - Part 3

One thing about digital cameras, I take a lot of pictures, then omit (very few) once I load them on my computer. Years ago, I would take 12-16 photos (a roll) and that would suffice to remember our time together. For those of you who love seeing all these family pictures, this is a treat. For those who are saying, "enough already", I understand. Near the end of our week, Kim's nephew came to take some family pictures. The following are pictures I took as the family gathered at Holland State Park.

I didn't get all the families together and that is why Nathan came. What a beautiful state park, I can't believe I have lived in this part of the state for almost 50 years and never came here before! Well all good things must come to an end. We said our good-byes and are filled with memories that will last a life time. This blog will be a blessing for re-living these times when memory fades. This gift says it well...

Beach Week - Part 2

After a new computer delay I bring another Beach Week post. This was the highlight of our summer. The days, all warm, surprised us with several days of overcast skies and thick fog. I loved that we didn't have to worry about an undertow and all the children spent hours learning how to kayak and paddle board.

There is nothing more joy filled than relaxing in the sunshine, feeling the warm breezes and hearing the voices of children at play.

One, not so sunny, day we went to the Dutch Village. This is a fun little village that replicates a town in the Netherlands with Dutch food, wooden shoes Delft dishes, native dance, a farm and rides. A good time for all our little Dutchmen.

Even on this day, the sun comes out and the beach beckons.

Beach Week - Part 1

Our first family gathering took place last month at a beautiful beach home on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was the best vacation for our family. The home we rented gave us beautiful views and plenty of space for our family of 15.

There was a place for a campfire for roasting marshmallows, a tent and lots of space for parties and cuddling.

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The children spent hours in the driveway and garage playing and the glow sticks were a big hit that gave us lots of laughs as we watched them dance to music into the night.

At the end of the day, the deck was decorated with the reminders of beach time.