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Published: August 11th 2013
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Victorian House 2
Another bed and breakfast house August 7-12: The congregation of the Methodist Church of Coleman, a town located in central Michigan, have been building a new sanctuary on their own, using the skills and abilities of their own members. What a great project! Since they were listed as a “drop in” site for NOMADS, I drove up there to help. I got a loving welcome with the keys to the church so I could come and go; an RV spot right next to the church complete with electricity and water. There was also a park right across the street that I could enjoy. I spent the week helping to hang wall board, taping, mudding and sanding. I got to work with a professional which helped me a lot.
One evening some of the members invited me to attend a documentary movie in the nearby town of Clare. The movie recorded the history of Mob members who lived and operated in Clare during their heyday in the 20's and 30's. I did not realize that the Mob often used small towns like this to conduct much of their business and operations. The producer of the film interviewed many of the townspeople who knew the men and
Coleman Methodist Church
The congregation is building a new sanctuary here and I stopped by to help for a week. their families. It was fascinating stuff.
One of the days I was working one of the church members asked about my RV. When I mentioned my concern about my brakes on the RV. When asked for further info, I gave him the whole, sad story about getting my brakes “fixed”, etc. He said his son-in-law owned the Chevrolet repair place, so he would call him. Next thing I know, I had an appointment to take the RV in. After examining the brakes, the mechanic said there was a piece missing from the emergency brake line, so he replaced it. He was pretty sure that had been the problem with the brakes freezing up. When I asked for the bill, he told me there was no charge because I was helping out the church. Isn't that something? I am so grateful for my Christian family.
On Sunday I attended Sunday School and then got into my clown outfit to do the children's message at church. (The congregation met in the Fellowship Hall while their new sanctuary is being built.) It went over pretty well. At least, the kids liked the balloon dogs they got!
Church Interior
New sanctuary in progress at Coleman, MI After church I said good-bye to all and hit the road again. On the way out I stopped at Clare again to go to the Cops and Donut Store. Some of the members had encouraged me to go there. It seems that this bakery had been part of the city for a long time when the owner decided to retire and close the shop. Through the years it had been one of the favorite places for the local law enforcement officers to stop by and or gather for their coffee and doughnuts. Rather than let the store close, the officers joined together and bought the place. Now their even make and sell their own coffee brand. All the net proceeds go to help the families of the officers who have been hurt or killed on the job. What a neat idea.
August 12--After getting my donut and some “Cop Coffee” I headed to Petoskey on the Lake Michigan side of the state. My NOMAD friends Bill and Pauline Webb live there. They were the team leaders at the Disaster Response site in Vandermere, NC. It was good to get back together with them again and share the news of
Cops and Doughnuts
This business is owned by the Clare Police. what was happening in our lives.
They had planned to attend a Vespers Concert that evening at Bay View and invited me to go along. Bay View is the Michigan equivalent to Chautauqua of New York. There are gorgeous Victorian-era houses and educational programs going on all summer. The Sunday evening vesper service is just one of many events and activities. The program was awesome. Very talented musicians played mostly classical music; a large choir—maybe 60 voices sang some Christian music; an organist played a multi-pipe organ which included a carrillion and several operatic soloists entertained with incredible songs. Does it sound like I was impressed? I was! Of course, I happen to like classical music. The concert wouldn't have appealed to anyone who doesn't care for classical. I certainly didn't see many young people there. I wonder who will be around to appreciate such music in the coming years? Maybe our young people will acquire a taste for it as they age. I hope so.
August 13—I spent the day exploring Bay View and taking pictures. Bay View is a summer colony which began in 1875 as a Methodist camp. Inspired by the Chautauqua Institution in New
Cops Coffee
They make and sell their coffee. All proceeds go to needy families of cops. York, it developed into a cultural and educational school. Some of the famous speakers featured here include William Jennings Bryan, Helen Keller and Booker T. Washington. It is still under the umbrella of the Methodist Church which maintains the grounds and buildings. I would love to visit here again and attend some of the sessions. The whole area is rather like a college campus with dormitories, a small post office, a chapel and buildings in which the various activities are held. All of the building are restored Victorian-era in design. Many of the surrounding houses are gorgeous Victorian homes, many of which are bed and breakfast businesses as well as hostel-like dorms. The chautauqua building itself is a large one with floor to ceiling windows that can be opened to the fresh air. I spent some time there listening to a hand-bell choir practice. There was a hand-bell school going on and they were preparing for their ending concert. I could not believe some of the huge handbells in use and wondered how on earth the players using them could hold them up for a whole musical piece!
As I wandered around taking pictures, a woman came up and
introduced herself as one of the board members of the Bay View Association. She started telling me about the history of the area and invited me to view one of the houses currently under restoration. I was delighted with her friendliness and willingness to share with me and suitably impressed with the renovations I got to see.
Bill and Pauline were superb hosts who gave me valuable information about interesting places around Petoskey. Their house is located just a block off a beach on Transverse Bay. Pauline and I walked on the beach, looking not only at some of the homes of the area, but also the unique Petoskey rocks. These rocks, found only in this area, were created from coral deposits millions of years ago. Since we didn't find any, I had to buy one for my souvenir of my stay there.
I found this whole area a delightful place and would have loved to stayed longer. The calendar and the seasons keep marching on, though and I needed to move on to the next adventure.
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Vesta
non-member comment
Michigan
Very impressive. Makes me want to go there to see for myself. What an adventure! Love your photos--especially the one of the steps to some unknown place we can only imagine!