Farewell to Rogers City

Tomorrow morning we leave Rogers City and head to Ohio. It's been a good week.  We've met new friends and enjoyed this beautiful city. If you're the kind of person that likes a slower paced relaxing kind of vacation, this is the place for you. Rogers City is full of good people.  It really is kind of like Lake Wobegon where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average".  People are so friendly here! They say hello to you on the street no matter what their age.  Yep, Sid's Place was the perfect retreat. There are lots of things that we didn't get to do and see...maybe next time!

Ocqueoc Falls

The sinking of the Carl D.

I just finished reading a book about the  Carl D. Bradley shipwreck this week while staying here in Rogers City, Michigan. At approximately 5:30 pm on November 18, 1958, the Carl D. Bradley, a 623 foot limestone carrier caught in one of the most violent storms in Lake Michigan history, snapped in two, and sank in less than five minutes.  Four of the thirty-five-man crew escaped to a small raft, where they hung on in total darkness, braving thirty-foot-high waves and frigid temperatures, but only two of them survived.  As the storm raged on, a search-and-rescue mission hunted for survivors, while the frantic citizens of nearby Rogers City, Michigan, the town that was home to twenty-six members of the Bradley's crew, anxiously awaited word of their loved ones' fates.

No one believed it possible when word spread that the "Carl D" (as the townsfolk called it), a gigantic limestone carrier with a storied history on the Great Lakes, had sunk in the teeth of a fierce November storm. Once the flagship of it's fleet, the Carl D had set numerous tonnage records, and for years had been the largest ship working the lakes. Furthermore, she was considered virtually unsinkable.  The story of the Bradley is a haunting one. Nearing the end of a long journey that had seen her battling high winds and heavy seas, the Bradley broke in two, sinking within a matter of minutes -- all within sight of a nearby ship that could only helplessly watch as the Carl D plunged to the bottom of Lake Michigan, claiming the lives of 33 of its 35 crewmen, including its captain.
This however, is only part of the story.  In a truly amazing turn of events, two men survived and were rescued, after a night of clinging to a life raft pitched around in the stormy seas. The account of their survival, and of the heroic efforts made in bringing them to safety, is one of the most compelling stories in recent Great Lakes history.

Fireworks in Alpena

Emilie said that this will be her last Fourth of July celebration until she returns to the US. I had not thought of that, but I suppose it was obvious to her since she spent that summer at Oxford, and the American students had to create their own July 4th celebration. The moon has been gorgeous this week and this picture doesn't begin to show it, but we had fun in the park at Alpena.

Sid's Poems

Each evening we take turns reading one of the poems that Sid wrote. He is the previous owner of the house and lived to his 90's. He had an interesting way of putting things.


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Location:Rogers City MI

Forty Mile Point Light

Forty Mile Point Light is a lighthouse located in Presque Isle County on Hammond Bay on the western shore of Lake Huron in Rogers Township, Michigan USA. Unlike many Great Lakes lighthouses, Forty Mile Point Light does not mark a significant harbor or river mouth. Rather, it was constructed with the intent that as one sailed from Mackinaw Point to the Saint Clair River, one would never be out of viewing range of a lighthouse. With no river or harbor to use for a name, the light is named on the basis that it is 40 miles (64 km) sailing distance from Mackinaw Point. 

Ahoy Matey!

 The original lens was a fourth order Fresnel lens designed and manufactured by Henry-Lepaute in Paris. It had six bulls-eye flash panels, and the clockwork would rotate it so that it would emit a white flash every ten seconds. The lens now in place is the third or fourth such lens to occupy that position.

During the Big Blow of 1905, twenty-seven wooden vessels were lost. The steamer Joseph S. Fay ran aground, and a part of its hull rests on the beach approximately 200 feet (61 m) north of the Lighthouse (pictured here). There is a Michigan historical marker honoring Forty Mile Light, and a marker concerning the "Graveyard of Ships" which states:

• Registered Historical Marker Site L2186 was erected 2007 Forty Mile Point Lighthouse / Graveyard of Ships. The Graveyard of Ships marker states:
  • Named by seventeenth century French explorers La Mer Douce the sweet or freshwater sea, Lake Huron is the second largest of the five Great Lakes. It has over 3,800 miles (6,100 km) of shoreline and contains 30,000 islands, among them Manitoulin, the world's largest freshwater island. Violent storms on the "sweet sea" have made it dangerous for ships. As of 2006, 1,200 wrecks had been recorded. During the Big Blow of 1905, twenty-seven wooden vessels were lost. One of these, the steamer Joseph S. Fay, ran aground. A portion of its hull rests on the beach approximately 200 feet (61 m) north of the Forty Mile Lighthouse.

Sid's Place - Michigan's Best Kept Secret

After a stop over at Petoskey to see Sarah Beth and her intended, we arrived at Rogers City and Sid's Place. We have only been here for 1 day and already we love this place. John & Beth Budnik are our hosts and they did a wonderful job at restoring this little place to its 1920's condition. This place ranks up there with our love of Charleston, SC. Hmmm! For not really being much of a water kind of gal, I love sitting on the beach and listening to the sounds of the waves.  This house is only a block from the water. This fully furnished dwelling is perfect for a quiet get away on the Lake Huron side of things. It just happens that the moon is full this week so it adds a bit more ambience to the setting as well.

Grand Haven at Sunset

We couldn't resist going to Grand Haven without going to see The Musical Fountain especially since Logan & Emilie had never seen it before. Nonetheless, they were very impressed. We had such a good time with Courtney.  She is such a sweet heart!  We all love her so much!

Grand Rapids & Courtney

We couldn't go north without stopping to see my other daughter, Courtney! After church at Mars Hill, we dropped the guys off to watch Soccer while we went to The Sparrows.

The Sparrows is a little business in the corner of an old house where you can go to read Magazines & Newspapers (as long as you do as the sign says and Pay First!) They had a very large selection of Magazines which I browsed, but didn't read since we were in the business of visiting that day!

Happy Birthday Grant!

On Friday, Grant (& Monica) came home from the hospital so I drove home to pick up Marlin, Emilie & Logan. Back up to Chesterton we went on Saturday to complete a tradition that I started with my children. With the birth of each child, we celebrate with a birthday party welcoming the newest member of the Schrock clan. Today it was Grant's turn.

 Haley & I went shopping for the cake after we got back to Chesterton. She wanted the Star Candles that said "Happy Birthday", but when we got home, we realized that we accidentally chose the "Happy Retirement" candles.  Emilie & Logan went to work figuring out what we could spell instead. Therefore, they spelled out "Partytime Here!"  A good save for sure.

Haley also picked out these birthday hats which we all wore, but the family picture is on Monica's camera so I will have to add it later. 

Grant with his Oma & Poppe. The Eighth in a line of new little Schrocks. We now have five grandsons and three grand-daughters. I guess Curt will have to even up the mix by adding a couple of girls.

Monica and her newest little wonder. 

There's nothing like holding your Momma's hand. 

The day went by much too quickly, but it was time to move on to our next destination so we packed it up and said Goodbye to Ben, Monica, Alex, Haley & Grant. It was a great week. It makes me sad to think that I'm not going to be able to see these faces everyday!

Thanks Ben & Monica for allowing me to be a part of this exciting new adventure! I love you all!

Grant Andre Schrock

My Eighth Grandchild was born today!  I invite you to meet Grant Andre Schrock, born at 1:38 this morning.  He weighed in at 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. He has huge hands and feet just like his daddy did, and he has a barrel chest, also just like his daddy did, but we all think he looks like his Grandpa Pat. Mom and baby Grant are doing just fine...It was a good birth!  They worked like an athletic team these two...and daddy did a great job too! *wink!  Alex & Haley are thrilled to have a new baby brother.  They couldn't stop rubbing his head.

I had to include the picture below that I took of Monica the night before she ran the Chicago Marathon.  Yes, she was pregnant with Grant when she ran the Marathon, but I didn't know it at the time.  She thought she was so funny when I shot this picture because she was pointing to the sign and to her belly...hence, the name Grant.

Funny Story about the day of Grant's birth. I was waiting for Poppe to arrive so we could go up to the hospital and all see Grant at the same time. Haley & I went out to the car to pull it up so I could load the car seats.  When I got out of the car, Alex was standing in the garage. Inadvertently, we had locked the door to the house so there we stood on the hottest day of the year with a car, a garage opener, and my car keys, and curlers in my hair.  I had no cell phone and no key to get into the house. I walked next door to see if I could use the neighbor's phone, but no one would come to the door. I had to drive all the way to Valpo to the hospital and call Ben from the hospital lobby. I told Monica she was lucky that she had Grant when she did instead of a day later. We broke all kinds of records today, including the hottest day since 1954. The temp was well over 100 degrees.

Water days and Movie Nights...

We're experiencing warm days so each day has to have a little water fun, right?  Alex and Haley love playing in their backyard with their slip N slide. Their boogie boards are just right for backyard fun or the beach.

In the evening, we drove to the 49-er Drive In to watch Brave and the Avengers.  I took the opportunity to one last family photo before the baby comes.  As you can see Monica looks ready. She guesses the baby will weight around 7 pounds.  I'm guessing it will be 8 pounds and some change.

Willie Wonka, Carousels and More...

No Baby again today so we had to keep busy.  We drove over to Merrillville and went to the candy factory on Highway 30...definitely a throw back to Willie Wonka.  After a purchase of several Gummi assortments, Haley fell on the way out to the car and skinned her knee in two places. Tears followed, but they were short lived after a Sponge Bob bandaid fixed all that was wrong in the world. After lunch at the mall, Monica sat with the kids in the play area while I went to Teavanna to get a glass of iced tea.  They were super busy and it took awhile to get my tea so the guy said it was on the house! Next it was my turn to watch the kids in the play area while Monica went to get a foot massage.  We were hoping that the pressure points would bring on labor.  Ha! We are so silly sometimes. However, it was a very relaxing exercise for her. We finished up with a ride on the carousel. Alex talked me into the tea cup ride.  It was just as fast or I should say it seemed faster than the ones I went on in my youth...hmmm??...and I definitely felt nauseous when I finished the ride, but Alex loved it, and we both had fun, so I guess it was worth it.

Hot Days in Valpo

Valparaiso, Indiana has a park downtown that has water spurting up out of the concrete. There is an amphitheater there that shows movies on the lawn at night, and concerts throughout the summer. Since we're trying to make the waiting for baby more enjoyable, we figured that keeping the kids busy is the way to go.  We didn't actually plan to go there. Hence, Haley in her clothes in the top picture so we ran to Target and bought them swimming suits so they could play in the water. It killed the major part of the day for us. Both kids fell asleep on the couch tonight!

Waiting for Baby

We're keeping busy while waiting for baby. I told Monica she looks like those pics you see of movie stars when the paparazzi are following them.


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Chalk Talk

Having so much fun waiting for Grandchild #8 to arrive. Here is a chalk drawing made by Haley of her & I taking one of our many walks..



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T Ball Duo

Saturday was the last game for Alex & Haley, and I had not had a chance all season to get up to Chesterton to see them play. Since Marlin was stuck in Oklahoma for the weekend, I decided to go ahead and head on up on Saturday since I was already going to go up to stay with the kids when the baby came. The day started out with a T Ball game in the morning. Monica, the kids, and I went to the Chesterton Farmer's Market while Ben slept.  We were hoping the walking and being outside would help jump start her labor. No Chance! This baby will come when it's time. In the afternoon, we went back to the baseball field for an end of the season party where the kids got trophies, pizza, snow cones, and prizes (Haley won a trip to the DQ). 

Sweet Baby June Turns ONE

How is it possible that June is ONE already? 

It was good...

I can't begin to tell you how much fun it was watching these kids again together... Ahh, Such memories ! Congrats to Dustin & Leah! You picked a good one Dustin!




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Princess June Bug's Jubilee

June Emilia turns ONE this week. Aunt Emilie was home for the weekend and shot these pictures and made this video in honor of her first birthday! Thanks to The Staves for the beautiful music!