Transcription
Cedar Lodge, Kauk-ge-nah-gwah Minishe [sic], Wilderness Bay, Hessel, Mich., 49745.
Friday, May 26, 1978.
Dear Irene,-
At last – at long last – I’ve managed to line up a cook for you, but I have kept putting off writing to you until I could send you something definite. I told you about my conversation with Belle just before I left Hessel for the 1,000 mile round trip to attend the wedding of my nephew on the Gerrish side of the family. Upon my return to Hessel, Belle said she had called several of her friends but to no avail. So I contacted Garvie (former owner of Garvie’s restraurant [sic] which he sold last Fall to new management, now running his restaurant under the name of “Country Kettle.”) Garvie kept trying different cooks he had hired at different times over the years, and after about a week told me they all had jobs or did not want a 3-day temporary job. I told him to keep on trying. Just yesterday he happened to be down at his former restaurant talking with me and he noticed a former cook who had worked for him only occasionally, seated in the dining room with her husband. I have known her husband for years (he publishes a weekly paper here that has a circulation in three counties) so told them about your getting twelve of your family together for a four-day reunion up here. I explained that on some days you might want her for a full 8 hours and on other days for only 4 hours. She said she wanted to think it over, so when I saw her husband today I asked him if he was going to get along for four days without his wife to cook for him. He laughed and said it was up to her. So I phoned her and got this proposition: She would work for a full day for $24.00 ($3.00 an hour for 8 hours) but on the days you wanted her for only a half day it would be at the rate of $4.00 per hour ($16.00 for 4 hours). For her 8-hr. day I would bring her over at 11:00 a.m. and take her back at 7:00 p.m. This gave me the idea that you might have your big meal of the day at 12:30 or 1:00 p.m., and then your light supper at 5:45 or 6:00 so she could be ready to leave at 7:00. I don’t think you need to pay her $24.00 to help us for 8 hours on Saturday, as you and Sally and I can easily make up the twelve beds, and I can bring you over to Hessel for both your lunch and supper.
Regarding the path down to Camp Wildwood, I walked down to the half mile mark and counted 23 trees blown down across the path. If the second half is just a few trees worse than the first half, we may have 50 tree [sic] to saw and remove. Two men each with a saw at $10.00 per hour would mean $20.00 per hour, and my guess is that it would take them a full 8 hours or $160.00 to clear the full length of the path. The children will thoroughly enjoy the walk through the woods, but for you particularly, and to a lesser extent for Gertsie and Sally, it will be a sad experience, for you won’t be able to recognize any of the old familiar sections of the path – there are wide open spaces here and there where formerly there was dense woods, and the rustic seats at the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 paths are completely gone. How about my having the path cleared beyond the 1/4 mile path to the path down to the “Theater.” The theater stage has fallen in, with tree growing up through it, and the rustic benches are in ruins, but it is still interesting to see the setting. I’ll take care of the expenses on clearing the path, so let me know if we should stop at the “Theater” or go all the way.
Attached are your “ROUTE DIRECTIONS” which I also sent to Bob with my birthday letter to him. I’m running off the page. Your box of grape fruit [sic] juice has arrived.
ROUTE DIRECTIONS FOR DRIVING FROM AKRON TO HESSEL
Ohio Turnpike to Exit 4.
North approx. 2 to 3 miles to Route 2.
West approx. 3 to 4 miles to Route 475, which starts you on the Freeway.
The Freeway runs all the way to the Mackinac Bridge, starting with Route 475 which runs north for about 10 to 15 miles when it becomes Route 23, which continues north through Ann Arbor and becomes Route I-75 as you are approaching Flint.
You stay on Route I-75 until you turn East on Route 134 to Hessel.
Formerly we used to turn west at Bay City and go to Clare on Route 10, and then north on Route 27, making two legs of a triangle. Now the new Route I-75 forms the hypotenuse of that triangle from Bay City to a point between Roscommon and Grayling where it runs into old Route 27 which becomes Route I-75. This hypotenuse reduces the distance of the two legs by about 15 miles.
Route 23 makes a big bend around Ann Arbor so that for several miles you are going west before you bend around again to the north. Then quite a number of miles further on you come to a Y where you take the right fork instead of the left fork. The road sign for the right fork tells you it is the road to Flint.
After you have paid your toll of $1.50 at the north end of the Mackinac bridge, in a few hundred feet you come to a gradual right turn which takes you into St. Ignace. You want to keep going straight ahead on Route I-75 so as to go around St. Ignace.
In about 15 miles from the bridge you will come to big road signs for the turn off to Drummond island and DeTour, for Cedarville, and for Hessel on Route 134.
When you come to the flasher light for the turn into Hessel, as you head for the lake you will see McFee’s old store (now Rita’s Saloon). Turn right on the road this side of McFee’s (Rita’s) and you will see the sign “Wilson’s” [sic] Motel about 100 feet from the corner. Turn left into Wilson’s driveway and you’ll find me in Room 8.Transcriber
Cindi RokeLanguage
English
