To Friends and Family of Joe and Jane Kaszubowski:
Joe was in a car accident Wednesday, July 9, on East Grand Lake Rd. He has a broken neck, nose, both ankles and heels, and left shoulder blade. His neck was broken at his second Cervical Vertebrae, which is very dangerous, and he had surgery on it on Friday July 11, where they fused a piece of his pelvic bone to his vertebrae. He is in for a long recovery, and we will try our hardest to keep you updated as things change.
 
Cards can be sent to:

Joe Kaszubowski
17854 grand lake blvd., presque isle mi 49777
 
Thank you so much,
Jane, Tom, Mandy, and Angie

On Saturday, July 5th, Presque Isle Township held their annual fireworks show at the Presque Isle Harbor.  This was made possible by the donations of local residents.  $65.00 was collected from cannisters placed at the Portage Store, the Birch Hill store, and the new lighthouse gift shop.  Lakeshore Real Estate printed mailing labels in which solicitations were sent to the township office.  the following contributors helped make the fireworks a success

AAA Agent - John Chappa (postage)

Robert Beres

Greg & Sharon Riley

Art & Rose Przysiecki

Louis & Linda Ciarkowski

Don & Ann Cline

Raphael & Joan Beauvais

Victor Mastrogiovanni

George Hoster Jr.

Geroge Popp

Dorothy & Whitney Slaght

Molly Benson - North Shore Financial Advisors

Jay Blackmore & Sally Dick

Mal & Barb Oswalt / Century 21 Harbor Realty Team, LLC

Curt & Kathy Aufschlager

Rosemarie Pokorski

Robert & JoAnn Carr

Morley Kellogg

Charles & Sue Prucha

Harriet Powers

Gillard, Bauer, Mazron, Florip, Smigelski & Gulden Attorneys

Carl & Sue Sommers

Paul Odell

John Buszkowski

Judy Kimball

Leaird Cameron

Norma & Ken Crouch

Jeff & Tracy Greene

Attila & Sharon Paltelky

Overhead Door of Alpena (postage)

Tom Olsen Plbg & htg

AAA - Alpena Branch

Art & Terri Mucciante

Joe & Phyllis Farkas

Dave Ward

Joe & Nelle Tupiak

Presque Isle Lodge

Don & Brenda Rosenburg

AAA Agent - Barry Schatz (postage)

Tom & Sandy Boaks

Lappan Agency Inc.

Grand Lake Association

Weinkauf Plumbing & Heating

Perch's IGA

Presque Isle Harbor Association

Presque Isle Yacht Club

Fireside Inn

People still wanting to make donations can send checks payable to Presque Isle Township Hall to the hall on East Grand Lake Road to the attention of the fireworks fund.

Robert spent time in the Spring tapping local maple trees and making delicious Presque Isle Syrup. 

Here, Robert presents Tom Boaks with the championship trophy from the Spring Wii bowling tournament at Cedar Lane.

Art Mucciante discusses softball strategy with Waid Yue while Robert  fields a ball at the Memorial Day weekend softball game in Downtown Presque Isle.

Robert was recently seen fishing on Grand Lake during the Grand Lake Sportsmen's Club 25th. annual ice fishing derby.

Do you have a large family and want to stay in one really big cabin in Presque Isle?  You should check out Cedar Lane.  

     Located on Grand Lake Blvd., you are right in the middle of the Grand Lake experience. 

     Cedar Lane can sleep twelve people in five bedrooms plus an additional four people on the futons in the living room.  One bedroom has a crib for the convenience of a  young family. 

     You can see eight islands from the end of the dock and the fully equipped kitchen is ready to cook your fresh catch of fish.  

     It's easy to fall asleep in the hammock at the water's edge. 

For more information on Cedar Lane, please call Barry Schatz at 989-255-6871 or email barry@mypresqueisle.com   Mail can be sent to Barry Scahtz, P.O. Box 100, Presque Isle, MI 49777.

Be sure to check out the links on this blog for more information on Northeast Michigan.

The Grand Lake Sportsmen's Club held their 25th. annual ice fishing derby on February 16, 2008.  The winners were,

NORTHERN PIKE

1st - 36-1/2"  Randy Schram

WALLEYE

1st. - 23' Glen Wisniewski

2nd. - 20-1/2" Steve Habermehl

3rd. - 19-1/2" Jason Bloom

4th. - 18-3/4" Dave Idaski

5th. - 18-1/4" Jennifer Wieczorkowski

PERCH

1st. - 12-1/2" Robert Doyle

2nd. - 12-1/4" Jerry Zowlinski

3rd. - 13" Rick Kaszubowski

4th. - 12-3/4" Jacob Kangas (Tie)

5th.  - 12-3/4" Cory Malocha (Tie)

The Grand Lake Sportsmen's Club would like to  thank the following sponsors.

AAA Michigan, A & J Pools & Spas, Adrian's Sport Shop, Alpena Bank, Alpena Beverage, Alpena Supply, Bank Of America, Besser Credit Union, Buck's Bait & Tackle, C.L. Taylor LLC, Clem's Bait Shop, Cliff Anschuetz Chevrolet/Cadillac, Court Yard Restaurant, Deer Hunt Inn, Diane's Cash & Carry Feeds, Edward Jones Investments, Fireside Inn, Grand Lake Association, Grand Lake Daily Limit, East Grand Lake Fire Department, Grand Lake Resort, Hapco Builders, Hide-A-Way Bar, Homant Propane, Huron Distributors, John Campbell Construction, K & K Electric Services, LaFarge, Lakeshore Plumbing-Heating-Cooling, Losinski Excavating & Septic Tank, McCoy Pontiac-Buick-Gmc, Northern Utility Contractors, Panel Processing, Parker House, Perch's IGA, Portage Restaurant, Portage Store, Posen Elevator, Posen Pub, Presque Isle Corp., Propane Plus, R.S. Scott & Associates, Seymour's Grocery, Stanley Wozniak Ins. Agency, The Light House, Thunder Bay Electric, Thunder Bay Walley Club, Van's Pro Shop, Young Appliance...and all the people that volunteered their time.

Photos of the event will be posted soon. 

By Barry Schatz

     My apologies blog readers for getting this report to you a couple weeks after the Presque Isle Township Public Library officially opened.  The ribbon cutting ceremony was November 3rd.  I took some photos for the benefit of those of you who are out of town at the moment. 

 When I first walked in, I thought I was standing in a hotel lobby or some cozy ski lodge.  It'll be interesting to see if the library needs to give somebody a nudge to wake them up.  My advice it don't sit down in one of these chairs and read a boring book.

The library has a nice meeting room with a kitchenette.

By Barry Schatz

Photos by Kyla Schatz

It's too easy to buy a frozen turkey for thanksgiving.  It's much more challenging to stalk and capture a fresh bird from the woods.  The wild turkey I saw in the forest behind my house was kind of odd looking though.  It looked more like a freaky goose or something.  I found it gnawing on some kind of frozen critter.  The bird must not have liked me disturbing it's dinner and didn't come quietly.

(Click on the photos for a larger view.)

We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with Tom and Sandy Boaks of Toad Hall.  Tom is quite the chef.  Nobody makes baked buzzard like Tom.

Alright.  The truth is, the buzzard got away.  The "tom" turkey Tom cooked was a frozen one I bought for a prior holiday.  I meant to cook it then but didn't thaw it in time to cook it. (It takes days to thaw a big turkey)   I ebded yo un-thawing it. (As Mr. Doyle pointed out recently, unthaw is the opposite of thaw which means I returned my turkey to a frozen state)

     One is supposed to dream of a white Christmas, not a white Thanksgiving.  That's what we woke up to yesterday however.  While the rest of the family and friends were chopping food, I dusted off my winter boots and checked out the first snow of the year.

The Schatz family and friends had a Halloween House at Cedar Lane again this year.  I posted a bunch of pictures to the wrong blog.  Look in the column at the right and click on the "Pig Adventures" link and you'll find find pictures from our haunted house. 

     There aren't many Robert sightings in October as he's usually converting his garage into a haunted house for Halloween.  In the picture above and on the left, Robert can barely be seen adjusting one of his Halloween props.  With the help of his spouse Linda, they managed to scare a lot of kids and put one adult into the rafters. 

     Terry McConnell was part of the Halloween Trail again this year.  His log home is located in the woods at the end of a dark lane.  It's spooky just driving back there.  People are usually afraid to get out of the car because they know Terry is waiting behind a tree or bush. 

Do you have pictures or a story you would like to share with the community?  You can email me at barry@mypresqueisle.com. 

Hope to hear from you,

Barry

Several people have reported seeing elk in the Grand Lake area this week.  Below is part of an email I received from Mary Anne and Dave McCoy.

I am writing to tell you we saw a 10 point bull elk last night on McCreery Road close to the entrance to the Beach House!!  He was enormous and quite a sight at 10:00 pm!

We had just had a fantastic white fish dinner at the Portage where we heard rumors of such an animal in our area. We had been discussing this with Amy & Brian Pagels at the bar just before we headed back for the evening.   Boy were we surprised and excited to actually see him as we drove home.  He was not skittish as deer are…he just walked along the roads edge as we pulled over and watched.  He slowly veered off and went through the woods into the beach area.  We left him alone at that point not wanting to harass him.

I wonder if he has a mate here?? Wouldn't it be great to have such a breed establish itself here??  Lots of land on our side of the lake for it that is for sure!

I heard the bull has been seen with a mate and a calf.  Somebody saw them munching on apples from a tree by The Plumbery.

If anybody has any pictures of the big Bambi, I would be glad to post them here.  Please email them to barry@mypresqueisle.com

Barry

By Barry Schatz

     I went duck hunting again last Saturday.  It was the second time in my life I sat in a duck blind.  The first time was a couple weeks ago.  It was warmer then.  

     My neighbor Tom wasn't coming which meant the ham sandwiches he made on the first outing would also be absent.  It was up to me to bring proper food to get me through the morning.  I didn't have any ham so I scrounged in the kitchen and grabbed what was handy.  In a plastic grocery bag, I packed four apples, two bananas, and a sleeve of Fig Newtons.  

     I crossed Grand Lake with Mr. Doyle in his slick duck boat, Old Reliable.  It didn't matter what the boat looked like, Old Reliable was good at floating and that's all that mattered to me. 

     The boat motor was another story.  After five minutes, Mr. Doyle tired of wrestling with the ancient outboard and left it in his Jeep.  An electric trolling motor would propel us to our island duck blind. 

     I quickly made myself aware of the exact location of my life jacket when the electric trolling motor went silent.  That's not saying much as the only sound electric boat motors make is the quiet gurgling of the propeller stirring up the water.   

     I surveyed our location and saw we were exactly half way between the mainland and our island destination.  It turned our technical difficulties were caused by a loose battery cable.  When Mr. Doyle adjusted the clips, the battery sparked.  I suddenly became aware of the smell of spilled gas floating on the water at the bottom of Old Reliable.

     I pulled my life jacket with two hands and envisioned myself rolling over the side of the boat like a walrus.  I knew the water would be cold but in the darkness, somebody would surely see the flaming boat and either come rescue us or applaud the show.  Fortunately, in less then a minute, Mr. Doyle had us gurgling on our way.

     I was told to dress warm because sitting in a duck blind means exactly that.  You sit!  Without moving, the body gets cold quicker.  I thought about asking if shivering would be considered excessive movement and would scare the ducks away.  I decided I would sound just a little too green. 

     Talking is allowed.  As Mr. Doyle says, duck hunting is one of the only forms of social hunting.  If two people chatted in a deer blind, Bambi would be in the next county before you knew it.

     It was still dark out when I settled into my chair and propped my feet up on a log.  I closed my eyes and listened to the waves roll onto the rocky shore.  Thinking about the fact that I could be horizontal in my warm, soft, comfy bed was a forbidden thought.  One could go mad thinking of such luxuries in a duck blind.  Every once in a while, I opened my eyes just a crack.  It was a little lighter each time did.  That was kind of cool. 

     Soon I could see without my flashlight and checked my equipment.  My trusty Sony was charged with plenty a fresh video tape.  My Fig Newtons hadn't been crushed by my flashlight.  I decided to have a banana.  I offered one to Mr. Doyle but he passed.  He wanted to be good and hungry when he went home.  A cup of coffee and the homemade apple pie his wife Linda had baked would taste all the better that way.

     Fresh apple pie.  I had eaten a piece of Linda's pie the night before and decided the banana wasn't going to satisfy my belly.  From under a camouflaged blanked, I dug into the white plastic grocery bag and grabbed the sleeve of Newtons.  

     A thick cedar tree blocked my view of Mr. Doyle, but I pictured him watching the sky for birds.  I offered him some of my snack but again, he refused.  I decided the only thing Mr. Doyle craved (besides apple pie) was roasted duck and any offer other than that would be unacceptable.  

      Surrounded by cedar trees, I watched the waves of Grand Lake race by as I ate Newtons.  Being a soft cookie, there were no crunching sounds to break the peaceful silence. 

     I had brought a few bottles of water and washed down my snack.  I was a bit disappointed there was no burp.  If there's one place a guy should be able to burp and still be accepted, it's while hunting with the guys. 

     Just because the sky is light doesn't mean the sun is up.  I looked to the West and saw a row of clouds that looked like they were on fire.  I realized an opportunity to get some sunrise pictures and decided to try and move.  Sitting in the chilly morning air had stiffened me up pretty good for a guy my age.  Fortunately there was a handy cedar bow hanging just above my head.  I gave a pull on the branch and dragged myself out of the chair. 

      I was impressed with how my camera lens gave the rising sun a star effect.  The first time I  came duck hunting, we were in very thick fog.  Today, the visibility was clear so I ended up with different photographic opportunities. 

 (I didn't mention the starry sky when we launched Old Reliable.  Very cool)

      We had a couple visitors that morning.  Our neighbor Phil and his son Jordan came buzzing by in their boat.  Mr. Doyle waved them in.    It was about 9:00 at that point and they were getting a late start.  it was much warmer however.

     Phil told me he had fixed my cable so our TV would have a much better picture.  That was VERY cool.  

It was 10:00 and we were about to start to pulling decoys when three migrating ducks that I'll call Moe, Larry, and Curly flew by.  Mr. Doyle gave one toot on his duck call and the trio turned back toward our spread of plastic ducks and geese.  I could hear Mr. Doyle's stomach growl the second he realized Moe and Larry would be joining him for dinner. 

     As it turned out, Curly went home with Phil and Jordan.  

 Old Reliable disguised as a bush.

Nothing says Autumn fun in Northeast Michigan like a trip to Knabe's Apple Orchard in Presque Isle County.

 Doc Knabe and his crew press the best apple cider from the apples grown in their own orchard.

Fresh donuts are made daily and the gift shop offers all kinds of great stuff.

Outside, one can take an orchard tour by a horse drawn wagon, visit the petting zoo, and enjoy other activities.

Knabe's Apple Orchard is located just East of Rogers City, Michigan.