MY FIRST CAR WAS A 1974 MATADOR

My first car was a 1974 sports car called a Matador which was built by American Motors. It had a lot of power but, there was a problem with the electrical system. My dad did not like the noise the car made to warn people in the front seat to put on their seat belts. My dad had the warning noise disconnected and the car never ran quite right after that.

No one wore seat belts back then. Seat belts were confining and they made it hard to smoke, drink beer and, adjust your radio as you were driving along at 90 mph. Today all of these driving habits are considered unsafe and even illegal. A lot of dead rock stars and the dead teenagers that idolized the rockers would agree that the above driving habits are dangerous.

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MY MOM AND OIL PAINTING

Dorothy Jean Brandt painted several oil paintings from the 1980's until the early 2000's. She signed all her paintings D. Brandt and sold some and gave away many more. She did only a couple of portraits but most of her art was either flowers or outdoor scenes.

MY GRANPA'S OLD 1930'S CAR BETWEEN THE PINES

To the right you can see my granddad’s old car as it sat between the pines in a Northern Michigan winter. My granddad started working at a Northern Michigan lumber camp when he was only about 15 years old. His father worked as a cook and my grandfather's uncle Dave owned the lumber and Real Estate Company. My grandfather's grandfather was David "Hudson" and he was a veteran of the Civil War and was a Sergeant and volunteer with the 10th Calvary out of Flint Michigan. Sgt. David "Hudson" signed up a lot of his Michigan relatives to serve in the 10th calvery during the Civil War.

OUT WEST WITH CAR AND TRAILER

The picture to the right is of my grandparent’s old Ford car and the trailer they took out west way back in about 1960. My grandparents had a son who married a girl out in Ogden Utah. My aunt and uncle had several children and every few years my grandparents would venture out West to visit them.

ON THE FARM

When I was young I remember going to a farm to pick pears and it was owned by an interracial couple. They were close friends of my grandparents and like many of my grandparents friends, spent a lot of time with my grandparents at their cabin. Now days interracial couples are common place but back in the 1920's and 1930's being friends with an interracial couple could get you stoned in some southern states.

When my mother visited my dad at an army base during WWII my mother and her two year old daughter were stoned in Tennessee just because my mom opened a door for an old crippled black woman. My mom didn’t realize an act of kindness was so frowned upon in the south. Luckily the man who owned a nearby store let my mom and sister into his business. He was originally from the north and was disgusted by how African-Americans were treated in the south.

In Michigan at that time the content of ones character was becoming more important than ones race. By that time my family was a great mixture various ethnic groups. Most believed in a God but most also believed that there were a lot of crooks that wanted to steal from the poor via the collection plate, to make themselves rich.

ROSCOMMON COMPANY FROM CHICAGO ABOUT 1918

To the right you will see my great grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chase, entertaining the Hesston’s from Chicago. Charles Chase was a Michigan politician and farmer. His wife owned a restaurant in Roscommon Michigan. The picture shows company at the Chase farm in about 1918. The Chase family were early settlers in Roscommon.

The horse drawn wagon in the background demonstrates that auto’s were not commonly used. In fact, trains were used to bring people up to Roscommon from big cities like Chicago. Roscommon was a major vacation spot at the time. Weekend trips further north were not yet practical.

1927 MODEL T PICK-UP: MY PARENT'S FIRST CAR

My parents first car was a 1927 Model T. At least that is what I was told. It was a pick-up truck that my father bought from his brother shortly after my father came home from the army. Cash was hard to come by and jobs were very hard to come by and a new car was something that most WWII veterans would have to wait for. In fact, most manufactured goods were in short supply because of the need to have the economy completely taken over by the war effort. Waiting lists for anything new was not uncommon.

WWII had just been won. This pick-up had seen better days and my mom's brothers nick-named my father "the bailing wire mechanic" since my dad used whatever piece of metal or wire or pipe he found to keep this vehicle on the road. He did not have much money then so a real mechanic or a good car were out of the question.

U.S. STAMP COLLECTING

Many people in my family were and are stamp collectors. I started collecting stamps at age six and along with my second grade teacher, started a stamp club at my grade school. I also started a chess club.

Collecting U.S. stamps is a great way to get to know history. Many U.S. stamps help to tell stories about wars, slavery, women suffrage, science, and all forms of art. Those little pictures will often have behind them very in depth lessons of the hardships and perseverance of those that came before us that you can never quite understand from the dry text of a modern history book.

MY PARENT'S BOAT HOUSE

After my parents bought a boat they then had to find a place to store it. It took almost one entire summer but they finally completed this boat house located on Manistee Lake in Kalkaska Michigan. I was expected to help build it and I remember mixing and hauling a lot of concrete for the long boat launch that was built from the back of the boathouse and stretched out into the lake. Having a speed boat was a lot of fun for a teenager. Now I have a small tin boat that I use for fishing. My electric motor has two speeds; off and on.

MY DAD'S VOLKSWAGEN CAMPER

I remember back when my dad and I went down to the local German made car dealership in Midland Michigan way back in 1972. I liked the really nice Mercedes convertible that was on display but my father who fancied himself to be an outdoors-man, bought a pop-top Volkswagen camper. It had a refrigerator, two beds, a slide out table and all types of places to hide fishing and camping gear for trips into the wilderness. I still liked the Mercedes the best and although I live in the woods today I still do not like to go camping.

RURAL MICHIGAN FAMILY PORTRAIT

These of some of my relatives who lived in rural Mid-Michigan. I believe this picture was taken in the early 1930's. This is a very typical large American family found all over Michigan prior to WWII. I am not sure where this photo was taken in Mid-Michigan however, the background suggest it is a summer picture especially since everyone appears to be wearing light clothing.

It is so strange at how a mere eighty years could make such a difference in how people look and live in this country. Rural life still exists in Mid-Michigan but, in the picture it is hard to find anyone answering their cell phone and it is doubtful that anything on this property is made out of plastic.

THE POLISHED PETOSKEY STONE

Petoskey Stones are found mostly in Northern Michigan. A lot of people polish and sell them. Petoskey Stones are found along beaches or in gravel pits after a rain. No two raw Petoskey Stones is exactly alike.

The history of the Petoskey Stone is replete with legends and stories that are as fascinating as the stones are beautiful. Scientists believe that the Petoskey Stones are the fossilized remains of an ancient coral that lived in a shallow sea 350 million years ago. That would have been during the Devonian Era which was long before dinosaurs existed.

Psychics believe the Petoskey Stones have certain powers. Jewelers and other lapidary experts believe that Petoskey Stones are great for making Jewelry and other art items.

MOST PEOPLE LIKE TO COLLECT COINS

I was always interested in silver coins. I collected many coins out of change and bought other coins from coin dealers. I have also sold many coins and other items since I started collecting at the age of six. Soon after I started collecting, the next door neighbor lady asked me what I liked to do? I told her I liked to collect coins. She responded that she collected coins too. "In fact," she said, "I think most people like to collect coins." It would be several years before I finally got the joke.

American coins are perhaps the best looking coins ever produced. This Morgan Silver Dollar is just full of 19th century detail.

BOAT CRUISES ON MANISTEE LAKE IN KALKASKA COUNTY

This body of water is known as Manistee Lake and it is located in Kalkaska County. This was a nice sunny day to cruise around on the water in Northern Michigan. Northern Michigan has a lot of great lakes to enjoy during all the seasons throughout the year.

The water in this picture looks inviting however, the water is always cold when you first dive in. Water skiing, water boarding, tubing and just plain cruising are a lot of fun on Michigan's fresh water lakes. A little time spent each day finding and enjoying a fishing hole is one of the calmer sports.

Of course that depends on how the fish are biting since sometimes you can find yourself quite busy pulling in perch and even walleyes on this particular lake. Sometimes the only thing that stops the fish from biting is when you run out of bait.

THE TRUMPETEER

The Dow Marching Band was a rigorous experience. If we messed up we had to run laps and do pushups. I lost 20 lbs. during marching band season.

We performed at the Detroit Silverdome when the Dow High Chargers were the state champions in football.

I was the first kid in band to have a silver plated trumpet. I liked the one Doc Severson played on the Tonight Show. Once I had my silver trumpet it was not long until every kid in the trumpet section had one. The silver color went well with our new uniforms.

MY GRANDFATHER AND HIS COTTAGE

My grandparents built a cottage on a lake in Kalkaska County back in the 1930's. The cottage was enjoyed for decades by family and friends. My grandmother sold the cottage in 1984 which was the year after my grandfather died.

My grandmother took this picture. She worked at a photo shop when she was young and loved to take pictures. She literally spent a small inheritance to buy a nice camera. She was quite a shutter bug and recorded a history of family and friends in photos. Many I am attempting to restore and share on this web site in the near future.

My grandfather's family came to Michigan from New England in the 1840's. Several of them served in the 10th calvary out of Flint Michigan during the Civil War.

My grandmothers family came to Michigan sometime between 1860 and 1870 from New York State.