On looking back over the years, one event each summer still holds wonderful memories. Grandpa’s dad would rent a cottage on Wall Lake for 1 or 2 weeks. What fun! A fishing pole and a piece of bread could catch hundreds of bluegills and sunfish right off the dock. Of course they were small and had to be tossed back but still it was a lot of fun.
It was at this lake that he first saw a beautiful, streamlined boat with the ends turned up. Great-grandpa said it was a canoe and acted like it was as deadly as a rattlesnake. You get in one, go out in the water and tip over and drown. Looking around he noticed quite a few of those “canoes”. In the evening people would be out in them fishing or just paddling around. He watched anxiously for them to turn over and drown everyone, but it never happened. So the day came when a cousin came over. As soon as all the older folks had arrived they got into boats and left for a resort on the other side of the lake. The 2 boys put the dreaded canoe in the water and climbed in. How nice it responded to a stroke of the paddle. Soon they were cruising around the lake. Everything went fine until they met up with dad and mom on the far side. They looked at the boys in shock and horror. We were told in no uncertain terms to go back home before we tipped over. We got told again of the canoes propensity to turn over and drown all on board. This must be what makes them so popular!
On returning home, another problem had developed. There was a big Box-elder tree that grew on the edge of our lot. It bowed over across the fence and a large part of it was over the neighbors land. In the top of this tree was a tree house. It had been built by a bunch of kids that had over the years caused my grandpa and his brother a lot of trouble. On the outside the large letters were notices that those two could not be members of the “club”. The regular members jeered and taunted them. This went on for about 4 days. Finally they came up with a plan.
The younger brother went to work with an axe. Due to the great leaning of the tree it wasn’t long before there were snapping noises. The “club” at this point was offering free memberships, but it was too late. The screams brought out the parents just in time to see the whole tree and “club” came crashing down. It came down sort of slow and no one got hurt. Grandpa’s dad didn’t take to hot to this “affirmative action”, but he said that he was sick of all the box-elder beetles and was going to remove the tree anyway. It also taught the nasty kids not to mess with the 2 brothers.
Meanwhile the war raged on. Pearl Harbor and the resulting war was to make dramatic changes in their life style.
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