Lots of great paranormal stories set in Michigan. Just in time for Halloween! You can find my piece on The Witchy Wolves of the Omer Plains there as well.
The site started out back in 2006 as Michigan’s Otherside.
Ric Mixter and Dan Hall’s website discussing all things shipwreck on the Great Lakes. I had the opportunity to hear Ric Mixter’s talk on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald last week. Absolutely fascinating.
Ric Mixter’s free and premium podcasts covering shipwrecks all over the Great Lakes (and beyond), the infamous and the not-so-famous. You can also find a list of Ric Mixter’s upcoming appearances/topics.
Lake Superior beach gravel – Photo Credit: photosforclass.com
“The Man on the Cross” mold on display at the Marshall Fredericks Museum at Saginaw Valley State University. The original sculpture resides at the Cross in the Woods in Indian River, Michigan. Photo Credit: Lindsey Russell
The Marshall Fredericks Museum at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is one of my favorite museums. Considering its size, it is jam packed. Over the years, I’ve visited the museum a handful of times, and I always leave inspired. There is so much to see, and frankly, it is impressive to see the results of such a long and varied career in sculpture. At one time, Grandma B. and I talked about the museum, and she said that she always wanted to visit. Unfortunately, she never took the opportunity. I can’t help but think of her every time I am there.
One of my favorite Marshall Fredericks sculptures is “The Man on the Cross,” which resides at the National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods in Indian River, Michigan. I’ve seen it in person (the full-size mold resides in the art gallery at SVSU, see below), and it is something that one needs to experience in person. I plan to go back at some point. It is gorgeous and moving.
As I left class today (I’m currently finishing my English endorsement at SVSU), I decided to head over the museum. It did not disappoint. Following is a quick overview of different sections of the museum.
Main Gallery
The main gallery includes the original molds for many of Marshall Fredericks’ larger works, including “The Man on the Cross” (see photo below), interspersed with smaller models in various mediums. All are on permanent display and make up the core of the museum.
The molds for the “Sinners and Saints” sculpture. The original resides in the Sinners and Saints lounge at the nearby Midland Center for the Arts. Photo Credit: Lindsey RussellMarshall Fredericks also sculptured many animals throughout his career. This frog is one of my favorites. I believe the original ended up in a children’s garden. Photo Credit: Lindsey Russell
The Studio
The museum has taken great care to replicate parts of Marshall Fredericks’ studio. It is impressive, and frankly, there is something about this part of the museum that fascinates me. You get to understand how he created such large sculptures and the work involved, including tools and studies. It actually inspired me to write a post on Scrivener and the idea of a writer’s studio, which can be found here.
Display helping to recreate Marshall Fredericks’ studio. Photo Credit: Lindsey RussellAnother view of the studio. Photo Credit: Lindsey Russell
The Sculpture Garden
It is just a beautiful outdoor space with all kinds of bronze sculptures inspired by Marshall Fredericks’ work. You can find other images of the sculpture garden here.
The “Night and Day” fountain that is the center piece of the sculpture garden. Photo Credit: Lindsey RussellMowgli and Baloo in the sculpture garden. Photo Credit: Lindsey Russell
A visit to the museum is certainly worth it. In addition to the sections described above, there are also a couple of smaller galleries in the museum that hold rotating exhibitions. You can find more information on the museum’s website.
Photo Credit: Lindsey RussellHenry Ford Photo Credit: Lindsey RussellPhoto Credit: Lindsey RussellAnother view of the studio. Photo Credit: Lindsey RussellPhoto Credit: Lindsey Russell
I’ve wanted to write about Across the Universe (2007) ever since I first watched it several months ago. It is one of those movies that grabs you, not letting you go. Just when you think you have it figured out, you start back at the beginning. I’m afraid I won’t do it justice.
Let’s start with the facts. First, it was a given that I would enjoy Across the Universe (2007) for the music and subject matter alone. A musical using new renditions of Beatles’ songs that encompasses many of the major themes of the 1960s? What isn’t there to like? Never mind the actual film. It was either going to be wonderful or something never to speak of again.
Next, the music itself is exceptional. When it comes to Beatles’ music, I am normally skeptical when it comes to covers (with the exception of Joe Cocker, of course). In this case, Evan Rachel Wood (Lucy), Jim Sturgess (Jude), and Dana Fuchs (Sadie) forced me to look at some of the Beatles catalog in a new way. Not an easy feat. There are several examples of this, but some of the ones that come to mind immediately are “It Won’t Be Long” (Evan Rachel Wood), “I’ve Just Seen A Face” (Jim Sturgess), and “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?” (Dana Fuchs). That is just for starters. The use of “Let It Be” (Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum) as a hymn fits the scene(s) perfectly.
My feelings on the song “Across the Universe” have evolved as result. While I’ve always liked “Across the Universe,” I would be hard pressed to even rank it among my top 25 or possibly 50 Beatles’ songs. No joke. The movie made me reevaluate. While I enjoy the movie version of “Across the Universe,” the cover by the band Evanescence is now one of favorite songs. It is haunting in the best possible way, not easily replicated.
Fortunately for us, the music is only the beginning. All the principals not only can act and sing, but dance as well. The choreography in Across the Universe (2007) is second to none and, along with superb costume and set design, make the movie. It enhances the music in a way that is unforgettable. The bowling scene that takes place during “I’ve Just Seen A Face” is so much fun and over the top. While the first part of the movie is just that – fun and over the top – the choreography and music work together to tell a much darker story as the movie progresses.
While I won’t give away the plot, it is the plot itself that keeps me guessing, keeps me coming back to the movie. When I finished watching Across the Universe (2007) for the first time, my first thought was:
What the heck just happened? What did I just watch?
Frankly, its plot, or lack thereof, is both its strength and weakness. While it isn’t as though it doesn’t have a plot at all, there are large swaths of the movie that leave you asking so many questions. Much can explained away by implied drug use. Now might be a good time to mention that Across the Universe (2007) earned every bit of its PG-13 rating. Personally, I believe it should be more in the R category considering the violence, implied drug use, and sexual references/implications.
Implied drug use can explain away much of the plot issues in the movie, but it doesn’t explain everything. For example, there are certain characters (namely Prudence, Sadie, and Jo-Jo) that I want to know more about. They are that interesting, considering what we know of them. However, I have yet to figure out the purpose of Prudence’s character. She seems to just show up.
While it is easy to see all of these things as “flaws” with the plot, I have to wonder if it wasn’t intentional. I’m not quite sure how the movie could have captured as much of the history of the ‘60s as it did without leaving so much to the viewer’s imagination. As a Beatles fan, that is what is so fun about this movie. There are so many references for fans. My personal favorite is the Brigitte Bardot poster. Supposedly all the Beatles had a huge crush on her. Then, there are the characters themselves. Jude, played by Jim Sturgess, looks an awful lot like a young Paul McCartney. His character is even from Liverpool. With some characters, it is obvious: Jo-Jo is somehow a stand-in for Jimi Hendrix. Others, it isn’t so clear. For example, I want to peg Sadie as Janis Joplin, and yet, it doesn’t feel quite right. In the end, the music, the choreography, the confusing plot, and the Easter eggs geared towards Beatles fans will keep me coming back. If you like the Beatles at all, it is a must-see. If I ever have the opportunity to see it on the big screen, I am there. I’m not sure how I missed Across the Universe (2007) when it was first released.
My grandparents are never far from my mind (or heart), but over the last several days, they’ve been on my mind even more. As my parents were preparing for a trip to Ireland, my dad asked me a little about the Irish ancestry on the Russell side of his family. It is fascinating! I didn’t realize that his grandfather (my great grandfather), Elijah (EC) Russell, was the son of Irish immigrants. As Grandpa Russell passed away long before I was born, I happen to know the history of the Suszko and Buttrick/Hoffman sides of my family better. Realizing that my ancestors on the Russell side made sacrifices for their descendants by leaving their homeland in search of a better life is humbling.
Grandpa Russell’s parents – Mary Jennie and Elijah (EC) Russell
Today also happens to be Grandparents Day. My grandparents may no longer be with us, but I simply would not be the same person without their influence. As a child, I somehow won the grandparent lottery. Both my Buttrick and Reid grandparents lived close by and played a huge role in my life. I spent my summers spending time and working with Grandma and Grandpa Reid. They both taught me so much about life in general. I’ve written extensively about their influence.
Grandma and Grandpa Buttrick’s house was always open to us grand kids and our friends. They lived close to Standish Elementary, and we often visited after school. As an adult, trips to Standish were not complete if I didn’t visit Grandma and Grandpa. Even today, when I am running errands in Standish, I think of how nice it would be to be able to stop in for a quick visit. I still miss the book club for two that I had with Grandma B. I also think of all of those August trips to hunting camp in Kenton, piling in Grandpa’s station wagon or Suburban with our cousins.
There is so much more I could say. I didn’t even discuss our “adopted” grandparents, our neighbors Joyce and Carl. That is all together another subject for another day. By the way, I didn’t post a picture of Grandma Buttrick for a specific reason. She was a private person, and even though she is no longer here, she would hate having her picture here.
Even though I never knew him, Grandpa Russell’s legacy lives on in the canoe livery. Grandma and Dad may have kept the canoe livery running after he passed away, but it was Grandpa Russell who started it all over 60 years ago. In fact, all of my grandfathers were entrepreneurs in their own way – a fact I love.
So, to all of my grandparents, thank you! Thank you for your love, guidance, memories, and so much more.
I just wanted to take a moment to share Mid Michigan Writers website. You can find our collective blog here. Lots of wonderful content. You can find my contributions here. Check it out!
Over the last few week or so I’ve finally started writing again. What was I waiting for? I’m not quite sure, but I do know this: I missed it. It isn’t that I haven’t written at all since the pandemic, it is just that I’ve been selective and focused on other things.
So, why do I keep coming back to writing? There are so many reasons …
It is my creative outlet.
Some people make beautiful music, others play sports, and yet others draw or paint. I am not good at any of those things. Writing is something I can do fairly well. I know how to improve. It is a nice mix of being able to accomplish something and yet striving to make it the best it can be. If I tried to play a musical instrument, I would want to give up before I could get anywhere.
It allows me to practice the art of storytelling.
Both of my parents are wonderful storytellers. There is nothing I love more than a good story (hence my love of reading). In my opinion, there is something comfortable about writing down a story before perfecting the art of telling it to others. Writing allows me to get it right before I share it with others.
I can curate many of my favorite things – and share that them with others.
Blogging can be so much fun. I actually started “blogging” before it was known as blogging. I used to use an online notebook/diary to keep track of my favorite websites, poems, photos, memes, and more. I have enough content now that I can go back and reread things I wrote years ago. Some of which I have long since forgotten. It is always fun and gives me ideas for future projects.
It is a challenge.
The writing process is never quite finished. At some point, it is time to let go. Frankly, like a good challenge. As with so many things, I know just enough to be dangerous!
It goes hand in hand with another favorite pastime – reading.
I’ve always loved books. In fact, I’ve written extensively about my first love – books! I outline some of my favorite childhood books here. My love of writing, as with so many others, grew out of my love of reading. I can’t imagine trying to separate the two. In fact, I’ve thought about starting a book podcast, just for fun! I’ve read so many great books this year. I have yet to discuss any of them here. The reasons why I write – and my love of writing – is a topic I revisit from time to time. You can read earlier posts here, here, and here.
The List (2009) is an older album, but the story behind it is compelling. I admit, I’m not much of a country music fan. That said, I love Johnny Cash’s music. He is one of the few musicians/groups that belong in their own category, others include Elvis, the Beatles, and a handful of others. Frankly, I don’t listen to Johnny Cash’s music much. My ex adored his music almost as much as I adore the Beatles – almost. At this point, I’d just rather not. Now that that is all out of the way, you are probably wondering why I am bringing Johnny Cash into this discussion at all. I’m here to talk about his daughter’s album, not his. Well, The List (2009) wouldn’t exist without him. It is that story that fascinates me.
Supposedly when Rosanne turned 18, her father gave her a list of what he thought were the 100 most influential country and American songs to help expand her knowledge of music. Can you imagine? It would be as if I grew up the daughter of a world famous American author and he or she gave me a list of what he or she perceived to be the most important works in American literature. Unimaginable. Rosanne Cash, much to her credit, actually kept the list and turned it into a wonderful album, even if she only included 12 songs.
The interview is interesting enough. It is the reason why I checked out the album at all. The album itself, with all of its country roots, isn’t exclusively classified as country. It belongs to the folk and world genres as well. There are so many elements of folk music all throughout the album. It is timeless, which is precisely why you should check it out.
As I have said before, I have a love/hate relationship with Labor Day. I am always happy to put the canoe livery to rest until next year, and yet, summer always seems to go by way too quickly. I only made it out on the river once this summer (our annual company trip) … so far. While there is a part of me that wishes we always had summer weather here in Michigan, I know better. As a lifelong Michigander, I definitely need the change of seasons. Both times I lived in Texas, I missed it. In my soul. It never felt natural to hang out on patios in December, needing only light jackets. Where was the crisp fall weather, the smell of burning leaves, visits to apply orchards? It just didn’t seem right.
I came home today to see all of the canoe livery buses and mini buses parked in my backyard, safe from any flooding. The store is condensed and ready for us to close in a month or so. All of the picnic tables are stacked, put away until spring arrives yet again. Just a few weeks ago, we were packed at both locations and had several hundred people go down the river on Saturday morning. Now, we have the place all to ourselves once again. It always catches me by surprise how quickly we go from beyond busy to ready to close up for the year.
I can’t imagine the canoe livery not being a part of my life. I thought about it earlier this summer, and I realized that it truly was my first home. Until I was three years old, my parents, my sister Erica, and I lived in a mobile home at our main location in Omer. It was located where our large pole barn is now. I’ve literally watched my parents build their business my entire life. My brother and sister saw much of it as well; however, I am just enough older to have witnessed a bit more than either one of them. It is interesting, and frankly, I’m not sure it could have been done today – at least not in the same way. I remember my dad making annual spring trips to Minnesota to purchase more canoes, the original three buses purchased after my parents married in 1977 (they made the best forts when not in use!), and the tiny walkup store we had prior to our current store in Omer.
So many of my childhood memories are tied up with the canoe livery. One of my first memories is of playing the card game war with Grandma Reid in the old store. Another early memory is of Grandma and Mom playing two-handed Euchre, snacking on MadeRite cheese popcorn, waiting for people to come off the river. I would spend hours playing in the river and by the dock, not getting out of the water until I was completely waterlogged, trying to ignore my goosebumps. I distinctly remember being excited when the calendar changed to March and April – and yet being SO disappointed that it wasn’t nearly warm enough to go swimming in the river. I can’t think of a better way to grow up.
I love the fact my niece and nephew are growing up right near the canoe livery. They visit me at the store several times a week. I can’t begin to describe the nostalgia I feel watching them play. They are fish, and there are many times I have had to warm them up after they have spent a little too much time in the river. I have to remind them to put on shoes in the store constantly – reliving the time I found a bee with my bare foot at age 6. One day this past summer, my niece decided that she wanted to take a shower in the showerhouse at the campground, nevermind that she could take a shower in her home (a two minute walk at most). What cracked me up most is the fact that I remember doing the exact same thing at her age. It was a production. The forts, the pooling of money to purchase items in the store, leaving bikes in all the wrong places – sigh. So fun. I’m glad I’m in a position to spoil them a little bit. I hope that they enjoy every minute.
My cousin Ellen Vrana has a wonderfully rich, intellectual, yet somehow unstuffy, blog called The Examined Life. It is wonderful, and if I am honest, intimidating as a fellow writer. She happens to live in London with her family and discusses just about anything one can imagine.
You may want to start with her about page and A View of Fathers. Her intelligence and depth come shining through. You won’t be disappointed.
Every so often there comes along a rock documentary that I can recommend to just about everyone. That is the case with The Day the Music Died, which is currently streaming on, and exclusive to, Paramount +. If you care about Don McLean’s American Pie at all, or the stories behind it, it is a must-watch. I adore everything about the song, and clearly, after watching the documentary, I am in great company.
I grew up loving the song, which is a story in and of itself. Very few songs from the time period steal from so many genres. Stop and think about it for a minute: Exactly which genre does it belong to? It isn’t exactly a folk song, it isn’t entirely a rock song, nor is it a pure pop song. American Pie is all that and more. It has been covered by country artists and even Madonna, whose version I’ve had mixed feelings about ever since she released it during the summer of 1999 (it was definitely in heavy rotation the summer before I headed to Michigan State). In the documentary, Garth Brooks discusses in depth the influence the song had on him and his career. Yet, I feel it is SO much more. It is timeless.
Several years ago now, during one of my subbing experiences in a high school Spanish class, I was instructed to show the movie La Bamba, which was, quite frankly, an unforgettable experience in all the best ways. First, if you know the movie at all, you will easily recognize why showing it to high school students required some careful editing (fastforwarding). Fortunately, that went well. What pleasantly surprised me is how much those students loved the story behind La Bamba and the music. As we had a few minutes left after the end of the movie – thanks to the inappropriate parts I had to skip – I had a moment to explain the term the day the music died and Don McLean’s song. Most students knew the song American Pie, of course, but I don’t think that most realized that it referenced an actual event. I loved watching them make the connection!
The documentary itself covers so much. It dives deep into exactly how Don McLean wrote the song and came up with the lyrics, as well as his childhood. Of course, one of the best aspects of the song and lyrics is trying to figure out all of those cryptic references – ie the king with his thorny crown, jack flash, etc. According to McLean, the only one that is truly “correct” is the double reference ”Lenin/Lennon read a book on Marx.” Yet, I am not entirely convinced. That is what makes the lyrics great. Just as with the best poetry, there are layers upon layers. Definitely a must-watch.
By the way Michiganders, watch for an interesting reference to Grand Rapids.
Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde 