Written during the pandemic as an example for a poetry project I assigned my middle school students. They needed to take a line from a favorite song and then use that line to begin a poem.
There are places I remember Places that hold memories long forgotten Long shadows, witnesses to the past Smells that immediately transport me back
Back to a simpler time when we could gather freely Children could be kids Adults accepted responsibility A time when freedom reigned and the republic lived
A black and white portrait here, Kerosene lanterns afixed to the wall Polished glass overlooking the cedar swamp The coziness of a Franklin stove
My sister and I, in curls, smocked dressed, and bows Polished patent leather shoes and all smiles Helping mom and grandma prepare Thanksgiving Waiting for hunters to return and string a buck up on the pole
Living as pioneers until nightfall, the generator roaring to life The bustle and business of extended family Cards, laughter, and love Cousins, forts, and leaves
Memories long buried, decades past Rising each fall with the smoke from burning leaves
I’m always conflicted Labor Day Weekend. On one hand, I am happy for summer and the canoe livery to be over for the time being. Fall is my favorite season. I’m eager to get back to the classroom. On the other hand, I love 10 PM sunsets and the very idea of the endless summers of my childhood. I vividly remember my dad taking my sister and me home to put us to bed while it was still light out, begging him to take the backway home (Jose Rd.), Erica and I exhausted from a full day swimming in the river. We lived the river all summer long. At 10, I distinctly remember walking downtown Omer during Suckerfest in early April, fixated on how unfair it was that it would be close to two months before I could swim in the Rifle again.
As of late, I watch and notice how my niece and nephew enjoy being kids growing up at the canoe livery. Each year brings forth more long-forgotten childhood memories. This weekend, my niece and a friend took tubes to the end of the road and floated around the entire campground back to our dock. My friends and I did this countless times at their age. To be 10 again without a care in the world!
Earlier this summer, I overheard kids discussing what I grew up calling “rocky.” It is a simple game. All one needs is two people, a tube, and a body of water. Two kids sit across from one another on the tube and lock legs, bouncing as hard as possible to knock the other kid off into the river. Our river version required a short walk upstream and had a natural time limit. We would walk the short, sandy straightaway upstream leading to the dock, the object being to knock the other person off before we reached the dock. My sister Erica, our cousin Abby, and I spent countless hours playing various versions of this game, leaving the river waterlogged with suits and hair full of sand. I am grateful that, in spite of all that has changed in the last 30 plus years, I still live in a world where children are still allowed carefree summers.
I thought that I would share the latest version of our Russell Canoe Livery promo video. Put together by Garrett Russell, much, if not all, of the footage was created by him as well. I’d love for him to create more! Due to copyright and music editing issues, it is best to watch the video without sound.
The middle of March will always bring memories of long family weekends in Grayling, MI. Every year, we would attend the annual Michigan Recreational Canoeing Association meeting. For my parents, it meant meetings, ordering merchandise for the summer ahead, and sharing ideas with other canoe livery owners. As a child, it meant a long weekend swimming in the hotel pool, interspersed with time in the arcade and ordering pizza at least once. Above all, I counted it as a sure sign of spring and the long summer to come. Throughout my childhood, I considered it the first sign of spring – right up there with the return of the robins,
I loved going to the Holidome for the weekend. My immediate family all attended, of course, but the entire conference took on the atmosphere of a family reunion at times. When my aunt married, she and her then husband Kevin purchased a canoe livery on the AuSable. We spent lots of time with Aunt Amy during RCA weekends. In fact, when Aunt Amy later helped my mom and I place orders for the upcoming summer during the pandemic – an experience I hope to never repeat – it sparked a bit of nostalgia between sisters. As Mom and Aunt Amy said, we were the association before the association. They reminisced about the old meetings and some of the more memorable owners. At one point, my dad even served as president.
Other liveries on the Rifle attended too. One of my dad’s best friends at the time, Phil, owned Cedar Springs. His wife and daughter, both named Connie, attended as well. Both were family favorites. Phil’s daughter taught with my mom for years, while his wife watched us while we were in the pool from time to time. Every time we passed Cedar Springs on our annual overnight canoe trips with our dad, my sister Erica and I were treated to ice cream cones as we headed home on the river.
The White family attended as well. White’s Canoe Livery happened to be the first canoe livery on the Rifle. In fact, there would be no Russell Canoe Livery without White’s. My grandfather got the idea from Don White and then started Russell Rent-a-Canoe out of what is now my home. It all started in 1959 with a Ford pickup and a six haul of canoes. To this day, the only person I know who knows the Rifle River as well as my dad is Ladd White, Don’s son and current owner. I hate to think of the knowledge that will be lost when my dad and Ladd are no longer around.
Canoeing near the park in Omer ~ early 20th century. The site of the former Omer park is just downriver from our main location in Omer.
For some reason, I seem to remember that there would be a March canoe trip as part of the meetings. At one point, it may have been referred to as the Ides of March trip. As a child, that fascinated me. I could not understand why anyone would want to canoe in the winter. In my child’s mind, canoeing and tubing meant one thing and one thing only: swimming. What was the point of canoeing if you couldn’t get wet? That happened to be my biggest gripe about March. March supposedly brings spring, and yet, it would be months before I could swim the river again. It didn’t seem fair.
The Rifle River and Russell Canoe Livery will always be a part of me. My first home happened to be near our main location in Omer. One day, hopefully decades in the future, it will also be my last. March is when it all starts to spring to life once again. Reservations start rolling in, plans are made, and merchandise is ordered. I love it all, especially our customers. Here is to a wonderful summer 2024!
Recently, I realized that I mention my hometown extensively without providing many details. Unfortunately, many readers – even seasoned Michiganders – might have no idea where Omer, Michigan is. It is just under an hour north of Bay City. If you take the 188 Standish exit off of I-75, you will likely end up on US 23 north in Standish. Omer is the next small town, approximately 7 miles north on US 23. A bridge over the Rifle River, a caution light, and a set of railroad tracks are all landmarks to let you know that you have traveled through the city.
Being from Omer, Michigan isn’t for the faint of heart. For decades, the city of Omer has held the distinction of being Michigan’s smallest city, boasting a population just shy of 300 souls. Living in a small town does not come without its hazards. Nothing remains private for long. Both of my parents grew up in the area as well, with both of their families having ties to the area going back generations. Growing up attending Standish-Sterling Community Schools, not only was I a teacher’s kid as my mom spent most of her teaching career at Standish Elementary, our family business, Russell Canoe Livery, meant that my family was well-known in both Omer and Standish. In fact, Omer has no school, aside from a Head Start program aimed at preschoolers. When Omer’s school burned down in the early days of the 20th century, it was never rebuilt.
Sadly, despite its location in the heart of Arenac County and its one-time status as the county seat, little remains of a once thriving city. Today, the Arenac Country Historical Society works to preserve the Old Courthouse, the lone remaining structure to tell Omer’s cautionary tale. During the early part of the 20th century, roughly 1905-1918, Omer experienced a series of natural disasters (namely fires, floods, and tornadoes) that nearly destroyed the city. Throughout the 80s and 90s, the local diner, first known as Cody’s and later Ziggy’s (now a Dollar General), had disposable placemats outlining Omer’s history, including the natural disasters.
Originally named Rifle River Mills, Omer’s identity has always depended on the Rifle River. In the late 19th century, lumber from dense northern Michigan forests traveled rivers such as the Rifle to the sawmills in the south, namely in Bay City and Saginaw. In fact, our main location in Omer, our smaller campground, is the remains of an old mill pond. In fact, it becomes easy to imagine the pond if you look at the current topography of the campground. Today, the Rifle River is used exclusively for recreational purposes – fishing, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, and more. One day last summer, I saw two young girls in bathing suits walking down Carrington St. carrying their canoe. It is forever frozen in my mind as the most “Omer” thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
Today, Omer is home to three campgrounds, two of which are also canoe liveries, Russell Canoe Livery and Campgrounds, Inc., being the largest. In addition, Omer is home to Meihls Mechanical, a self-storage business that is continually growing, Dollar General, the Sunrise Side Senior Center, a library attached to city hall, a post office, a small park with basketball hoops and playground, the Old Courthouse, and not much else. While not exactly thriving, the city itself looks better than it has in decades, closed Rob’s Auto and Greg’s Market aside.
Today, Omer is relatively well known for two things: the local sucker run and witchy wolves. The sucker run deserves it own post. As it will be starting soon, stay tuned. My piece on the witchy wolf legend, dating back to right after the US Civil War, can be found here. Omer will never be perfect, but it will always home.
Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde 