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As we mentioned on the memorial page, today completes seven years of the Pasty Cam. I want to take a moment to thank our staff for the great job they have done throughout these years.

Thanks to Jonathan Hopper, my son, for the original idea of the Pasty Cam, and for providing most of the pictures for the first couple of years. Jonathan also maintains the servers which bring you this site, and several hundred other U.P. websites.

Thanks to Daryl Laitila, who originally joined the effort as a Pasty Cam contributor, then as the first full time staff member of Pasty.NET. Daryl has designed many of the web pages of Pasty Central sponsors, and she also is the keeper of the Bridge Cam, which shares the view from her third floor window in Hancock.

Thanks to Mary Drew, who joined the Pasty Cam crew more recently, and who has taken over much of the daily mechanics of preparing this feature. Mary also is moderator of our Guest Gallery, which now contains almost 20,000 photos from every corner of the U.P.

Thanks to the ever-elusive Toivo, who would rather spend time in the woods, than at a keyboard. Toivo got his start on the Pasty Cam by providing some nifty maps in the early years, then in 2003 took the Cam throughout North America on his legendary Nationwide tour.

Thanks to the many amateur and professional photographers who have enriched these pages with your artistic skills. In particular, we are indebted to Dan Urbanski, who passed away last year, for enlarging this feature and inspiring so many others to fan the flame of their photographic talents.

Thanks to the Still Waters staff, especially Dolly and Rod Johnson and Mary Menaguzzo for their extra efforts.

Thanks to corporate board members Ernie and Edith Niederer, who have provided key resources for this project. And to all of the business sponsors who help keep the Pasty Cam 'on the air', we send a big THANK YOU.

Thanks to all the rest of our Pasty.NET/Pasty Central staff, who work behind the scenes to bring you pasties, as well as local and nationwide Internet service: John Scheiderhan, Debbie Potter, Wendy Aho, John Bramble, Dan Menaguzzo, Jen Bennett, Erica Bramble, Matt Bramble, David Potter, Norm Parks, Kassy Heikkinen, Chris Nelson, and Derek Touriniemi. Also thanks to several key former workers who contributed so much to this project: Mike and Karen Patterson, Becky (Hopper) Howard, Katriina (Wills) Hopper, Mikael Laitila, Kevin Porter, Martha Serenbetz, and Sue Waisanen. Forgive me if I have left anyone out.

Oh, yes... thanks most of all to my wife Edie, who has put up with late nights and early mornings these past 7 years of publishing the Pasty Cam, and 33 years of life together, half of which has been spent here in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula.

Good morning from Laurium, Mi

Seems like today's the day to join in thanks to you all, but especially all those involved in the PastyCam for choosing ever so beautiful pictures and generally one of the greatest sites I know. Most of my friends think it' not much, but to me, being from abroad and all, it's something special.
Would have waited for 04/16 for this, which was the first day I recall hitting this site, but then, why wait?
Oh, yeah: Although Bruce is some early riser, today's early bird goes to Mary and Charlie. Hope there's nothing unpleasant behind it.

Charlie, Mary, Toivo, and everyone else associated with the Pasty Cam, thank you for all you do to bring the most fabulous site on the Internet to all of us each day. It is quite addicting because it's so unique and special. Thank you again and again for all of your efforts!

Good morning.

Good Morning

Good morning from Mishawaka, IN. We start the day with snow, freezing rain, etc. and a winter storm watch for this evening and tomorrow.
I want to thank all who bring us Pasty Cam. I love this site and can't wait to see it in person.

Thanks to the staff of Pasty Cam. You make
my day every day.

Charlotte: seems like home to me. 30° here and soon, sunshine.

I wholeheartedly add my thanks to all who bring us this site and who make Still Waters such a special place.

Frozen Hugarian Falls: my all-time favorite pictures. Absolutely awesome. Thanks Taka, we miss you and your art.

We do miss Taka! I've questioned where he's been lately, but have gotten no response on these pages. I'll have to go over to his site, cutonion, and see how he's doing.

I have to say that the Pasty Cam has been a lifeline for me while my firstborn has been 9 hours away attending Tech. And in the process, I have fallen absolutely head over heels in love with the UP--it's wonderful countryside and even lovelier people. Thanks Charlie and Co. for the fine service you provide.

One idea I've had for this site is the addition of "Travel Reports" where people can post the hightlights of their UP travels... what they did, where they ate, etc. People can also ask questions and get answers (great for the local businesses!) In the early days of the internet, when only bulletin boards existed, I followed such a site on the island of St. Martin and on my first visit there, had a list of "can't miss" restaurants and sights. My visit was greatly enhanced because of the "first-hand" tips I had gotten in advance. I think with the popularity of Pasty.com, something like this would be of real benefit for visitors.

Did anyone make it to the Outhouse races in Trenary this weekend? I'd love to see some photos. You've got to love the Yooper sence of humor!

jAPEi: your posts are great!

A sincere and heartfelt thank you to each one of you who has contributed in any way to making this labor of love a continuing success. Pasty Cam is truly a unique and beautiful website, a tribute to the Keweenaw and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and to those connected to the area.

Charlie,
It would be great to see a picture of the Pasty Cam staff! Please post one.

POSSIBLE NEW SLOGANS FOR MICHIGAN:

The one that looks like a mitten, you moron.
Where used cars from Florida bring top dollar.
No hurricanes here.
The Orange Barrel State.
So close to Canada you can hardly tell the difference.
We know the rules to euchre.
Got fudge?
Two Mystery Spots. No waiting.
Yes, the Porcupines are real mountains.
Soda? We say pop here, buddy.
The Midwestern "M" state without a wrestler for governor.
No riots since '67.
More than just boarded up auto plants.
Casin0 fever - catch it.
Sandy beaches without severe undertow.
Happiness is a warm pasty.
Imagine an island where horse manure still litters the streets.
Water enough for any drought.
Visit He11, Paradise, Christmas and Climax.
Birthplace of Meijer Thrifty Acres.
Where Ontario is a shortcut to New York.
Gerald Ford slept here.
It's called snow. Get used to it.
Where the names of high-toned suburbs needlessly end with "e."
Deer processing available here.
Not as flat as Indiana.
Try eating corn flakes without us.
Hardly any annoying lizards or poisonous snakes.
Big on flannel.
It's not the heat. It's the humidity!
Smoked fish sold here.
Good people with camping trailers.
We moved American history to Dearborn.
No toll roads and proud of it.
Our biggest bridge makes yours look puny.
Nearly went to war with Ohio once and will do it again if they pull
any
funny stuff.
Land of snow machines and bass boats.
We know a place where wooden shoes are always in style.
Where lousy teams get new stadiums.
Speed limit back up to 70, so move it.
The Red Wings State.

Thank you Pasty Cam staff for a wonderful website that brings all of us home each day :)

Thanks for the great site that we look at every day.

Thanks, pasty crew, for all your hard work! This is my first stop every morning and last stop every night and my only link to "home." Looking forward to the next 7 years!

My sister works in a resale shop in Paw Paw, MI and they recently bought two storage units of stuff. In going thru the stuff they have "1955 phots for a view master of the UP". anyone interested?

For those of you interested in the latest news from The White House in Mohawk which burned down last year. It has been rebuilt but is running into problems with the State Liquor Control Comission. ... How our government loves to
cause a snafu for small business owners. I sure
miss dining at the place. Hope that Jim is able
to find recourse soon.
The Gazette has an article here on it.
http://www.mininggazette.com/
Community news.

LOVE the slogans!!!! thanks Pasty.com for the great site. Is there a way to seach in the guest photos for particular photographers- instead of going one by one thru all (although they are all beautiful)?

Yah, ditto everyone who says THANKS to all the pasty.com folks! I start every day checking out the photos and news, and I don't know if I could stand being so far away without youse guys!! YOU ARE SO VERY APPRECIATED!!!

Becky Lansing,

https://www.pasty.com/cam/albums.html

To all at Pasty.com great job congratulations.
By the way did anyone ever figure out what kind of a car that is in yesterdays photo??

tom t c mich:
"Hardly any annoying lizards or poisonous snakes."

Oh that's a good one. Yet in spite of living in the Arizona desert for 37 years, and spending a good deal of time hiking in the boonies, the one and only rattlesnake I've ever seen (not in a Zoo) in my lifetime was a big and very pregnant momma Mississauga rattlesnake at a family reunion in a regional park near Wixom MI in the 1950's!

I have seen many rattlesnakes at the small golf course right off Wixom road. It's a small par three, just East of Wixom Road. Michigan rattlers were all over around Old Plant Road in Milford and around the canoe rental around Proud Lake.

Some one was asking for a picture of Mt. Bohemia. They were told to go to the Mt. Bohemia web site. Well, I went to their site and they are selling trail side/lake side cabins for $170,000 to $300,000. The camel has his nose under the tent and it will get worse. This is the biggest threat to the Keweenaw since I do not know when.

Lowell MO, I did look on the internet for what the car might be,
and found the following. I'm showing the picture from this
website yesterday, and then the one I found on the internet.



And the one from the internet at
http://home.planet.nl/~nagte017/Cadillactext005.html


Like the lower-priced Series 60, the 1937 Cadillac Series 70
line included four body styles. All were by Fleetwood.

Series 70 Cadillacs were built on a 131-inch wheelbase. This is
the handsome Series 37-70 Fleetwood Sport Coupe, a two
passenger model with a factory delivered price of $ 2,905.
These folks apparently are about to embark on a spin around
the roof of the General Motor Building in
Detroit.

A BIG THANK YOU for many hours of enjoyment & laughter. Pasty Cam is a wonderful thing. Keep up the good work.

Sarah K,

Hmmmm....I wonder if those can be scanned. The reason I think you may be able to scan the view master pics is because the new scanners they have out now, let you scan pic negatives. Whatcha think?

FOUND ONE EACH CLASS RING 1983 NEGAUNEE HS RING HAS A GREEN "JEWEL" AND ON ONE SIDE IT HAS THE NAME GERRY AND UNDER THE FOOTBALL THE LETTERS QB AND NO'S 83 OTHER SIDE HAS THE NO. 30 AND LETTERS FW ON WHAT MAY BE A BASKETBALL ANYONE WHO KNOWS THIS GERRY LET HIM CONTACT ME OR I WILL SEND TO MS. CAM FOR SAFE KEEPING nostebe

joesyooper,

You got it, alas, "Condo Lonnie" has big plans for the UP.

You say you have snakes in the UP, joeyopper? Be careful.

Thank You Charlie and Staff for all the smiles
you have brought us. You are TOPS!!!

Joesyooper,

Yep, I saw that website a few weeks ago...there goes the neighborhood, eh. A subdivision of condos in the middle of the northern woods...and the point of that is? I bet the owners of something like that own those huge SUV's that never get mud on their tires...and their idea of 4 wheeling, is dodging the potholes in the mall parking lot.

Hubby and I stayed at a friend's cabin in the UP a couple of summers ago. It came complete with an outhouse and to bathe, we jumped in the lake each morning. Now that's what a cabin in the northern woods is all about...roughing it....not condoing it.

To Don Stevens:
On a search of the yooper alumni site I found the name of Gerry Corkin. Nagaunee class of 1983.
I do not have a phone book for that area.

sur5er-I agree with you, a true camping experience is the tent, outhouse, camping supplies and the great outdoors. Condo Lonnie
should go back where he came from. This is the
UP of Michigan, not Aspen Colorado where the
ELITE spend their money that was handed to them on a silver platter. When in the world does he think people up here got that kind of money???
OH, I forgot, we are just yoopers.

Gerald E Corkin 27 Stonegate Hts
Marquette, MI
(906) 249-9030

I would like to thank the staff of Pasty.Net for giving us a place to post our pictures. And for the honor of opening Pasty Cam and seeing one of are pictures as the daily feature.

How about a picture:
http://www.co.marquette.mi.us/images/gerry%20and%20frank.jpg

Looks like this Gerry might be of an earlier vintage (maybe Gerry Sr.)

Cooper Country Resident,

Now you're talking...roughing it in the northern woods by camping...hope to get some of that in this summer. I'm an expert at that.

I take it that those ritzy condos are for the rich city folks so they can all come and visit ya'll and the northern woods...in style. Sigh.

I just hate to see housing developements going up in the Keeweenaw...or anywhere in the northern woods for that matter. If you can't rough it like the locals, you don't belong, is my motto.

Sorry folks, but I am one of those who enjoys the modern conveniences in a well built log cottage. I was never one to 'rough' it, but still come there on occasion to enjoy the ambiance of 'home', and when I am there I most certainly do have the feeling of still belonging to the area. So what if there are 'ritzy condos' for the rich. They have as much right as you do. Not only that, but they are bringing jobs and money to your area, perhaps keeping a lot of you in business. It's not nice to be whining all the time, for every little matter that you dissagree with, because there are just as many who do agree with an opposite view.

Hey Beverly,

I agree. One doesn't have to be rich to enjoy a hot shower and a little perfume, do they? I enjoy the outdoors also, but it's nice to be able to wash your hair and brush your teeth! I even drive a car.

Thought that was what zoning was invented for - some place for everything, and as little as possible out of place, or what? As long as it's not spreading all over the place, why not let them come to your place and spend some money?
On the other hand, an example from my area: There are quite a lot of cabins in the Black Forest (for our standards). So many, in fact, that should one burn down, or be destroyed somehow, THE OWNER'S NOT ALLOWED TO REBUILT - officially, that is.

Yooper elite-ism is alive and well in the Keweenaw I see. It's a
shame that people visiting this site are given the impression that
locals are intollerant and unwelcoming to people not born and
raised here. Its also unfortunate that this impression is
becoming more and more a reality.

Why is it that "locals" have the right to buy land and live in the
area, but others are not welcome. What makes "locals" more
deserving of the natural riches of the area? What makes "locals"
better people then those moving here from the city? How does
having money make you worth less as a human being?

The "image" of the friendly, welcoming, and accomadating small
town citizen is quickly being tarnished by the imerging reality of
the yooper elites and their self-serving agendas. I only hope the
residents of the U.P. who still value openness and tolerance
make it clear to us transplants and tourists that the yooper elite
mentality is a minority view, and not a sad reality of the area.

It is a huge long leap in imagination from destroying a unique spot in the Keweenaw, to taking a hot shower. Tourism is the #1 business in the U.P. They will always be welcomed with open arm, with the hand turned palm up.

My view is that you travel to or move to the UP from the city to enjoy the UP's beautiful wilderness and ruggedness...not to bring the city to the UP....that way everyone enjoys the natural beauty of the UP for generations to come.

Come to the UP and build your dream cabin...but to destroy several acress of beautiful of wilderness for a whole slew of cabins...hmmmm.

interested danbury: Now was this burning down of cabins accidently on purpose or what are you saying? That is all fine, and well and good if such restrictions on building are in place. However, to my knowledge, no such restrictions are part of the building code in the Upper Peninsula, and all kinds of 'money' is welcome in this pristine area. Now the log cottage of which I speak is on beautiful lake front property. Land that was well planned and sought out before building. It commingles with it's surrounding environment. 'Roughing it' is not part of my forte.

Beverly,

What I believe Danbury is saying is that homes/ cabins built many years ago, on certain lands would not qualify for another house to be built on it today, due to restrictions/zoning/national forest land buy backs.

For instance, let's say you build your cabin on a peice of property that is zoned residential and ten years later the national forest service buys surrounding land in your around you that is not to be built on...or the zoning changes in your area. Your house in grandfathered in to the original zoning...only as long as it is still standing. But if a tornado, flood, fire, etc, were to destroy your home, you could not rebuild a home on that property because the house no longer stands and is not grandfathered into the pre-existing zoning.

Another example of a zoning requirement would be acerage requirement...which is used by townships to prevent large developements. Take the same house/cabin and say it is on a one acre lot...but sometime after it is built, the township requires that all building lots must be of four acre sizes.

Congrats on your log cabin. That's hubby and mine dream too for retirement.

To danbury and Sur5er: Please do not misunderstand me. I know all about the building codes here in California. With a construction company, (builder of homes) with electricians and plumbers with their state licenses in the family, I am quite aware of what you speak. :)

Ser5er: I know all about the zoning laws, I also know about the building codes, so you are telling me nothing new. (So what your saying is that if you have a Condo in Maui and a log cottage in the Upper Peninsula, you have to be retired? I am not retired yet, and don't plan to for a long time to come).

cabins: Close, but not exactly, sur5er. Wanted to take the liberty and mail you, but my program didn't accept above link.
These cabins originally were built for hunters or forresters. Later, some were sold to private owners, others were built by those, but all that happened in the forest, and wasn't labeled anything else. But over the years, too many of them popped up, so first came restrictions on building, then complete stop, and in the end, the end to rebuilding. Officially, that is - I know at least of one cabin that was built in the last two years, supposedly for a, uh, some kind of home for elder citizens with limited capabilities, so they could have an outing in the forest. Never happened, but on several occasions, hunting parties with local importants like regional politicians and stuff stayed there on a day of hunting (more or rather less successfully) - go figure. Some things are simply global.
Small town, new people: Nothing new here. You got a beautiful area, with nice little towns. Comfy, maybe cozy (except for the winters ;) ). "Foreigners" are attracted. Those who can afford it move in, buy, built. Some with enough efford to make even the winters easier. word get's around, more people are coming, towns grow, not so little anymore. Newcomers expect amenities - growth again. The locals don't like the change to their nice place - who can blame them? Really, that's an old one.
Bet the locals in Aspen didn't like what happened either.
Think it could be avoided, though. At a price, anyway.

to danbury and especially Ser5er. I want to sincerly apologize for the meanness of my words towards the both of you. I know that words cannot be taken back once spoken, and I really feel bad for what I did. Please forgive me.

Beverly, no offense taken...no need for you to apologize.

What mean words? ;)

I live in an area of Wisconsin where country living is promoted everywhere. But as my husband and I seek our own little corner of the world here, it has become more and more apparant that country living is considered a 1-2 acre lot in the middle of one of the hundreds of housing developments going up. Farmland and woodland is literally being chewed up daily to make room for big $2-300,000.00 homes that have another home in their back yard. Coming from a very rural area the UP and missing it every hour of the day, the (very real) idea of someone with $ signs in their eyes destroying the land I love (and that draws in the tourists) is frightening beyond words.

Like Beverly, I moved to CA from the quite charm of Calumet (next door to her mom, in fact). But while she lives in a large city, we moved to a small place four years ago that reminded us of home.

Unfortunately, our small town has become the darling of the Sacramento commuting set and we're being overrun with big houses on small lots that cost upwards of $500,000. Great for our home equity, not so great trying to get to and from anywhere. We'd love to buy property "out of town," but it's way out of our price range -- just like Lac la Belle or Bete Gris or Bootjack would be now if we still lived in Calumet.

I don't begrudge anyone their little piece of heaven, even though I can't afford it myself. I just hope the newcomers and the old timers can learn to live with each other. Despite what Lonnie Glieberman does or doesn't do at Mt. Bohemia, I have to believe the people who are buying the condos there are coming because they, too, love the area. I was fortunate enough to live there and raise my kids there; they will be able to retire there (me, too, someday...just not yet).

The new people coming in are paying taxes on their property (18 mils for vacation property) and that helps to support the schools, the road commission and other vital services. I'd be much more unhappy with the situation if the new people were telling me what I could do with my property, much as some did in the past under the guise of "protecting the land."

I don't think you'll be seeing the Golden Arches over Burnett Park any time soon, but you might see more cars in Jim Berryman's parking lot at The White House -- and I think that's a good thing.