Much to my delight this morning I received a gem in my mailbox from Toivo, a follow-up to yesterday's tot on the shore. Late last night "Cousin Jack" sent him this shot of a Banbery-Buckett Reunion at Bete Gris back in the mid 1920's. The babe in arms in the top row grew up to become Cousin Jack's father, being held here by CJ's Red Jacket Shaft copper-mining Grandfather.

By coincidence, Edie and I were at Bete Grise yesterday. (By the way, you'll see it spelled both ways - 'Gris' or 'Grise', and it is pronounced "Bay Degree".) We walked right by this spot around sunset last night. I just love to look at the detail of these old Shoebox Memories... like Great-Gramps doing the pledge in the middle row, or all the interesting hats, or in the front row: see no evil, speak no evil, and scratch no evil :o)

Thanks to everybody who makes these Sunday morning visits so much fun. And I have to apologize to a couple dozen folks who emailed me after last week's Shoebox Memory asking to purchase the "Copper Country Homecoming" Collector's Book. We have plenty of the books, but a filter in my Inbox hid your emails, which I discovered this morning. There is so much interest in this one-of-a-kind historic publication (200+ pages), we will be posting a link later today where you can order it directly ($18, plus shipping).

Good Morning to all in God's country. I don't often get to be first. We had the pleasure of spending a few days last week in Mackinac but that's all the farther north we made it. Can't wait til we can visit again some time.

Morning all. Have a blessed day.

Charlie I think the proper pronunciation is "Baitie Gree". French for grey beast. Must have been wolves around there once. Surprise surprise eh. With any luck there are some again with the way they are expanding their range these days. Love the picture. I think the Lake shots and the Shoebox mems are my favorites. Just ordered a new scanner e/w a transparency copier so I can get my Copper Country slides up on the site.

Great picture!

Good Morning! Happy to see a picture from Cousin Jack. My mother was born in Mohawk in Feb of 1920 to a Cousin Jack and Cousin Jenny. I love the picture showing all of the smiling faces from the past. I have spent many pleasant summer holidays in the Copper Country and I am looking forward to getting up to God's Country the end of August. Save some blue sky for me!

I love the hats the women are wearing!

The hats on the men aren't too shabby either....4 men, 3 different styles...still see all three styles today!(No gender discrimination here!)

I just sent a picture of the Aubins a old photo

I'm sure that women in the 1920's didn't wear hats at the beach because they were concerned about skin cancer, but I wonder if it was just fashionable to wear hats or was it fashionable not to have suntans or freckles? Or was it just protection from sunburn? Just curious

Thanks to Toivo for forwarding my picture to Charlie and thanks to Charlie for posting it. I pulled out our old family photo album this morning and determined that this shot was taken in the summer of 1925. There are more than just Banberys and Bucketts in the photo but all were related in some way to the then Banbery clan of Lake Linden (all gone now). The photo was taken by Harvey Weaver who came all the way from Sioux City, Iowa for the family reunion. Not sure if it was by car or by train, but what a trip that must have been back in the Roaring 20's!
It isn't hard to tell who's taken a dip in the water from the looks of all that wet hair in the front row. I hope to go swimming there myself in late July or early August where perhaps I'll tread over some of the same singing tea-cup sand grains that once warmed the bare feet of all those happy kids.

SUMMER RULES!

Bete Gris means Stupid Gray in French

Pete, WI got it right. Bete Gris means "grey beast". There was time when I thought it might have been originally intended as a poetic metaphor for the fog but wolf (or perhaps coyote?) seems a more likely explanation.

I remember those horrible swim suits the kids had to wear in those days. They were made of wool and afer a few months were full of holes but, worst of all, they were heavy when wet and it was almost impossible to swim in them. The trick was to find a secluded place and skinny dip until caught and then scolded.

It looks like about two car loads of people. We had a 1925 Oldsmobile and could easily fit 10 people in it. My dad stopped for anybody along the road and they jumped in. Mother protested that my dad had a comfortable seat behind the wheel while everyone else had one or two people sittind on their lap.

Did everyone notice...no one is over weight? It looks like they ate properly and got enough exercise. Nice photo.

sg/Milford... those were the days... before fast food! The
picnics then were pasty fare and homemade berry
pies, not supersized Mac and D's meals...No t.v. to lure
folks into becoming couch potatoes, kids played
outdoor games, instead of sitting inside with video
games and going online (oops, like me right now)..
what a time it must have been.

sg/Milford. So what's so different than today? How many overweight people do you know that allow themselves or volunteer to be photographed in their swimsuits? Certainly not me. (tongue in check giggle)

shoe box photos are wonderful as they bring back memories in our own private collections of family photos. always noticed that people then "dressed-up" on weekends. maybe sunday after church pictures?? BUT NICE TO SEE WHITE DRESS SHIRTS AND TIES AT THE BEACH also :)

Cousin Jack, Thanks for posting a picture of my dad he's the one in the black tank top in the front row. He's 91 now and still going strong.

Wearing a tie to the beach? YUCK! One would never see that these days. At least some things about this civilization have improved over the years.

Maybe the folks in the dressy clothes stopped by the camp to visit the others who were swimming and it became a group shot. I love the look on the woman's face who is next to the man with his hand over his heart ! Sort of a "Now really dear ! " look. Is there an eye roll there? They must be married to each other ! LOL

A recent national study revealed that Michigan, Mississipi and Houston, Texas have the fattest people in the U.S. for some reason. If this was photo was taken today from typical people from those areas, perhaps three folks would have fit into the picture, unless a wide angle lens was used. And there would be the vision confused Japanese whale hunters approaching the shore from behind.

I join the others who "just love these old pics".
I seem to remember my dad always making us face the sun for pictures, so our faces would show in the finished pic. Looks like that's what the photographer of this pic made everone do... thus all the squinting! That poor little guy in the front just gave up and covered his eyes. All in all a fine shot of a group of really 'happy campers'!

Trish la fheile go brea to tu

Walter P I really wish I could understand the gaeltacht,
but only know a few words in that lovely language. My
people are O hAodha and O Ciardha of Cork and
Monaghan. Eventually they made it to the UP!

To Walter P, I'll Take a dozen.

Anyone know how muich cholesterol there is in a pasty?

To PSteckman
I sent the picture to pasty com I try to get your E-Mail an didn't work so send it to me.
My husband Grandfather was Hormisdas Aubin an his wife Anna an my husband folks own the Dimets service in Lake Linden ,Michigan as you come down calumet Hill. His Mother was Henrietta Aubin Maybe your one of Paul children as there are some I don't know but i have a lot on the family
theresedimet@a1access.net
we live in Lansing Now

We were at this beach today (sunday as this is now Monday morning). It was nice day for a ride yet a bit hazy. We took a tour of some of those roads that were mentioned on last weeks messages....the Gay/Lac Labelle road....the Calumet waterworks road...the bootjack road as we went to the Bootjack First Responders/Fire Department Chicken BBQ (YUM) and then went for a ride.....Ate the chicken at the Burnette Park on the Gay/Lac Labelle road. Just the two of us on the beach and the sound of water slowly lapping the beach as the superior lake was very quiet and flat today. With the haze you couldn't see where the lake ended and the sky began. No bugs, just a man and his two children who were bikeriding the road to Lac Labelle...what a ride. What a nice tranquil way to spend the afternoon....

To THE Troll in E. H. -- Cholesterol in a pasty doesn't count; neither do the calories or the carbs. And that's final!

These folks also probably didn't have dishwashers, or modern washing machines either. Do you know how many crunches you DON'T have to do when you hang clothes on the line? They ironed (EWWWW!) and even probably had to physically start the car! Live wasn't as easy back then - not necessarily better.