• Thursday-What'sUP August 24 - 10:52 am

Just recently, Deb and Ron Simons (formerly known as "Mr. Deb") took a tour of the Upper Peninsula and Escanaba was one of their stops. Of course no trip through Esky town is complete without a stop at Ludington Park, where the grass is lushly green and the fountains are spewing clear cool water. There's just something about that water spraying out around the edge that makes me want to run under it and get splashed! Ahh... the carefree days of summer are quickly dwindling away

good morning

Green grass??? Haven't seen that for a long time...

It was great foresight on the part of Escanaba's founding fathers to keep the lakefront property from Sand Point, all the way to 7th. Ave. as public park. It is much nicer than having it as industrial or as private development.

Had rain here last night. I loved that fountain. Sure would be nice to play there on a hot August day.

Nice picture, Deb and Mr. Deb!

Cool Mary! Our pictures made pasty! WOW!!! It was gorgeous there. I hadn't been there in about 30 years! Everything seemed so different. Another UP town with so much beauty.

I have never been to Escanaba, another place I need to check out. Great pictures.

We live two blocks from Ludington Park. I walk through the
park every day. The park runs along Little Bay de Noc with
beautiful views of Lake Michigan and some islands like
Washington far to the south and east. This is one park that
everyone enjoys. Last night around 9 my wife and I drove
through it as the weekly band concert was ending. Lots of
people there. Next came the tennis courts and volleyball courts,
and they were being well-used too. The fountain shown is at
the north end of the park where the yacht harbor is. There are
always cars there. That is where the weigh-ins for the big
walleye fishing tournaments take place. It is really a well-used
public park. It makes me wonder why we are going to Lake
Michigamme today. Ah, I know why: another beautiful spot in
this wonderful U.P. of ours. Besides, I went to church camp
there many moons ago, and I think our hosts up there are
planning for us to take a little visit to Presbytery Point where the
camp was and is.

Great picture Deb & Ron! Kind of exciting when you know the person that took the picture. LOL

Charles, I've been out to Washington Island by boat. Oh my, did I ever get sick as the water was quite choppy. Don't think I want to do that again, though I loved the island as I love Escanaba.

Another place to be sure and see on our next trip UP! Can't make it this year (not right now, anyway) as hubby is having complications with knee replacement surgery.

I love your pictures, Deb and Mr Deb! I have never been to Escanaba. I do want to go there some time.

Mary - I when I was a freshman in college, my roommates and I went swimming in the fountain at SMU in Dallas. Our swim was interrupted by campus security, who told us that that wasn't allowed. Ahh--we just went for a swim because it was a hot night. We were fully clothed, not in our bathing suits! We got off with a warning. It was fun, though! :-)

Charles In Esky (Charlesinesky),

I have noticed several church camps on Lake Michigamme. I have often wondered why so many settled there.

The City of Escanaba has the strictest set of ordinances against blight of any kind in residential neighborhoods in the U.P., including junk, old cars, long grass, or other unsightly things strewn about. After driving through the neighborhoods one evening after working on the Queen, which was at the Vinette boat yard, I called the city to find out why and how they managed to keep the city so neat. I mean every homestead. It is amazing. The clerk cited the very strict ordinances. Check it out. You will be amazed.

My sweet home Escanaba! What a great place to grow up and live, I sure miss home and can't wait to set up shop soon. Give a honk to my sister at her office just past Stephenson Ave and ludington st - its the white house with the blue canopy.
One more week and then back for labor day as my great aunt is the grand marshal in the Nahma labor day parade. I will have to get a few pics of that for pasty cam.

What a beautiful city Escanaba is. My daughter and I visited last
week while checking out an art exhibit of UP artists at the Bonifas
Arts Center. We managed to see quite a lot of the city before
finding the Arts Center... thanks to my sense of direction.

I wonder what kind of businesses or industry keep Escanaba looking so healthy? So much of the U.P., while a geographic beauty, is dotted with blight and ghost towns, but not Escanaba. Each summer, I would go to the E.A.A. Airshow in Oshkosh and stay a night in Escanaba and was impressed with how it seemed like a healthy city.

Well, Mr. Johnson, we are just back from a wonderful day at Lake
Michigamme so let me fill you in a bit on what keeps Esky
ticking. First and foremost, it is the big paper mill. With 1,000
good-paying jobs at the mill plus all those woodsworkers,
truckers, and others who supply the mill, you have a terrific
foundation for a good economy. Then you have the iron ore and
coal docks since this is still a working port. Third, you have a
local businessman who figured out a way to build auto parts for
diesel engines and who wanted to stay here (maybe 300 jobs
there), and, finally, you have a super-dooper chamber of
commerce which brings in events all year-long for a very active
tourist industry. All this, plus a fairly active agricultural industry
for the U.P., and you have a good base for a strong commercial
sector, and all that makes for a not-too-bad local economy.
Whew! Enough for now, O,K.?

Oops, that was Mr. Holland I was talking to. I suspect Mr.
Johnson knew all this stuff already. Sorry.

Hei Mary, "Lundington Park"? Up on top of the page. Just a slip fo the finger, 'eh?

Mary says: FINALLY...someone noticed! I was wondering if anyone would catch that slip of the fingers! ;->

We were in Paradise, Michigan (yes, I know it is a redundancy) a few years back when a tour bus from Minnesota pulled up at the Shipwreck Museum. I talked to the tour leader, as I had been a tour leader myself with college kids in Austria. I asked where they stayed the night. I will never forget her answer."Escabobba."