"Remember the Raisin!"

We began our week in waiting mode. The Jeep Dealer still had Nakai and promised to start working on the differential on Monday morning. They expected it to be ready on Monday afternoon. Therefore, we spent the weekend doing chores and watching the Olympics. If I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the long stretch of waiting is bearable. That pinpoint of light on Monday gave me something to focus on. I told myself, ”It will not be that much longer.” So, we settled in and watched my favorite part of the games.

The Battlefield

On Monday, we traveled to the War of 1812 Battlefield on the River Raisin. The name comes from the French fur traders who saw grapes hanging from the trees along the river. The community was later renamed Frenchtown after the settlers, but the river retained the name Raisin, “grapes” in French.

 

I never heard of the Battle of River Raisin. It was an ignominious defeat of the Americans at the hands of the British from across the lake and the native people who had allied with them to defend their homeland. In January 1812, the Americans mustered a small army to challenge the British who had taken Detroit. They defeated the British at Frenchtown and occupied the settlement. The British Regulars returned a few days later and surprised the Americans. They killed all but a handful of the army. The healthy survivors were taken to Canada. The wounded were left in the care of the non-combatant French-speaking population in Frenchtown. The Native warriors returned to Frenchtown a day later and killed the wounded soldiers in what the Americans would call the Massacre at the River Raisin. A few months later, when the Americans invaded Canada and engaged the British Troops along the River Thames, their rallying cry was "Remember the Raisin." Their defeat of the British began a stalemate in the north, and the war shifted to the East and South.

 

After touring the battlefield, we had yet to hear from the dealer on Nakai. We drove downtown to the Monroe Historical Museum in the Old Post Office. We love regional museums because they offer a deeper insight into an area and its people. I learned three things that will hang with me from our stay in Monroe.

First, George A. Custer’s wife, Lizzie, was a native of Monroe, and the couple lived here for a short time. She sanitized his legacy after the Little Bighorn, and there is a huge statue of him in the heart of downtown.

 

 

Painting in the Great Hall

 

Custer's Desk

A Dress Sword

A Battle Flag

Elizabeth Custer

 

The Original La-Z-Boy

Second, La-Z-Boy was started and remains in Monroe. Edward M. Knabusch and Edwin J. Shoemaker started out in Knabusch's father's garage and named their business the Kna-Shoe Manufacturing Company. In 1927, the cousins invested in the furniture business and changed the name of their company to Floral City Furniture. Their first chair was a folding wooden slat chair. It was comfortable sitting on the front porch and portable enough to take in during bad weather. It became the basic design for all their subsequent products. They set their sights on making indoor furniture and invented the La-Z-Boy recliner that was still from the same Michigan Hardwood. The company still exists here in Monroe and is a major employer. I will never sit in my recliner again without remembering Monroe, MI.

 

The La-Z-Boy Gallery

La-Z-Boy Tools

The La-Z-Boy Design

Third, Monroe Shock Absorbers were invented in Monroe, and it was the company's home until 1977. August F. Myer was a young entrepreneur in 1916 when he noticed that the new-fangled contraptions called automobiles had lots of flats. So, he invented the “Brick Blast” tire pump, which would later be called a bicycle pump. He started the Brick Blast Manufacturing Company in Monroe. In 1918, a local Dodge Dealer named Charles S. McIntyre became Myer's partner, and they expanded the company. They renamed the company the Monroe Auto Equipment Company.

 

Ever the entrepreneur, Myer turned his attention to making the automobile more comfortable, and in 1926, he introduced the first "shock eliminator." They continued to develop the product. 25 years later, they introduced the Monro-Matic. This first double-piston shock absorber became the standard for American cars into the 1950s. In the 1960s, they expanded into South America and Europe by buying the Spanish Shock Absorber company Unamuno, S.A., and MAP Auto Pecas, S.A. in Brazil. Then, in 1977, Tenneco bought the company and moved all but a small Customer Support unit out of Monroe. While touring the Museum, I saw one of the iconic Blue and Yellow Shock Testers and immediately remembered Monroe shocks, and it took me back to Peewee's Gas Station in San Marcos, where I worked in college. This remembering is a strange thing indeed!

 

Here are a few other shots from the Museum.

 

Birch Bark and Dugout Canoes

Victorian Parlour

Smuggling Trunk from Prohibition

Carrie Nations Souvenir

Wooden Kayak

Downtown Monroe

 

When we returned from the Museum, I discovered that Nakai was still not ready. There had been an "unforeseen incident," and it would not be ready until tomorrow. My frustration was becoming a journey into anger. We had reservations that had to be made and, with such short notice, I would lose deposits. Further, I would have few choices for campsites. I looked for the light and saw a minuscule pinpoint down that long, dark tunnel. I nurtured the little bit of hope and slept fitfully.

 

I texted the Service Rep on Tuesday, who said it would be ready this afternoon. I spent the day in full "fret mode ."When I failed to hear back after lunch, I was told it would be ready later in the afternoon. It wasn't. When I texted later, I was told it would not be ready until Wednesday. This meant I needed to forgo a nonrefundable night in Cleveland and move to a different site in Monroe for the night. Fortunately, I had already reserved the rental car through Wednesday. The journey into anger was nearly complete.

 

On Wednesday Morning, I was assured that Nakai would be ready this afternoon. We planned our day around shifting reservations and preparing for the move. Nakai was finally ready to be picked up, and we made the 45-minute drive to Ann Arbor. The Service Rep was deeply apologetic and made a decent adjustment to the bill that covered the cost of the rental car and the extra expense for forfeited deposits. I appreciate the service rep and everything she did during this ordeal. And it was great to get back in Nakai. I love my Jeep!

 

After all the drama of the last 11 days, we could finally leave Michigan and head to Cleveland. It was a nice drive. We avoided the Ohio Turnpike and saw some beautiful countryside through Northern Ohio. After arriving at the Detroit/Streetsboro KOA, we saw an older KOA sitting on some hills. This has been a poor combination for us in the past. When we got to our site, my suspicions were proved accurate. It was basically a small load of large gravel spread haphazardly down a slope. It was short, narrow, and totally unsuitable for our rig. If we had tried to level Koko, the rear wheels would have been off the ground, meaning the emergency brakes would not be able to secure the coach. I informed the office, and they had no other sites available. They offered a refund, and I took it after extending our stay at our next stop to allow for an early arrival. Fortunately, it was only an hour down the road, so we headed out for our next stop, leaving Cleveland behind after a 30-minute stay.

 

We arrived at Baylor Beach Water Park and Campground in Navarre, OH, at 4:30 pm and were able to get set up in a lovely new area of the park. We were exhausted from ten days of waiting and a longer-than-usual drive. We found the Amish Door Restaurant nearby and sat down to a wonderful Buffet of Amish comfort food. All the memories of previous meals of roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and peach pie ala mode began to calm my jangled spirit. (It did not help the waistline, however!)  But sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do!

The next morning, we woke up in a new state, Ohio. We were sitting in a new park at the farthest East this trip would take us. We set our eyes on completing our Midwest sojourn as we began to head south for the next 12 weeks.

 

We began this last leg with a trip back to Cleveland with a bucket list item, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This Museum is dedicated to every earworm that has bedeviled every boomer! It was a walk down the memory lane of music for a silver-haired generation. It began with the early influencers from country, jazz, and folk music. The Museum then took us on a journey by reminding us of those who saw Rock and Roll as the work of communists and Satan worshippers, our parents among them. It then took us through the various regional sounds of rock, such as Motown, LA, British, hip hop, metal, and rockabilly. The music played in my head and heart as I walked along walkways lined with guitars, show costumes, playbills, letters, and handwritten lyrics on yellow pads. The memories became the real stuff from a lifetime lived to the beat of rock and roll. I cannot say enough about the experience, so I will let the images speak for themselves. If you ever have the chance, do not miss the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

A 1970s Rocker!

Maybelle Carter's Guitar

Hank Williams

Chuck Berry

Jerry Lee Lewis' Piano looks beaten to death.

Diana Ross Gown

Janis Joplin's Beads

Mama Cass' Dress

Pail McCartney's Girlfiriend's Piano where he wrote many hits.

Lennon's Glasses

Ringo's Drumsticks

McCartney's Guitar

Handwritten Lyrics for In My Life

Jimi Hendrix Guitar

Janis Joplin's Sweater

Taylor Swift Costume

The Garage on site for Garage Bands to play

Willie's Amp and Guitar strap

Pink Floyd's Stage Set called The Wall

Lake Erie from the Pyramid

Long Live Rock and Roll

Brown's Stadium

Downtown Cleveland

 

As I reflect on the week, the haunting words, "Remember the Raisin," kept returning to me. It reminds me of the words of an early mentor, Glenn Keyser, who loved to tell his students  that we do not forget; we "Choose to not remember."  Remembering is a choice and a powerful way to ground our lives in time. We not only choose to remember, we choose what we remember. I choose to remember the good times we have had in Michigan in the last six weeks. Here are some of the things I choose to remember

 

What do I choose to remember?

 

·      A beautiful boat ride along the storied Pictured Rocks of Lake Superior.

·      The clip-clop of horses as we toured Mackinac Island and the brilliant colors in a garden of graceful butterflies.

·      The story of the Ojibwe as they journeyed to this vast open land of abundance.

·      Canopied trails filled with wildflowers in towering forests and gently sloping woodlands.

·      The deep blue of the Great Lakes from the top of huge sand dunes.

·      Wild strawberries adorning the forest floor.

·      Canada Geese and Robins that greeted us at every stop along the way.

·      A marsh filled with birds and wildflowers along Lake Huron.

·      Ancient Petroglyphs carved into a rock that tells the story of a noble people.

·      Brilliant sunsets over Lake Ford.

·      A glassblower in Greenfield Village who took great pride in his craft.

·      Countless casual conversations with neighbors in RV Parks.

·      The kindness of strangers along the way.

·      And so much more….

 

What do I choose to forget? I can't say because I am already consigning them to yesterday and consider them unworthy of carrying into tomorrow. I choose not to remember much, but I also choose to embrace all these precious memories and so much more! This will make me a better wanderer as we continue through Ohio and into Kentucky before Labor Day.

 

Travel well, my friends! And remember well!

 

Blessings,

Bob

Day is done!