Our Michigan Road Trip – Family Visit

Following our long but interesting day perusing the indoor and outdoor exhibits at The Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, we headed north from Dearborn to Fenton Michigan.  We had family to visit!

My cousin Nathan and his wife Janice live in this 100+ year old house and they have for many, many years.  They have fixed it up and remodeled it over time and it’s a cozy refuge for their close knit family

This is the view from the front of their home.  They not only have a view of Dollar Lake which is connected to a second lake, but they also lakefront access right across the road!  Tie that together with their home being situated on multiple acreage, and the overall property is a big win… The family is even able to hunt deer for the freezer without leaving home.  Also…Janice keeps bees and makes lip balm, hand balm, and soap in addition to delicious honey. 

Janice and Nathan are retired and Nathan is kept busy with Janice’s ‘honey-do’ list.  Nathan met Janice while he was in the United States military and was based in England.  Fortunately for him, this Scottish lass was living in England at just the right time!  He was smart enough to know when he found the right wife and life partner…

The couple had 3 children.  Elizabeth (named after my mother), Nadine, and another Nathan (shown in the above photo and referred to by Janice as “wee Nathan”).  Elizabeth and her husband live down in McAllen Texas and she’s a teacher.  This is truly a nuclear family…they are always in close contact and they support each other.

“Wee Nathan” is the youngest of Nathan and Janice's children.  He has his own house which isn’t too far from Nathan and Janice’s home.  He is in the gardening business and is a multi-talented horticulturist, doing everything from raising plants to building greenhouses.  Best of all, he loves his work!  

Note: ‘Wee’ Nathan’s father, Nathan is extremely handy and can make or fix just about anything. When he doesn’t know how to do something, he has friends who’ll help and then he returns the favor as needed.  In any case, all of Nathan and Janice’s children, including 'wee Nathan' as well as Elizabeth and Nadine,  can do plumbing, carpentry and basic electrical work.  In contrast, I can barely pound a nail in straight or hang a painting.  

Wee Nathan isn’t married but he does have a partner.  Lulu even comes to work with him.  Lulu does like women much more than she does men…except for her ‘wee’ 6’ 4” life partner.

Nadine is the middle child, as her father Nathan was.  She managed an AAA office for a number of years but when she had her first child with her husband James, she decided that the children deserved her full attention.  She and James bought a place fairly close to the family home that includes a barn in addition to their house.  She and James are both handy and they’re in the process of remodeling and upgrading everything on their property.

Grandpa Nathan was out in the yard playing with his grandson Sherman. He’s pretty much non-stop!  Nadine’s oldest Charlie, was not feeling well when we visited so she stayed home in the care of her father James.  We hope to meet them both in the not too distant future.

We’d brought a couple of small gifts for Nathan and Janice and they had some items for us as well.  In the above photo I was perusing the many great railroad depot photos in a book that they’d bought for me.  Another item that will keep me busy for some time was a box of miscellaneous postage stamps, mostly on paper, from around the world.  What I can’t use will go to a local church that sells them to a wholesaler or alternatively to the Knoxville Philatelic Society for their children’s program.

Ah…a family photo.  From the left front - Janice, grandson Sherman and Nathan.  In the back – Nadine and her brother, ‘wee’ Nathan.  It was nice to see that these siblings fuss with each other a little but they also support each other.

And of course, we had to have a photo of Janice, my cousin Nathan, yours truly and Laurie, my better half.  As you will see in near term posts, we explored some interesting sites and historical places with Janice and Nathan beginning the very next day.

My mother would have been very happy to see Nathan, Janice and their family and just how close they are.  When my mom was living in Concord Michigan and we were in Chicago, she could count on frequent visits from the two of them and their children.  Nathan is my mother’s oldest brother Nathan’s son.  Yes, we have 3 Nathans in the family as well as 3 David’s…the latter starting with myself.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave