David’s Great Lakes 2

by   August 21, 2025 with No Comments

More Great Lakes

Day 2, August 1st

   I had a huge amount of uncertainty this morning while running in Pinconning, Michigan. I thought about a brake issue on my truck and how far I could make it today. And where would I stay because all reports pointed to a major tourist weekend north towards the Michigan peninsula. The annual Nautical Festival in Rogers City is a huge draw and towns up to 100 miles away had motels stuffed with tourists in general. I figured everything would go well, but only time would tell.

   Yesterday afternoon, I knew I had a brake issue when I could hear one of them grinding. I called Dick’s Super Service and spoke to Steve Russell about 4:10pm. He gave me the first appointment this morning which was a God moment in itself. Dick’s Super Service was only 5 ½ miles away in an area that doesn’t have a lot of businesses or population. I ran early after spending a nice evening at the Pinconning Trail Motel. A cool 52 degrees this morning surprised me, but it made for an energetic run. Then I drove to Dick’s and met Steve right on time. He found the problem to be a broken brake pad and replaced both the ones on the back. I was again on the road by 10am, just like he said I would be. We had a great talk while the repair was underway.

    I continued to follow Michigan Highway 23 north along the Lake Huron coast. I passed through Standish, then Omer which is listed as the smallest town in Michigan and also is the home of the Sucker Fish Festival. This community festival coincides with the spring sucker spawning runs, where suckers (such as the common White Sucker) migrate from Lake Huron into Michigan’s inland tributaries. For generations people have gathered to fish for suckers.

    Then on through Au Gres, Alabaster, Tawas City and Tawas. This began a long run of the highway running along the water through Au Sable and Oscoda. Lots of small motels, cottages and homes right on the water. I also noticed multiple Big Boy restaurants with exactly the same mascot as Shoney’s used to have. There was little traffic for all the beach places to be packed.

    I drove north to Alpena where I parked next to the water and worked on my accommodation for the evening. This Nautical Festival had perfect weather weekend had nearly every place sold out. I was told often that I likely would not get a room. After about 20 calls, I got a commitment for a room with no TV or internet at a ridiculous price. I put it on hold and checked campground prices and also called ahead to Cheboygan where motels all told me that this would be a big weekend at Mackinaw City, the biggest vacation spot in this area. You’ll hear more about that attraction tomorrow.

     Finally, a motel popped up in Cheboygan called Johnson’s Motel and I jumped on it, with good reviews but only one photo showing. I drove another 40 miles and am now in a good place after 200 more driving miles today. On the way north, I drove through Rogers City and saw the festival getting underway with a packed downtown. One banner offered free elephant rides with every purchase. I wish I could see that. All these towns are very small, but Rogers City is one of the biggest at nearly 3,000.

    Just north of Rogers City, I stopped at another great lighthouse, this one the Forty Mile Point Lighthouse. In the late 1800s, the US Lighthouse Board created a system where mariners would always be in sight of at least one. One of the last dark areas was midway between Cheboygan, where I am tonight, and Presque Isle Peninsula. This lighthouse was completed in 1896.

    Lake Huron is the second largest of the five Great Lakes, with 3800 miles of shoreline and 30,000 islands. In a big storm in 1905, 27 ships were lost. The remains of one shipwreck lie just 200 yards north of the Forty Mile Point Lighthouse. The pilot house of the SS Calcite is on display beside the lighthouse. Lighthouse reenactors were set to camp onsite for the National Lighthouse weekend which began today.

      Tomorrow, I will continue north to Mackinac City and Mackinac Island. This is the biggest tourist area I will see on this adventure. Should time allow, the bike will come out for touring the island. After crossing the bridge, where bikes are not allowed, to Mackinac City, I will go to the island where the only modes of transportation are feet, bikes and horses.

   This was a perfect day with highs in the mid-70s and partly sunny all day. I am expecting more of the same tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

David Freeze: Day 2: More Great Lakes

No Power

by   August 20, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Our power went out one morning and was off about three hours. I don’t know why. Praise God our little house is pretty air tight because this is no time to get overheated. The day after it came back on I realized the milk in the refrigerator was mostly frozen. I shook it up and had a glass. Mmm. Not bad. But I wondered what was up with that. Later as I went to get water from the container with the filter, also in the fridge, it was frozen too. The little spout thing where you push the button for water to come out was frozen shut. Then I remembered.

Last time the power went out, our refrigerator automatically resent to a colder temperature. David figured out how to fix it and since I, being the helpless little woman that I am, except for the little part, never checked to see how he fixed it. So I summoned my hidden inner DIY-ness and investigated. It took me a minute but I found the command center for our cute little fridge. [Side story: it is a retro looking red which I found on sale a few years ago when our old one died. I love it but it is not house broken; thus the need to sop up the space under the lower storage drawer every week or so. That may also explain the great deal I got. But that’s a riveting story for another day.]

Annyyywayyy… The temperature control panel is digital with numbers one through five. Hmmm… I wonder which way is colder? As I pondered this before my cute red fridge, it dawned on me to get my readers. Being able to see is always a plus. Ah HA! Above the number one, it said ‘colder.’ So naturally I punched the five and hit SET, because I didn’t want colder. I wanted something maintain-ish… like don’t-freeze-my-celery; Just-keep-things-from-spoiling-mode. Later, as I checked once more on the water pitcher situation, things were worse…. as in frozen-er. More frozen. What the what? So I set a few things out to thaw at room temperature and fetched my readers again. They are never with me when I need them. I don’t know why. But with them on I could see that above the five was the word COLDEST. So apparently I went from COLDER to COLDEST with one punch of a tiny button. The question is, WHO WOULD LABEL A PANEL THAT WAY?

So there’s actually no moral to this story. I just thought it was funny. Well, until a glass bottle of ginger ale which was buried in the back froze and busted. But I’m learning. David handled so many things around the house that I took for granted. Just makes me miss him more. Because somebody needs to come clean this mess up.

The refrigerator from Gehenna… or somewhere hotter, OR HOTTEST.

WWII Vet Fulfills Vow

by   August 19, 2025 with No Comments

Steve Hartman tells the story of a 100 year old WWII Vet who made a vow and kept it. You have got to see the story to believe it. If only everyone lived with this kind of conviction. ENJOY!!!!!

Insomnia & the Almighty

by   August 17, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

It’s 4:00 a.m. After unsuccessfully wrestling myself back to sleep, then spending time praying or listening to the YouVersion Bible app, I open up the Facebook app, and it is evident – I am not the only one awake this early. For some, it is part of the unexpected joys of hitting midlife, for others, it is anxiety over life’s issues, or it may be a bizarre question that needs answering at 2:30 a.m. 

I find myself in the company of several others lately who commiserate with me. We lean into each other with advice: “What is your sleep hygiene routine?” We offer encouragement: “It is amazing how God continues to give us strength to make it on a given day with so little sleep.” We wonder at what we would have accomplished on 4-5 hours of sleep a couple of decades ago, when we had more strength and vitality. We joke: “Well, I’ll just text you when I wake up at 3:00 a.m., because you’ll probably be awake, too.” 

How often do you consider that God never sleeps or slumbers and can meet us amid the storm, even in the latest hours of the night (or would that be the earliest hours of the day)? In Matthew 14, Jesus and the disciples have experienced grief from the brutal murder of a dear friend (John the Baptist), followed by a full day of miraculous ministry (feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish). Surely, they need a moment to get away, to grieve, to recover from even the emotional high of the day. Jesus goes away from the crowd and His disciples to pray, but not before sending the disciples into a boat to go ahead of Him to the other side of the lake, where He will do ministry the next day. The ship is far from land, tossed and turned in the wind and waves, and suddenly, they see – is it – a ghost?! The disciples were often blind to what was true and what Christ was saying to them. Even after a miracle and being around Jesus all day, they do not recognize Him and believe the worst spiritual thing they can imagine. But, here is Jesus in the 4th watch of the night (that’s 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.), inviting Peter to walk on water, rescuing him when he begins to drown, and then entering the boat with him as He simultaneously calms the wind and the sea. 

While familiar with this real-life illustration of Jesus’ presence in the midst of our storms, this small detail regarding the time of the encounter – the 4th watch of the night – has been an added comfort to me lately. There is never a bad time to be with Jesus, even if it’s an invitation to test your faith, rescue you from drowning, and then calm the raging waters around you. He gets in the boat with us. The storms may still threaten to capsize us. He is no less mighty. He is still there. Maybe you are blessed with solid sleep. When are those inconvenient times that He meets you and invites you? His omnipresence is a blessing for those in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you know how to have peace even when sleep is fleeting? 

Ashlie Miller averages a couple sleep-interrupted nights per week in Concord, NC. Email her sometime around 3:00 a.m. at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

Dad Creamer

by   August 16, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Dad Creamer

            The last two weeks have been quite long. Two weeks ago on a Monday evening my brother called to tell me that my Dad had had two strokes and things were not looking good. The hospital spent several days running extensive tests on him, which provided evidence that he was not going to recover. It was decided mid-week to move him to hospice care, and he passed on last Monday.

            My dad was always very athletic. He played baseball and basketball when he was in high school. He played tennis, racquetball, and golf in his adult life. He enjoyed running, walking, and riding his bike. He also enjoyed watching sports on TV. He was an avid Red Sox fan. My brother and I took him to Atlanta to see the Red Sox play the Braves, a memory I will treasure.  By far, my Dad’s favorite sport to watch was golf.

            When I was a kid we had a professional golf tournament come to the course that was in our backyard. Dad was a Marshall and my brother and I set up a soda stand. One exciting moment from the tournament came when one of the golfers hit his ball along the edge of the woods and my black cat ran out and lay on his ball. We panicked, but the golfer was good natured and picked up our cat and petted it.

            My favorite memory of golf is when the country club was having a father/son tournament. Dad had to play twice. He and my brother were in the running to win a trophy but they came up a little short. My Dad and I were surprised when we won a second place trophy. I remind my brother about it as often as possible.

            One of my Dad’s favorite golfing memories came when I was a kid. We would often go out after dinner and look for golf balls. Then we would chip and putt around the greens. One evening a neighbor was walking with us and I wanted to show them how good I could hit the ball. They were engrossed in a conversation and not paying attention. I finally got their attention and gave it my biggest swing. I twirled around twice and fell on my bottom. The two of them laughed so hard, but they did try to comfort me. I can now look back and laugh.

            Professionally, my Dad climbed the corporate ladder. I used to tease him that he would mail new resumes out on the first day of his new job. At one point he was a vice-president of a car company, at another point he franchised a pizza chain – Milton’s Pizza. No pizza could compare. My Dad worked into his 80’s, even being an Uber driver. He was a man of integrity on his job and I admired him for it.

            If you ever met my Dad you know he liked to talk about politics. He liked to find out where you stood on an issue and he would always take the opposing view. I asked him once why he would argue with someone who held his point of view. He said that he would attack the weaknesses in what he believed and see how the person defended their position. He said he could learn a lot on how to build a stronger position.

            My Dad always liked to meet new people from different places. He treated everyone with dignity and respect. He enjoyed learning about them and their culture. He taught me that everyone should be treated equally. It didn’t matter what gender, race, national origin, religion, or any other difference there might be between us, we should treat people with kindness and listen to what they think. My Dad hired Iranian college students in the early 80’s when no one else would give them a chance. He invited people of different ethnic backgrounds into our home at a time when society was more segregated. I learned a lot about how to treat people fairly from my Dad.  

            My Dad really enjoyed the lessons of a university professor who taught Sunday school classes for a few churches in Greensboro. He would find out where she was teaching and show up for Sunday school. She said he would ask questions in class and often emailed additional questions to her through the week. She told me that she will miss him walking her to her car after class. She will be speaking at his Memorial Service. My Dad’s curiosity, questioning, and debating invaded all areas of his life. I hope I will carry on his curiosity for life, his kindness and respect for others, and his work ethic in all that I do. He will be missed.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

A Bush, Bumblebees, and a Butterfly

by   August 15, 2025 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

A Bush, Bumblebees, and a Butterfly

Next to one side of our screen porch is an abelia bush. Now in early August, it is covered with small, white nectar producing blossoms, so each morning the hum of bumblebee wings bathes the summer air as they move from bloom to bloom for the bush’s sweet juice of life. It is a morning music that I have come to anticipate during these past days; however, earlier this week a visitor graced the bush in its search for some of the same life-giving nectar: An eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly with its full yellowed wings trimmed in black with a bit of blue, joined the bees in the nectar dance of the abelia. The splash of blue identifies this particular swallowtail as a female.

The swallowtail is a large butterfly and  a regular summer visitor to the Lake Norman area. Its bright yellow wings dazzle in the morning calm as it dances from bloom to bloom, and because of its size, the swallowtail appears too large to light on one of the delicate, white blossoms. But despite the size difference, the swallowtail perches over and over onto different blooms–in a ballet developed by a force stronger than any we know of, or any we can comprehend.

I read somewhere that a bumblebee, based on aerodynamics, cannot fly.  According to physics, it is too heavy and round in relation to its wing size to fly. As I watch and hear the flying bumblebees at the abelia bush, I wonder if the bumblebees know that they cannot fly.  But they have other things to consider each morning, and the rapid movement rate of their wings adds a soft hum to the morning.

The swallowtail, like the bumblebees, is an amazing animal. Its life cycle began just weeks before as a small, round egg on a leaf. Going through metamorphosis of four stages, this beautiful female swallowtail that I watch is the result of a process scientist do not yet fully understand. But I do not need to understand how the butterfly came to be any more than I need to understand the Milky Way in order to appreciate the beauty of both. In his poem, When I Heard The Learn’d Astronomer, Walt Whitman tells of having attended a lecture where he saw all the charts and proofs and heard all the explanations, but upon leaving the lecture, he “Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.”

Explanations and proofs are of value and are even necessary at times. However, each morning watching the insects fluttering about the abelia bush, I am filled with amazement that such delicate animals and small, white blossoms serve such a vital role in the world. And here it is each morning, a free show if I slow down to see it–a dance of life that gives new life for the cycles of life on our “small blue dot.”

Great Lakes adventure begins

by   August 14, 2025 with No Comments

David took a bike trip up around the Great Lakes. I wonder if the 100 plus temperatures had anything to do with his decision??? Anyway, here is the link to read about the first day on his trip. ENJOY!!!

Great Lakes Adventure Begins

   In 2023, I rode north on the western side of Lake Superior to the Canadian border and then returned by the same route to Duluth, Minnesota. I spent about eight days on the largest Great Lake, but I have already cycled on all of them. When looking at my options for a short driving, cycling and running adventure for this summer, I saw a chance to see some of the areas I had not previously visited.

     I described the best possible plan in last weekend’s paper, but here it is in a nutshell. I drove yesterday about 650 miles from home to Port Huron, Michigan. I made great time driving until hitting Detroit at rush hour, which was no fun. My GPS kept changing to a different street trying to get on one that was moving and finally at almost 7pm last night, I made Port Huron. The highlight of the Detroit experience was seeing the Chrysler buildings, and yes, they were huge.

   On Thursday, July 31st, I woke up to 62 degrees and drizzling rain at the Huron Inn Motel. I had a good deal on a nice motel in quiet surroundings. I still didn’t get enough sleep after the day that began at 4am. Before leaving, I got great tips and good conversation from the motel owner, Ashwin Patel. He shared information on a cyclist that he follows on You Tube who has now ridden in well over 100 countries. I promised to send him several of my books, and I suspect we will stay in touch.

    Driving north on Michigan Highway 25, the first significant town was Lexington, Michigan. A spectacular former town hall, a huge 1882 hotel and a walkable downtown with lots of interesting shops. Many old buildings currently in good use have made this historic town a great start. By this time, I was driving for the most part along the edge of Lake Huron. Many towns have a marina and are part of a Circle Tour boat excursion.

    Mostly small towns came every 20-30 miles and quite a few had historic highlights. I stopped often, grabbed photos and did some walking as I traveled over 200 miles of what is called the Thumb area of Michigan. You’ll see it on a map.

     I stopped in Port Sanilac and began my lighthouse visits, just ahead of National Lighthouse Weekend. The Port Sanilac Light Station was built in 1886. It underwent a major restoration in 2015-2016. The dwelling, lighthouse and grounds are now privately owned and beautiful. The Sanilac Marina sits just below the lighthouse.

     Next was the White Rock Light, now another private home. I then stopped at another highlight of the day, the Port Hope Chimney in Port Hope. The chimney was built in 1858 as part of a lumber mill that had become the dominant one in the Thumb area. The mill and other major buildings in town were destroyed by fire twice. Rail came to Port Hope in 1903 primarily because sugar beets had become a significant cash crop for local farmers. The beets were brought to the railyard by horse and wagon and then were hand loaded onto rail cars. The depot has been restored and was open for only a few minutes today, just as I found when I opened the door. Important folks were just leaving. Magnificent homes, circa 1880, were just across the road from Lake Huron. Bigfoot cutouts were seen on a revamped hardware store.

     The best and biggest lighthouse of the day was the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse which is the highlight of a Huron County Park. Built in 1849, the lighthouse and its original keeper family have an amazing story. Three acres of wilderness were cleared for the lighthouse from wilderness that was surrounded by Indians. A husband brought his wife and eight children to live in the keeper dwelling. One year later, the husband keeper died by drowning. His wife took over without official approval and kept the light and grounds going. She became the first recognized female keeper the next time the light was inspected. This is one of the 109 lighthouses in Michigan, the most of any state. The museum onsite was wonderful largely because of the stories and info provided by two volunteers, Jack and Tobi Graham, who have extensive knowledge of lighthouses all the way down to the Carolinas. A lifesaving station is also onsite, similar to those made famous on NC’s outer banks. Some historians estimate up to 10,000 shipwrecks occurred on the Great Lakes.

     Next thing was a beautifully restored town from the mid-1850s, now listed as Huron City on the National Register of Historic Places. It all started with a steam powered sawmill and ended with a general store, a hotel and several magnificent homes that still remain.

    In Sebewaing, the Sugar Beet Capital of the World, I saw the big plant of the Pioneer-Big Chief Michigan Sugar Company. There is a huge Sugar Festival associated with this town.

    The last big town for the day was Bay City, birthplace of Madonna and the home of the U.S.S. Edison, a World War ll destroyer named for Thomas Edison. I didn’t see Madonna but did tour the Edison, a very well-done attraction.

      My last stop for the night is a town called Pinconning, the Cheese Capital of Michigan. It is a small town with a nice motel and an all-day breakfast restaurant across the street. A loud train track is next door. I have now left the Thumb and am moving north again on the way toward Mackinac Island. I hope to tell all about this soon, so I will save any description until then. First up tomorrow morning hopefully is a brake repair on my truck, not my bike. Thanks for following along. See you soon!

David Freeze: Great Lakes adventure begins

Funeral Party

by   August 13, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

A few years before David passed, he let me know he did not want a funeral. I remember cocking my head at him as I informed. “Well it won’t be for you. You won’t be there.” He nodded quietly then gently replied. “No… but you will. And I don’t want you to have to go through all that.” It was one of the most thoughtful things I’d ever heard. He was trying to save me the grief of picking out a casket, making arrangements, enduring visitation, and the next day attending a funeral plus a traditional graveside service; all the while, numb with grief and exhausted from losing the love of my life. Of course he didn’t know at the time that he would go first. We always thought it would be me since I’ve been the puny one. But the Lord had different plans. So when David went gently into his Savior’s arms four weeks ago, I had a decision to make. I knew our children were not going to be happy without honoring their dad somehow.

Thankfully they stepped in with a compromise. So together we planned a “Funeral Party.” Grace Bible Church opened their Fellowship Hall to us, then jumped in with both feet to make it happen. The Ladies of Grace, aptly named, provided a spread of finger foods that only a bunch of Church ladies know how to do. Pastor Jason piped in music over the speakers. His wife Michelle made handouts with David’s life story and his picture. She included the obituary I wrote about him so folks who’d lost touch with us would know where we’d been the last 50 or so years. Time flies and all that. Our three girls gathered pictures of David and the family. Stephanie compiled them digitally so that over 160 shots scrolled on a loop. Amanda and Hannah arranged photos on those black science project boards and placed those around. Suddenly David’s life was being remembered exactly as it was: full of laughter, fun, and faithfulness to the God he served, plus his family. Precious memories indeed.

We’re we exhausted by the end? Darlin’ we were exhausted before we started. But joy, what joy. God sweetly held us together and made us strong for the funeral party. No one felt pressured to say nice things or give a eulogy. The pictures said it all. Since it was not labeled a funeral, folks dressed comfortably as best I could tell. I know I did. Lots of hugs were exchanged and care was given. Students he taught and coached, friends we hadn’t seen in years, our pharmacist! Oh! so much love was poured out. Best of all, a faithful man was honored. It was in fact, the best party I’ve ever been to.

Taken one year earlier for our 50th anniversary flyer. Little did we know what the 51st year would bring. So thankful for this picture. I was so weak that day that I had on a nightgown and just covered it with a shawl. Praise God for giving us so many good days together.

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