So yesterday was the Big Day. Chris and Sonny opened up the Torch Lake Market for breakfast and the Season began.
Tami was cooking and made my eggs just so. Chris went back there and made one of those potato pancakes that make me weak in the knees. Babs laughed at me because she had been there for hours by the time I rolled in and had already finished her breakfast. (She, I might point out, does not keep dogs.)
There was all kinds of news, the major topic being the increasingly real possibility that Charter is upgrading its system to include, dare I breathe it, Real Internet in Torch Lake Township. Real Internet that might extend to my very own house. I certainly hope to live long enough to see that. (I have, you see, been disappointed by the Rascally ISP. After eight weeks of waiting hopefully, I am informed that the agreement we reached in February is Inoperative in April.)
Since I still await the blessing, I drove Betty Jo to Elk Rapids for her exercise class and went to the library to use the Real Internet available there. I sent humungous files about Civil War veterans to a correspondent, and they actually went there. Maybe it was the speed of the connection—or maybe it was the serendipity of another patron with a Happy Cat bag. OK, I digress, but I do like to keep track of these Happy Cat bag sightings.
In either case, Betty Jo and I managed to get down to Elk Rapids, take care of our respective business and get back to Chris and Sonny’s in time to join Babs for lunch. (Yes, twice in one day. All of us have been missing Chris and Sonny.) Dick and Nancy Ellison were there and Nancy had an announcement: “I have an app!”
Turns out her children’s book, Sprucie, is now available in a $1.99 read-aloud version delivered right to your iPhone.
I would give you a link but I am so befuddled by the whole app thing that I don’t even know how to do that. I make up for it by being able to decipher 19th century handwriting. Sigh.
Lunch was excellent. Babs, who has been working at it, is positively svelte. She had this gorgeous salad.
I dived into a hamburger with absolutely everything on it and it was delicious. I won’t show you the picture of the hamburger and I won’t show you a picture of me, either. I still have a little work to do. I should show you a picture of Chris and Sonny, because they both looked wonderful after their vacation. So, Snowbirds? You can come back now. You will be amazed at how buffed up the Township is.
Torch Lake Views 
Wendi
April 16, 2011
I spoke with a Charter rep a few days ago (my cable is having its yearly spring issues) and he told me that everything is set to go on their end. We are now only waiting for the lines and equipment to be put up out here. He said that the worst possible date that we would be getting connected would be a year from now. The rumors I have heard were for by this fall, which I am going to believe. Who wants to put up cables in the snow.
Gerry
April 16, 2011
I am an old bat. I am not sure I can wait a year. Maybe you will get lines and equipment and service before I do. Maybe I will put up a pup tent in the Poem Dome and live there.
P.j. grath
April 16, 2011
Very happy to see that Chris and Sonny are back and serving up breakfast again in your part of the North. We certainly appreciate these things when we’ve had to wait for them, don’t we? Will this be true of the high-speed connection, too? Babs and that salad–she must have a will of iron.
Gerry
April 16, 2011
It’s like the sun coming out. Tell you what–that salad was really, really nice looking. It wouldn’t take a will of iron to have that for lunch. The will of iron is involved when it comes to stopping at the salad. I think at this point, though, that Babs is so happy with her accomplishment that the positive reinforcement keeps her going. Or stopping, depending. You know what I mean.
chris
April 16, 2011
Hey
I see no mention of it being your birthday on the 15th…
and I forgot to mention that it was our oldest grand-sons birthday too!
Jacob was 7 on the 15th, you never told us which b-day you were celebratiing altho
we need not mention our age, at our age…
Gerry
April 16, 2011
Hey your ownself! I could tell you which birthday, but then I’d have to kill you, and I’d rather have breakfast over there . . .
Belated Happy Birthday to Jacob. I’ll bet he still thinks birthdays are fun. I’ll bet he didn’t have to file an income tax return and go get license tabs.
Dawn
April 16, 2011
It was your birthday on the 15th? It’s mine today (the 16th!) Well! Happy Birthday to us both! 🙂
Gerry
April 16, 2011
Well, Happy Birthday you rascal you! You, me, Jacob – and Babs had her birthday on the 9th. Looks like all the cool people have April birthdays. OK, four of the cool people anyway.
Beth Toner
April 18, 2011
I have officially declared Friday, August 5, 2011, as potato pancakes at Sonny’s day. We will be arriving at Honcho Rest on August 4, and we will need food on our way to Mackinac for the day on Friday. 🙂
Gerry
April 18, 2011
I must warn you that Chris has not yet put the potato pancakes on the menu, but after she reads this she will surely give in to public demand.
Karma
April 18, 2011
I am an April birthday too! It must be that the cool people were born in April!
So nice to see “signs of the season” opening up. I’ve just returned from our little “vacation penninsula” (Cape Cod) and the season is beginning there as well (blog to come soon, of course!)
Gerry
April 18, 2011
Well, we celebrated spring and look what happened. Mama Nature’s bringing us 4-5 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. The hussy.
La Mirada Bob
April 18, 2011
Hey, Mom & I made our plans for you based on March 15 being income tax day.