Auto Repair returns to Eastport Service
It has been many years since Bud Klooster and his son Mike of blessed memory ran their auto and farm implement repair business at US-31 just south of M-88. We have missed them, and their bad jokes. It has been sad to see the business closed and forlorn. But earlier this year Troy and Renee LaCount bought the property, and this week—Ta-Dah!!—the hoists are back in operation. Drop by and meet Bob Geer, the mechanic who opened up just this week.
Bob used to be with Fox Motors up in Charlevoix, and has a lot of experience. He looks forward to helping you keep your vehicle going in good times and bad, through Mud Season and deepest winter. Drop by to welcome him, or give him a call.
Not to mention Legends Glass
While Bob runs his auto repair business at the south end of the property, Troy and Renee LaCount will be running their Legends Auto Glass business, as well as residential glass work and screen repairs, at the north end. I can see it now. Drop the car off for an oil change, pull the busted screen door out of the trunk and deliver it to Troy and Renee, walk the Duo home, work diligently. Return at the end of the day and go home with a car that hums and a mosquito-proof door. How good is that? Very good.
Weird green things that go BOO! in the night
They’re popping up all over Antrim County, kind of like radioactive mushrooms. Do not be alarmed! They are here to help you. Torch Lake Township’s ambulance crews and firefighters cannot find you if your driveway is not marked clearly. And clearly means visible at night. Not, for example, something like this:
And it means with all the numbers there. Not like this:
These are not tax collectors, people. These are neighbors who are speeding to your rescue, all sirens blaring! Please do not make them drive hopelessly up and down muddy two-tracks looking for you. Put a nice bright reflective address marker at the end of your driveway. It is ugly, but it is more functional than YakTrax and a good pair of pliers, and you can get one free. Free! That is a favorable price!
Here is how you do it–and this is ONLY if you live in Torch Lake Township–get in touch with me via Torch Lake Views. Tell me your name, your address, and whether you want the marker on a stake or without the stake. I will “bundle” these requests and pass them on. In due course the whole shebang will be delivered to the Township Hall by Treasurer Sharon Schultz, who has a day job over at the county and will cart the package over here for us. How great is that? It is very great.
I was going to show you what these dandy markers look like at night, but I ended up with bad photos. OK, even worse than usual. You’ve seen them, though–bright green with nice big white numbers, very reflective. They work.
Fountain Pop coming to Eastport Market
I know this is not a top priority to many of you, but you cannot imagine the number of shoppers who were stunned to discover that the market sold pop (soda if you come from Away from a point east of here) only in bottles and cans. “No fountain pop?” people would say in stunned disbelief. “Really?” Really. But now it’s coming. If Fountain Pop be here, can Pay At The Pump be far behind? (Well, yes, but one thing at a time people, one thing at a time.)
Torch Lake Views 
P.j. grath
May 21, 2011
I like the news from your corner of Up North, Gerry. These are very important things in our small communities.
Gerry
May 23, 2011
Especially the walkable oil change. Now if we only had an internet cafe . . .
Wendi
May 21, 2011
Oh what good information you have shared today! Thank you for the update. A new mechanic in the area! I will let you know if I want a stake or to go stakeless!
Gerry
May 23, 2011
And so you did – stakeless it is.
uphilldowndale
May 21, 2011
Oh Gerry that is a wonderful way to mark a house number, back in the day when I used to sell flowers we had hours and hours of time wasted looking for addresses and that was in the daylight. The places I’ve seen house names and numbers, set in the tiles on the floor of the front porch, up a poll so high only a passing crow might see it or deep within the vegetation to provide a little light reading for a squirrel, all we wanted to do was deliver a bunch of flowers, not save a life!! Here in the UK if you call an ambulance at night they will ask you to put on all your house lights to help pick your place out from the darkness
Gerry
May 23, 2011
There’s something about rural areas that inspires people to flights of confusion. We give directions that run something like “turn right at the Evans place and go about a mile, mile and a quarter. If you get to where the IGA used to be, you’ve gone too far. Turn around and go back.”
You will appreciate the dilemma faced by a flower delivery person who arrived at my house in bitterest winter, climbed my 22 icy steps, and found no one at home. When I returned, I discovered flowers inside the house–I’d left it unlocked, after all, it was winter–and a little note that said, “If I delivered these to the wrong house please call xxx-xxxx.”
I do not care for the design quality of the address markers, but I believe I can live with them. Yes indeed, I think that’s exactly the way it is.
Wendi
May 21, 2011
Terry says stakeless please. 11925 are our numbers. Thank you, Gerry, Sharon and Torch Lake Township. Good people here. See, Louan could definitely write a song about our township! Leelanau County has nothing on us! 🙂
Gerry
May 23, 2011
I meant to put the “stakeless it is” here. Done.
Margaret
May 21, 2011
Hey Gerry! What kinda ice with the fountain machine have? This is Very Important. Btw, my computer went on the blink this past week and the week before that I went on the blink and the week before that Luke came home. So now I seem to be back, we will see if I can make my own deadline of Monday. Later. Margaret
Margaret
May 21, 2011
(kinda ice WILL the fountain …)
Gerry
May 23, 2011
I have no clue about the ice–must ask Russ. Good luck with the deadline–if it isn’t one blinking thing it’s another, eh? Works that way around here, too. Very glad Luke’s home.
Fee
May 22, 2011
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best … rural areas are always a bit tricky for emergency workers (so says my paramedic brother-in-law). Even in town it can be confusing when house numbers aren’t clearly displayed.
Gerry
May 23, 2011
You’d think we all had something to hide.
Joss
May 22, 2011
Oh I knooooow! I am not a paramedic nor a florist, merely a visiting friend, but it really gets my goat when people don’t display their house numbers clearly. Do they not want visitors? Do they not want friends? I find myself looking for other signs of anti-social behaviour from these people who do not care to see themselves as others see them. Enough, I’ve said enough.
Gerry
May 23, 2011
Oh dear, oh dear. I am among the chief offenders (my address keeps falling off). I do want visitors, really I do. Well, most visitors anyway. I would, for example, wish for you to be able to find us if you came all the way here. It occurs to me that the people I least want to visit me all know perfectly well where to find me anyway.
Gerry
May 22, 2011
Hello everyone and thank you so much for leaving comments. Much going on here (all good, all good, no worries) and we are severely behind on our correspondence. More later.
Maryanne Jorgensen
May 23, 2011
See you did it again. Putting all that good information in one spot and perhaps saving a life as well!
Gerry
May 23, 2011
I’m just a one-woman (plus two dogs and a cat and a whole village) rescue squad. Remember that, please, the next time I am being a chucklehead.