Some 1200 year-round residents live in our township, a long, narrow stretch of Michigan between Grand Traverse Bay and Torch Lake just north of the 45th Parallel. Half of us sleep a good eight hours per night, except during cherry harvest when we hardly sleep at all. We’ll be at the forefront of style when Carhartts and seed caps come into vogue. The other half wear intricate handknit sweaters and tailored wool slacks in winter and candy-colored cottons in July and are nearly indistinguishable from Summer People. In fact, some of us were Summer People until we gave in and moved up here, thus becoming Perma-Fudge.
Some of us were born here and live on gravel roads named for our grandparents. Others came north to work in the orchards and never left. Some of us lovingly tend cottages that have been in our families for generations. Still others came for a vacation and never shook the spell. Years later we found our way back to stay for good.
There are more than 1100 housing units in the township, from trailers parked in the woods to substantial farmhouses to timberframe mansions on Torch Lake. Fewer than half are occupied year-round. The rest are nearly all vacation homes owned by Summer People. Traditionally Summer People opened their lakeside cottages on Memorial Day and closed them on Labor Day. Then a few procrastinators found themselves pulling docks out in mid-September and experienced the golden peace of autumn. They blabbed, and now lots of Summer People come up on weekends from early spring until late in the fall, or even into the winter if they like to ski. (The ones in the last bunch are the Summer People who are most likely to become Perma-Fudge.)
More goes on here than you might think, and a lot of it is even interesting or useful to know about. Stay tuned.
Torch Lake Views 
Debra West
March 5, 2008
Love your blog… Thanks for linking to ours!
Gerry Sell
March 9, 2008
My pleasure, Debra. I look forward to following your adventures as you move back to the Cedar House!
Ken and Carol Miller (team geoJockey)
April 18, 2008
Hey thanks Gerry for featuring our “Grandma’s Beach Cache” on your article on geocaching. You are right about the mistake, the old rock shop was located south of the cache on M-31, not M-32. The mistake likely happened because my wife’s father lived off of M-32, and her grandmother lived off of M-31. The mistake has been fixed in the listing now.
Ken and Carol Miller (team geoJockey)
Gerry Sell
April 18, 2008
Hello Ken and Carol – Thanks for dropping by! I enjoyed the Grandma’s Beach Cache very much. It’s a nice way to remember Ada Marie McDowell.
~Michelle~
April 27, 2008
Several years ago, I “had to” write an explanatory college paper… Torch Lake it was… I received an “A” on the paper, & my Proff. planned her summer vacation.
Destination Torch Lake
Spirit exhausted & stressed, pulling in to the 2-track drive of the Torch Lake cottage appears to be, as if entering the gates of Heaven~ Soothing voices of wind & water, invigorating scents of clean air, competitively blue sky & water~ A glorious destination for rejuvenation & emotional relaxation~
Stresses of a world left behind are carried off in the breeze~ Soft whispers of wind rustling through cedar & birch lift my heart~ Repititious lapping of waves create a symphony when comingled with the voices of crickets & frogs, to sooth & calm me~
Scents signal directly to my soul, to exist only in the present~ Clean crisp air, lightly perfumed by a potpourri of pine, campfires and lake water, fill my lungs & heighten my senses~ Rich moist humus, permeates my nasal cavities & soul~
Crystal water, incredible to behold, is paled only by my astonishment of the limitless blue sky~ Torch Lake displays hues from pale zircon to rich sapphire, with less imperfection than priceless diamonds~ Above, the sky sparkles varying degrees of azure, amethyst & opal~ Both, so pure in color, clarity & beauty; there appears to be a natural competition as to which is more magnificent and deserving of its domain~
Emotions which boil over their “filled-to-capacity” status, give way to serenity & tranquility~ Natural beauty of trees, sky, air & water, overwhelm my senses~ Calm comes over me, to comfort & engulf me, like a quilt~
Torch Lake~ in all its glory~ a wonderful destination for rejuvination & emotional relaxation~
~Michelle~
giiid
January 3, 2009
Hi Gerry.
Thank you for linking to my blog. I was so glad to see your Christmas ornaments, and find the origin of one of my own. Have you any post about your Swedish background, or are you going to make one? This would be interesting to read. I will follow your blog from now on, and have ofcourse added it to my blogroll.
Gerry
January 3, 2009
Hello, Birgitte! I enjoyed your Danish Christmas posts, too. I haven’t written about my Swedish ancestors on this blog, though I might sometime. I’ll enjoy keeping up with life in Denmark.
j matson Heininger
January 30, 2009
I looked at your blog.. we chatted at the market.
Here is a link to one of my posts from last winter-spring here and there and back again… cross country skiing from my property above the lake.
http://deeplyimbedded.blogspot.com/2008/03/turkey-roundup.html
Carol DeAngelis
March 8, 2009
Hello! I am the grand daughter of Elsie and Klent Johnson and the grand niece of Martha Huels.
They lived next door to Betty and we spent many wonderful summers walking the gravel road from their home on 88 to the lake.
I would love to hear about any memories anyone might have of Elsie, Klent or Martha. I am also in possession of footage of old “Fireman’s Field Days” and of the old hotel sinking through the ice, if anyone is interested.
Gerry
March 8, 2009
Carol, I am positive there is interest in the Firemen’s Field Days and sinking hotel footage! For one thing, I’m personally interested. As you can probably guess, lots of people are in Florida right now, but there will also be people who remember the Johnsons. I’ll broadcast the request for memories!