Family Heritage

I've been pulling together some photos for my Grandmother's 90th birthday party and stumbled on an interesting revelation. It would appear the outdoors gene runs pretty deep.

My favorite is the picture of my Grandma and her two sisters - Evelyn and Marjorie - heading out onto Watkins Lake, outside Pontiac, MI. Looks like they're ready to do some fishing. Watkins Lake was central to a lot of my Mom's side of the family. It seems like all of us have some memory of time spent on that lake or in the surrounding woods. My great grandparents built a "summer house" on some land, and subsequently my Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Tom built a new "big house". For generations, I think kids learned to catch bluegills and panfish off the end of the dock between the two houses. I know my Uncle Matt and I both did!

As a kid, one of my fondest memories was heading to the "Plumbers Cabin". This unique location, outside Mio, MI was a collaboration between my great grandfather and several other Master Plumbers. Located on a full section (640 acres) it was a prime location for all manner of hunting and fishing antics. The main building was a concrete block structure that served as base camp. I regret that I only recall a few visits to this amazing place.

It was interesting to see the family heritage in the outdoors. I think the best part was seeing how my Grandmother and her sisters were involved to -- I credit Great-Grandpa Seeley for involving "the girls" in an era where that didn't always happen. I think this showed in their later lives -- all three turned out to be pretty exceptional characters!

-Sean-