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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-07-23, Page 77• Page 31 Cottagers - an integral part of Stanley Twp. Editor's Note: Each summer., many city dwellers abandon their busy lives and head to Stanley Township to enjoy its hospitality, warmth and enjoyable way of life. The author of this story explains why so many do so. By Fran Ritchie On a warm, sunny day, 21 years ago I was sitting under a canopy of beech trees on the shore of Lake Huron in Stanley Township. The only bluebird I have ever seen landed in a tree above me. I think it must have been the "bluebird of happiness"' because on that day we signed the offer to purchase a cot- tage in Houston Heights at Stanley Sideroad No. 10:j Let me tell you a little about what it means to be "a cottager". From April to November you always have on hand a suit- case, a box, and a cooler. For six months the suitcase is never completely unpacked. Dir- ty clothes are washed on Monday and pack- ed in the suitcase ready to go on Friday. The box is ever present in a corner of the kit- chen, at hand when you remember that you need mustard, toothpaste, bug repellent or whatever at the, cottage. The dog spends most of her time beside the box because she knows that when it goes in the car she goes to the cottage, For several summers when our four°kids were young I packed our car to the groaning point, loaded up the four kids, dog and cat and off we went for two months of fun and sun in Stanley Township. Y looked back at those years and think of how privileged we all were. My kids grew up on the shores of Lake Huron. In those days we had a huge sandy beach. The kids learned to swim" t1 to water ski. They went fishing with their Dad 4110 and at certain times of the year caught • perch right off of the beach. On days that the lake was rough, or it was too cold for the beach, they played in the woods and ravines in the subdivision. They didn't need bicycles and expensive playground equipment. They had trees to climb, forts to build, streams to wade in and ravines to explore. There are approximately 416 cottages in Stanley Township. Those cottages produce about $169,000 in tax money. But cottagers mean more than just tax money to Stanley Township. They use the services of local builders, plumbers and electricians. They ' buy eggs and produce from farmers, trees and shrubs and flowers from local businesses. The beaches are kept clean by the cottagers and trees are planted to help fight erosion. Cottagers go to yard sales and flea markets and they explore the shops of Bayfield often picking up a few early Christmas presents. And Cottagers have company (boy do we have company) and the company buys gas and food etc. In the last few years more and more peo- ple are using their cottages in the winter months. They come to the cottage to ski and snowmobile or just for a quiet weekend. Long before the term was coined we had "neighborhood watch" in our subdivision. When a cottager goes to the cottage in the winter he takes a look around the subdivi- sion to see that all is well. Because of the isolation in the winter, cottages are prime Being a cottager is not all fun and sun targets for breakins. A few years ago all the cottages in one subdivision were vandalized. The damages amounted to thousands of dollars to the owners. Being a cottager is not all sun and fun. Thirty years ago. the cottages we rented were wooden shells, two by fours exposed, bare wood floors, an outhouse in the backyard and they were situated on lots that August 1-3 Don't forget Homecoming Weekend r were nothing but sand dunes. There was not much upkeep involved. Not so today. Cot- tages -have lawns to be cut, trees to trim and flower beds to weed. Cottages are just smaller homes with the same housework. Drive into any lakeside subdivision in Stanley Township and I think you will agree that cottagers are very proud of their pro- perty and keep it looking good. clintOfl mirror and aluminum Unfortunately, our once beautiful sandy beaches are gone. Cottagers are spending huge amounts of money and time on various forms of erosion control. Like so many other people I wonder what is keeping the level of these lakes so high and will they ever go down again. But when I sit on what little bit of beach I can find and watch one of the most beautiful sunsets anyone could ever wish to see - high water and all - I wouldn't trade my little piece of Stanley Township for any other place in the world. So in this the year of Stanley Township's 150th celebra- tion, I think I can speak for all cottagers when I say, "Thank you Stanley for your hospitality." 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