January of 1987 brought a new addition to our little family when Travis was born. He was born in Petoskey, about ten miles from Harbor Springs. Luckily, the night he was born was not a snowy night and we made it to Petoskey in record time.
We spent most of the early months of 1987 inside. Kirsten would go outside in our back yard and play in the snow occasionally. I made a special paint for her so she could paint the snow. Every time I nursed Travis I would read to Kirsten. Kirsten loved music and I would put records on the record player and she would dance. One of her favorites was Disney Mousercise. It was a movement and exercise album filled with Disney songs. While Kirsten did Mousercise, I would play with Travis on the floor. Kirsten didn't watch a lot of television, but she had a videotape of Romper Room. She loved that video so much she wore it out. She could never understand why they couldn't see "Kirsten" or "Travis" in their magic mirror. One part of the video was a craft making a cone to hold your popcorn. We made a lot of popcorn cones that years. Kirsten and I would do crafts, play games, and have fun together.
Harbor Springs turned into a resort community in the summer. Traffic increased, restaurants and shops were busy, and there was a vibe in the city that was fun to be a part of. We took advantage of Harbor Springs' close proximity to the Mackinac Bridge area and explored Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Fort Michilmackinac, and surrounding area. Petsoskey was another area that was fun to explore, except for the traffic. It would take twice as long to get from Harbor Springs to Petoskey in the summer as it would the rest of the year.
Harbor Springs was an interesting place to live. It was a hard place to make friends at. We spent a lot of time with just the four of us. The school Kirk worked at was interesting, too. The principal wanted to hire someone other than Kirk and was overruled by the other two principals and superintendent. I think this made it difficult for Kirk to be accepted. The politics at the elementary school was something else. It made leaving Harbor Springs easier.
The home we lived in was a two bedroom condominium with a one car garage. The red front door led to an open floor plan for the living room and kitchen with eating area. A hallway led to the bathroom and two bedrooms. An unfinished basement completed it. We moved from a four bedroom, two story home and many of our possessions stayed in boxes. Kirsten's bedroom was also her playroom, so bedtime was difficult at times. She would get her toys out and take them to bed with her. We would find her sleeping on top of her toys. Travis had a crib in our bedroom, which was a fairly good size room.
Although we only lived in Harbor Springs for less than a year, it was a year that we made many family memories. Memories I will treasure for years to come.
3 comments:
Brenda, what are the odds that you'd post about Hope Springs in the same week that I check out the Emmet County Gen Society and learn that my husband's ancestors, Mary Ann McClure Cook and her husband Rev. John J. Cook, lived right there (decades before you, of course)? I'm still trying to figure out why a gaggle of McClures moved up there to the Little Traverse area. Farming, maybe? Anyway, thanks for your description of the place and your family's experiences.
Marian, it truly is a small world. What time period did your relatives live in the area? Seeing that John was a Rev., I wonder if it was for mission purposes. Mission development as well as farming and the timber industry were some of the reasons for moving there.
Hi Brenda, Rev. Cook was Presbyterian. I found the following story about the Presbyterian Church there...mentioning Rev. Cook! But it's certainly possible that Cook was there for missionary reasons, and his wife's family were there for farming or timber. I'm going to dig deeper! Thanks again... http://genealogytrails.com/mich/emmet/churchpresb.html
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