Leave it to Beaver (Island)

Claire and I took a few days away from our construction project to visit our friend, Ken, who lives on a small island in northern Lake Michigan. Beaver Island is a 13mi by 6 mi. (55 square mile) island 32 miles off the shore of Michigan’s lower peninsula. You can get there by boat, which takes 2 and a half hours, or by small plane which takes about 20 minutes. We chose to fly over with Island Airways.

Claire had not been to the island in almost ten years, and I hadn’t been there for eight. Not much has changed on the island during that time, and probably not much has changed in the last 50 years. Because of its isolation, it always reminds of the old TV show Northern Exposure.

Ken has a beautiful beach house and is a wonderful host. He just completed a small guesthouse on the property, which made the stay even nicer. It’s always relaxing to spend time on the island. Ken cooks some great meals, plus there are a couple of restaurants on the island that do a pretty fair job especially with local fare like whitefish.

Walks on the beach, touring the back roads, reading, eating, drinking, and talking absorbed us for the couple of days we spent with Ken. We also accompanied Ken on a visit to “the furs guy,” a local resident who traps and raises animals for fur. Ken had a special project for him, and we got a kick out of visiting his workshop in an old barn.

I will probably head back up to “the Beav” for deer camp this year. It’s always a great, relaxing place to spend time.