Hi all!

I just got back from my Fort Mackinac reunion on Mackinac Island; a neat little place nestled in the Straits separating Lakes Michigan and Huron. It’s neat because no cars are allowed, horses do all the work and chubby tourists in bad Hawaiian shirts are called "fudgies."

As the ferry to the island carrying me and my wife left St. Ignace and skirted the shadows of the mighty Mackinac Bridge, I was overwhelmed with memories from the summer I lived there nearly 30 years earlier.

You can read my previous blog for the whole story by clicking here, but during the summer of 1979, I lived on the island and played soldier for the scores of tourists who visited on their vacations.

This was also the summer the movie Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer was being filmed on the island and it wasn’t unusual to run into one of the stars in the course of a day.

The movie Superman had recently been released to rave reviews and catapulted Christopher Reeve into stardom. We felt it our obligation to keep him humble by calling him “Bruce” the entire summer.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed sharing the story of the first time I met Christopher Reeve. And following his tragic death a few years ago the story only got better. One of the island hotels offered a weekly movie night for the summer folk. Because of the hoopla surrounding the movie being filmed, the hotel staff decided to show Superman and invited Christopher Reeve to introduce the film.

Christopher (Bruce) picked up the microphone and said a few words about the movie industry and shared a few behind the scenes stories that occurred during the filming of Superman and related them to a few incidents that the crew had encountered filming Somewhere in Time.

I didn’t realize until Christopher had died years later the significance of what was about to happen.

The movie started and the plot began to unfold. Because of the special introduction the crowd was upbeat and boisterous. We cheered every time “Superman” appeared on the screen. But things got ugly when the sound went out on the ancient projector. Just as the throng was nearing violence Christopher Reeve jumped up from his seat, grabbed the microphone and addressed the crowd. He said he could "pretty much remember all the lines" and proceeded to provide all the voices for all the characters the rest of the show.

It was memorable and I’ve seen Superman several times. But nothing compares to the night when Lois Lane looked deeply into the Superdude's eyes; as she pulled closer Christopher said the line in a Lois-like falsetto: “Superman, what big teeth you have!” We roared.

The reunion was short and sweet and I happily greeted some of my co-workers from 1979 as if it were yesterday. Wow, did they all get old!

I wanted to show my wife the Grand Hotel. Built in 1887 as an oasis for the rich and powerful from Detroit and Chicago, the elegant, Victorian hotel sits on the western bluffs of the island, offering its coddled visitors breathtaking views of the Lakes below.

When I was a tour guide, we were instructed to throw in a few plugs for the Grand Old Dame during our guided tours through the fort. I can still remember mine. I would stand on top of the South Sally Port and gesture toward the Grand Hotel with my left arm. Hundreds of bored tourists followed by gaze and without ever missing a bite of fudge. I continued: “The Grand Hotel boasts of a front porch running 660 feet long made entirely of the state tree of Michigan, the white pine. The porch overlooks the swimming pool where Esther Williams once swam...”

Later that day, my wife and I road our bikes up the long driveway leading to the Grand. Several horse-drawn carriages passed by delivering guests to the elegant front door. We finally reached the top and parked our bikes across from the grand entrance.

Porters were unloading the guests' luggage from a dram pulled by two massive draft horses. While I waited for my wife to join me on the sidewalk, a woman from the Grand ran toward me in her royal purple Grand Hotel uniform. Her name tag said she was from India and she addressed me in her broken English.

“Gran’ otel , fi-tee dolla.”

“Fifty dollars? Whoa…are you propositioning me?” I stammered.

She blinked awkwardly. “No sir. Fif-teen dolla, then you see Grand.”

I got it. The Grand Hotel now was charging people just to take a look. My wife circumnavigated her way past the horses and joined us on the sidewalk. I started to explain the charges to the Grand Hotel when one of the draft horses lifted its tail and deposited a huge steaming load onto the sidewalk at our feet.

I looked into our greeter's dark brown eyes. She followed my finger as I pointed to horse-apple fragments splattered on our feet.

“You want me to pay $15 for this? I have half a mind to pay the money just to track this onto your plush purple carpets!”

My wife said I behaved like an ass and we left. When have I heard that before?

Any of you venturing out to the island, looking for a wonderful place to stay, I would recommend a visit to Stonecliff instead of the “Grand.” Stonecliff is an elegant Inn off the beaten trail without a hint of snobbery or pretentiousness. Tell them Jeff sent you.

So our weekend came to an end. I left with dried horse-shit on my shoes, some great pictures and a couple of memories we can laugh about on our next visit to Mackinac Island.

Oh yeah, when we arrived at St. Ignace, away from prying eyes, I made my wife go into one of the fudge shops and buy a couple of pounds of Snicker fudge. That’s my favorite.

Until next time, as Satchmo always said…

“Red beans and ricely yours,”

Jeff