• Tuesday-What'sUP December 15 - 09:02 am

The Koskiniemi kids reporting for duty aboard the Kearsarge stone boat. I'm betting Dad, Chris Koskiniemi, put his youngsters on board for the photo opportunity, without even one thought of really shipping them out! ;-) This landmark along highway US 41/M 26, is one of the more frequently photographed Keweenaw attractions, but always gives us a different angle each time it's viewed. An added bonus today... I found this in my inbox from Jeff Kalember, showing us how his kids give their trusty old 'yooper scooper' a workout. At least the genuine Silver Bear Scoop and the scooper are getting a workout. Looks like the scoopee has got it made!

Bet a lot of kids enjoyed a day off from school yesterday. These guys and gals are sure having fun.

Neat pictures! Oh to be a kid again...

Are we havin' fun yet?

I remember another one of those ships. Was it Centennial Hts?

Snow! We want some! Only a dusting here in the Virginia Mountains. Oh to have a White Christmas. I've ask my MTU daughter to bring us some snow home on Friday when she makes the 2 day ride! ( ug!)
Anyone wanna take bets as to whether it will make it here with out melting????
Happy Holidays.

Wooooooo hooooooo! Snowin' here! About 3 inches so far. (Okay, that's enough. I'm ready for June.) I love the early morning snows. All the sounds are muffled. Except the sound of the plows 2 miles away on the next road over.

Nancy in VA --- your daughter should go to see Charlie and get some dry ice to ensure the snow's safe arrival and while she's at it could throw a couple of pasties in for the trip.

But shipping snow reminds me of a several year tradition that Bob Olson used to speak of on the radio. Anyone remember where MTU used to ship snowballs for the annual winter snow ball fight-- If my memory serves me correctly it was somewhere in Texas, but I just can think of it. It was in the early to mid 70's when this was an MTU tradition--

Michele,
Pasties! My father would love that! He's a 1954(55?) grad of MTU and talks about Pasties ALL the time. We don't have anything even close to that in the south. Just possum stew! Just a little southern humor thrown in there. hahah
I don't think she has room in her car for even a snowball. Drat. I'll just settle for her safe return.

Thanks for another shot of the Kearsarge ship. Love that boat! Played there as a kid, and my kids did too. A unique part of the Keweenaw!

yah, there's another one o' dem ships in centennial heights! yoosta live by dere!

More Yooper kids having fun the way kids are s'posed ta! I'm guessin' more of kids around the North country play outside than the ones in the 'burbs. Ahhhh! Fresh air... they'll always remember what it's meant to smell like!
I do!!
On those rare occasions when the air is fresh (and I live beyond the edge of the 'burbs) the joke is "there's a leak in the Fresh Air Factory"!! Not so funny, really.
To quote-- smf in Troll Land-- "Oh, to be a kid again"

IN THE UP, OF COURSE!

Great picture, Chris!

The shadows look long in the second photo...Perhaps it was late afternoon and those roses in the cheeks are from a long day at play? Good time to hitch a ride on the scoop.

I "sacrificed" my yooper scooper to my niece. I hope she takes good care of it. Never got to use it so it has "no miles" on it-- yet!

Speaking of shipping snowballs to Texas, Robert Wetton sent me this article from the company newsletter when he worked for North Central/Republic here at CMX in Hancock. Robert said he personally helped load several shipments over the years!

Sank alot of passing car's and truck's from that ship, while mom and the aunt's were grocery shoppin right there, then lunch and a milk shake from the Hut. In 1968, that ship could really move!

Our thanks to the folks at Silver Bear Manufacturing for their support of Pasty Central over the years. If you're looking for a great gift for someone who lives in snow country, try a roof rake or snow scoop from Silver Bear.

By the way, I am posting this message from Great Sand Bay, sitting in my Ford Explorer, looking out over the waves. Just testing our Pasty.NET broadband signal, which is working great! I will shoot a little video of the Lake, then hurry home to Eagle River where I can plug in the camera to upload the clip. Check back later!

Alright Charlie, make us all jealous! we'd all love to be at the great sand bay, what a job, need any help, I'll work cheap!

Two great memories- passing that old ship on the way to Mohawk for church and playing with the yooper scooper! Those were the days! We have had quite a snowfall here in Cleveland between yesterday and today. Ohioans can't handle it like those yoopers can! One flake and they freak out! Hey UC!

I heard that the CCC or WPA made these 'ships' as well as the fountains near the Canal road south of calumet on the NW side of the peninsula...anyone know if that's true?

I love my snow scoop! But I found the hard way that you can't use it in the summer to move large boulders. The front strip where the metal hits the asphalt will bend. It still works well, just wont move the bottom two inches of white stuff.

The ship looks like WW One vintage. Or maybe the Spanish-American War. Anyone know?

Someone said school was closed up there yesterday? I tho't school NEVER closed for the weather!

I'm wondering how the snow ever reached Texas if they used Braniff Airlines?? My wife (Dr. Nat) recalled one and only flight she took on Braniff where the service was lousy, the food was terrible, and most everyone got sick on the flight from the food/turbalance (kinda reminds one of a certain movie from the 80's, don't you think)? :)

Ahh the Kearsarge; many a day playing on that old ship. We still wonder to this day how fast the Captain was going when he hit land???? ;-)

ric, WI
I heard the same thing too. There used to be a fountain on the Trimountain corners built by the WPA. It is now located in front of the South Range Community Hall. My Grampa worked for the WPA and they built the swimming pool at Jeffers High School.

I REMEMBER VISITING MY GRANDPARENTS AND GETTING TO PLAY ON THE ROCK BOAT. THEN MY CHILDREN GOT TO PLAY YEARS LATER. A FEW YEARS DOWN THE LINE IT WILL BE MY GRANDCHILDREN WITH THEIR PICTURES TAKEN ON THE ROCK BOAT. ANY OF MY FRIENDS THAT GO TO THE KEWEENAW MUST HAVE THEIR PICTURE TAKEN ON THE BOAT. I HAVE A NICE SELECTION GOING. I WAS TOLD THAT MY UNCLE'S HELPED GATHER ROCK'S OR HELP BUILD THE BOAT. SO THERE IS SOME HISTORY WITH THE BOAT. TO ME THAT IS THE FIRST SIGN THAT YOUR IN THE KEWEENAW. ALWAY'S LOOK FORWARD TO THE SIGHT OF IT.

Correct it was built by the WPA in the 1930's.

Hi:

My friend and I played on that ship all through our growing-up years in the late 30's and 40's. They also would have traveling movies on the hill behind that site. We would sit on the ship until the miners would come off their shifts and we would know it was 11 p.m. and time to go home. What happy memories!

I played on the ship whenever we went to see my grandma in Wolverine. She lived right on the hill south of the ship in the little brown house on the right side of the highway. Brings back a lot of good memories.

There was another rock boat at Mesnard. You can still see the pile of rocks. They also had a beer mug and an icecream cone which have completely toppled.

I grew up in Kearsarge, so I got to play on the ship many times. Oddly though, my most vivid memory of the ship is hitting my head on the "gun" part---Somehow it was always in my way and I always ended up getting hurt. I always tried to be so careful but was not always successful!!! I must have been just the wrong height. Was quite short all my childhood.

Chris---I have some pictures stored from my digital camera of your two youngest girls if you'd like to see them. let me know!

The pics really make me miss the UP. We lived in Menominee from 1983-85 and I loved it but my wife, from Virginia, needed more sun and less cold so now we are in the TExas panhandle in Lubbock where I work at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in the School of Medicine.

Treasure what y'all have in the UP. It is priceless and you are so lucky.

Regards,

Jim Watters

Wow this is so cool!!! I was brought up in Copper City and Calumet and I will always remember climbing all over the boat and it brings back so many memories of my younger years. I now live in lower Michigan. But will return soon. And when I do I will get a picture of my kids on it. Thank you.

Jeff Kalember, I've always known that you're a Yooper through & through, even with all of your years in Troll-land. The Yooper scooper just proves it. It makes me want to put on my "swampers" and toque and make tunnels in the snow banks in Ewen. Merry Christmas!