Aves des Amis a Paris

After getting the work done at Spartan we are back on the road. Our friends from Betty's, Tony and MaryBeth Linn, are spending the summer in Paris so we decided to stop to see them and take in the sights of the City of Lights. Imagine our surprise when we discovered they were in Paris, Michigan. Oh well, we had a great visit and really enjoyed the area. They took us to a couple of great local restaurants we never would have found on our own and showed us around beautiful Central Michigan. When you see Tony ask him what you are supposed to do when there is a red octagon sign at an intersection. The officer was very nice and since Tony has a South Dakota driver's license, even though he lived here most of his life, he got off with a smile.

MaryBeth, Tony, Jim and Nanc enjoying the great weather on the deck at Moe-Z-In where the fish basket was wonderful. Once again, meeting up with friends on the road is the best thing about our fulltiming RV lifestyle.
I told Nanc when we went on the road that I would show her the world. Here we are at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We took advantage of the rails to trails bike path that ran past the campground and had a Tour de France experience to enhance the feeling of being in Paris.

Another stop we would have missed had we not been with Tony and MaryBeth is the Shrine of the Pines in Baldwin. The shrine is a museum of rustic furniture built by Raymond Overholzer in the 1930's and 40's for the hunting and fishing lodge he operated. Everything is built of wood he salvaged after the forest had been clear cut to rebuild Chicago after the fire. He used no nails or screws putting it all together with dowels and glue. Above is a gun rack that holds twelve guns and rotates on hand made wooden ball bearings. Our guide, Virginia, was fantastic. She grew up here and knew Raymond and his wife so she offered a personal insight into his life and his work.

Above top is the main chandelier, a picture window with a one piece root frame and a day bed.

Bottom is Tony on the only chair we were allowed to try. It was very comfortable even with its twisted legs. Next is another chandelier and a small window frame.

Here is Nanc at the liquor cabinet that hid the booze around the corner in a stump. There was a slot to stack shot glasses. The background is the three hundred pound front door that swang open on pine pegs.

Here Virgina is showing a buffet that was made from a rotten log. Raymond (pictured) carved out drawers and and the top from a pine root that he carved slots into for the shelves. The pine roots look like drift wood but they have never been in the water. They were left behind when the forest was cut and when farmers moved into the area they dug them up and stood them up around their fields to make fences.

Here is a poker table. A unique feature of all the furniture is that it does not have a varnish or painted finish. Raymond rubbed maple ash into the wood to bring out the grain and produce the shining finish.

The fireplace was constructed of native stone. The chair was carved from one log and the bench was another old root. You are supposed to be able to see every letter of the alphabet in the root embedded in the chimney.

The dining room table was made from a 700 pound root. The center was rotten so Raymond carved a puzzle of seventy pieces to make the inlaid top. Like most of his pieces, Raymond caved hidden little nooks into the legs and under the table. The Shrine of the Pines is a very interesting stop that should not be missed if you are traveling near Baldwin.