Aimee's Photos

I was the most fascinated by our stop at the Pine River Museum in Tustin. Seeing tangible pieces of history members of the community have donated made everything else we heard about real. Listening to Peggy tell so many stories during our tour reminded me of my grandmother; they both try to help people understand and appreciate what they come from. I am still amazed by how cedar fans are made even after watching Mr. Van Antwerp create one. The process really is magic!

Overall, I thought the cultural tour of Tustin was a success. My expectations for our level of interaction with the locals were far surpassed. We actually were able to ask questions to each person and they were all friendly and willing to share information with us. I was impressed by the amount of pride in his or her trade each person possessed. The emphasis at each place was on family connection. Each person mentioned either learning their trade, inheriting their business from a relative, or being positively influenced by a relative. This trend of carrying such meaningful traditions seems harder to find in bigger towns.

 

At the sawmill Mr. Holmes cautioned us to be careful where we stood and to watch out for flying saw teeth. This is a picture is the wall directly opposite of the saw blade; it bears a similar warning and even had saw teeth embedded in the wood!

 

It is hard to believe this is how each intricate looking cedar fan begins like this, a chunk of cedar log in Mr. Van Antwerp's driveway.

 

Mr. Van Antwerp was modest about his skills with wood, but gladly explained to us how his grandfather picked up the cedar fan carving in a lumberjack camp.

 

Peggy helped us enjoy Tustin's heritage by showing us the Pine River Museum and offering us some delicious Swedish no-name cookies.

 

In the museum, a number of items gave us evidence that people in Tustin used to enjoy jokes with a Swede as the punch line, such as this "Swedish Pistol," and the "Swedish Rocking Chair," with the rockers on sideways.

 

At Powell's Grocery the back room where Papa Jack’s famous jerky is made, is lined with shelves like this full of tools and spices such as real maple sugar used to make tasty meat products.

 

Mitchell, a member of our team, holds up the finished carved cedar fan, minutes after it was removed from boiling water and expertly "feathered."

 

Hoaglund's Hardware has been in the same family for over 65 years and the building used to be a bank!

 

At the saw mill Mr. Holmes propped up finished boards against wall of the saw bin where the excess sawdust is collected, next to the basketball hoop his sons used to use.

 

Inside, Powell's Grocery is a modern convenience store, selling special fudge (which is delicious), jerky, and other well-known Michigan products.

 

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