This Is Your Village, Your Government

My "Update from the Village President" letter from our upcoming Village of Wolverine Lake Fall Newsletter:

A few weeks after you receive this newsletter – after several more weeks of the most negative campaign in my memory – somewhere around half of the eligible voters will select a new President of the United States. Even fewer will go down the ballot to vote for in our village council election.

We live in an age of cynicism about politics and politicians. I suppose it isn’t surprising given a news media that spends its time obsessively parading the worst of us again and again while ignoring the good among us. But it deeply worries me that so many of us feel powerless to change or improve our situation.

We are not powerless. We can improve our government, our communities, our lives.

And so first of all I say to you all: VOTE. And don’t just vote for the first item on the ballot, the Presidential election. VOTE the full ballot. Many of those officeholders down the ballot – county officials, judges, boards of education, village council – will have a much more direct effect on our community than whatever happens with the Presidential election. If you’re looking for information on these candidates the League of Women Voters of Michigan (lwvmi.org) prepares an excellent nonpartisan voters’ guide every year with statements from the candidates themselves.

But also remember that improving our government and our community doesn’t end with voting. It starts with voting.

Our village was formed by neighbors who got together to form a village government. More than sixty years later it is still a government of and by neighbors. All of us on Council, Planning, ZBA, Water Management, Park & Rec, and the Historical Committee are your neighbors. We all live here and we’re all trying to make our community better by serving in our village government.

I invite you to join us. Sitting on a board or committee isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but come on down to a meeting and find out how and why we make decisions about the village. Volunteer to help with a Park & Rec event and have fun with your neighbors and children. Help the Historical Committee to preserve our unique village history and learn about our village’s colorful past and personalities. Help with a water management board project and learn how we try to keep our lake in good shape.

And in doing any of those things you will discover that our government isn’t made up of “them.” Our government is made up of “us.” Please join us.

A lot of people fought and died to preserve our right to self-governance. Don’t let cynicism and apathy steal it from you. VOTEon Nov. 8. Then keep exercising your right to self-governance afterwards by getting involved.

Yours truly,

John Magee

Village President, Wolverine Lake

Sunset Swim and Cruise

A lovely sunset tempted Malcolm and Cledo out for a sunset swim. Henry and I headed out in the pontoon boat to keep an eye on them. Join us all for a great sunset for a swim or for a cruise:

It's hard to look like a pirate when you're wearing a rainbow-colored towel.

Thanks for coming along.

Summertime Photos: Swinging by Milford

Now comes the time on the ol' Patio Boat where I try to post a bunch of photos from the summertime, so that the non-Facebookers can see what we've been up to. A more disciplined blogger would probably do this regularly in something resembling temporal order.

You're stuck with me. So we'll start with today's expedition, a couple photos from the Milford Memories festival in downtown Milford, then a bunch of photos as the men among us made a very manly stop at the weekly Sunday Cruise at Baker's Restaurant on Milford Rd.

The shopping expedition is launched.

The shopping expedition needs to be refueled.

After that John, Henry, Malcolm, and Cledo headed to Baker's Sunday Cruise to look at a few cool cars.

Big Smokey is in the house.

Cledo approves of this Pontiac GTO.

Gran Torino.

Jaguar E-Type.

VW Bus.

Cledo with a classic Chevy.

Ford Bus.


The owner of this Gran Torino was very nice and let us have a few photo ops:

Then Henry tried to drive the car and smashed into everything. Very sad.

Chevy jet-style hood ornament.

Ford Thunderbird.

1978 Chevy Corvette Pace Car Edition (left) and a 1994 Corvette.

The French inspection ranged far afield.

Henry approves of this Mustang.

John fondly remembering his own rustbucket of an International Scout.

Cledo approves of this 'Cuda.

However, he has distinct doubts about the bumpers on this 1975 Bricklin.

This 1967 Avenger-GT Electric Vehicle is a modern electric sports car built out of a 1960s fiberglass kit car. You can learn more about it at its web site: The Avenger-GT EV:

And finally, a very tasty Chevy El Camino.

Monique doesn't approve of the El Camino's mix of car and pickup truck. ("They took a perfectly nice car and did that to it?!") But how can you not think this is tasty?

Final Straw: Unfit for Any Office

Okay, my Republican amigos. By making a public statement last night that essentially called for somebody to shoot his opponent, Donald Trump has given you permission to abandon the top of your ticket.

And if you're trying to pretend today that Trump didn't call for somebody to shoot Clinton, you're sitting here in denial trying to defend the indefensible. Go back, take a look at the video. He knows what he was saying. I know what he was saying. And you know what he was saying.

If you still support him after witnessing that, you need to take a deep look in the mirror.

I'm not going to list all the other appalling things he has said throughout this campaign here. Lord knows we're awash in them. And I get it. Those of you who have supported Trump were hoping for a Ross Perot with glamour. But set aside what you hoped for, and please stop for a minute take a good look at what you do have.

Would you hire that man for a job opening in your own organization? Any job opening?

Because if you wouldn't, why would you hire him to be President of the United States?

Do you call yourself a Christian? If so, take a good long think about what Christ would say about supporting that man.

Do you call yourself a patriot? If so, why would you support a man who has called for violating the most fundamental basis of our nation. We don't shoot each other to decide who is president. We vote.

Believe me, I understand not wanting to vote for Hillary Clinton. That's fine. Go take a look at the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. I don't agree with him on a lot of policy issues, but he's a serious man who is qualified to be President. (And as he says, if everybody who doesn't want to vote for Trump or Hillary votes for him, he'll win this election.)

The time for pretending that Donald Trump is just a garden-variety businessman turned politician has passed. Through a quirk of the primary campaign a minority of Republican voters has put a man who is grossly unfit for office at the top of the Republican ticket. I feel bad for you my Republican friends because I know it greatly pains many of you. But the time has come for you to stand up for what's right.

If you fail to do so, you're just as bad as Trump himself.

Tiki Night 2016

Another year on Wolverine Lake brought another edition of Yankee Doodle Party and Tiki Night, our lake's traditional July 3 celebration of Independence Day.

Join us for a bit of a party and fireworks!

Susan has arrived!

Lexi finds a seat in the old rowboat.

Porchside guests: Sam, Faye, Arsen, and Brigitte.

Magic Hour approaches.

Shea and Susan.

The old rowboat proved a popular destination for lots of folks, thanks to Monique's very clever padding job. Here we have Rich, Wendy, and Phil.

Emerson and Atlee watch the lighting of the Tiki torches.

Gene Matkowski's light-up flag remains a Tiki Night tradition, even though Gene sold his boat. It now rides aboard the McNutt pontoon.

It's almost time...

And now? FIREWORKS!

The Grand Finale!

After the grand finale? The petite finale: sparklers!

It was the best of times. (Hamburgers and hot dogs dropped by children.) It was the worst of times. (Noisy, noisy fireworks.) But with the party done and the fireworks noise finally fading, Katie the Beagle and Wilson could finally rest.