Lakeside nostalgia--guest blogger Jennifer Mathews-Santulli

We have sold our cottage in Lakeside, but are leasing it for the final summer.  The air conditioning died 2 weeks ago, and is being installed today ( for new owners, of course).  It feels different, of course, especially since several in our neighborhood haven't returned due to illness, or busy schedules "back home" (usually doctors' appointments and grandchildren's activities).  I noticed this very nice nostalgia piece on Jennifer's Facebook post today.  I knew her mother--and perhaps I knew Jennifer when she was a little girl playing in Perry Park which was near her parents' house and the first cottage we rented back in 1974. She gave permission to repost it here, so enjoy a peek back.

"It was very hot and humid all day yesterday. Portable A/C units blasting all day… for the relief of it in a few rooms in the cottage. It is nothing fancy but we love it that way… it’s like going back in time to Mayberry… you don’t have to lock up your bikes in the park… chances are, if you forgot it last night… it will still be there in the morning. Right where you left it. Unless some kid took it on a late night joy ride… and it will be discovered 4 blocks away discarded after the fun. Some neighbor will recognize it from a lost bike sign and you’ll go pick it up. Last night, I listened as I heard the American flag start to flap… after dropping heavy and low thru the heat of yesterday. It’s a welcome change and you snuggle in tight with a smile. You know that the northeast winds have blown in and will chase the thick humidity away leaving a crisp chilliness. Great sleeping weather. Perfect for reading on the porch.. or taking a nap. Everybody is out riding bikes and golf carts… kids racing, cousins reunited, birds and squirrels chirping and scurrying for seeds and bugs. Rushing to or from summer jobs up here… or out to pick up some forgotten BBQ or picnic supplies.

 
In my opinion, this is some sort of surreal little pocket of heaven which I have been so lucky to be a part of all these years of my life. Again, unlike the new trend of leveling the older cottages and rebuilding up newer versions of themselves, our place is almost still original, save the shower updates in which my mother had the beloved Victorian tubs hauled away… and kitchen updates years ago… but the memories we have made in this place echo in my heart and mind all thru these years. I had first loves in this place, and brought my fresh faced new fiancé here. I nursed and rocked my babies under the moonlight rocking on vintage white wickers… until they snoozed back in bed. I taught my 3 girls how to ride their bikes or paint rocks or sing Bible school songs here. We experimented with food options and became instant chefs for only our people here. I walked dogs by the beloved great Erie lake shore here in the day and nighttime, being leery of running into midnight “friends” of the skunks or raccoons. I have stood face to face with a deer or coyote in the predawn’s light going down to the lake front. What a thrill… I had late night boat rides with old boyfriends… watching the bobbing lights on the nearby Islands… that feeling of being so young and free… and alive. I am still friends with many of these people still today… it doesn’t matter how different our lives are or have taken us… we all share that “Lakeside Bond” that does not seem to break. That’s what is so great about old friends and most especially up here.

 
I have met celebrities while being a young waitress across from the concert venue… serving them food and having the opportunity to chat awhile. And experiencing the MAGIC of hearing them play in that great and unique auditorium.. something so intimate and “back in the day” that never goes away. Magical nights when the wind turns during a program and gusts welcomed breezes to the performers.. sometimes bringing them to change their intended set list to something more intimate. Including the audience because they feel Lakeside’s spell, too.

Conversely, I have nursed my dying mother here in this cottage… watching her great light fade away slowly while secretly begging God for a miracle so she could stay awhile longer in this place… my 3 girls spread around her holding her hands and whispering gratefulness for what she had brought to us in this place… a second mother to them really… after my sad divorce. What memories we share singing and reading and taking walks and telling stories. . . playing cards games or “chicken foot” dominoes with their Nana.

 
And now I am caring for my elderly Pop. He’s still kicking it but very frail. Still hanging on. We go back and forth some . . . he’s much grumpier than my mom ever was but still . . .  he’s my dad and I love him. He took me fishing off his wooden Lyman boat.. we caught two at a time on perch double hooks. I got many a suntan on that boat . . .  while my dad and my brother fished. We drove to Canada to Pelee island and bought our English tea cups and woolen wear counting our Canadian coin change.

 
So many memories . . .  such a different life than my other 10 months of teaching in a Title One school in an Atlanta suburb. I love Lakeside for all it has given to me and my family. It always goes by too fast… And I will never forget it.

Three years ago in Finland

It seems like ages, but it was July 2006 and we were visiting our friends in Helsinki. I was desperate for something to read, so I bought a Time magazine. According to my blog

"I paid 4 euros (about $5.00) for 52 pages of Time, 19 of which were photos of the World Cup. Photos I can figure out in Finnish. Five pages were devoted to bashing the "Bush Doctrine." No mention or credit for liberating the Iraqi people from a cruel dictator; no credit for identifying North Korea within months of taking office as part of the Axis of Evil; no mention that his neo-con advisors are former Democrats; or the 500 WMD that have been found; that the Iraqi people have voted in free elections. Although Bush has always acknowledged we were in for a long battle against Islamic terrorists, when he reiterates this, the MSM seems to think it is a victory for their side.

So what does Time recommend? Some Truman era reruns. They don't mention how extremely unpopular Truman was his second term--I think he was lower in the polls than Bush. Another article by Jos. S. Nye, Jr. pined nostalgically for the days of FDR and containment. Tell that one to the Estonians and the millions of other east Europeans who died in the Gulags waiting for the Americans to come and free them. Sixty years ago we sold out 40 million East Europeans to the USSR; let's not repeat that mistake by selling out the Iraqis."

I'm pining for the Bush era; I should have been more grateful. Maybe the press bashed him, but unemployment was 4.5%, the economy was booming, the magazines were fat with advertising, there were 20 houses for sale in Lakeside instead of 60, and the capital wasn't full of socialists.

Lakeside 2008 Nostalgia

That’s one of the big selling points of a Lakeside vacation--nostalgia. A return to a simpler, easier, less stressful time--sort of time travel in reverse. We began renting in 1974 and bought our cottage in 1988, 20 years ago. Believe me when I say, the Lakeside of today is not that of 20 years ago, and especially not 35 years ago, despite the 19th century cottages you might see. That quiet piece of Americana is a figment of our imagination; Lakeside’s what city people think small towns are today, and what small town people seem to remember of the place where they grew up. I grew up in two small towns and I remember outhouses, hand pumps in kitchens, linoleum rugs, kerosene stoves, and basements with dirt floors. Trust me, you don’t want that!

There were a handful of cottages selling in the $40,000 range in the late 80s, but they did need work. When we started renting in the 1970s, if there were comparable houses in Lakeside and Columbus, the Columbus house would cost more; by the late 80s, a Lakeside house of comparable size and modernity would cost more because many people were investing in second homes creating a demand.

Our first rental was an upper unit in a four-plex and cost $45 a week in 1974. We had a porch and I could see the lake and the children playing the park. That unit has now been combined with the one next to it and rents for about $1200 a week, but the view of the Lake is still there.

What I remember about Lakeside of the early 1970s is that renewal and upgrades were beginning. There was a gasoline crisis (in 2007 dollars it was higher than today), long lines at gas stations, and people were turning to places closer to home for vacations. At Lakeside, property owners were starting to straighten the foundations, replace moldy wall board, paint the cottages, and install an additional half bath under the stairs or in a closet, and maybe a ceiling fan. A few people had telephones, televisions and AC, but not many. Bicycles were old clunkers. I remember stopping by the Fountain Inn to watch a few minutes of a Soap Opera---many others were doing the same. Our unit didn’t even have a radio, I don’t think the vacuum cleaner worked, and the kitchen made me ill--couldn’t cook in it until about Wednesday.

By the 1970s, the large cafeteria eating places and boarding houses had disappeared because most cottages had kitchens, and government regulations put most of them out of business. But today’s "old timers" remember that Lakeside. If they are nostalgic for standing in line in the sun or rain to eat, it must be for the prices. But in the 1970s and 1980s the Hotel Lakeside served 3 nice meals a day, and it was lovely to eat in the dining room and look at the water. We really miss that, but the Association doesn’t seem to be able to hire a company that can make that work.

A huge difference I see today over the 1970s are the activities for children and family groups. When my children were little, there was bike riding, swimming, fishing, sailing lessons, hanging out with friends, a game of tennis if you could get a court, a playground, miniature golf and shuffleboard with adults, and story hour on Saturday at the Women’s Club. There was no children's beach; no kiddie pool. Now there are so many programs for kids in arts, crafts, music, sports, and spiritual life, I couldn’t even begin to count them. I think it reflects our need to schedule our lives or face panic. No child at Lakeside could possibly whine, “There’s nothing to do.” Programming for adults has more variety too, from nature walks, historical tours, wellness programs, and exercise routes as well as the usual lectures and Bible studies.

A number of things have disappeared from the Lakeside we first knew in the 1970s: The lakefront got chewed up in the high water period of the 60s and 70s, huge boulders were brought in to protect the property, then the water receded so the view is very different; old clunky bikes are all but gone--mine is 40 years old and has 28 year old tires, but it’s a rarity; boom boxes of the 1990s--all the kids have I-pods now; dress-up clothing--women are wearing shorts and baseball caps to Sunday services in the auditorium, and I’ve seen more butt-cracks on men in baggy cargo pants than anyone should be subjected to; the payphone-- everyone talks on cell phones; cigarettes--I rarely see a smoker in Lakeside, not even the litter; fixer-up cottages--you probably won’t find one if you’re hoping for a bargain--you’ll need to fix one up that was remodeled in the 80s; healthy weight--maybe it’s the baggy clothes but I’m guessing the average Lakesider is 30-40 lbs heavier than 35 years ago, although some still jog and the Raccoon Run is still popular; antique shops--I think there were four in the early 1970s--fun for browsing; automobiles are slowly moving to remote parking--there are more and more streets with yellow lines; fewer big name programs--in the past we’ve seen Pat Boone, Shirley Jones, Emmylou Harris, and others--now programming is more family oriented and few are extra charge--Eleanor Roosevelt actually visited right here where I’m sitting in 1940.

What’s here now that we didn‘t have then: modern kitchens; beautiful bathrooms; many new homes; more open porches; lavish flower gardens and decorating; The Rhein Center is now 10 years old--it’s been a wonderful addition for arts and crafts; lakefront church services--I think those started in the 90s; ATM machine; credit cards; Wi-Fi; cable TV; the current lovely lakefront Pavilion was built in 1988--we never saw the original one, only the horrid 1950s “modern” version; golf carts are everywhere; over 30 cottages have been redesigned or designed new by my husband--something we would have never anticipated in the 1970s when we first came through the gates.

What hasn't changed: the sunsets and sunrises; summer love; lines for ice cream; getting together with friends and neighbors you haven't seen for a year; beautiful Lake Erie; picnics in the park.

Other nostalgia since the gate fee was ten cents, with a few highlights of the season:

1873: Lake Shore Christian Home becomes Lakeside Company
1874: Lakeside dedicated, 5,000 people attend the program
1890: Francis E. Willard, of WCTU is speaker
1895: Susan B. Anthony lectures; Governor William McKinley is speaker
1901: Lorado Taft lectures on art; Gen. Booth, founder of Salvation Army is speaker
1921: Fisk Jubilee Singers; Lutheran Chautauqua begins
1922: William Jennings Bryan
1924: Dr. E. Stanley Jones
1929: Billy Sunday preaches to 5,000
1934: Amelia Earhart speaker; Lowell Thomas--reserved seats $.25
1936: Mary McCleod Bethune speaker
1939: Last run of the Northern Ohio Electric Railway between Toledo and Marblehead
1940: Eleanor Roosevelt visits Lakeside
1940s: Gov. John W. Bricker led a Bible class
1950: Robert Taft teaches Bible Class
1951: Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
1956: Marian Anderson sings; first Lakeside Art Show
1954: Island View platted; J.C. Penney teaches a Bible class
1965: Al Hirt, Jazz trumpeter; William Warfield; Mike Douglas; season pass $25
1970: Norman Vincent Peale
1972: Doc Severinson in concert
1973: Roger Williams plays; Lionel Hampton orchestra
1974: The Bruce family rents on Plum for their first visit to Lakeside
1975: Barby Bright and Jane Aigler open an art store
1981: Fred Waring
1982: Victor Borge
1983: Douglas Edwards, CBS News; Norman Vincent Peale
1984: Four Freshmen perform
1985: The Osmonds; Ray Charles; Duke Ellington Orchestra; Dale Evans
1989: Emmylou Harris; season pass: $175
1991: Shirley Jones (there was a storm and the power failed--the show went on with a generator)
1993: Four Lads; Four Freshmen
1996: Four Aces, Four Lads;
2002: The Turtles; Gaelic Storm
2003: Crew Cuts; Gary Puckett; season pass: $335
2005: Russ Taff; Phil Keaggy
2006: CeCe Winans; season pass $395
2008: John Davidson; Capitol Steps; Sandi Patti; season pass $435


19th century restored Lakeside cottage with landscaping

4025

Reuniting before the nursing home

This morning the local PBS had the fund raiser running with the 50s doo-wop groups. How long before the current reunion tours end up at the state fairs, then the PBS fund raisers, and finally Lakeside? Today's Plain Dealer listed a few on the nostalgia (i.e. money) bandwagon.

Police
Genesis
Spice Girls
Raspberries
Eagles (got an early start on this in the 90s)
Fleetwood Mac
Smashing Pumpkins
Crowded House
Squeeze

Drug problems, big egos, stealing and womanizing usually break these groups up, and love of money and dimming memories bring them back together to play for audiences who want to reconnect with a time in their lives which they recall as less complicated.

Eric Carmen, singer guitarist of the Raspberries was quoted, "There's something about being in a band. It's like being through a war with someone. . . it's a powerful thing."

3655

Old trucks are popular

I saw this old Ford parked between cottages at Lakeside yesterday. Seems to be in the middle of restoration.


Then at Florida Cracker (a librarian), I saw this truck, apparently new, for about $58,000, made by Southern Motor. But you can choose your color.

1624 The Nose Knows

People born after 1970 probably have a sense of smell influenced by air fresheners and scented candles. But my nose can track a memory of home or people at a slight whiff. Yours too, if you think about it. Here's my list. What's yours?

My mother.
Fresh baked apple sour cream pie, and cinnamon bread hot from the oven on a Saturday evening
Coty Face powder.

My dad.
Fuel oil and gasoline being pumped.
After-shave--I think it might be Mennen.

High school days.
Any Prince Matchebelli cologne
New text book when opened the first time.

World War II.
Anything that smells like the San Francisco/Oakland Bay area in smog and fog.
Desert air in a Ford with the windows down.

Trail rides in the country.
Any barn with some fresh horse manure and leather smell from the tack room
Inside of a truck used to transport horses--old clothes, food wrappers, etc.

Ogle County Illinois fair.
Cotton candy
root beer.

My oldest son.
Avon baby oil

Pine or fir trees.
Any Christmas before 1993 when we got an artificial tree
White Pines State Park

Summers at my mother's farm.
Fresh produce from the garden
Laundry from a clothes line

Manchester College, Indiana
Stinky drinking water with iron(?) deposits
Instant coffee made with hot tap water

My daughter.
Safari cologne
Doctor's office

My son.
Stale cigarettes
Large Dogs

My son-in-law.
Tommy cologne for men