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On the north side of Sharpe Road, between Cemetery and Owosso Roads, a very healthy, if maybe somewhat overgrown, crabapple tree is laden with ripening fruit. The early morning sunshine absolutely glowed off the red, smooth skin of the apples.

Pumpkin Fun Facts

Fall is just around the corner, and with that comes huge pumpkin patches in and around Fowlerville. Just so you know, here are some pumpkin facts.

Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
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Pumpkin flowers are edible.
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Pumpkins are 90% water.
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Pumpkins are used for feed for animals.

Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack.

Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.

In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.

The name "pumpkin" originated from "pepon," the Greek word for "large melon."

Pumpkins contain potassium and vitamin A.

So enjoy eating pumpkin as well as carving it.

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The squints shots may look a little bit different for the next month or so. I'm going to experiment a bit. What that means to you, my wonderful readers, is I will be heading down the less traveled road . . . at least for me. I will be either taking a different route into the village, or finding a different way to run my errands and deliveries, or going a bit out of my way back home. Hopefully I will be able to snap a few pictures on my roads less-traveled and those will become my squint shots. This picture and two more upcoming over the next two days were taken as I slowly made my way on the unpaved portion of Sharpe Road between Cemetery and Owosso Roads.

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Check out yesterday's squint shot -- but now "treat yourself to the best."

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Before fresh strawberries disappear completely, try this . . .

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Wash some strawberries, put them in a bowl, pour some good balsamic over them, and bring them out to the pool or the patio to nibble on. A healthy, seasonal, delicious snack!

Perfect for that last little summer fling before school starts.

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I've sometimes considered myself a shy person, that is . . . until I would really like something. Then I go into overdrive. Today's squint shot is a perfect example of that. I have noticed this old, somewhat taken-care-of barn, in my travels to and from town. But it wasn't until recently that I spotted the advertisement on the west side of the barn. After trying to get a shot of it from angles other than from Grand River, I had pretty much given up. Until . . . the other day. During the recent EasyRiders event (be sure to check out all four articles), a very nice couple maintained a vegetable stand in front of the house on the property of this barn. Thinking they might be the owners, I came to a screeching halt and parked along the apron of the road, dodged a ton of traffic to cross a very busy Grand River, and pleaded my case. I was directed to the barn where the actual owner of the house and barn was working on his car. Whew . . . all of that said and done . . . he was more than happy to allow me to photograph the side of his barn. So, today's squint shot shows the upper part of the side, and tomorrow's will show the entire side.

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We live in an agricultural community and this sight is not unusual. But, oh, when you come upon it, that machine towers over all else.

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1861-1865 In Memory of John Gilluly Post No 114 and Woman's Relief Corps No 22, Erected June 10, 1923. I have tried doing a bit of research on why and how this rock and plaque came to reside at the northeast corner of Second and Grand River Avenues, but to no avail. Anyone with information?

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The Fowlerville Rotary Club was instrumental in putting together Centennial Park along with the bricks I've been showing you the last 30 plus days. There will be more bricks placed in the park -- those that had been ruined by vandals a few years back. Be sure to look for those in the very near future.

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The last 30 plus days have shown all the bricks surrounding this lovely spruce tree. When you have a chance, take a walk in Centennial Park. It is a peaceful and healthy thing to do!

Funny Farm

EasyRiders Day 3

It could be the economy, or it could be the specter of colder weather, or it could be any myriad of reasons . . . but the numbers seem to be down for this year's EasyRiders. Oh, there are unusual bikes, such as this flag-painted tank . . . Or this orange and yellow flames custom bike, but . . . Rows upon rows of bikes were not evident. By noon on Saturday, there was only this one long row of day visitors, whereas in previous years, the field is full all weekend long. Tonight's weathermen are calling for mid-50s temperatures. That may not bode well for the usual high-jinx for the final night of festivities, but, without a doubt, there will be fun times at the fairgrounds.

Snack-urday 130

Instead of a recipe, how about a little bit of information today from my favorite reference site.

Fact of the Day: Mustard is a herbaceous plant originating in the Mediterranean. Of the numerous species of mustard, several have edible leaves, some produce edible oil, and a few provide seeds which are used to make the condiment of the same name. The seeds contain myronate and myrosin, which release a volatile and piquant essence when crushed in the presence of water, giving mustard its distinctive flavor. The condiment made from mustard seeds can be flavored with tarragon, garlic, mixed herbs, horseradish, honey, chili, paprika, or fruit.

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Three last bricks:

Crampton Greg Leslie Les Andy Amy,

To God Be The Glory, and

Crampton Electric Company Incorporated 1984.
The end.

EasyRiders Day 2

Friday morning, early, eyes barely focusing . . . but I am on my way to the fairgrounds to help crack a gazillion eggs in preparation of Saturday and Sunday's Fowlerville Rotary Breakfast to be offered at the EasyRiders event. And this is what greets me at the corner of Nicholson and Grand River. But once in the fairgrounds, it brings to mind a "tent city" since it is too early for anyone to be selling anything and too early for anyone digging through their wallet for a purchase.It was quiet, and actually a little bit eerie.But, by the time I along with a few other Rotarians had cracked upwards of 2,000 eggs and I left the 4H kitchen, the place was coming alive. Merchandise was going on display . . . the rich, heady smell of real leather wafting by me. And the glittering rainbow of colors of beads caught my eye at every turn. Oh, how I love shiny things. But, I saw this Harley pig rider and actually had to backtrack a couple steps. So even a big, bad, strong Harley rider needs his comfort level . . . ah-h-h-h. Oh, and there aren't just motorcycles here. Check this out. The fellow quickly jumped off his "bar stool" and allowed me to snap as many pictures as I wanted to.

Be sure to come back tomorrow . . . I'll post more pictures. Maybe even some of the most outrageous motorcycles I can find.

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A couple more squint shots, and we have circled the tree . . .

Three bricks:

Charles R. Brigham Family,

Chris Porter, Clay Porter, Cassie Porter, and

"Big Al" Devellis 1928-1996.

EasyRiders Roll Into Town

The EasyRiders group has arrived in Fowlerville. If you hadn't noticed by the huge trailer expounding their event, you might have wondered about all the trailers and motor homes working their way through town. But the biggest clue? All of the riders on their motorcycles, turning west on Grand River from the main four corners, heading toward the fairgrounds. It has been like a parade, an exhaust musical of potato-potato-potato. (If you're not sure what I mean, listen the next time a Harley-Davidson motorcycle goes by you. What do you hear? Potato-potato-potato.)

Today, at noon sharp, the admissions booth opened their gate and thus began the trek into the fairgrounds, participants setting up their campsites, and proud owners showing off their motorcycles.

Between now and Sunday afternoon, the fairgrounds will be filled.

The Fowlerville Rotary Club will be serving breakfast to attendees both Saturday and Sunday mornings, from 7 am til about 11. Breakfast includes a ham/egg/cheese scramble, pancakes, biscuits and sausage gravy, milk, oj, and coffee. All for the mere price of $7 per person. And you can come back for seconds.

I'll be there serving breakfast, but I'll also have my camera with me. I will gladly post pictures during the weekend and afterwards. So be sure to come back for a visit to check out the wild and wooly things that may (or may not) go on during the EasyRiders weekend.

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Three more bricks:
Vaupel Family, 1998,

The Allmendinger Family, and

In Loving Memory of Victor and Lillian Sessions.

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Tom & Besse Woods Drug Store 23-69,

Fowlerville News & Views Est. 1985, and

For Our Dad Rick Dey, You're Always in our Heart, Ted, Lori and Joel.

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Three more bricks:
Lyle/Eunice Vogt and Family,

C.F. Allen Postmaster 1939-1976, and

The Tesch Family Bill & Linda, Colette and Carmen.

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Three bricks:
Donna Cargo Warm Fuzzies You R Missed,

St. John's Ev. Lutheran 132 Benjamin, and

Kern Road Veterinary Clinic, P.C. 1993.

(I hope I have the date right for Kern -- sorry about the grass covering the name!)

Too Cute

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Just a few more days of bricks . . .
Three bricks:

Harmon Real Estate Since 1946,

The Plummer Family, and

In Memory of Glenn Carson 1920-1994 by his family.

Snack-urday 129

Here's a new kid activity and treat I've never come across before . . . paint then toast a slice of bread. Creative and healthy at the same time!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Bread
Food Coloring
Milk

Preparation: Decide how many colors you want to use and gather that many small cups. Put about 1/4 cup of milk in each cup. Using the food coloring, add a different color to each cup. Add the food coloring until you get a bright color. Now, use the paint brush and paint a picture on a piece of bread. Make sure that bread doesn't get too wet. When your picture is done, toast the bread. Now you have a master piece to eat! If you want top the toast with a bit of butter.

The picture you see at the right was done by two kids, Kaitlyn and Jacob, in Colorado.

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Two bricks:
D&N Bank (which is now Citizens), and

Lintemuth Family, Marshall and Viola, Gene & June, Dennis & Peggy.

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Some are still around and some have disappeared . . .

Three bricks:

Donald Cargo, Eunice Cargo, 061149,

Fred's Tire & Auto, and

Philomathean Club "No Victory Without Labor" 1898-1998.

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Elliotts Masonry 1987,

Tom-Evette Breningstall 131 South Street, and

In Loving Memory of Julia Ruttman, Bob & Penny Elswick.
More bricks tomorrow.

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Three more bricks:
Don & Lee, Addy & Justin Culver,

Larry Clark Family 1998, and

Krebs Family Since 1925.

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Three bricks:

Ken Rennells & Family 1973,

Nancy & Ken Porter July 5, 1996, and

In Loving Memory, Jim Fulmer.

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We are a bit over halfway looking at all the bricks in Centennial Park. Hope you are enjoying checking these out and maybe even going down a bit of memory lane.
Three bricks:

Chuck, Carol, Heidi, and Brandon Hill,

Robert and Linda Hinton 1996, and

Ruttman Family Fowlerville Land Owners since 1866.

Kisses

Paybacks are sloppy!

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Two bricks:

Fowlerville Farms Restaurant, and

Kinney Family John Sherri Shawn Joel.

Snack-urday 128

Here's a crowd pleaser from Cooks, a great website with a ton of fun recipes.

Potato Volcano

Pare 4 or 5 medium potatoes.

Cook, drain, and mash. Season with salt and pepper. Whip potatoes with enough hot milk (about 3/4 cup) to make light and fluffy. Pile into greased 8 inch round baking dish, mounding into volcano shape. Make a crater in the center. Fold 1/2 cup shredded sharp process cheese into 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped. Pour over top.

Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes, or until lightly brown. Makes 6 servings.

Sounds like a fun dish.

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And we continue with more bricks . . .
Three bricks:

Ellen T. Spagnuolo 1909-1998,

Frank Santo Spagnuolo 1936-1985, and

The Beyer Family John Illean Maryann.

More tomorrow . . .

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Three bricks:
Paul & Anne (Spagnuolo) DeRose,

Zizka-Grand Insurance, and

Brady Family, R.G.-Diana, Becky-Danny, Jill-Cindy, Jackie-Matt and Grandkids.

Websites 108

Whenever I'm putting together an article for either this blog, The Ville, or my other ones (Amuse Me or Six-Word Caption), I like to use my own photography, but once in awhile I'm at a loss. (Well, Six-Word Caption will always be work done by me . . . I just wanted to remind you of that blog.)

But when I am at a loss I head to the worldwide web for help.

There are a ton of websites online where you can get royalty-free photographs. My favorite is Inmagine. It has a search capability that gives you more choices than you could ever imagine. Even some photographs you might never have thought about.

So check it out . . . it might just help you out the next time you're looking for a unique picture to add to an article.

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Three bricks:
Fowlerville Centennial Park,

Fowlerville Women in Business, and

Bob.

So, the FWB is no longer in session and I wonder who Bob is. Anyone?

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Ron and Linda Hanna,

Joe Raica Excavating Inc since 1978, and

In Memory of Shawn White and Matthew Shafer.

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Three bricks for today's squint shot:
The Muses, Tom, Wendy, Holly & Cody,

Lloyd Horton Family, and

Judd Family, Handy Township since 1856, in memory of Hulett, Owen and Arthur.

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Only two bricks fit into this picture.

Taco Bell, and

Mister Rubbish, Serving the Fowlerville Community since 1984.

Ah-h-h-h

I wonder if the goat knows the exact pressure points for the perfect massage?

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In Memory of Emily Harmon Aug 25, 1994,

Dillingham Niblack Funeral Home, and

Linda Porter, Terry Porter, Bill, Dylan, Lindsey and Lynnette Lanaville.
Interesting how some things change. Since these bricks were placed, the funeral home has changed to be Niblack Funeral Home.

Snack-urday 127

I went in search of some new recipes to cook out over an open camp fire, and this one from Chuckwagon Diner sounds great.

Can of Ready to Cook Biscuits
1/2 c. Sugar
5 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1 Stick Butter
Green Stick or Camping Fork

Directions: Melt butter in square cake pan and keep warm. Mix cinnamon and sugar, and place in pie pan. Open biscuits and roll into long strip. Roll onto stick and hold over fire without touching flames. Cook until light golden brown. When dough moves easily without sticking, it is done. With a for, roll dough in butter, place in cinnamon sugar and roll.

Eat!

Wow, guess what I'll be doing this weekend!

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In August, we will continue showing groups of bricks until we get around to the beginning. So here are three more bricks:
Re/Max Pride,

The Rice Family 1969, and

In Honor of Loved Ones the Parkkila and Brigham Families.