Postcards from the Lake: Made In Gaylord?

The little town where I spend the summer -- Gaylord, Michigan -- had early origins in the logging industry. But some are surprised to learn that there used to be an automobile manufacturing company here in the early 1900s -- the Gaylord Motor Car Company (1911-1913). 

In the Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street, one can still see one of the original cars.

Although there were several styles of vehicles -- a convertible four-seat car for private drivers, a two-person roadster and a larger vehicle with storage space for luggage among them -- only one is in the Chamber office. It is fully restored and quite handsome.

Families who have been here at the lake for close to a century will recognize the names of some of the original trustees of the company, including those of Kramer and Shipp. (The Shipp cottage was next door to the original family cottage now owned by my cousins.)

Why a car company in Gaylord? The story is actually one that combines community spirit with a pressing economic needs. The lumber industry, which had been the backbone of the Gaylord economy, was coming to an end and the auto industry was making its early start. Fifty-three town residents raised $50,000 in a month (now about $1.35 million) to build a factory and the parts and equipment to build new cars. (The assembly plant was located near the railroad near a cemetery on Wisconsin Street, which is now the southern edge of downtown Gaylord.) 

Otsego County Historical Society

The first demonstration car was actually made in Detroit and was driven to Gaylord in 1910. The cost for one of these cars ranged from $1,000 to $1500. (The $1500 price would be equivalent to $40,910.68 in today's dollars.) It arrived in Gaylord from Detroit, on August 15, 1910, driven by the president and general manager of the Gaylord Motor Car Company. Remember -- at this time, the four hour trip from Detroit would take at least two days on the roads of the day.

Otsego County Historical Society

 By 1912, the factory had moved to Gaylord and the car had been featured at the National Auto Show, which brought orders from the national exposure. Hoping to break apart from competitors, the utility wagon had a higher road clearance, which made it useful on the more rugged roads outside cities.

But there are challenges to any new business. One big one is keeping it up and running to build your reputation before it fully maximizes its financial potential. As money ran out, it was difficult to find new investors. 

Otsego County Historical Society

Those with capital and the inclination had many investment options in this new industry. Many chose new new Ford Motor Company whose Model T sold for $550. This was less than half the price of the Gaylord vehicle. It led to the company's bankruptcy.

Otsego County Historical Society

A man named Ivan Polus in Elmira, Michigan was responsible for finding the only known Gaylord car in existence and restoring it. 

The Gaylord Motor Car Company may not have saved the Gaylord economy (which, thanks to tourism is doing quite well) but it did reveal how several forward-thinking members of the community pooled their ideas and resources to take a chance and create something new.

And these days, that thinking outside the box and looking toward new seems to be something many will be doing as we juggle the challenges we face today.

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Postcards from the Lake: Wet and Wildlife

Anyone coming to Northern Michigan over Labor Day weekend in search of the last warm, sunny days of summer would be woefully disappointed. 

Days have been cloudy at best, rainy at worst, with gale-force winds at times. It was a grand opportunity for sweatshirts and fleece. When it was calm enough to be on the porch to paint,  I took advantage!

That hasn't stopped our duck population from gathering en masse. You could see them coming in from all directions! 

This is the Quackle family, I'm quite sure. They always travel together. Mom is a beauty! 

Nor has it stopped this sweet sandpiper from exploring the beach. (At least I think that's what it is from my bird book, with its winter look. Any other ideas out there?) He was quite busy hunting for whatever food it was that he might find on the shore.

 Eddie the Eagle was in full hunt mode, too. Another fuzzy photo -- one can only crop so much!

 

Rick got a bike ride or two in and on one ended up with a flat and a problematic spare. On the way to rescue him, I saw this duo. Their fawn had hopped away before I could get a photo. (They look like statues, don't they? So still!)

But  I was rewarded on the way home. Isn't he a sweet one? 

This is a sweet little wild cat too!

My cooking exploits have involved making quarts of tomato sauce, with more to come.

We also enjoyed peach/pear/pecan crisp, thanks to a wonderful haul at the market, combined with the thoughtful gift of a neighbor (who had peach and blueberry crisp left at his door.) In both cases, I don't measure the fruit. I just cut it in chunks to fill much of my baking dish and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and juice from half a lemon topped with Ina Garten's crumble.

 I mentioned a bit of painting time. Mostly I've been working in my practice book.

But I did get that flicker painted that I saw earlier this summer. I might do him over. Pleased but not thrilled!

Meanwhile, someone has been keeping us delighted.

 She won't be so happy when she is tricked into complacency and then shoved into her carrier box for the ride home!

Postcards from the Lake: This is How We Do Weddings in Covid-Land

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the daughter of my cousin David, Heather, had been planning her wedding to Mike for about a year. There would be 200 guests, a large, lovely dinner, all the trimmings a woman might want for this special day. 

 

 Heather is the only girl in that family, pictured above with her dad and brother Joe. Because she lives in Maryland, we don't see her often but when she brought Mike to the lake last summer, shortly before they announced their engagement, we knew he had to be a special guy.

 All the plans were made. She picked out a stunning gown, did invitations, had the wedding party lined up. And then Covid came along. Regrets came to invitations and state rules didn't allow for larger gatherings. Even many of her closest family members declined the reception, which was indoors. Plans were changed. Fittings were held wearing a mask.

But Saturday she made it down the outdoor aisle on the arm of her very proud dad. 

We watched on Zoom. I guess it's the way we'll be doing a lot of events these days.

What was best of all was seeing her look so happy. 

The officiant was wonderful and the setting was beautiful. Almost-live reports from cousins after said that the weather was perfect. There were chairs spaced for those who wanted to sit while others stood at a distance and most were masked.

 

I couldn't take pix in person, but did my best with the computer monitor! This was my favorite.

And down the aisle they go!

As they left, Rick and I opened a bottle of Prosecco.

We toasted the couple and enjoyed snacks, just as we would if we were there in person.

I hope she gets to wear that gorgeous dress to her first wedding anniversary party next year!

Postcards from the Lake: Just Ordinary Days

Nothing big and overwhelming happens. Nothing awful happens. Not much happens. But life at the lake continues to be peaceful. Even Lizzie has her ying/yan thing going.

We've had some sunshine.

We've had some rain. 

And the temperature has dropped. We're seeing signs of fall and I am so not ready!

But I have to admit, the rows of goldenrod are certainly beautiful.

I've baked a bit. Love the accidental heart in the cookie!

The tomatoes are glorious! (And he tomato sauce I've made with the San Mazano's I got at the farmer's market is delicious! I'll get more next market. It's all going in the freezer for the winter.)

My walks yield surprises, like a kite stuck in the wires.

During the day, Rick works. I paint.

I almost always paint from my photos (or sketches) but I did try some painting from life. This was a quartet of acorns and my dead flowers.

 And some veggies from my farmer's market haul.

I like how this one turned out. 

I got to the post office to mail a set of Christmas (and one birthday) cards that were painted and special ordered.

In the evenings we might play a game, watch a video or read. Rick plotted out his revised bike trip.

Rick got off on his revised bike hike, this one for three days. 

Maybe the second time is the charm!

I'll miss seeing his bike by the door!

But he's having a good ride. Apart from a five hour power failure, time here has been good. I did a little painting, a little cleaning, some cooking, reading, walking... all good. And Lizzie?

She'll do what she does best -- chill out. Or, given that the days are a little chilly, warm up by the fire!

I Asked. You Answered. Blogger Survey Results

Thank you for joining in my blogger survey! I heard from more than 60 of you, both Blogger and WordPress users. Some answered all the questions, others only answered a few or had a comment about the blogger change (usually negative!) Both points of view are summarized in this (long) post.

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So, as we walk through the Blogger labyrinth, remember -- to get through, put one foot in front of another!

This post is divided into sections -- General Results, Workarounds, Resources, Comments about Blogger and WordPress Users. There's a short summary at the end.

Nine of our participants were WordPress users and their comments on the platform are included below.  WordPress must be loving this -- Seven of our participants are considering a switch to another platform. One is considering stopping blogging altogether.

I also appreciated how many of you helped problem-solve issues some brought up. Those "fixes" are listed here as well. 

(Although I didn't ask this question, there was a fairly good mix of types of blog -- life in general (which includes blogs like mine that go all over the place from family to travel -- a little bit of everything) and home and garden/how-to/info. A few have specific focus -- nature, film, books, cooking. And I might add, this is what I love about blogging -- the diversity of our community.

GENERAL RESULTS 

Age: Of those who gave their age, 35 were over 60 and 15 were between 41-60. Only a few were under 40.

Hardware: It was a pretty equal split between all participants as to what they worked on -- 16 used the laptop all or some of the time; 18 used a desktop computer and six used a tablet all or most of the time. 

Monetizing:  Only two "Blogger" bloggers monetized. (Many more mentioned how much they hated blogs with ads.)

Photos: Far and away, this is the biggest of the issues with 19 of you having trouble with a variety of issues, including uploading them, moving them about in your post or sizing them. (There's a workaround for sizing; see below.) Some of you didn't like the + and - for sizing, preferring the words large, extra large, etc. Some found it hard to delete a photo they'd placed incorrectly (see Workarounds.)  

"If you upload multiple photos and don't drop them into your post all at once (I like to add my photos at one time, but change my mind when drafting a post as to where I want to place them quite frequently), you have to scroll through your entire blog album to get back to the picture you want to add. I haven't found an easier way yet, " wrote one blogger.

Both Rita of Panoply and I have noticed glitches with photos not justifying to the center properly and having to revert to Legacy to do that. "I really don't care for the new way to download from albums on Google photos--it takes longer to search for them," Rita added. 

Karen of Living in My Valley summed up what several noted: "I don't like that you can't download a bunch of photos and then post them one at a time. As soon as you post one, they all go away!"

Double space issue: 7 -- A number of you use quotes or poetry in your posts which now come out double spaced instead of single. There is a workaround for this -- see below.

Editing or Adding Links: Only three of you had trouble with editing or adding links, although this often involved if you were participating in link parties where the party link hadn't yet posted. I find it takes more steps to add a link.

Rita of Panoply said "I used to keep my links that I frequently used in a draft version so I could easily copy and paste into my posts. It would have the main blog name captured, but not the specific post that I might link to for a party later on. In the new version of Blogger, I can’t just right click on the link and edit it. I have to go to the menu bar and do the copy of the link into it to change it now. I wasn’t real clear on that, but it is more cumbersome to do now." 

Rustic Pumpkin had the same issue: "I haven't figured out how to fix (if there is a way) is when you set up your post, and you want to link up to a party at the end, if that particular party hasn't come on line yet you can't do it."

Labels: This was a big source of frustration with nine of you commenting in depth about it. "Labels are terrible!" more than one of you said.

Line Spacing: Seven of us are having issues with the default single spacing. This mostly affects those of us who might add poetry or quotes to our posts. Rustic Pumpkin has a solution for that. See the workaround section below. 

Font Legibility and size: Two of you mentioned a change in the default font. While we can adjust that in the font section, I think it has to be done with each individual post. Does anyone know otherwise?

Accessing posts and drafts by page: Seven of you mentioned that you are frustrated by not being able to access past posts and drafts with the old page number at the top of post page. (In other words, if you wanted to see your first post ten years ago, you'd have to keep scrolling down to the bottom.)  This sure annoys me! There IS a workaround for accessing drafts -- see below.

Divers and Sundry says: "Those page numbers are a real necessity for me if I'm going to keep using blogger at all."

HTML dissatisfaction: Seven of you are not loving the new html page. I'm one of them. "I am driven totally crazy by this," wrote Mae of Mae's Food. With all the html now in one supersized paragraph, it is difficult to tell where line breaks are. And for those of us who don't use html regularly, the bunched up symbols of the code make it almost impossible to find your place to fix something.

Anno writes that on the far left of the composing toolbar, there's a pencil icon that you can click to get to an HTML editor.  In this view, you can change the ending paragraph tags that give you the double returns to tags that give you a single line break." I see that but it is so garbled that unless you know html well, you can do more damage than good trying to adjust spacing or centering. How do I know this? Been there, done that.

Dropdowns: Two of you had issues with the drop down menus but not a lot of specifics, apart from it being difficult to access your reader list because of that.

Settings Page: Three of us were not happy with the new layout of the settings page.

It's free -- Five bloggers pointed out something we should probably all remember. We're not paying a dime for this and that makes an impact on both help services (several said they never received any kind of reply to concerns to Blogger) and forces a look at what we will (or won't) put up with because we aren't paying. Or, as one commenter said: "I... found it needlessly complicated, all cons and no pros, and promptly switched back to Legacy. Will have to try again, though, eventually because I have no desire to switch to another platform."

Comment Posting is slower, clunkier -- Two of you mentioned a slowdown in comment post. 

Spam Issues: Two of you mentioned that deleting spam comments is less easy than before. (This may have to do with the icons. What's the difference between Spam and Delete? You see a trash can and know you delete it but are you deleting as spam or because of a goof or offensive but not spam comment. Again, words would be more helpful here.) Yes, we can figure it out, but it's not intuitive.

WORKAROUNDS

Line Spacing -- "Before you hit 'enter' go to the drop down menu that says 'paragraph' and select 'normal', then when you hit enter it will single space automatically. Hope this helps." (Rustic Pumpkin)

You can hit SHIFT+RTN for a single space. (Mae)

Sizing Photos -- It took me awhile to figure this out, but when you click on the photo, a bar comes up and if you click on the plus sign the photo gets larger in increments; smaller with the minus sign. Is this better? I don't know. But it does work. (Jeanie)

Accessing Spam Comments  -- At the top of the comments page, there is a drop down. You can access individual spam comments there.

RESOURCES

Linda, of Life and Linda, has made posts about some of the new blogger features on her blog and I recommend you take a look. Her comments are in this post below in the General Comments section. 

Sandra of Maison De Jardin tells us that there are a couple of groups on Facebook for Blogger users where one can join and ask questions of those who are whizzes at using HTML etc. -- a good one is KimSix Blogger Support (For Bloggers on Blogger) and another is Blogger On Blogspot. They are helpful!
 

GENERAL COMMENTS, FRUSTRATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A number of you had the "If it's broke, don't fix it" feeling like Lynne, who said, "I am open to change but if it working, why change it up?

Carol of Paris Breakfasts made an excellent point: "I think its a disaster to make major changes during Covid when people use it to communicate with family and friends."

Gayla noted: "I thought changing the backgrounds and font colors was a lot harder to navigate. But not only because everything moved... it was seriously more cumbersome to see the changes happening....I think it would be appropriate for blogger to offer a heads up on changes or even some YouTube courses to help bloggers transition." 

"One of the problems is when using it on writing some edits or updates on my published posts. Sometimes the changes does not save on mobile unlike before " Stevenson  Que

"I don't get why when I click on a blog in my feed it takes me to a page that asks if I wanted to go to the blog or go back to previous page ( which doesn't work anyway). Well duh if I didn't want to read posts I wouldn't click on it." Regina

Linda from"Life and Linda" is known to many as the Fairy Blogmother and has helped more than a few bloggers out of some serious problems. As New Blogger has started testing, she's posted on changes.

Linda also added: "It would be better if people learned to resize their photos before uploading them. Better for loading time and also taking up your space on Blogger."  

She says that New Blogger is "more responsive and better for SEO (search engine optimization). People are always saying WordPress is better. You can make big money on Blogger, a free platform. I know many bloggers using Blogger and making six figures. WP can be easily hacked, it is just as secure as Blogger." 

"I blog for my own amusement, I am not amused by the new blogger , kicking and screaming into it, or dumping my blog altogether, the new blogger has made me cranky. It is awkward, inefficient, troublesome, cumbersome and not at all blogger friendly. I tried it , threw up my hands and went back to legacy which is preferable in all respects," says Linda Sue of Lady Margaret's Curlers.

One of the more distressing results of this survey is how many of you feel quite discouraged and are considering stopping blogging altogether. 

"I am planning to leave Blogger. I read Sept. 1 is the deadline for the current format.... I'm sad about it, it's been a rich experience, especially connecting with people like you. And actually meeting some Bloggers live," said Rita of Sketchbook Wandering. "It's opened up some doors for me locally. I wouldn't mind change if it were user friendly." 

 

"I've been blogging less since the change," said Thelma.

Others are thinking of migrating to WordPress.  "I have been thinking about creating a new blog on Wordpress just mainly a photo one with limited comments," says Dorothy of The Frog and the Penguin

WHAT DO WORDPRESS USERS SAY

Our WordPress friends aren't having to deal with this but it's useful to hear what they say about their own platform. It's not without its issues, too. You might find it encouraging!

Pam of Everyday Living says she does pay for WordPress but "I constantly have issues."

Sandra of Le Maison De Jardin says:  "While I consider myself to be new at this entire arena, it seems as though I will never catch up. I am a Word Press user and I do pay. Word Press has issues that seem difficult for me to work around - line spacing, photos. I have had issues with photos disappearing.

 

Grechen Joanna of Gladsome Lights says: "I pay for my WordPress account - I switched from Blogger about eight years ago because at the time they seemed to ignore anyone who didn't have GooglePlus. I was tired of everything being Google, and fighting with the program.  WordPress recently made big changes that made lots of its users mad, but I was able to keep my Classic Editor. I am really glad I switched, and always have been. I don't monetize."

Bella Rum of What's She Thinking said:  I'm on free Word Press, and I don't monetize. I hate change and I'm over 60."

Gigi of Gigi Hawaii tells us "I pay WordPress $96 per year for 13 GB of space. When that is used up, I will have to delete old photos in my media library so I can post new photos. If I don't do that, then I will have to pay $300 per year for 187 more GB space. I wish I had chosen Blogger to begin with, as it is free for most bloggers. "

Carol of Comfort Spring says "I blog on WordPress and pay for a host to house my blog on their server. I can tell you a few years ago WordPress introduced a totally new format to the blogging and I hated it. They issued a plug-in that makes it old WordPress and I've been using it ever since. I've never tried Blogger and can't compare. I sometimes wonder if it is better - it's very popular. Good luck!"

 Two WP bloggers wrote some lengthier comments that may be helpful for those considering a switch:

Shoreacres (Lagniappe and The Task At Hand) said she came to Blogger, hated it and has been happy with WordPress ever since. "I do pay for the no-ads feature, and for a custom URL on Lagniappe, which also provides more storage space than I'll ever use. WP is rolling out a new editor, which I'm now using on Lagniappe and soon will switch to on The Task At Hand. I thought it was complicated at first, but I've begun adapting, and I think it will be fine. .... it's quite user friendly, and the support is stellar."

"I've noticed a few people saying they don't want to move to WP because they don't want to pay. There's no need to pay, unless you have specific issues, like a desire to monetize your blog, or you're posting gazillions of photos. The free version (which I use for The Task at Hand) provides 6 GB of storage, and I've only used a tiny fraction of that after ten years. Some people don't crop/resize their photos before posting on the blog, and that eats up space fast. I never post anything larger than 2100xwhatever, and usually stick with 1600 x 1100 or so. It makes a difference.

Also: I don't monetize and never will. It's worth the $30/year to keep the ads away. There are a number of blogs I simply stopped reading because the presence of the ads was so irritating. One or two's ok, but when they're scattered all around, it's not.

Another thought: you mentioned trying to find posts. The WP editor is a gem. You can sort posts by published/draft, and search either one by date, topic, or keyword. If you think, "Didn't a post about lilies one time?" you can find it in a flash. Or, if I want to bring up all my Christmas posts, I can do it.

Also: in the WP editor, you have the ability to post verse properly -- however you like. You also can paste from text, so if you want to replicate the form from another source, you can do that.

Spam comments always are available, until you delete them yourself. Also, tags and categories are easily accessible, both through settings and for individual posts.

I know, I know -- I sound like an evangelist. But there's so much to love about WP, and with the new editor they've provided, it will be even better. (This, from a naturally resistant to change sort!)

Arti pf Ripple Effects says:  "When I first started blogging 12+ years ago, I was on Blogspot, but only for a few months, then I switched to Wordpress. I found it more user-friendly. And I never switched back. So for years I've been using the same Theme. Then I heard people telling me they see ads on my site and I didn't like that, cause I didn't have control as to what ads came on my blog. So I pay for a 'Personal Version', yes, I pay to make sure there's no ads on my blog. Forgot how much, maybe around $5 a month.

Then about a month ago I was told by Wordpress my Theme was too old and would not support new features like block blogging. So I changed it to a more updated one, which is the one I'm using now. First I was apprehensive about the new blogging method (using 'blocks'), but after a month or two now, I'm getting the hang of it, and it's more contemporary looking and I can do more things with it. Although I'm still exploring.

My take is: don't be afraid to change to a newer version. Also, I'm happy with Wordpress, especially the HELP and support they give me (when I was switching to a new Theme.) We used chat, so it's immediate assistance, and they're very patient with me. That I really appreciate."

IN SUMMARY:

There are loads of problems that occur when changing anything. Back in the earlier days of word processing, I worked with a program called Palantir; then Word Perfect; then Word. Every change brought shaking of fists and pounding the top of our desktop computer monitors (sometimes probably harder than we should have!) We learned.

It takes time to get it right. But we can. And we will.

It was interesting and not surprising to note that many of us who are having trouble with or resisting the change are over 50 and don't use computers as part of a work setting but for home and personal use. HTML isn't part of our vocabulary. I'm inclined to believe change can be more difficult as we age -- we figure "why should we?" 

 

It looks like we'll have to. To those who are considering quitting your blogs because of this, I urge you to rethink that. Maybe cut back posts till you get the hang of it. Experiment. 

 

(My own, somewhat unscientific assessment -- Most Blogger bloggers are over 50 and do not monetize. We are more likely to do it just for fun or for a journal than bloggers who do monetize (and probably also do for fun), less likely to want to pay for a service and less adaptable to extreme change -- but we slog along and try till we get frustrated. And as I said, it's a broad generalization but I think I'm pretty close!)  

 

And ask questions! Throw your problem out on your blog and you might get an answer. Or visit someone who has this New Blogger thing more or less together, like Linda.  

And continue to let Blogger know your issues. 

As several said, it is a free platform. I think we get more than we pay for. Do I like the changes? Not one bit. But I like blogging and connecting with all of you more.

 

Good Luck! (If you have figured out workarounds for the problems mentioned here or others, please include them in the comments below!)

 

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