Besser Museum

On Wednesday afternoon Helen, Jon and I went to the Besser Museum to meet Richard Clute.  A couple years ago I attended an event at Alpena Community College at which Richard and another man told of their adventures teaching English in China.  Knowing that Jon and Helen were seeking a position in China, I passed along the names and, in time, Jon and Richard talked on the phone.

As it turned out, Jon and Richard ended up teaching at the same university in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, in Central China.  Jon and Helen actually lived in Richard's apartment while Richard was back in the U.S.  Our visit on Wednesday was the first time the three had met face-to-face.  Over a cup of tea they traded news of mutual friends in the Wuhan expatriate community and the sometimes complex business of teaching in the People's Republic.

The Besser Museum's Sky Theater is a
treat for local star gazers.

As it happens, Richard teaches archaeology at Alpena Community College, and serves as Adjunct Curator of Anthropology at Besser Museum.  His passion is early Native American culture in Northern Michigan.  In my role as publicist for the Presque Isle Township Museum Society I am currently working on a new web site for our lighthouse parks and museums.  To set the stage for the history of these facilities, I want to describe Northeastern Michigan from the ground up — its geology and original inhabitants, as well as more recent development.

To do that I have to write about subjects which, for me, are "all Greek."  Richard seems most willing to help keep me from flying off the rails.

Part of the new web site will be "Other Things To Do" in the area, such as the Besser Museum.  Founded by the Besser Family in the 1960s — (they gained fame and fortune manufacturing machines that make concrete blocks) — the museum was a gift to Alpena and all of Northern Michigan.  Its interests include geology, natural history, Native American culture, Alpena history, contemporary art, and much more.  It has a Foucault Pendulum in the lobby, and the museum's Sky Theater is the only planetarium in Northern Michigan.

Another 2-3 layers of wood and I'll have enough for the season.

My last daylily — appropriately named Fallen Leaves.

After seeing Helen and Jon off to Detroit yesterday, I returned to my yard work.  The day's wood splitting brought me close to my goal for this year.  A couple more hours and I should have roughly 3-1/2 cords, enough for the winter heating season.  About the same amount of time on the splitter should give me a sufficient supply of cedar kindling.

I'm finishing up this chore none too soon.  Note that Jon, Helen, and I went swimming this week when the temperature was in the 90s.  In fact, my last trip into the lake was Wednesday afternoon.  Today, NOAA weather radio declares that we will have "areas of frost" throughout Northern Michigan tonight, except for the lakeshore.  There are still unopened buds on my daylilies, one each on two plants, but with these low temperatures I doubt I'll see more blooms this year. •••