We picked up Mike on Friday at the Green Bay Airport and took him to a condo in Bailey's Harbor that was about 10 minutes from our RV park. Friends Tim and Loretta came up from Illinois and joined us, staying in the condo with Mike.
Monday and Tuesday, we were able to visit Bjorklunden and the chapel that Mike and Tip's grandparents built, beginning in 1929. The property was willed to Lawrence University when they passed away, and since then it has been used as their northern campus, where students and artists can come for study and retreat. We were treated like royalty by the caretaker, Mark, who is the Bjorklunden administrator for Lawrence Univ. He was so knowledgeable about the grandparents and the whole history, that the guys learned a lot about their family history that hadn't been passed on before. It was wonderful for me to learn more about the place I've heard so many stories about over the years.
The stone cottage in the pictures is the workshop where their grandmother did her artwork for the chapel--drawings that she later added to the chapel in the form of frescoes. The darker wood building is where their grandfather worked on his carvings and woodwork for the chapel. The baptismal font alone took over 600 hours of carving. They worked on the chapel every summer for 9 years. The original house where they spent their summers burned about 5 years ago, but the University has constructed the building shown in the pics above that look more modern. The view of the beach is part of the mile-long beachfront on Lake Michigan that now belongs to the University. It's really a fabulous place, and while we were there it was being used as an elder hostel where people could take part in classes. It was so great to see what has become of their grandparents' vision and hard work--they were really amazing and talented, hardworking people.
On Tuesday, we also were able to scatter John's ashes near the chapel (where all the kids were baptised) and on the beautiful grounds of the estate. It brought more of a sense of closure for Tip and Mike, and I think John would be pleased.
No comments:
Post a Comment