We arrived home from a wonderful week-end reunion of the former crew of the USCGC 83, the Mackinaw, or better known as the "Mighty Mac". Old friends gathered to remember stories and swap lies. Smiles were everywhere.
This picture of the Mighty Mac might not look familiar to most of you, even as a Coast Guard ship...and that's because the Mighty Mac was origonally totally white, not even the red stripe, so that it was less visible from the air. Remember...it was launched in 1944, during WWII. Note: it was launched the year that Chris was born....AND....it was also "born" in Toledo, OH. Most of the old "Coasties" want the Mighty Mac painted white, as most of them remember it. We understand that it will be re-painted white when, in 3 years when it is finally turned over to the Maritime Museum Mackinaw committee.
I love this picture of Chris. He has such a nice smile. Lots of smiles over the week end.
This interesting gentleman was not a "plank" (i.e. a member of the very first crew of the Mac), but he was on it 6 mo. after it was launched. It was such fun listening to him talk about it.
A meeting of old friends. They sure had some wild times together...because I heard it all!
A picture not often seen....from below the Mackinaw Bridge. The guys said that they saw this view lots of times (as they came into port and left port)...no big deal. But we actually got to "hang out" under the huge bridge for about 1/2 hour on our cruise ont he Sheppler Ferry. It was lots of fun.
A view from the "troll"....who lives under the bridge, right?
A view of the "baby Mac"....the new Mackinaw icebreaker, in its home port in Cheboygan (where the Might Mac spent 63 years). We were going to have a tour on it, as many of the old crew did, but for some reason the gate to the base was closed when we went. Chris' reputation must have preceeded him????
After the festivities, we went to visit some old friends of Chris from his Coast Guard days. (he served with this guy's brother-in-law and got to know the whole family) This is Wayne Maltby giving me a ride on his jet ski. He lives right on the Black River outside of Cheboygan. What fun. I did such a fantastic job getting on and off of the jet ski....dumped it both times! :-)
And here's Chris cruising by....his first time ever on a jet ski.
And this is sunset ont he Straits of Mackinaw, where we camped for the week end. Such beauty in the north country....
This picture of the Mighty Mac might not look familiar to most of you, even as a Coast Guard ship...and that's because the Mighty Mac was origonally totally white, not even the red stripe, so that it was less visible from the air. Remember...it was launched in 1944, during WWII. Note: it was launched the year that Chris was born....AND....it was also "born" in Toledo, OH. Most of the old "Coasties" want the Mighty Mac painted white, as most of them remember it. We understand that it will be re-painted white when, in 3 years when it is finally turned over to the Maritime Museum Mackinaw committee.
I love this picture of Chris. He has such a nice smile. Lots of smiles over the week end.
This interesting gentleman was not a "plank" (i.e. a member of the very first crew of the Mac), but he was on it 6 mo. after it was launched. It was such fun listening to him talk about it.
A meeting of old friends. They sure had some wild times together...because I heard it all!
A picture not often seen....from below the Mackinaw Bridge. The guys said that they saw this view lots of times (as they came into port and left port)...no big deal. But we actually got to "hang out" under the huge bridge for about 1/2 hour on our cruise ont he Sheppler Ferry. It was lots of fun.
A view from the "troll"....who lives under the bridge, right?
A view of the "baby Mac"....the new Mackinaw icebreaker, in its home port in Cheboygan (where the Might Mac spent 63 years). We were going to have a tour on it, as many of the old crew did, but for some reason the gate to the base was closed when we went. Chris' reputation must have preceeded him????
After the festivities, we went to visit some old friends of Chris from his Coast Guard days. (he served with this guy's brother-in-law and got to know the whole family) This is Wayne Maltby giving me a ride on his jet ski. He lives right on the Black River outside of Cheboygan. What fun. I did such a fantastic job getting on and off of the jet ski....dumped it both times! :-)
And here's Chris cruising by....his first time ever on a jet ski.
And this is sunset ont he Straits of Mackinaw, where we camped for the week end. Such beauty in the north country....
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