September in Saugatuck
The Great Santini, West Michigan Meals, Dustbowl Revival, Ed Kranepool, Dutch Dilemma
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue includes my favorite West Michigan towns, Pat Conroy’s second novel, a lively band that defies categorization, the longest-tenured New York Met, and confusion over which Holland I was in. I hope you like the picks and pics.
I usually walk during the day, but on Sunday, I waited until 7 pm to start my daily one-hour walk. I was rewarded with beautiful views of both the sunset and moonrise. Last night’s moon was even more spectacular, but I was in a car and unable take any more photos.
If you enjoy Fave Five, please share it with your friends who also like books, food, music, sports, or humor. To do so, just click the button below.
Fave Five 102: September in Saugatuck
Ben and Bull (The Great Santini), Fennville Feasts and Saugatuck Suppers (El Jaripeo, The BARge, Crane’s Pie Pantry, The Butler, Pumpernickels, Sprinkles Donut Shop), Roots Rockers (Dustbowl Revival), Mets Mainstay (Ed Kranepool), and a Dutch Dilemma.
Fave Five List: Favorite West Michigan Towns
I had a lovely time last week in West Michigan with friends Barbara and David Osher and Rebecca and Jerry Oljace. We went to Saugatuck to see a Dustbowl Revival concert, but also had a great time walking around, dining, and shopping.
Here my five favorite towns in West Michigan, in order of their location from south to north. I have included two photos from each place.
Book Best Bet
The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
Eighteen-year-old Ben's attempts to stand up for himself, his mother, and his sister are resisted by his intolerant father, a fighter pilot and inflexible disciplinarian.
I wrote previously about all of the Pat Conroy books I have enjoyed reading. This is one of my favorites. I also loved the movie version starring Robert Duvall, Blythe Danner, and Michael O'Keefe.
From Amazon: This is the story of Bull Meecham, the epitome of the Marine officer. Demanding, authoritarian, as tough a disciplinarian at home as at the base, Bull is a difficult man to please, and even harder to love. This is also the story of Ben Meecham, Bull’s oldest son. A gifted athlete whose best never satisfies his father, Ben must balance his own ambition with his father’s expectations—and decide what course he will chart for himself and what kind of man he will become. Piercing, bittersweet, and unforgettable, The Great Santini is Pat Conroy’s semi-autobiographical lens into fathers and sons, and the powerful legacy one man can leave behind.
Step into the powerhouse life of Bull Meecham. He’s all Marine—fighter pilot, king of the clouds, and absolute ruler of his family. Lillian is his wife—beautiful, southern-bred, with a core of velvet steel. Without her cool head, her kids would be in real trouble. Ben is the oldest, a born athlete whose best never satisfies the big man. Ben’s got to stand up, even fight back, against a father who doesn’t give in—not to his men, not to his wife, and certainly not to his son. Bull Meecham is undoubtedly Pat Conroy’s most explosive character—a man you should hate, but a man you will love.
Restaurant Recommendations
West Michigan Meals
The first one and the last one below were solo dining; the others were with the Oshers and Oljaces. All of the food was excellent, and the views from our waterfront tables at The BARge and The Butler were outstanding.
El Jaripeo 106 E Main Street, Fennville, MI 49408
Lunch Special #1: Chile Relleno, Taco Al Pastor, Guacamole Salad, and Beans
The BARge 528 Water Street (behind Ship-N-Shore Hotel), Saugatuck, MI 49453
Fried Lake Perch: Fresh-caught Lake Michigan perch, hand battered and fried golden. Served with fries, slaw, and tartar sauce.
Crane’s Pie Pantry 6054 124th Ave (M-89), Fennville, MI 49408
Chili: Family recipe since 1972. Great tasting.
Slice of apple pie warmed up with cheddar cheese on top. Many people frown when I order cheese on my apple pie, but I love it.
The Butler 40 Butler St., Saugatuck, MI 49453
Build Your Own Pizza: tomato sauce, house blend cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños
Pumpernickels 202 Butler Street, Saugatuck, MI 49453
Crab Cake Benedict: English Muffin, Poached Eggs, Crab Cakes. Hollandaise Sauce, Home Fries
Sprinkles Donut Shop 62 W 8th St, Holland, MI 49423
Cinnamon roll with homemade maple icing (a steal at $1.40)
Marvelous Musicians
I learned of this band from my friends Barbara and David Osher, who raved about them. I saw the band at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion, Michigan on June 28, 2018 and on September 12, 2024 at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts. They always put on a lively show. Note: They are not to be confused with Beat Root Revival, another great band raved about by my friend Robin Mueller.
From AllMusic (by Timothy Monger): Based out of Venice, California, the Dustbowl Revival are a large string and brass ensemble whose colorful combination of swing, bluegrass, jazz, and Americana have earned them a national following. The group's early material had a loose, playful feel that made the most of the organic interplay between the musicians, a period that reached its peak on 2015's live-in-the-studio set With a Lampshade On. 2017's The Dustbowl Revival saw the group taking on a more contemporary sound and production approach while still embracing the dynamics of the large instrumental pool.
From the band’s site: Dustbowl Revival’s story started humbly. Z. Lupetin, a Chicago native who attended college in Michigan came to L.A. to be a screenwriter, grew disillusioned with his job in advertising, and placed a hopeful ad on Craigslist. He sought to find fellow musicians who shared his roving love of Louis Armstrong, Bob Wills, Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin and the brass bands of New Orleans, but also wanted to write songs like Americana pioneers Wilco, Lucinda Williams and even Bruce Springsteen. There are still players in the group who responded to that initial odd quest. New talent joined in 2021.
“Maybe we don’t know where this journey will take us or how long it will last,” acknowledges Lupetin, “That’s my take on the importance of what we try to do. Music elevates us, lifts us up, makes us change our minds, takes us out of our comfort zones. If just one person can be moved by just one song, that’s enough.”
Dustbowl Revival has always been about pushing the boundaries of what American roots music can be. After celebrating over a decade of sonic adventuring and playing thousands of shows together in ten countries and counting, the group collected a devoted fanbase coast-to-coast. The always evolving group of string and brass players led by founding members Z. Lupetin, Josh Heffernan, Ulf Bjorlin welcomed a new wave of talent to the band. They have transitioned the group from a “roots dance party band” that continues to thrive on the festival circuit, to a nuanced ensemble embracing more soulful territory without losing their original fire.
Debtors' Prison
Oh! Darling
Up On Cripple Creek
My Playlist
Sports Star
Ed died on September 8, 2024. I was a big Mets fan from 1969 to 1972. When they improbably won the World Series in 1969, I was ecstatic. For many years I could recite the full 25-man Mets roster. I still remember all of them, including their positions and platooning roles.
1969 New York Mets - World Series Roster
Pitchers
27 Don Cardwell RH - rotation
31 Jack DiLauro LH
39 Gary Gentry RH - rotation
34 Cal Koonce RH - relief
36 Jerry Koosman LH - rotation
43 Jim McAndrew RH - rotation
45 Tug McGraw LH - relief
30 Nolan Ryan RH
41 Tom Seaver RH - rotation
42 Ron Taylor RH - relief
Catchers
10 Duffy Dyer RH
15 Jerry Grote RH - platoon
9 J. C. Martin LH - platoon
Infielders
12 Ken Boswell 2B LH - platoon
5 Ed Charles 3B RH - platoon
22 Donn Clendenon 1B RH - platoon
11 Wayne Garrett 3B LH - platoon
3 Bud Harrelson SS S
7 Ed Kranepool 1B LH - platoon
6 Al Weis 2B RH - platoon
Outfielders
20 Tommie Agee CF RH
17 Rod Gaspar Defensive Sub
21 Cleon Jones LF RH
24 Art Shamsky RF LH - platoon
4 Ron Swoboda RF RH - platoon
Manager and Coaches
14 Gil Hodges (manager)
8 Yogi Berra (first base)
52 Joe Pignatano (bullpen)
54 Rube Walker (pitching)
53 Eddie Yost (third base)
Ed Kranepool, a Teenage Met Who Lasted 18 Seasons, Dies at 79 by Richard Sandomir of The New York Times
Ed Kranepool, a Bronx-born first baseman whose long career with the Mets began in their first season, in 1962, when they were a comically awful expansion franchise, continued through their World Series championship seven years later and lasted long enough for their return to the cellar, died on Sunday at his home in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 79.
He is the fourth member of the Mets’ 1969 World Series championship team — the “Miracle Mets,” as they were called — to die this year, following Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson, and Jim McAndrew.
Nicknamed “Steady Eddie,” Kranepool inspired fans to chant “Ed-die! Ed-die!” He was selected to the 1965 National League All-Star team, though he didn’t play. In the 1969 World Series, he hit a home run as the Mets rolled to the championship in five games over the favored Baltimore Orioles.
Kranepool never became a superstar. Rather, he was a line-drive hitter with modest power — he never had more than 16 home runs in a season — who turned into an elite pinch-hitter as his time as a first baseman and outfielder diminished.
When the Mets returned to the World Series in 1973, facing the Oakland A’s, Kranepool went hitless in three plate appearances. The Mets lost in seven games.
From 1974 to 1978, he came off the bench to hit .396 as a pinch-hitter. In 1978, he had 15 hits in 50 at bats in that reserve role, including three home runs.
When he retired after the 1979 season, Kranepool held several Mets career records, all but two of which have been surpassed: the most pinch hits, 90, and most games played, 1,853.
From Wikipedia: Edward Emil Kranepool III (born November 8, 1944 in NYC; died September 8, 2024 in Boca Raton, Florida) was an American professional baseball player. He spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the New York Mets. He was predominantly a first baseman, but he also played in the outfield.
Born in the Bronx, New York, Kranepool attended James Monroe High School, where he began playing baseball and basketball. Mets' scout Bubber Jonnard signed Kranepool in 1962 at the age of 17 as an amateur free agent. By the time he retired in 1979, he had become the last remaining Met from their inaugural 1962 season and was a member of the Miracle Mets World Championship team of 1969.
Picture Pun
I thought I had left The Netherlands, but a week later I found myself back in Holland.
Kranepool's All-Star selection in 1965 was quite a fluke. His OPS of .675 was the lowest of any NL regular first baseman. The rule in those days was that the manager, who selected the All-Star team, had to pick at least one player from every team. He did lead the Mets in batting average, with a .253 mark. Kranepool also was a big improvement over the Mets' previous first baseman, "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry.
I was in Newark NJ 1972-4 and saw a lot of those Mets play often. I was a big fan.